Hit Play Not Pause

Dragging yourself through the motions more often than not these days? You’re not alone. The brain chemistry changes that occur during menopausal years can cause your mojo, motivation, and mental game to go MIA. But don’t despair. This week’s guest, psychologist Dr. Lisa Lewis is here to help you get your groove back. Spoiler alert: If you care that you’re not motivated, you’re actually motivated. You just need a little help accessing it from another angle. And she’s here to show you how. Dr. Lewis has a background in sport and exercise psychology and is especially well versed in the topic of motivation and all the many forms it takes—yes there’s way more than one—and how athletes and active women can find the one that works for them at any given time. You can learn more about her work at https://drlewisconsulting.com/ Register for the Feisty Womxn's Performance Summit at womxnsperformancesummit.com **Support the Podcast** Use the code FeistyMenopause at nuunlife.com & nuuncanada.com

Menopause and midlife can send dueling wrecking balls straight into your sleep architecture, leaving you tossing and turning unable to get to sleep, waking up with racing thoughts at 3 a.m., and generally depriving you of the rest and regeneration you need. This week’s guest, Dr. Sophie Bostock, the sleep scientist—and self-proclaimed sleep evangelist—is here to help you pick up the pieces of your broken sleep and get a good night’s rest. Dr. Bostock has recently spent 5 years working on Sleepio, an award-winning digital sleep improvement program. She also has published sleep research in collaboration with the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute in Oxford and other international researchers showing the impacts of better sleep on mental health and performance. She has developed a systematic approach to improving sleep hygiene and getting your circadian rhythms back in sync so you can enjoy sound, uninterrupted sleep. You can learn more about her work at: https://www.thesleepscientist.com/about

As active women, we use carbs to fuel our training and racing. But there’s a limit to how many are good for our health (as well as performance), especially as we hit menopause and become more insulin resistant. This week’s guest, coach Gale Bernhardt has been on a mission to help her athletes dial in their nutrition and training to be better fat burners while also having the metabolic flexibility to use those sugars when they need them. That plan includes eating a diet filled with whole food fats and carbohydrates, as well as a healthy dose of special sprint sessions she calls Miracle Intervals that every menopausal athlete should try. Gale has been working with athletes since 1974 and is a two-time Olympic cycling and triathlon coach. She is the author of several training books, including Bicycling for Women and is the co-author of Become a Fat-Burning Machine. You can find out more about her work at https://galebernhardt.com/ and check out some Miracle Intervals at https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/all-out-miracle-intervals-to-improve-average-power-for-endurance-events/ **Support the Podcast** Use the code FeistyMenopause at https://nuun.life/feisty-podcast for 30% off your entire order

What keeps you going when the curtains start to fall at mile 19 of a marathon? How do you get up and charge again 3 days into a 6 day stage race? What makes the difference between picking up a kettlebell or a bottle of wine at the end of a long, hard, tiring day? Mental strength. The muscle between your ears is what keeps you going when the going gets hard. The opposite is true, too. When life is kicking your ass, being physically strong helps you muster the mental strength you need to persevere. This week’s guest Lisbeth Darsh, author of Strong Starts in the Mind talks all about mental strength, how to build it, and how to use it, especially when menopause knocks you back on your heels. Lisbeth is a former CrossFit executive and aircraft maintenance officer on fighter jets in the U.S. Air Force. Today, she is a proponent of Street Parking, a new workout system that makes CrossFit type training more accessible to people without access to a gym or a lot of equipment. You can learn more about her at https://wordswithlisbeth.com/ and more about Street Parking at https://streetparking.com/ Hit Play Not Pause is proud to be supported by Nuun Hydration in 2021! Show your support and use the code FeistyMenopause at nuunlife.com for 30% off all of Nuun's amazing products.

Chasing big athletic goals can supercharge your life. But how do you chase and accomplish those goals without dropping the ball on everything else, especially as you’re also trying to navigate all the changes that menopause and midlife can bring? This week’s guest, long time endurance athlete and coach Lynda Rowan is here to help. As a dual citizen of both Australia and the U.S., Lynda has competed in Sprint, Olympic, 70.3 and Ironman triathlons and has represented both countries at ITU World Age Group Championships. She has been coaching sport for 30 years and knows what it takes to get it all done. We talk about how to balance endurance and intensity; how to fit in strength training; how to properly rest and recover, and most importantly, how to do it all without coming undone. Hit Play Not Pause is proud to be supported by Nuun Hydration in 2021! Show your support and use the code FeistyMenopause at nuunlife.com for 30% off all of Nuun's amazing products.

Time for “the talk.” Seriously, we get sex ed when we go through puberty to know what to expect. But then we hit the other end of the hormonal spectrum and...crickets. Loss of libido and painful sex are real issues during menopausal years and, all too often, women suffer in silence. Issues like vaginal dryness don’t just hurt your sex life (though that’s bad enough!), they also just plain hurt when you’re trying to live an active life. None of that is particularly conducive to feeling and performing your best. This week’s guest Dr. Lauren Streicher, author of Sex Rx- Hormones Health and Your Best Sex Ever, is one of the top authorities on the topic of menopause and sexual health. Dr. Streicher is the founder and medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Menopause and the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Health, which includes programs on Sexual Medicine and Vulvar and Vaginal Health. She’s been featured on Oprah, Good Morning America, Nightline, 20/20, Today, and the Meredith Vieira Show, just to name a few. She dishes out straight talk on sex solutions to help improve your “SexAbility” through menopause and the rest of your life. You can learn more about her and check out her work at DrStreicher.com

The words we say to ourselves. The way we look at ourselves. The way we fuel, or often don’t fuel, ourselves. They’re a product of so many things--culture, society, ingrained images and messages. And too often they hurt our health, performance, and general well being. Exercising, playing sports, and being active can help, but they also can be the source of some of these issues, or make them worse. And when we hit our menopausal years and our bodies start taking on a life of their own, seemingly no matter what we do? We can go straight into a tailspin. This week’s guest, Dr. Christy Greenleaf, of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, is here to help. Christy’s research focuses on the psychosocial aspects of weight, physical activity, body image, and disordered eating. As a lifelong figure skater, she knows a thing or two about all these issues on a very personal, as well as professional, level. We dig in on strategies to break the cycle of body shame, disordered eating, and negative self talk for good. You can find out more about her at https://uwm.edu/healthsciences/directory/greenleaf-christy/

Injuries don’t just hurt physically. They can rock you emotionally, as they keep you away from the activity you love, isolate you from your training buddies, and do a number on your self image, especially as we get into our menopausal years and injuries can pop up with increasing frequency. Your doctor or PT help with the physical stuff. But what about the rest? That’s where this week’s guest Heidi Armstrong, founder of The Injured Athlete’s Toolbox comes in. Heidi has more than 10 years of experience dealing with her own injuries following a devastating mountain bike crash, and has conducted hundreds of hours of research with athletes dealing with their own. She is also one of a few experts in the world who helps athletes—many of whom are perimenopausal or menopausal—overcome the mental fallout of injury, regain their confidence, and stop the emotional rollercoaster. You can find out more about her and her services at https://injuredathletestoolbox.com/

Ready to create your menopause adventure? Yes, adventure. Now is the time to shine, says this week’s guest, wellness coach and fitness trainer Kacy Duke, who teaches people how to use the right mindset, motivation, and movement to reach their goals. Named one of New York City’s best trainers, Kacy has been the personal trainer to a long list of A-listers including Gwen Stefani, Kate Beckinsale, Julianna Moore, Dakota Johnson, Bruce Willis, Denzel Washington, and Lenny Kravitz, just to name a few. Now at 65 years of age, she’s growing her business with a health and fitness subscription service called Age Defying Physique, because, as she says, we shouldn’t deny our age—it’s a privilege to live a long life—but we can definitely defy what people think we can do at any given age. Kacy talks about her own journey through menopause and how she helps women navigate this huge transition in their lives, including improving body image and mindset to live proud and out loud. Consider this your pep talk for 2021.

Missing your usual mojo and motivation? Wrestling with body image issues? Want a little help setting meaningful goals that go beyond how fast you can run a 5K? You are not alone! This week, exercise scientist and mental performance expert Dr. Kristen Dieffenbach addresses these topics and more as we take a deep dive into the competitive psyche during menopause and how to cope with the psychological challenges that come at this time of life.Kristen is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. She is also a Peaks Coaching Group master coach; a USA Cycling Power-certified coach; a USA Track and Field coach, and works as the director of the Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Science at West Virginia University. You can find more about her work at https://appliedcoaching.wvu.edu/faculty/kristen-dieffenbach

Mary Jane is clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale University School of Medicine. She has been a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) since 2002, and has been in private practice in New Haven, Connecticut for more than 35 years. Mary Jane has won myriad awards for excellence in her field and is an authority on all things related to hormone therapy, which she addresses in detail during this show. She’s super informative, straight shooting, an avid exerciser herself, and often hilarious. Be sure to head over to our Feisty Menopause Facebook or Instagram page to check out the photo on the show tile on. Mary Jane is posing in front of a row of some very interesting old gynaecological instruments… made of glass. For a deeper dive on all things women’s health, check her out at http://madameovary.com/

Recovery, resilience, and injury resistance gets harder as we get older. The harder and longer you go, the harder and longer the recovery process can be. This week’s guest, legendary ultra runner Magda Boulet knows all about what it takes to stay resilient and recover well even after the longest, hardest challenges. Since turning 45, Magda’s won the Marathon des Sables, a six day 156 mile stage race, in Morocco; completed the 172-mile Tahoe Rim Trail in 50 hours and 40 minutes, and won the 2019 Leadville Trail 100 Run. Earlier this year, she completed an “Everesting” run, running up and down the same hill to reach the vertical gain of Mount Everest—more than 29,000 feet. Now at age 47, she’s doing all that and more while going through perimenopause, being a mom to a teenager, and working at GU Energy and Boon as the Vice President of Research and Development. Magda was very open about how she’s had to change her training and lifestyle to stay strong and resilient and recover well during this stage of life and her career. You can learn more about her at https://www.magdaboulet.com/

Studies show women following a plant-based diet have fewer night sweats and hot flashes during menopause. So this week Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN, owner of Active Eating Advice digs into the powers, and occasional pitfalls, of a plant-based diet: what it means and what foods to include for optimum muscle, bone, and hormonal health, as well as to sleep, feel, and perform your best. We also delve into the truths and myths surrounding soy, and cover the often overlooked topic of how to be kind to your gut. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, omnivorous, or mainly carnivorous, piling some plants on your plate is a good move, especially this time of life. Leslie is a sports nutritionist and dietitian and the owner of Active Eating Advice based out of Pittsburgh, PA. She is the author of Sport Nutrition for Coaches and the American Dietetic Association Guide to Better Digestion. She is the nutrition consultant for Carnegie Mellon University athletics and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She has worked with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Blue Jays, the Washington Nationals, and the WNBA. She is also the sports dietitian to the 2020 super bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs. Leslie is an ambassador for the Produce for Better Health Foundation and has coached countless plant-based endurance and power athletes. You can learn more about her work and services at https://activeeatingadvice.com/

Past trauma can lead to more severe symptoms and a more challenging menopause journey. This week, stress and resiliency expert Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., explains how stress and trauma can change our DNA and drag us down mentally and physically, especially at midlife. She also serves up a whole lot of hope and no B.S. advice for building your best present and future, no matter your past. Or in her words: “What you’re doing is trying to do everything in your power to inject joy, inject adventure, to inject badass and a sense of empowerment and control in your own life.” Pam is a three-time New York Times bestselling author including Fight Fat after Forty, Body for Life for Women, and The Hunger Fix: The 3 Stage Detox and Recovery Plan for Overeating and Food Addiction. She is a science and health advisor for Apple, developing apps for use in the enhancement of stress resilience and healthy lifestyle habits. She also has her own podcast, HER: Learn the naked truth about HER mind, HER body and HER life. She is a nationally renowned physician, scientist, expert, and thought leader in the fields of integrative, preventive, and lifestyle medicine, and has been named one of America’s top physicians by the Consumers Research Council of America. You can learn more about her work and best selling books at https://drpeeke.com/ Find more information about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) at https://www.acesconnection.com/blog/got-your-ace-resilience-scores

Missing your usual mojo and motivation? Wrestling with body image issues? Want a little help setting meaningful goals that go beyond how fast you can run a 5K? You are not alone! This week, exercise scientist and mental performance expert Dr. Kristen Dieffenbach addresses these topics and more as we take a deep dive into the competitive psyche during menopause and how to cope with the psychological challenges that come at this time of life. Kristen is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. She is also a Peaks Coaching Group master coach; a USA Cycling Power-certified coach; a USA Track and Field coach, and works as the director of the Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Science at West Virginia University. You can find more about her work at https://appliedcoaching.wvu.edu/faculty/kristen-dieffenbach

Low fat. High protein. Low carb. No carb. This week’s guests and authors of The Menopause Diet Plan, Hillary Wright and Elizabeth Ward, have seen diet trends come and go and come around again. And they know what works. Spoiler alert: Yes, you can - and should - eat carbs. We get into why, as well as all the other macronutrients, vitamins. minerals, and foods that menopausal women need for optimum health and performance. Hillary Wright, MEd, RDN, is a registered dietitian and the author of The PCOS Diet Plan and The Prediabetes Diet Plan. She is the director of nutrition counseling for the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health at Boston IVF, a Harvard-affiliated fertility treatment center. She works part-time as a senior nutritionist at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, and is a founding member of the nutrition technology company Good Measures LLC. Elizabeth Ward, MS, RDN, is a registered dietitian with more than 30 years of experience counseling patients and writing about nutrition and health. She is a recipe developer and food photographer and the author or co-author of several books, including Expect the Best, Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, and After Pregnancy. Ward blogs about a healthy lifestyle at www.betteristhenewperfect.com. Learn more about their book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/612208/the-menopause-diet-plan-by-hillary-wright-med-rdn-and-elizabeth-ward-ms-rdn/

Depression, anxiety, bone-crushing fatigue, incontinence, heart palpitations, migraines. What the hell is going on? Shockingly, your family doctor may not know it’s menopause. And you’ll end up feeling like you’re losing your mind like this week’s guest Amanda Thebe, author of Menopocalypse: How I Learned to Thrive During Menopause and How You Can Too. Amanda was so frustrated by her two year odyssey to find out what was derailing her life (spoiler alert: it was perimenopause), she wrote a book to help other women avoid the same fate. It details her experience and offers concrete information about what happens during perimenopause, advice on how to advocate for yourself, and myriad ways to help yourself through the transition. She’s a certified personal trainer with many specialty certifications, a PN1 nutrition coach, and the owner of her own fitness company, Fit n’ Chips. You can find out more about her work and buy her book at https://www.fitnchips.com/

It happens. You sneeze, cough, or laugh…and leak. Or you can barely get your key in the door without wetting yourself. It’s common, but not normal…or necessary. This week, pelvic floor specialist Chloë Murdock, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS offers solutions to the incontinence that can happen during menopause. And, spoiler alert, there’s more to fixing it than Kegels—in fact they can make it worse. Chloë explains that there’s more to your core than your abs and obliques and how muscle imbalances and weaknesses in key parts of your core, which includes your pelvic floor, can lead to leaking, especially in active women. She talks about the importance of deep breathing and other exercises to improve pelvic health, decrease stress, and help stop incontinence. She is a doctor of physical therapy, a Slowtwitch and BikeFit certified bike fitter, as well as a Board Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and USATF level 1 and RRCA certified running coach based in Zurich, Switzerland. You can find out more about her work at https://www.chloemurdockpt.com/meet-chloe

Thirty four years ago, at the age of 42, Cherie Gruenfeld went from lying in bed eating sticky buns and watching the LA Marathon to buying running shoes and a book on how to run a marathon the very next day. She wanted to know what she was capable of. At 76 years old, after completing 28 Ironman races, winning 13 World Ironman titles and setting numerous course records around the world, she still does. Cherie is still eyeing up world records, setting goals, and living life by her philosophy: “I never want to wonder what if.” She also gives back as she pushes forward as a triathlon coach and as the Founder and Director of a non-profit foundation, Exceeding Expectations for at-risk kids in the San Bernardino area, using the sport of triathlon to redirect their lives. Cherie talks frankly about what it takes to stay on top of your game as you get older; how she approaches training and recovery, overcoming adversity, and much more. You can find out more about her race history, coaching services, and non-profit foundation at https://cheriegruenfeld.com/

Heavy periods, hot flashes, vaginal pain, debilitating full body achiness, we’ve got a hit parade of menopausal symptoms, and more importantly, solutions this week with guest Mary Jane Minkin, M.D. Mary Jane is clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale University School of Medicine. She has been a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) since 2002, and has been in private practice in New Haven, Connecticut for more than 35 years. Mary Jane has won myriad awards for excellence in her field and is an authority on all things related to hormone therapy, which she addresses in detail during this show. She’s super informative, straight shooting, an avid exerciser herself, and often hilarious. Be sure to head over to our Feisty Menopause Facebook or Instagram page to check out the photo on the show tile on. Mary Jane is posing in front of a row of some very interesting old gynaecological instruments… made of glass. For a deeper dive on all things women’s health, check her out at http://madameovary.com/

It’s easy to beat yourself up (and down) with strength training. That’s not Erin Carson’s game. As the strength trainer for endurance athletes like 3x Ironman World Champion Mirinda Carfrae, Erin’s approach is building her athlete’s up to be not just strong, but also energetic, nimble, and fast. She dishes out plenty of thoughts on how we all can achieve those goals in this week's episode. She also practices what she preaches, recently running one of her fastest half marathons at age 54. She’s co-owner and coach at RallySport in Boulder, Colorado where she has worked for 27 years, and the head coach at ECFIT. She is also collaborating with Dr. Stacy Sims to produce training programs designed specifically for menopausal women. Those plans launch November 1st, but Hit Play Not Pause listeners can get early bird access—and discounts! Enter the promo code HITPLAY25 for $25 off Phase One of the Stacy Sims Strength Program at www.ecfitstrength.com and download her app: ECFIT Boulder to get workouts straight to your phone! Follow Erin on Instagram @ecfit_strength

Traditionally athletes in their 40s (and certainly their 50s) are supposed to retire and find something else to do. Not seven-time world champion Rebecca Rusch, who didn’t even start racing professionally as a mountain biker until age 38, and proceeded to rack up national and world victories, win Leadville 100 four times, DK200 three times, and crushed the first 350-mile DKXL gravel race at age 50. Talking menopause for the first time, Rebecca Rusch reveals what her transition through “the change” has been like and what she prioritizes now to continue hitting personal bests and pursue her passion. She’s living proof that midlife can be a time when women can truly hit their stride. Follow Rebecca on Instagram @rebeccarusch and visit her website at https://rusch-wear.myshopify.com/collections/books-and-film to purchase her book Rusch To Glory, co-authored by Selene Yeager.

What is happening?! You’ll find out as Selene Yeager talks all things menopause with Dr. Stacy Sims, exercise physiologist, nutrition scientist and the brains behind the women’s training and nutrition book ROAR. The show dives deep on symptoms and solutions, including specific fueling and training techniques and adaptogens that can help women maintain muscle, energy, and performance during their menopausal years. Find the list of adaptogens mentioned in the podcast and recommended doses at https://livefeisty.mykajabi.com/opt-in-587fd3d2-5d3e-4153-b1cf-6221c9cff823 Follow Dr. Stacy Sims on Instagram @drstacysims and visit her website at https://www.drstacysims.com/menopauseiscoming to sign up to join the waitlist for her upcoming Menopause for Athletes course.

Welcome to the Hit Play Not Pause Podcast, a Feisty Menopause podcast for active, performance-minded women who aren’t willing to put their best years behind them. It’s time to break the silence and get past the stigma of what you can accomplish as an active woman in your 40’s, 50’s and beyond. We’ll talk about how to optimize your physiology, maintain your fitness, and harness your power! Join host Selene Yeager for a no bullsh*t podcast for women ready to live their feistiest lives, and follow us on social @feistymenopause