Stacy Sims Quotes

The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study found that eating just one serving of lettuce or other vitamin K–rich foods (leafy greens and veggies) a day can cut the risk of hip fracture in half compared to eating just one serving a week.

A 2020 study of more than 300 women whose average age was 55, published in BMC Psychiatry, reported that 55 percent had mild to severe depression and nearly 84 percent had mild to severe anxiety. Poor body image was strongly connected to both.

performance during PMS: Take 250 milligrams of magnesium, 45 milligrams of zinc, 80 milligrams of aspirin (baby aspirin), and 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseed and fish oil) each night for the 7 days before your period starts. Pretraining: Take 5 to 7 grams of branched-chain amino acid supplement (BCAAs) to fight the lack of mojo. These amino acids cross the blood-brain barrier and decrease the estrogen-progesterone effect on central nervous system fatigue. In training: Consume a few more carbohydrates per hour. In this high-hormone phase, aim for about 0.45 gram of carbohydrate per pound of body weight (about 61 grams for a 135-pound woman) per hour. In the low-hormone phase (first 2 weeks of the cycle), you can go a bit lower—about 0.35 gram of carbohydrate per pound of body weight (about 47 grams for a 135-pound woman) per hour. (For reference: 2.2 kilograms = 1 pound.) Post-training: Recovery is critical. Progesterone is extremely catabolic (breaks muscle down) and inhibits recovery. Aim to consume 20 to 25 grams of protein within 30 minutes of finishing your session. Overall you should aim to get 0.9 to 1 gram of protein per pound per day (a 135-pound woman needs about 122 to 135 grams of protein per day; see the Roar Daily Diet Cheat Sheet for Athletes for more information). THE MARTIAL ARTIST WHO BEAT HER BLOAT It may not be nice to fool Mother Nature, but there are definitely times when you need to trick her a little.

Though I’m not opposed to hormone therapy (more on that shortly), I reject the notion that every woman needs hormone “replacement” therapy to stay young.

we should also view the transition itself as an opportunity and a step up—not down—in life.

According to a report in the Washington Post (which cited Running USA, US Masters Swimming, and Ironman), the number of women age 40 and older participating in running races grew by a million between 2010 and 2015;

If your arteries don’t dilate as quickly or as fully as you need them to, your heart needs to pump harder to circulate blood, which means you have a higher heart rate even at lower exercise intensities.

None of us can do as well solo as we do in a race when we compete with others. Your competitor is helping you to discover your limits and potential and how you have more in yourself than you thought possible. She is your greatest ally in that self-discovery, and you are the same for her,

The Pill seems to have particularly ill effects on your muscle tissue and strength. In one study, women not taking oral contraceptives saw a 40 to 60 percent greater gain in muscle mass from training than their peers on the Pill saw.

30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity most, if not all, days a week.

To sum it up, exercising early in your pregnancy has a profoundly positive effect on your developing baby, as it stimulates placenta growth and function as well as the organs and systems of your baby. Staying active through the later stages of your pregnancy keeps your baby’s growth and development on track. All this good stuff happens with just 30 to 45 minutes of exercise a day.

In fact, women who exercise have better bloodflow to the placenta when they’re not exercising, so it’s likely beneficial for the baby’s development in the long run.

Neural mechanisms (mind-muscle connections) are actually more important for women’s adaptations to strength training than they are for men’s. So by doing power moves and low-rep, high-weight strength training, you enhance the number of fibers recruited for a contraction but don’t really grow the size of your muscles very much. The short of it is that you end up with a stronger, more powerful contraction with less muscle bulk.

Progesterone also increases muscle breakdown (catabolism), and with the catabolic responses during exercise, getting a good dose of protein postexercise becomes critical for us to rebuild our muscles and reduce the signaling to store body fat.

Both estrogen and progesterone reach peak levels about 5 days before menstruation.

In one study of 20 active females, researchers found that the women could make greater strength gains and produce more force when they strength trained during their low-hormone phase compared to training in the high-hormone phase. You’re also likely to feel less pain and recover faster.

There is also evidence that blood sugar levels, breathing rates, and thermoregulation are negatively impacted during this time of the month, which may well account for the slight decreases in aerobic capacity and strength.

mean high-intensity power training—heavy lifting for pure strength. This kind of training stimulates your neuromuscular system, activating the maximum amount of muscle fibers. It also keeps those high-energy, powerful type II muscle fibers engaged, which is essential because those are needed for speed, and they’re the first to go.

When your tissues are more lax, your joints don’t have the integrity they should because they’re stretched out,” says Dr. Starrett. This impairs your proprioception, the sense of where your limbs are oriented in space and in relation to one another, which is a huge factor in mobility and stability. When you’re not getting that proprioceptive feedback, your movement patterns are thrown

Becoming a Supple Leopard

For optimum health and menopausal benefits, you should be aiming for at least 25 grams of fiber from plant foods every day.

The Puritan times weren’t much better. If you pore through the historical archives on the witch hunts and identify who was killed at the stake, you find that peri- and menopausal women were primary targets. They were “mad with menopause,” or they were using herbs and other natural medicines to help treat other women (so they had to be witches), or they were simply “old crones” who needed to be eliminated for the betterment of society.

Confidence and competitiveness in women is often socially equated to bitchiness. Speaking in broad terms, men are rewarded for those traits, while women are put down. The considerable and negative social feedback for feeling confident and embracing it can be really, really difficult.

Persistent low mood is an early indication that you’re heading toward overtraining and the first sign that you should pull back your intensity and let yourself get adequate rest and recovery.

Probiotic and prebiotic drinks such as Goodgut and kefir are great choices

The best carb sources are those that are richer in glucose, because they shoot straight into your system. Starchy veggies such as white potatoes, peas, corn, winter squash, and root veggies such as parsnips are not only richer in nutrients, but they also provide greater amounts of carbohydrate overall.

Peel the beets first. They’ll be less bitter. Add a carrot or some lemon to sweeten the drink. Don’t have a juicer? You can buy ready-to-drink beetroot juice at natural-food stores.

(KET): These are the end product of excessive fatty-acid breakdown, and they’re usually not present in urine. A positive test result suggests that you’re either not eating enough carbs (low-carb and paleo eaters are notorious for this) or you rely too much on fat for resting fuel. Ketones will be steady during training, as you are using fat for fuel. However, a dark purple result means you need to add a bit more carbohydrates to your training fuel; otherwise you run the risk of hitting the wall and not recovering well.

Fifty percent of polled athletes in a 2014 ESPN The Magazine survey reported that menstrual cramps affected their game at some point. The best way to mitigate this is to do some preplanning. In the 5 to 7 days before your period starts, you can reduce the effect of cramp-causing chemicals (specifically PE-2, an estrogen-mediated prostaglandin) by taking magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, and low-dose 80-milligram aspirin. Yes, it has to be aspirin, not ibuprofen or another nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), because aspirin suppresses the production of prostaglandins irreversibly, whereas other NSAIDs are reversible. Headaches

both rising to the top of their game. Peak performance during PMS: Take 250 milligrams of magnesium, 45 milligrams of zinc, 80 milligrams of aspirin (baby aspirin), and 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseed and fish oil) each night for the 7 days before your period starts.

Excellent prebiotic food sources include barely ripe bananas, artichokes, onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, dandelion greens, oatmeal, and legumes.

women have a greater ability for social interaction, language, and relationship building. We are also better at tasks involving memory and multitasking, while men have stronger coordination and perceptual ability.

Leukocytes (LEU): These test for disease-fighting white blood cells in your urine.

Urobilinogen (URO): This is an indicator of liver function.

(NIT): This is not a training indicator, but rather a bacterium that causes urinary tract infections (UTIs),

cold almond milk ⅔ cup frozen mango pieces 1 medium fresh or frozen ripe banana 3 leaves stemmed kale (about ½ cup packed) 2 tablespoons unsweetened flaked coconut 1 teaspoon raw flaxseeds Place the milk, mango, banana, kale, coconut, and flaxseeds in a blender and process until smooth.

of this increased lower-GI-symptom risk is due to the fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone, with a greater incidence of lower-GI issues during the 5 to 7 days before you get your period (the high-hormone phase of the menstrual cycle).

This light pre-event or race meal should be low fiber, carb based, and low fat, and it should have a moderate amount of protein.

two pieces of gluten-free toast (GF because it is quick to digest) with almond or regular butter, salt, and an easy-to-digest protein drink (whey protein or vegan protein with 5 grams of branched-chain amino acids, or BCAAs, added).

Taking an iron supplement may improve your exercise performance on nearly every level.

When you approach 1.025, this indicates hypohydration or low body water (down 1 percent body water). Greater than 1.028 indicates dehydration.

The optimum mix is 7.7 grams of sodium citrate and 4.5 grams of sodium chloride per liter. (Ingredients are available online.) Drink a large bottle of a low-carbohydrate (no more than 9 grams of carbohydrate per 8 ounces) hydration drink every hour you’re out there exercising in the elements. Prepare

the 5 to 7 days before your period starts, you can reduce the effect of cramp-causing chemicals (specifically PE-2, an estrogen-mediated prostaglandin) by taking magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, and low-dose 80-milligram aspirin.

The best way to head off these headaches is to stay hydrated and eat more nitric oxide (NO)–rich foods, such as beets, pomegranate, watermelon, and spinach in the days leading up to the start of your period.

Getting more branched-chain amino acids (especially leucine) can help mitigate some of these unpleasant effects. Leucine crosses the blood-brain barrier, slows down the effect of serotonin, and fends off central nervous system fatigue.

Women recover faster with 25 to 30 grams of protein (with 5 to 7 grams of BCAAs) within 30 minutes of a hard workout.

What not to refuel with is fruit. Yes, it’s high in simple sugar, but that simple sugar is most often fructose (there are some exceptions, such as bananas and grapes). Your liver loves fructose and will soak it up at the expense of your muscles. Better to stick to veggies, which are made up of long chains of glucose and are more efficient at restocking your stores.

Hydration in the bottle, food in the pocket! Don’t rely on a typical sports drink or liquid sports supplement to do both; use a low-carbohydrate, higher-electrolyte drink and eat real food.

Also, as a woman, you’re five times more likely to have diarrhea, intestinal cramping, and side aches as compared to men, but men tend to have greater risks of vomiting and nausea. Most

Tart cherry juice is high in the sleep-promoting chemical melatonin and also has anti-inflammatory properties

Valerian root (tea or capsules): In one natural sleeping aid study, volunteers given 400 milligrams of valerian extract before bed experienced improved sleep, including better sleep quality, than those taking a placebo.

Using black cohosh can be beneficial in improving sleep quality by reducing hot flashes.

Getting the 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams you need daily is actually pretty easy. Three servings of plain yogurt (415 milligrams per 8 ounces) can help you get there quickly. One and a half ounces of part-skim mozzarella and 3 ounces of sardines both deliver about 330 milligrams (33 percent of your daily recommendation) of calcium. For those who don’t eat dairy, fortified cereal and greens such as kale are also good sources.

Urinalysis is a useful tool for monitoring these changes as well as for monitoring your recovery.

Recent research finds that 2 minutes of movement an hour is all it takes to protect yourself. In a study of more than 3,200 people, the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reported that trading 2 minutes of sitting for 2 minutes of light activity such as walking down the hall each hour can lower your risk of premature death by 33 percent. If you work in an office, set your computer alarm to prompt you to move for a few minutes each hour on the hour to counteract the natural inclination to stay sedentary.

That’s why it’s particularly important for women to take in protein that’s high in leucine (the muscle-building amino acid) within 30 minutes after exercise.

So, you need to put more carbs into your system during the premenstrual part of your cycle, especially if you’re doing long bouts of intense exercise. We’ll go into great detail in Chapter 10, but in general aim for a combination of 10 to 15 grams of protein and 30 grams of carbohydrates (about 180 calories) before any workout longer than 90 minutes, and 30 grams of carbohydrates combined with protein and fat (real food, not straight carbs from gels!) per hour while you’re out there.

The best way to head off these headaches is to stay hydrated and eat more nitric oxide (NO)—rich foods, such as beets, pomegranate, watermelon, and spinach in the days leading up to the start of your period. The NO-rich foods will promote dilation and help reduce the severity of the shift.

It’s an indicator of health. Irregularities in your menstrual cycle frequency and/or length can be the first sign that something is amiss, whether your body is not recovering from stress (of training or life!), you’re getting sick, or you’re underfueling and in low energy availability. Understanding your response to stress. When you track over time, you can see how your body responds to large blocks of stress through work, life, travel, and training. For instance, women often see that high levels of stress may shorten cycles and periods of relaxation like vacations can lengthen it. No more second-guessing yourself. If you track for a few cycles and you see that on day 23 you always feel flat and tired, you won’t be second-guessing yourself wondering what you did “wrong” when you feel flat

It’s an indicator of health. Irregularities in your menstrual cycle frequency and/or length can be the first sign that something is amiss, whether your body is not recovering from stress (of training or life!), you’re getting sick, or you’re underfueling and in low energy availability. Understanding your response to stress. When you track over time, you can see how your body responds to large blocks of stress through work, life, travel, and training. For instance, women often see that high levels of stress may shorten cycles and periods of relaxation like vacations can lengthen it. No more second-guessing yourself. If you track for a few cycles and you see that on day 23 you always feel flat and tired, you won’t be second-guessing yourself wondering what you did “wrong” when you feel flat and tired on day 23. (You can also take some of the advice in this book to relieve that fatigue and boost your energy!) It’s psychologically empowering. Knowing yourself and being able to really tap into your unique physiology is empowering. You can also plan some hard training days on the times you know you’re going to be on fire. Once you start tracking, you can also use it as a training guide. And I’m strictly talking about training here. Some people misconstrue this to mean that I’m saying you should plan your event calendar around your cycle. That is NOT the case. As I mentioned earlier, performance is

Why You Should Track Your Menstrual Cycle These days my clients are all about tracking every little move. They have activity trackers and sleep monitors and apps that help them analyze every morsel they put into their mouths. Yet I’m surprised how few women make note of their menstrual cycle and how they feel during it. I highly recommend that every menstruating woman start now. Why?

High estrogen makes us spare glycogen (stored glucose/carbohydrates your body uses for fuel, especially during high-intensity exercise) and increases the amount of fat we use for fuel—

Progesterone’s main job is to provide building blocks for the uterine lining, so it shuttles carbohydrates right to the lining to create a lush glycogen-rich tissue. It also increases muscle breakdown (while

for the same reason that a Prius will have to pull some wily moves if it wants to race against a Mustang—we start with a smaller engine. As a woman, you have a smaller heart (26 percent lighter than the male heart), smaller heart volume, smaller lungs (10 to 12 percent less volume than men), and lower diastolic pressure (the pressure in the arteries when the heart is resting between beats and the ventricles fill with blood), which predisposes us to have lower maximum heart rates and greater problems with dehydration in the heat. This also means we pump out less oxygenated blood

with every beat—about 20 percent less cardiac output than men. Less oxygenated blood means we have to breathe more often, and as a consequence, our respiratory muscles—such as the diaphragm and intercostals between our ribs—need to work harder and use a lot of energy. Like other skeletal muscles, the contracting respiratory muscles require enough blood flow to meet oxygen demand. If you have a greater oxygen cost of breathing, you also likely dedicate a greater amount of blood flow toward your respiratory muscles during maximal exercise.

we as women are built to be naturally good at endurance;

Women are not small men.

High estrogen makes us spare glycogen (stored glucose/carbohydrates your body uses for fuel, especially during high-intensity exercise) and increases the amount of fat we use for fuel—not exactly what you’re looking for when racing or doing threshold intervals. Progesterone’s main job is to provide building blocks for the uterine lining, so it shuttles carbohydrates right to the lining to create a lush glycogen-rich tissue. It also increases muscle breakdown (while also hindering our ability to synthesize muscle because we can’t access the building blocks of protein, amino acids, as well). Not

only this, but progesterone increases your resting body temperature by promoting heat conservation (which also comes with a delayed sweat response and a change in our thirst sensation). The one-two punch of high estrogen and progesterone after ovulation as your hormones ramp up leading to your period causes fluid shifts (hello, bloat), decreases your blood plasma volume, and makes you more predisposed to central nervous system fatigue, which makes exercise feel harder than usual.

In the 5 to 7 days before your period starts, you can reduce the effect of cramp-causing chemicals (specifically PE-2, an estrogen-mediated prostaglandin) by taking magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, and low-dose 80-milligram aspirin. Yes, it has to be aspirin if it is not contraindicated for you, not ibuprofen or another nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), because aspirin suppresses the production of prostaglandins irreversibly, unlike the other NSAIDs, which are reversible.

So, you need to put more carbs into your system during the premenstrual part of your cycle, especially if you’re doing long bouts of intense exercise. We’ll go into great detail in Chapter 10, but in general aim for a combination of 10 to 15 grams of protein and 30 grams of carbohydrates (about 180 calories) before any workout longer than 90 minutes, and 30 grams of carbohydrates combined with protein and fat (real food, not straight carbs from gels!)

It just means you need to train hard. All the cardio in the world won’t cut it. Research on women, especially past age 40, shows that even high levels of aerobic activity don’t translate into any meaningful changes in lean body mass. The only solution is strength training, strength training, strength training. And I don’t mean doing “toning” exercises with 5-pound dumbbells. I mean high-intensity power training—heavy lifting for pure strength. This kind of training stimulates your neuromuscular system, activating the maximum amount of muscle fibers. It also keeps those high-energy, powerful type II muscle fibers engaged, which is essential because those are needed for speed, and they’re the first to go.

Less power production (meaning you have to train for power, not for endurance). Solution: Focus on power training. The speed and strength of muscle contractions tend to diminish with age, thus power and speed become essential aspects of postmenopausal training. See Chapter 7 for specific exercises to boost your performance.

As a woman, you become more sensitive to carbohydrates as you age and especially as you enter the menopause transition, because of the decline in your estrogen levels, so eating a diet too high in carbs is detrimental from a blood sugar and metabolism standpoint. Starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, yams, and winter squash as well as root veggies such as carrots, onions, and garlic are superior forms of carbohydrate from a nutritional standpoint. You don’t need to eat a ton of carbs, but you should eat the right carbs throughout the day (and time them correctly before, during, and after exercise, which we’ll cover in depth in the next chapter) for your physiology and fitness level. What I find works best from both a body composition and performance standpoint among my female athletes is aiming for a daily intake of about 40 to 45 percent whole-food carbohydrates (e.g., veggies, fruit, ancient grains).

Ironically, you are most like a man when it comes to exercise, fueling, and thermoregulation during your period and the follicular phase.

Phase 1: the follicular phase (from the start of your period to ovulation) Phase 2: the ovulatory phase (ovulation) Phase 3: the luteal phase (from ovulation to the onset of the next cycle).

Should you take melatonin? I would recommend using valerian and tart cherry juice (below) first, as these have been shown to naturally increase the body’s production of melatonin and do not have the melatonin hangover side effect that is common when taking straight melatonin.

Don’t train fasted. As a woman, especially, it can promote fat gain and reduce positive fitness adaptations.

Don’t get caught up in the numbers on the scale. Body composition is what counts, especially how much muscle you have.

Remember, no matter how fit you are, there’s no outrunning improper nutrition!

The omega-3s in fish oil (1,000 milligrams a day) have also been shown to quell common menstrual problems such as cramps and back pain.

With the onset of menopause, estrogen and progesterone diminish. Dropping hormones lead to a slew of changes that can result in disruptive menopausal symptoms and can make exercise feel harder, including less-compliant blood vessels (blood pressure changes are slower); it also gets harder to handle the heat. Menopausal women are more sensitive to carbohydrates, so they have more blood sugar swings and need less carbohydrates overall. Your body uses protein less effectively at this time of life, so the type and quality of protein you eat and when you eat it become very important to build and maintain your muscles. High-intensity power and strength training is really important once you hit menopause to prevent muscle loss, bone loss, and weakness with age.

The review included interesting research on brain health in women; identifying research that women with a major depressive disorder who augmented their daily antidepressant with 5 grams of creatine responded twice as fast and experienced remission of depression at twice the rate of women who took just the antidepressant. The researchers recommend a traditional loading dose (0.3 gram per kilogram of body weight a day for 5 to 7 days) or a routine daily dose (3 to 5 grams) for 4 weeks as effective for women, regardless of age. The traditional side effect of weight gain (due to water retention) does not occur with this low dose, yet the health and performance outcomes increase significantly.

This is yet another reason why women need to be very careful about extremely low-carb diets, because restricting this macronutrient causes your brain to produce even less serotonin, setting you up for mood disorders, especially if you’re already prone to them.

WALKING LUNGE (1 minute or 3 sets of 10 reps) Strengthens the glutes and quad muscles and improves balance and stability Take a giant step forward and lunge forward, leading with your right leg. Drop the back knee straight down, keeping your front knee over your ankle (you should be able to see your toes). Push off with your right leg and lunge forward with your left leg, repeating the move. Control the motion and try to prevent your front knee from caving inward.

MAKE IT HARDER: Hold dumbbells. SINGLE TOE RAISE (1 minute or 2 sets of 30 reps) Strengthens the calf muscle, improves glute strength, and increases balance Stand up with your hands on your hips. Bend the left knee up and contract your right glute and tighten your abs to maintain your balance. Slowly rise up on your right toes while keeping your balance. You may hold your arms out parallel to the floor to help stabilize. Slowly lower to the ground for a full set and switch to the other side.

MAKE IT HARDER: Hold dumbbells. BRIDGE WITH ALTERNATING HIP FLEXION (15 reps per side) Strengthens the outer hip muscles and glutes Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the ground. Raise your butt up off the ground and squeeze. Lift your right foot off the ground and make sure that your right hip does not dip down. Lower your right foot and

SIDE PLANK (Hold for 20 to 30 seconds per side.) Strengthens the abdominals, obliques, and shoulders Lie on your right side with your legs extended and feet and hips stacked. Prop your upper body up on your right elbow and forearm. Raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders. Hold this position. Flip around so that you’re lying on your left

PLANK WITH KNEE DIPS (10 dips per side) Strengthens the abdominals, shoulders, hips, and glutes Get into a pushup position, extending your arms so your hands are on the floor directly beneath your shoulders and your legs are straight with your weight on the balls of your feet. Keep your abs taut and your body in a straight line. Pull your abs in and slowly drop and tap the floor with your left knee. Straighten your left leg and

when you’re older. The best activities are those that are weight bearing (force you to work against gravity) and have multidirectional forces through the bone such as jumping (i.e., jump rope, plyometrics), dancing, and tennis and other ball sports, and of course strength training. Bicycling and swimming are excellent for your muscles and heart but not so much for your bones.