Dr. Stacy Sims Female-Specific Exercise & Nutrition for Health, Performance & Longevity

Watch: youtube.com/watch?v=pZX8ikmWvEU

Women, skip the fasted workouts! 🚫🍽️ Hormones matter. 💪✨

Welcome to the Huberman Lab podcast where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life. I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. My guest today is Dr. Stacy Sims, an exercise physiologist and a nutrition scientist who is a world expert in all things training and nutrition specifically for women. Dr. Sims has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed studies on exercise physiology. Today, we delve into how hormones and hormone cycles impact nutrition and fitness needs, specifically in women of different ages. We discuss the menstrual cycle, perimenopause, and menopause, but also female-specific nutrition and training as it relates to factors independent of hormones. For instance, we evaluate the evidence that women may not want to train fasted and explore the reasons behind this. Dr. Sims is incredibly skilled at highlighting the data showing the specific areas of nutrition and fitness where women and men differ, and the unique needs women have. By the end of today's episode, you will be armed with a tremendous amount of new knowledge about the biological mechanisms and specific dos and don'ts that can guide you towards your female-specific health and fitness goals.

Align your meals with your body clock for better health! 🕒🍏✨

Dr. Stacy Sims discusses how intermittent fasting impacts men and women differently, especially in active women. She explains that intermittent fasting, where you hold the fast until noon or have days of really low-calorie intake, can be very detrimental to active women unless they have PCOS or another subclinical issue. This is because women, by nature, have more oxidative fibers and are already metabolically more flexible than men. She elaborates that fasting increases cortisol levels, and holding a fast for long periods can lead to a downregulation of thyroid function and changes in luteinizing hormone pulses, which are crucial for maintaining endocrine function. Aligning nutrition with circadian rhythms shows benefits such as improved brain function, cognitive performance, and reduced thyroid dysfunction, indicating that women do much better when not in a fasted state. Dr. Sims also mentions that the timing of eating windows significantly impacts obesogenic outcomes, noting that both men and women who fast until noon and then eat until 6 p.m. have worse outcomes compared to those who break their fast at 8 a.m. and finish eating by 4 or 5 p.m. Additionally, Dr. Huberman points out that consuming caffeine while training in a fasted state can exacerbate these issues, as caffeine stimulates the sympathetic arm of the autonomic nervous system.

Fasted workouts + caffeine = 🚫💥 Stress overload, especially for women!

So, when we're talking about the sympathetic state, it's important to clarify that it has nothing to do with emotional sympathy. Instead, it's the sympathetic arm of the autonomic nervous system, which drives more arousal and alertness, and at higher levels, stress—sometimes referred to as the fight or flight response. The other arm of this system is the parasympathetic, often called the rest and digest arm. These two systems work like a seesaw or a push-pull mechanism.

Now, transitioning to the impact of intermittent fasting on women, it sounds like intermittent fasting or time-restricted feeding, unless very well aligned with the circadian rhythm, is not going to be advantageous for women. For example, if a woman trains while fasted, meaning in the non-feeding window, she wakes up, maybe has some hydration, and trains, that's going to further exacerbate the stress response in a way that's not beneficial. Adding caffeine to this mix, which is a stimulant of the sympathetic arm of the autonomic nervous system, will further exacerbate all these issues.

When we look at older women, particularly those in perimenopause, we see more fluctuation in hormones and an increase in baseline cortisol. Fasted training in this group increases cortisol drive and sympathetic drive even more. Without any fuel before a high-intensity workout, they can't hit the intensities they need to. We're seeing trends that they're missing around two to five percent of their top load, so they're not lifting in the zone they need to be in.

On the topic of training, concepts like 'reps in reserve' and 'rating perceived exertion' (RPE) are crucial. If you say you have eight reps in reserve, it means you should be able to complete two more reps with really good form before hitting failure. This correlates with an eight on a scale of one to ten in terms of perceived exertion. It's important for women, especially as they age, to find that external response that will cause the same kind of strength and power adaptation that estrogen used to support.

Regarding pre-training nutrition, I make a double espresso at night and add some almond milk and a scoop of protein powder. The almond milk is sweetened for the carbs, and the protein powder provides the necessary protein. Abby Smith Ryan out of UNCC did some specific work looking at carbohydrate and protein intake before strength or cardio sessions. She found that for a true strength training session, you only need around 15 grams of protein beforehand. This not only helps you have some fuel on board but also increases your post-exercise oxygen consumption, or Epoch.

Fuel up with protein & carbs before workouts 🏋️‍♀️🍴— protect your muscles and brain!

Because if I'm going to do an ocean swim, then I need some carbohydrate and protein on board. But if I'm just going to the gym, I'll probably just have the protein powder in the coffee. Abby Smith Ryan out of UNCC did some specific work looking at carbohydrate and protein intake before strength or cardio sessions and found that if you're going to do a true strength training session, you only need around 15 grams of protein beforehand. This not only helps you have some fuel on board but also increases your post-exercise oxygen consumption, or Epoch. If you're going to do any kind of cardiovascular work for up to an hour, then you're adding 30 grams of carbs to that, giving yourself about half an hour before, and having your breakfast afterward within 45 minutes. As a neuroscientist, I find it so interesting that at least some of what you're talking about with this pre-workout meal relates to how ingesting those calories impacts the brain and protects those kisspeptin neurons. The longer someone withholds food after exercise and the greater they stay in that catabolic or breakdown state, the first thing to go is lean mass. You just need 15 grams of protein to really help and be able to conserve that lean mass. I hate the calorie conversation because it's just not applicable; it has its own kind of elements of being laced with neuroticism about calorie counting, which can drift easily into the realm of eating disorders. When we're talking about protein intake, it’s really important to signal that we’re in a building state. Women in their reproductive years need around 35 grams of good, high-quality leucine-oriented protein within 45 minutes post-training. Women have this tighter window to stop that breakdown effect and start the reparation. So women should try and get 30 or as much as 40 to 50 grams of protein, depending on their age, post-training within an hour of training, and we want to get around 3 grams per kilo of carbohydrate within two hours of finishing. As many of you know, I've been taking AG1 for more than 10 years now. I take AG1 once and often twice every single day. It ensures I get all of those vitamins, minerals, probiotics, etc., but it also has adaptogens to help me cope with stress.

Ladies, lift heavy and feel unstoppable at any age! 💪✨

The driver for strength training is that Central Nervous System activation, which is crucial because of the blood flow to the muscle during the exercise session—what's often referred to as the pump. You get a window, a transient window, but a window nonetheless, of what hypertrophy could look like if you do everything else correctly in terms of recovery. With resistance training, you get a literal physical picture and a somatic feeling for what that hypertrophy could look like. That's why in physique competitions and bodybuilding competitions, they're out the back pumping before they go on stage.

For women aged 20 to 30, I really try to get them to focus on the whole movement aspect first. We phase them in, same with older women—learn how to move, learn complex movements. Preferably, they should train three to four times a week, which might be 45 to 60 minutes per session. For women in their 30s, we start having an eye on how we are actually doing that resistance training. Instead of just going and doing a circuit, we really focus on compound movements and doing some heavier work.

For women in their 40s who have never done resistance training, we take between two weeks to four months to really learn how to move well because there's a higher incidence of soft tissue injury and overall injury as we get into our 40s. The key when you're younger is working to failure; the key when you're older is working heavy. If you're looking at the strength component from a central nervous system standpoint, we see it feeds forward into better proprioception and attenuation of cognitive decline.

Men age more in a linear fashion, whereas women have a definitive point in their late 40s to early 50s where all of a sudden things change dramatically. Two of the biggest issues that women in their 40s consult physical therapists about are frozen shoulder and plantar fasciitis. For women in their mid-40s to early 50s, I really try to get them into heavy lifting and into the patterns of polarizing their training. For women, there's a better indication of the timing across the ages of when you should start implementing such training compared to men.

Perimenopause? Time to power up with true high-intensity workouts! 🚀🔥

Perimenopause marks a huge change in the body due to a decrease in circulating sex hormones, particularly progesterone, which affects every system in the body. Women in their 40s often face issues like frozen shoulder and plantar fasciitis as indicative problems during this phase. For women in their mid-40s to early 50s, I recommend getting into heavy lifting and polarizing their training, rather than focusing on moderate intensity workouts which can drive cortisol up without invoking the desired post-exercise growth hormone and testosterone responses. True high-intensity work, such as sprint intervals, should be incorporated a couple of times a week with adequate recovery. Resistance training should be the bedrock of their routine to support optimal health, including body composition, metabolic control, and brain health. For those new to resistance training, starting with body weight exercises or using a loaded backpack can be effective. Resources like Kelly Starrett’s mobility programs and Haley Happens’ guidance for women 40 plus can be very helpful. Even gyms like Planet Fitness offer easy access to resistance training machines for beginners.

Track your cycle, hit PRs in the low hormone phase! 🌟💪

Hurt yeah and really build up their capacity to do real work that can benefit them. I look at some of my family members and I've gotten them started with just body weight stuff or loading a backpack with cans to add a little bit of resistance so they feel comfortable in their own house and they might be doing lunges or squats. Just keying them up of like where foot placement and knee and that kind of stuff so they're getting used to that kind of movement. I love Kelly Starrett's stuff with Mobility, and Haley Happens has some really good ones for women over 40 plus, so does Brie and then Sunny Webster down in Australia. The personal trainer is very much a stumbling block for a lot of people; they've made it really easy for someone to walk in who's interested in resistance training and they can go to a circuit and they can start resistance training on machines. Machines just create the close to correct or correct arc of movement, and to really spend the time adjusting the seat height, adjusting the various pins on the machine, not just the weight in order to make sure that one gets the best range of motion.

When I talk about polarizing, I look at the high-intensity strength, and then we look from a cardiovascular standpoint of doing true high-intensity work. You have very, very low intensity for recovery and super, super high intensity for metabolic and cardiovascular changes. This new podcast is called Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin and it dives into topics such as how to build muscle and strength, how to improve your cardiovascular health, and how to optimize recovery and sleep for performance and much more. We need women to track their own cycle and find their own patterns. From a molecular standpoint, we know that the low hormone phase, you have a greater capacity for pulling in and accommodating stress, both physical and mental stress. It is day one of bleeding up through midcycle that feels great. That low hormone phase is really optimal for trying to hit a PR, trying to hit a new speed because you can take on that stress and your immune system handles it, your muscles handle it, your core temperature, everything handles it.

We have a pro-inflammatory response from the immune system during the luteal phase, we have an inability to access carbohydrate as well, we have a higher sympathetic drive, so there's lots of things in there that aren't so fantastic for accommodating stress. It makes sense for a woman to try and offset some of that with a bit more nutrition during that phase, a bit more perhaps complex carbohydrate. We know that some complex carbohydrate can blunt some of the cortisol response.

Feeling off before your period? Fuel up with extra protein & carbs! 🍗🍞🌸

For most women in the weeks before their period, they're going to feel more robust except right up until the point of menstruation. This is where we need women to track their own cycles and understand their own patterns because in an ideal world, we know that in the luteal phase, this is where we have the most change. We have a pro-inflammatory response from the immune system, we have an inability to access carbohydrate as well, and we have a higher sympathetic drive. To manage stress during the luteal phase, you need to eat more protein and carbohydrate. You really need to be amping up carbohydrate and protein. The best thing to do is to track your menstrual cycle, monitor your sleep, and understand how you're feeling to find your own patterns and dial in your training accordingly. When facing resistance to train, give yourself 10 minutes. If after 10 minutes you can't hit those intensities or just feel horrible, change it, drop it down, and do something more recovery-oriented. On the other hand, if a woman feels exceptionally good, she should push it as hard as she can, but always be mindful of the relationship between hormone fluctuations and training intensity. Addressing the myth about high-intensity resistance training being detrimental to female hormone cycles, it's not true. The issue often stems from insufficient food intake and cultural influences that discourage women from eating enough to accommodate stress. If a woman maintains either caloric balance or even a slight caloric surplus, it's unlikely her periods will cease even with hard training. It's really about fueling around the exercise stress. Women have been so conditioned to not eat and not take up space to be small. There will be phases of the menstrual cycle where women will be naturally less motivated to eat enough carbohydrate and protein to get the most out of their training.

Train hard, eat well, and let your body shine! 💪🍽️✨

Some people want to maintain a slight calorie deficit even during high training periods, but if that deficit is managed carefully, such as reducing intake by 150 to 200 calories at night away from training, it can help promote body fat loss without compromising lean mass or recovery. It's crucial to fuel appropriately around the exercise stress. Women have been so conditioned to minimize their food intake and physical presence, often afraid to admit their need for nourishment. Yet, it's essential to train hard, eat well, and let the body respond positively. Appetite, body temperature, and hormones are intricately linked. As estrogen rises before ovulation, appetite decreases, but post-ovulation, as estrogen dips, hunger and cravings driven by progesterone increase because the body needs more calories. Fueling appropriately during these times can prevent the catabolic state and ensure proper signaling from the brain to the body. For instance, after a strenuous workout in the heat, a cold protein drink can meet immediate nutritional needs even if appetite is suppressed.

Switching to the topic of birth control, it's important to understand that the placebo week in oral contraceptives was designed to give women the illusion of control over their menstrual cycle with a withdrawal bleed, not a true menstrual bleed. Oral contraceptives downregulate ovarian function, creating a different hormonal profile compared to natural cycles. Monophasic pills, which are most commonly prescribed, provide a consistent dose of estrogen and progesterone for three weeks followed by a placebo week, leading to higher inflammatory and oxidative responses. A 30 microgram dose of these hormones can increase muscle hypertrophy but not strength, as estrogen enhances satellite cell activity. Furthermore, progestin in these pills affects dopamine receptors in the brain, potentially increasing fear and reducing risk-taking behaviors in women. The long-term effects, especially in young girls, remain uncertain.

Be mindful of your hormones—OC pills might mess with your performance and mood! 🧠💊⚠️

High-performance athletes face unique challenges, and understanding what's happening with them can make or break their performance. Unfortunately, we don't know enough about the impact of oral contraceptives (OCs) on their bodies and minds. A study from early 2024 highlighted changes in the amygdala due to OC use. While these changes are reversible in adults, the effects on young girls, whose brains are still developing, remain uncertain. Physicians often prescribe OCs like candy, not fully considering the potential long-term consequences.

Women on OCs often experience increased fear and reduced risk-taking behavior. When they stop taking the pill, they may wonder why they couldn't take those chances before. This raises concerns about the reversibility of these changes in young girls. For athletes, being on OCs can blunt their top-end capacity, such as V2 Max and anaerobic performance. My own daughter, an athlete with irregular periods, considered going on the pill, but we wanted to explore alternatives.

Options like the implant, Depot, or IUDs, including copper and progestin-laced versions, are popular among tactical athletes. These alternatives don't have the systemic effects on adaptation, inflammation, or mood that OCs do. For those experiencing heavy bleeding, IUDs can thin the endometrial lining, reducing or eliminating the need for a bleed through autophagy.

Menstrual fluid, often seen as waste, is actually a valuable health indicator, reflecting endocrine and endometrial health. It can help diagnose conditions like HPV, PCOS, and endometriosis. PCOS, associated with elevated androgens, is increasingly detected thanks to better methods. However, post-OC use can mimic PCOS on ultrasounds, even if it's not a true indication.

Olympic-level athletes often exhibit higher androgenic traits associated with PCOS, which can aid in recovery and elevate baseline testosterone levels. Stress also plays a crucial role; increased cortisol can boost testosterone in women if their bodies respond adequately. Monitoring the ratio of estrogen, progesterone, and luteinizing hormone is essential during significant training blocks to optimize performance and health.

Testosterone can boost your competitive edge, but it's all about the context! 💪🔍✨

Exogenous testosterone drives competitiveness towards things that are more traditionally thought of as male-male competition, but it's all context-dependent. They haven't done any specific studies like that in women, but under stress, cortisol increases, and if you have an adequate response to it and your body can overcome it, then yes, you get a boost in testosterone for women. What we want people to do is look at the ratio of their estrogen and progesterone and keep track of luteinizing hormone if they are at that point where they are going to have a really big training block because it is the stress component that can downregulate, not actually causing a permanent change.

Transitioning to iron supplementation, do women blanket need a supplement? No, because we see fatigue isn't necessarily just iron-related; there's so many other reasons why women are fatigued. For hormone evaluation timing, I would say 5 to 7 days before her next period starts, so mid-luteal, because then you get a good indication of estrogen and progesterone. Peak testosterone doesn't fluctuate as much as those two, so if you could only do it at one point in time, that would be the time to do it.

Schisandra in your morning coffee = instant focus boost! ☕💡✨

Schisandra is another really well-studied adaptogen, and I have friends who say it's like Adderall where you take it and it's immediate fun, focus, and function because its main goal is to regulate dopamine, serotonin, and cortisol, so it gets women and men out of that brain fog and gives them incredible focus. Yep, I put it in my morning coffee. I also like deliberate cold exposure in the form of a cold shower, a cold plunge, or an ice bath, mostly for the effects that occur afterward, like more alertness and a kind of semi-euphoric buzz that lasts a long time. No, I don't think it increases metabolism significantly enough to have a meaningful difference. For women, I recommend cold exposure for open water swimmers who might experience that vagal response when they first dive into the cold. However, I prefer heat for women because everyone's a responder to heat, and you get better adaptations. Sauna, hot tub, preferably a true Finnish sauna—infrared warms the skin but not the core. We see a lot of metabolic changes for women with heat exposure, like better insulin and glucose control, better expression of heat shock proteins, and cardiovascular responses. The whole conversation about ice baths being too cold for women is valid; severe immediate jumps into icy cold water cause severe constriction and shutdown. If the water is around 16°C (55 to 56°F), it's chilly but not warm and is cold enough to invoke all the desired changes. A pilot study found that deliberate cold exposure around ovulation and holding it for 10 days over three menstrual cycles attenuated endometriosis because it's an inflammatory disease. Please do not combine cyclic hyperventilation or any kind of hyperventilation with breath holds and water exposure—not even in a puddle. Do it on dry land or don't do it at all. If you're doing deliberate cold exposure, limit your breathing to slow, deep breaths, ensure you're well supervised, and stay alive, please. In our study, we just incorporated deliberate cold water exposures.

Skip the ice bath after lifting, hit the sauna instead! 💪🔥🧖‍♂️

Please, please, please do not combine cyclic hyperventilation or hyperventilation of any kind with breath holds and water exposure—not even in the depth of a puddle. Do it on dry land or don't do it at all. Now, when it comes to deliberate cold exposure post-resistance training, it's best not to do it in the eight hours or even on the same day after resistance training geared towards developing strength and hypertrophy increases. There's no problem doing it first; in fact, there may even be some performance-enhancing effects of doing it first. Comparing cold and heat exposure post-training, heat exposure should be done afterward because of the phase of dilation—it extends that training stimulus. After a good weight training session, if one has the luxury of doing it, getting into the sauna for up to 30 minutes is beneficial—just make sure you're hydrating.

Speaking of sauna temperatures and brain protection, the ranges I've seen published in Finnish studies are, as I recall, about 186 degrees Fahrenheit up to 210 degrees Fahrenheit. One can cover their head with a towel to feel more comfortable because the brain is insulated. This stimulates the production of more red blood cells, which translates to an increase in cardiovascular effort and greater blood volume, enhancing athletic performance. Not everyone responds to altitude; you have responders, non-responders, and over-responders.

Then there's the "track stack," which includes beta-alanine and not ephedrine. It's really good at encouraging an extra top-end effect because you're getting the caffeine, a little bit of blood thinning from the aspirin, the vasodilatory properties, and the carnosine aspect for muscle contraction from the beta-alanine. Just make sure you're not stacking two days in a row of high-intensity work; really ensure you're recovering well because it is a significant stress on the body.

Lastly, addressing sleep requirements for men and women, there are variations in sleep temperature and what's optimal. You need to create an environment that is cool and comfortable for you, which is probably going to be different from your partner who might be sharing your bed.

Remember, don't stack high-intensity days back-to-back—recovery is key! 🛌💤✨

When it comes to managing the additional stress from using the track stack, it's crucial to avoid stacking two consecutive days of high-intensity work and to ensure proper recovery, as it places significant stress on the body. For women, sleep requirements can vary significantly across the menstrual cycle, especially from the mid-luteal to premenstrual phases, about ten days before menstruation. During this time, there's a notable decrease in slow-wave sleep, increased sleep latency, and more light sleep, resulting in less deep recovery sleep. Therefore, maintaining good sleep hygiene is essential, including managing room temperature, screen exposure, and possibly incorporating supplements like eleanine and appenine.

Menopause presents its own set of sleep challenges, often leading to insomnia due to hot flashes and night sweats, which increase sympathetic load and disrupt the ability to achieve a parasympathetic state. Working with a sleep specialist and using adaptogens like Rhodiola stacked with theanine, as well as practicing non-sleep deep rest techniques like Yoga Nidra, can be beneficial.

Hormonal profiles also significantly impact women's sleep, affecting serotonin, melatonin, and overall sleep architecture due to estrogen's influence on the brain and its receptors. Regarding supplements, I find the term a bit misleading since there are food-based supplements like protein powders, those designed for specific outcomes, and others that serve as general support or an insurance policy. The number one supplement I recommend for women is creatine, which is beneficial for brain, mood, and gut health. A daily dose of five grams of monohydrate, preferably CreaPure, is ideal, as it uses a water-based wash, reducing the risk of gastric distress associated with acid-based washes.

Contrary to some concerns, creatine doesn't necessarily cause water retention in women and any water gain is within the muscles, not subcutaneous. There's also no evidence that creatine causes hair loss; fluctuations in progesterone are more likely to be the culprit. For vitamin D3, a basic dose of 2,000 to 5,000 IU is recommended. When it comes to protein supplements, a high-quality protein powder can be helpful since women often find it challenging to meet their protein needs through diet alone. Lastly, for adaptogens, I recommend ashwagandha, holy basil (Tulsi), Schisandra, and medicinal mushrooms like Lion's Mane and Reishi, which can provide various health benefits.

Balance your workout with sunshine and smart protein—your body will thank you! ☀️💪🌿

Given my background as an environmental exercise physiologist with a PhD focused on heat research, I have a nuanced understanding of how various environmental factors impact health and performance. For instance, sunlight exposure varies greatly depending on your location. If you're close to Antarctica in the southern hemisphere during winter, or in the upper Northern Hemisphere like the UK, you might need around 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 due to low sunlight exposure. Conversely, the closer you are to the Equator, the less you need. One challenge is the inconsistency in daily sunlight; a foggy day might make you think you don't need sun exposure, but then a sunny day follows, and people often overcompensate with sunscreen, missing out on beneficial sun exposure.

When it comes to protein intake for women, a high-quality protein powder can be incredibly helpful. The recommended amount of protein is often hard to achieve through diet alone, so supplementing is a practical solution, though it shouldn't replace whole food sources.

Regarding adaptogens, I recommend ashwagandha, holy basil (Tulsi), Schisandra, and medicinal mushrooms like Lion's Mane and Reishi. These can offer various health benefits, but it's important to note that taking high doses of ashwagandha for too long can be problematic. Timing is also crucial; taking adaptogens in the morning and late afternoon can help improve relaxation and sleep quality.

During pregnancy, the body undergoes fascinating changes. Your anaerobic capacity decreases to protect both you and the baby, although your blood volume expands, making endurance activities more feasible. The current advice is to stay as active as possible without risking injury or trying to make fitness gains. This means focusing on maintenance rather than improvement if you're in the weight room. Cold exposure requires caution due to its various nuances, while hot yoga isn't necessarily detrimental, according to some research.

These insights stem from my extensive research in both hot and cold environments, allowing me to provide a well-rounded perspective on these topics.

Cool down to boost your testosterone and brain power! ❄️🧠💥

For men concerned about fertility, avoiding saunas is advisable because heat negatively impacts sperm viability. Interestingly, cooling the testicles can increase testosterone levels due to vasoconstriction causing the subsequent increase in blood flow and vasodilation. One always has to think about the surface of the body versus the brain response when discussing temperature effects on the body. It's essential to consider what's happening during the deliberate heat or deliberate cold versus what's happening after.

For women over 50, incorporating jump training, heavy resistance training, and sprint interval training is crucial. From a nutritional standpoint, getting enough protein is essential, and when you start telling women they need to look at around 1 to 1.1 grams per pound, they're often surprised at how much protein that entails. The combination of sprint interval training, heavy resistance training, jump training, and adequate protein intake is vital.

For women aged 20 to 40, resistance training and frequently changing up routines to keep things dynamic is important for strength and hypertrophy. The younger we are, the more we can keep our glycolytic fibers active through high-intensity work, which exposes our brain to lactate, helping to attenuate cognitive decline and reduce the plaque development associated with Alzheimer's. If you're a runner, incorporating high-intensity training might mean going to the track and doing sets of 4800s, with hard work intervals of one to four minutes at 80% or more effort, followed by variable recovery periods.

These insights stem from my extensive research in both hot and cold environments, allowing me to provide a well-rounded perspective on these topics.

High-intensity intervals for max fat burn and muscle gains! 💪🔥

Let's disambiguate high intensity from what most people think of high intensity, which is a really hard workout. If I talk about true high-intensity interval training, if you're a runner, it's going to the track and doing sets of 4800s. You're looking at between a minute and four minutes of hard work at 80% or more with variable recovery. Transitioning to the gym setting, I like to look at something like every minute on the minute where you might be doing 10 deadlifts at moderate intensity weight, thrusters, explosive kettlebell swings, and some other high-intensity exercises. One minute completely off and then you repeat that three times. This is high-intensity interval training; you're using these loads and these machines as a tool to get the heart rate up continually, very different than resistance training the way most people think about it.

Regarding Sprint Interval Training, it's 30 seconds or less as you can go, 110% max effort on the rower, on the air bike, running if you like, the skier, or the battle ropes. Thirty seconds all out could be two or three minutes of recovery. Most women do one or two days of high-intensity interval training plus three to four days of resistance training for the sake of building strength and muscle. The general consensus of what's out there in the fitness world is all based on aesthetics and body composition. People have this mentality of needing to hypertrophy to get swole and needing to do long slow stuff on the cardio machine to lose body fat, but that isn’t what we’re after. It creates that change within the muscle to understand, pull that in, let's use it. It creates a significant anti-inflammatory response at the level of the mitochondria and within the cell itself, which is what estrogen used to do.

Women should shoot for 1.1 to 1.2 grams of quality protein per pound of body weight. I prefer rice and oatmeal and I like really good sourdough bread with butter or olive oil. Ideally, carbs are all the different colorful fruits and vegetables, and if we’re looking at sweet potatoes or quinoa, amaranth—all of those different types of things. It’s really important to have a very significant diversity in the gut microbiome, as much fiber, colorful fruit, and vegetables as you can, but also it’s the 80/20 rule, right? Eighty percent of the time you’re spot on, 20% is life.

These insights stem from my extensive research in both hot and cold environments, allowing me to provide a well-rounded perspective on these topics.

Dr. Stacy Sims Female-Specific Exercise & Nutrition for Health, Performance & Longevity

Table of contents

Women, skip the fasted workouts! 🚫🍽️ Hormones matter. 💪✨

Align your meals with your body clock for better health! 🕒🍏✨

Fasted workouts + caffeine = 🚫💥 Stress overload, especially for women!

Fuel up with protein & carbs before workouts 🏋️‍♀️🍴— protect your muscles and brain!

Ladies, lift heavy and feel unstoppable at any age! 💪✨

Perimenopause? Time to power up with true high-intensity workouts! 🚀🔥

Track your cycle, hit PRs in the low hormone phase! 🌟💪

Feeling off before your period? Fuel up with extra protein & carbs! 🍗🍞🌸

Train hard, eat well, and let your body shine! 💪🍽️✨

Be mindful of your hormones—OC pills might mess with your performance and mood! 🧠💊⚠️

Testosterone can boost your competitive edge, but it's all about the context! 💪🔍✨

Schisandra in your morning coffee = instant focus boost! ☕💡✨

Skip the ice bath after lifting, hit the sauna instead! 💪🔥🧖‍♂️

Remember, don't stack high-intensity days back-to-back—recovery is key! 🛌💤✨

Balance your workout with sunshine and smart protein—your body will thank you! ☀️💪🌿

Cool down to boost your testosterone and brain power! ❄️🧠💥

High-intensity intervals for max fat burn and muscle gains! 💪🔥