Bitesize: Perimenopause - Why Your Workouts Aren’t Working And What to Do About It | Stephanie Estima

Jun 5, 2025

In this engaging discussion, Dr. Stephanie Estima, a chiropractor focused on female hormonal health, shares insights on optimizing workouts for women in perimenopause. She highlights the often-overlooked benefits of upper body training for achieving a balanced, hourglass figure. Stephanie debunks myths about strength training leading to bulkiness and recommends incorporating resistance workouts while limiting high-intensity sessions. She also addresses dietary strategies for managing belly fat, particularly for women with PCOS, suggesting a temporary reduction in carbohydrates.

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INSIGHT

Upper Body Training Shapes Hourglass

Training your upper body, especially shoulders and back, can visually create a balanced hourglass figure.
Developing shoulders and lats makes the waist appear smaller and complements glute development.

ANECDOTE

Angela's Body Shape Insight

Angela Foster shares her experience of having a straight body shape, likely linked to PCOS.
Building up lats and shoulders helped her create more waist definition alongside glute training.

ADVICE

Exercise Strategy for Perimenopause

Base your fitness on resistance training with low-intensity steady state cardio, like walking, for overall health and fat loss.
Limit high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to once or twice a week to avoid overtraining, especially in perimenopausal women.

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You’re working out harder than ever—but the belly fat won’t budge, your energy’s inconsistent, and the mirror doesn’t reflect how you feel inside. Sound familiar?

In this BiteSize episode, I sit down with Dr. Stephanie Estima to unpack exactly what’s going on during perimenopause—and how to train smarter, not harder. We break down the biggest workout mistakes women make in their 40s, why HIIT can sometimes do more harm than good, and how building your upper body can completely reshape your figure and fire up your metabolism.

Whether you’ve got PCOS, feel like your workouts aren’t working anymore, or just want to look and feel like YOU again—this episode is packed with science-backed solutions that actually work.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Why Your Old Workouts Fail: Perimenopause shifts your hormonal landscape—meaning what worked before likely won’t now.
The Belly Fat Mystery: Fat migrates to your midsection due to hormonal and metabolic changes, but it can be reversed.
The Power of Upper Body Training: Shoulders and back are key for creating symmetry and visual balance—don’t skip them!
The HIIT Mistake Most Women Make: Too much intensity (especially long HIIT classes) can backfire by raising cortisol and exhausting you.
Temporary Keto for PCOS & Belly Fat: A short-term carb reduction can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce visceral fat—but it's not forever.

TIMESTAMPS AND KEY TOPICS:

0:00 – Introduction

1:10 – Upper body training for the hourglass shape

4:21 – Angela on PCOS, body shape, and sculpting curves

5:33 – Stephanie’s exercise pyramid explained

7:20 – How much HIIT is too much (hint: once a week max)

9:30 – Temporary keto to reset insulin and fat metabolism

10:10 – Why carbs do matter (eventually)

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Get a free snapshot of your health and personalised report at www.yourtotalhealthcheck.com

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ABOUT THE HOST

Angela Foster is an award winning Nutritionist, Health & Performance Coach, Speaker and Host of the High Performance Health podcast. A former Corporate lawyer turned industry leader in biohacking and health optimisation for women, Angela has been featured in various media including Huff Post, Runners world, The Health Optimisation Summit, BrainTap, The Women’s Biohacking Conference, Livestrong & Natural Health Magazine.

Angela is the creator of BioSyncing®️ a blueprint for ambitious entrepreneurial women to biohack their health so they can 10X how they show up in their business and their family without burning out.

The High Performance Health Podcast is a top rated global podcast. Each week, Angela brings you a new insight, biohack or high performance habit to help you unlock optimal health, longevity and higher performance. Hit the follow button to make sure you get notified each time Angela releases a new episode.

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