Feisty Women's Performance

Finding trustworthy and accurate information as a pregnant athlete can be extremely challenging. How much can you train? Will it hurt the baby? How high can I get my heart rate? This is the exact problem Maurya ran into when she first found out she was pregnant. Now 34 weeks, we welcome Maurya onto the podcast to share her pregnancy experience as an All-American triathlete. Maurya tells us some of the major roadblocks she encountered regarding finding accurate information. The duo discusses the specific training programs they followed during their pregnancies, and how pregnancy changed their performance ability. They tackle the widespread misinformation about active soon-to-be moms, and highlight the importance of staying active while pregnant. Links mentioned: Exercise and Sporting Based Activity through Pregnancy: Evidenced Based GuidelinesExercising Through Your PregnancyCaring for the Pregnant Athlete - British Journal of Sport ManagementJoin us to kick off International Women's Day! https://www.womensperformance.com/iwd Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Sign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter: https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-40/Keep up to date on all women's sports:https://feisty.co/newsletters/the-feist/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performance

There’s a lot of information circling about what women can and can’t do while pregnant. From lifting to running marathons, we wanted to get to the bottom of this. This week we welcome Dr. Kristi Adamo of Adamo Lab - a researcher who was involved in the groundbreaking 2022 study following the training habits of 42 elite runners through pregnancy and postpartum.Dr. Adamo outlines the study itself and turns out - 56% of athletes ran FASTER postpartum. Further, research now shows that, for healthy pregnancies, exercise is good for both pregnant individuals and their babies. Sara also shares her experience of pregnancy as an elite triathlete and how it changed her career for the better.http://www.adamolab.com/ Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Sign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter: https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-40/Keep up to date on all women's sports:https://feisty.co/newsletters/the-feist/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performance

Is there a recipe for mental toughness? Is resilience something we can work on and will it lead to increased success? This week, we welcome Alyssa Godesky to help us get some insight into how she became mentally tough and some tools every individual can use to help us achieve more. Alyssa is a record-setting endurance athlete, coach, and the host of the IronWomen podcast. Throughout her career, she has been a professional triathlete, set multiple FKT's (fastest known time) including the Vermont Long Trail, and competed in various adventure races, including the Barkley Marathons.Alyssa shares how she prepared for and set records on not one, but three multi-day trail runs and what it took for her to push herself to the limits. The duo discusses what it actually means to be mentally tough, and how the key to success lies in your brain - not your body.Follow Alyssa on Instagram @alyssagodesky Vist her website at https://www.alyssagodesky.com/And listen to Ironwomen hereSign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter: https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-40/Keep up to date on all women's sports:https://feisty.co/newsletters/the-feist/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performance Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/

Okay, y'all. We are sensing A LOT of confusion around female physiology and training with your cycle. That's why this week, we welcome exercise scientist Alyssa Olenick, PhD to clear up misconceptions about female physiology and performance. Alyssa unpacks what the phases of our cycle are, and how we can work to support our bodies during these various phases. And she is clear that no matter what, we are capable.Alyssa shares her "miracle baby" story, which was the first spark for her journey in sport and female physiology. She gives us the details of the new studies on mitigating menstrual cycle symptoms and discusses the negative effects of dieting, the importance of carb intake, and the benefits of caffeine. Finally, Alyssa tells us about the impacts of hormonal birth control on training. Take away message? Don't let anyone tell you that your menstrual cycle is limiting.Follow Alyssa on Instagram @doclyssfitness Sign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter: https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-40/Keep up to date on all women's sports:https://feisty.co/newsletters/the-feist/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performance Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/

Despite not being A TON of research on female physiology, it seems like everyone is offering up different information, especially concerning menstruation and performance. That's why this week, we are sharing one of the informative sessions from our past Women's Performance Summit. In this session, Kerry McGawley shares a deep literature review of current research on female physiology in relation to menstruation and performance. Reviewing studies about the percentage of athletes tracking their period and what hormonal symptoms athletes experience specifically - Kerry dives even deeper by discussing statistics surrounding male coaches and how this affects menstruation communication. This episode is CHALK FULL of important information on Women's Performance. A must listen. Follow Kerry on Instagram @kerrymcgawleySign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter: https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-40/Keep up to date on all women's sports:https://feisty.co/newsletters/the-feist/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performance Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/

Most of us can only hold our breath for 30 seconds, maybe a minute. But for Jordy Duncan, Australian pro freediver, 5 minutes is her sweet spot. This week, Sara welcomes Jordy to talk about the joys of freediving, how she found her way to the sport and the many ways freediving has helped her through tough times.Jordy talks about her experience with bulimia and alcoholism, and how finding freediving became her lifeline. Jordy explains exactly how she is able to hold her breath for such an extended amount of time, the dangers of blacking out, and the comfort and peace that can come from being underwater.Follow Jordy on Instagram @jordy_duncanSign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter: https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-40/Keep up to date on all women's sports:https://feisty.co/newsletters/the-feist/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performance Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/

In recent years, the media has depicted women's sports as a safe haven for queer women. But what about queer men? Trans folks? Or gender non-conforming people? This week, we seek to understand the queer experience in sport, how it differs between various gender expressions, and how we can work to make sport more inclusive. To do so, Sara welcomes Sports Psychologist and Researcher, Dr. Vikki Krane.Vikki chats about the toxic masculinity enwrapped in sport, and how this influences safe spaces for queer folks. Further, they outline how women's sports need more resources and an overall cultural appreciation to come further into the mainstream. Finally, Vikki discusses trans inclusion and how we can work to make a new system in which segregation based on gender isn't necessary.Sign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter: https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-40/Keep up to date on all women's sports:https://feisty.co/newsletters/the-feist/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performance Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/

Navigating the waters of perimenopause can be daunting whether you’re in them, or will be eventually. What if there was someone who could be your guide? Well, this week, we welcome Selene Yeager to do just that. As the host of Feisty Media's Hit Play Not Pause podcast, author, and overall menopause guru, Selene shares what she wishes she knew before she entered perimenopause - and how lifting heavy really is THAT great.Selene & Sara discuss the many ways perimenopause impacted their performance, and how plyometrics, lifting heavy, and fueling properly helped turn this around. Selene also explains how serious some of the 36 symptoms of menopause can be for our mental and physical health and why we need to advocate for ourselves. Whether you’re going through the menopause transition now, or will be - this is the podcast for you.Follow Selene on Instagram @fitchick3 Follow Feisty Menopause on Instagram @feistymenopause Sign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter: https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-40/Keep up to date on all women's sports:https://feisty.co/newsletters/the-feist/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performance Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/

Sara welcomes Ultra-endurance bike rider and racer, Lael Wilcox, to discuss her unconventional success in ultra racing and the joy of making people (ok, mostly men) think, "How is this even possible?!" In 2016, she won the Trans Am Bike Race outright, making her the first female to do so. The Trans Am is the premier self-supported road race across the United States, traversing over 4200 miles. She discusses:The exhilaration of winning outrightHer strategy and logistics for winning such a grueling eventThe power of beating the boys - "A Win for Womankind"A woman's capacity for resilience and gritWhat it was like being constantly doubted and questionedHandling the physical and mental aspects of pain and how she made friends with itLael also runs Tucson GRIT and Anchorage GRIT (girls riding into tomorrow), a cycling mentorship program, for girls ages 11-13. They ride together for six weeks, with a build-up to a camp-out ride. Her true passion? Getting more girls and women to “give it a go.” She shares her advice with parents of young girls, and even older women who want to achieve their own epic adventures.Find mentors and start small. Do things that will build your confidence. Then, before you know it, you'll be riding across the country in jean shorts beating the boys across the line.  Lael Wilcox InstagramSign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter: https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-40/Keep up to date on all women's sports:https://feisty.co/newsletters/the-feist/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performance Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/

Sara welcomes Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, a double board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and reproductive endocrinologist who has experience with the unique physical and mental challenges that women face through every stage of life's journey.  In addition to specializing in all aspects of fertility care, Dr. DiGirolamo is also a NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner, Crossfit Level 1 Trainer/Crossfit Health, Certified Nutrition Coach, and Les Mills BodyCombat Instructor.Today, she and Sara talk hormones, including:The purpose of hormonesMyths and misconceptions about hormone imbalanceTraining under stress - the good and bad Advice for prepubescent teens and parents of those childrenPros and cons of different birth control methods for active athletesBenefits of HIIT Training and lifting heavy shitCrossFit HealthRecommendations on nutritionAdvice to someone struggling with infertilityAdvice to someone struggling with perimenopause and menopauseSign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter: https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-40/Keep up to date on all women's sports:https://feisty.co/newsletters/the-feist/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performance Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/