Hit Play Not Pause
Perimenopause and menopause hit active women differently. We have a different lifestyle and different goals. And we know our bodies. Whether you run and hike or do CrossFit and ski (or a little of everything!), you’ve had a way of eating and exercising that worked…until the menopause transition, when it all goes out the window as body composition changes, fatigue, body aches, sleepless nights, hot flashes, brain fog, mood swings, and low mojo blindside you out of the blue—despite doing everything right. Your doctor may (or may not) help with hormone replacement therapy. But what about all the active stuff you love? You’re already exercising and eating well. What you want is to feel and perform like you used to. That doesn’t mean fasting, swearing off carbs for life, or just slowing down. It means adjusting your nutrition, training, recovery, and mindset to work with your changing physiology as you hit this phase of life. And we’re here for it.
At Hit Play Not Pause, we know the potential of women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, because we talk to elite athletes and everyday active women who are still hitting personal bests along with world-renowned sports dietitians, researchers, medical and menopause specialists to help you understand what’s happening under the hood during the menopause transition and more importantly, what you can do about it—from hormone therapy to heavy lifting and everything in between—to feel and perform your best.
Host Selene Yeager is a health and science journalist with 30 years’ experience and more than two dozen books to her name. She also lives an active life as a former Ironman triathlete and professional mountain bike racer who still rides, runs, paddles, hikes, lifts, and through her work at Feisty Menopause helps others do the same.
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Latest episodes
May 4, 2022 • 1h 12min
Massage in Menopause - Finding a Safe Space with Rosemarie Rotenberger (Episode 80)
Your muscles and connective tissues can get “stickier” and feel stiffer during the menopause transition, and you can find yourself with more aches and pains and niggles than you had before. Massage therapy can help with that. But the benefits don’t end with your muscles. Massage is also good for the menopausal mind. It activates your parasympathetic nervous system to lower cortisol and anxiety. It also can provide a safe space for you to release past trauma, reconnect your physical and emotional self, and let your body rest in a totally safe environment. We talk all that and more this week with massage therapist Rosemarie Rotenberger. Rosemarie is a Licensed Massage Therapist for 22 years. Her Olympic and World Champion clients span several continents and have competed in every summer Olympics since 2004. She has crewed for the Race Across America (RAAM) record holding team twice. Her work engages both the physical and emotional challenges of higher level sport. She has taught in both entry level and advanced orthopedic massage programs and served on national advisory boards. Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
Apr 27, 2022 • 59min
How to Start Lifting Heavy Sh*t & More with Kerry Ann Madden (Episode 79)
We know lifting heavy, doing plyometrics, and adding intensity to our routines help us stay strong and powerful as our bodies change during the menopause transition. But where do we start? What if we can’t jump? How do we lift heavy if we don’t have heavy weights? Longtime trainer and now one of the leaders of the Menopause for Athletes Alumni group, Kerry Ann Madden digs into the nuts and bolts of getting started, whether you’re self-coaching or working with clients. Kerry Ann is the creator and owner of KAM Fitness and Nutrition. She is a weight-inclusive NASM Master Trainer, a Precision Nutrition Certified Coach, a Corrective Exercise Specialist, and a MedFit Network Member. She has completed Dr. Stacy Sims Menopause for Athletes course and puts her expertise to use with her clients who are in the menopause transition. You can learn more about Kerry Ann and her work at kamfitnessandnutrition.com/Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
Apr 20, 2022 • 1h 8min
Do You Need Hormone Therapy? with Carla DiGirolamo, M.D., Ph.D. (Episode 78)
In the year and a half since we started this podcast, many women have gone from being afraid to take hormone therapy to being afraid not to take hormone therapy, as some in the menopause field are saying that menopause is really a “hormone deficiency” and we can’t age well without it. This week we dive in on what hormone therapy is; what it can do (especially for performance and health); what it can’t do, and what we’re still learning about all of it with Dr. Carla DiGirolamo.Carla is a Double Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and Obstetrician/Gynecologist specializing in infertility and menopausal medicine. She is also a Crossfit Level 1 trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach, and member of CrossFit Health. She runs an online personal training and nutrition coaching business, FitforLifeMD, specializing in the care of women in all age groups, but with a special interest in the comprehensive care of peri/postmenopausal women. She also writes a regular blog on Athletic Aging. Carla has the distinction of being the only repeat (and now threepeat!) guest on Hit Play Not Pause.Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
Apr 13, 2022 • 1h 5min
Rewilding Menopause with Kirsten Lewis (Episode 77)
Kirsten Lewis, at the age of 57, just ran her fastest 5K time–post-menopause, less than two years after she was ready to hang up her racing shoes and walk away from it all while in the throes of the menopause transition. She credits feeling stronger, happier, more grounded, and winning her age group in recent sprint and Olympic distance triathlons to the process of “rewilding menopause”: going back to the roots of what it means to be a woman in menopause; going back to her own roots; and stepping into her power. Now she wants to share her “shero's journey” with others who are feeling like menopause is the end of the line for their athletic lives.Kirsten is a former Wall Street executive, a triathlete, and triathlon coach. She has a degree in photojournalism and is now using her words and images to tell her story of how rewilding has guided her to thrive. She is making it her mission to help women in midlife and beyond step into their personal power and create their new possible. You can learn more about her and her work at https://kl.life/ and on Instagram.Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
Apr 6, 2022 • 1h 3min
Keto, Fasting, Food Phobia & the Un-Dieting of Menopause with Jenn Salib Huber, RD, ND (Episode 76)
If you’re a woman, someone somewhere has a diet to sell you. If you’re a menopausal woman, that diet is likely to paint carbs as the root of all your woes–and the elimination or restriction of them as your midlife salvation. This week we sat down with dietitian and “undiet” advocate Jenn Salib Huber, RD, ND, to dive into the ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting, food phobia, and how diets can have unintended negative health consequences and fuel our food obsession rather than set us free.Jenn is a Canadian registered dietitian, naturopathic doctor, and Intuitive Eating coach. She helps women navigate the physical and emotional changes that happen in perimenopause and menopause, including their search for food freedom and body confidence. She’s also the host of 'The Midlife Feast' podcast and runs a group support program called Beyond The Scale, which helps women "undiet" their lives after 40 so they can nourish a relationship with food that helps them discover the magic of midlife. You can find her at JennSalibHuber.ca Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
Mar 30, 2022 • 1h 10min
Why You Need Barbell Medicine with Cassi Niemann (Episode 75)
Whether you’re training for a tri, into CrossFit, or just want to be strong for life, barbells are the most effective way to get full-body strong in very little time. Barbell lifting also builds bone and muscle, improves stability and mobility, and makes you feel like a complete badass. This week we talk all about why barbells are the best training medicine and how to get started with coach and competitive strength and rowing athlete, Cassi Niemann.Cassi is a Barbell Medicine Coach and the lead UCanRow2 Master Rowing Instructor with Concept2. She has certifications as a Precision Nutrition Level 1 coach and as a Pregnancy & Postpartum Athleticism Coach. She trains clients online around the world and in-person at Iron Soul Gym in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is also the co-host of More Female Strength Podcast. You can learn more about her at www.cassiniemann.comSupport our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
Mar 23, 2022 • 54min
The Eyes Have It with Christine Begley, OD (Episode 74)
Need glasses for the first time in your life? Contacts suddenly feel too tight? Are your eyes dry and itchy? Menopause and midlife can usher in a cascade of vision and eye health changes. Thankfully there are many ways you can sharpen your sight and keep your eyes healthy (and more comfortable!). We dig into all that and more with this week’s guest, Christine Begley, OD.Christine is an optometrist with Marion Eye Center in Carbondale, Illinois. She’s been treating eyes for more than 20 years and specializes in diagnosing, treating, and managing diseases, injuries, and disorders of the visual system, the eye, and associated structures as well as identifying related systemic conditions affecting the eye. She’s also a longtime listener of the show and wants to help us keep our eyes healthy and functioning well so we can keep enjoying our active pursuits. Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
Mar 16, 2022 • 54min
The Joy of Rowing with Sarah Fuhrmann (Episode 73)
Dim the lights. Pour a drink. Light some candles. And get ready to…row! Yep, row. Indoor rowing can be an exercise in meditation, says this week’s guest and rowing aficionado, Sarah Fuhrmann. It also uses 86 percent of your muscles and can be an ass-kicking workout when you want it to be. This week we dive into the benefits of rowing, especially for women in the menopausal transition who need to HIIT it and chill out equally hard.Sarah is CEO of UCanRow2, which provides rowing workouts, training programs, and certification to exercisers and fitness professionals worldwide. The author of the bestselling 101 Best Rowing Workouts, she is passionate about creating a world of inclusive fitness where all bodies and all ages are welcome, and every meter matters. In addition to being a certified rowing instructor, she holds certifications with the Functional Aging Institute and Precision Nutrition. When not rowing on a machine or on the water, you're likely to find her playing in the snow - or just shoveling it - from her home in Michigan's snowy and scenic Upper Peninsula. You can find a sample of her workouts at "10 Ways to Kill 10k" Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
Mar 9, 2022 • 57min
Save Your Teeth with Dr. Julie Gallagher (Episode 72)
Even if you brush, floss, and get regular dental check-ups, if you’re like many athletes—especially those in the menopause transition—you may still struggle with tooth decay and oral health woes. That’s because both athletics and hormone decline can lead to conditions that set the stage for dental disease and mouth discomfort, both of which can put a damper on your performance (and your pocketbook). This week, we help save your smile with dental health expert and avid triathlete Dr. Julie Gallagher.Julie Gallagher, Ph.D., is an honorary research fellow at University College London, based at the Eastman Dental Institute Centre for Oral Health and Performance. Julie worked in clinical dental practice for more than 30 years before pursuing her interest in epidemiology and sport and embarking on a Ph.D. in 2014. Her Ph.D. project investigated oral health and its impact on performance of elite athletes. She was awarded her PhD in March 2020. She is looking forward to participating at Ironman Italy in September 2022 following its postponement from 2020. You can read more about her work and sports dentistry in the November 2021 British Dental Journal.Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
Mar 2, 2022 • 1h 3min
All About Blood Sugar with Molly Downey, RDN (Episode 71)
Anyone who’s ever hit the wall at mile 19 of a marathon or fizzled out on a Fran at CrossFit, knows how important glucose (aka sugar) is for energy–both mentally and physically. As women in the menopause transition, we also know that managing generally healthy blood sugar levels can be more challenging as we can become more carbohydrate sensitive and insulin resistant as our hormones decline. This week, we dive into how to eat your carbs and manage your blood sugar, too with Molly Downey, RDN, LDN. Molly is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist (LDN) who specializes in glucose control, metabolism and weight loss. She graduated from Indiana University-Bloomington and currently works as a nutrition manager at Nutrisense, a health technology company which leverages continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) as a way to optimize diet, health and overall wellbeing.Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
