Hit Play Not Pause
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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 24, 2021 • 1h 15min
Save Your Sleep with Sleep Evangelist Dr. Sophie Bostock (Episode 20)
Menopause and midlife can send dueling wrecking balls straight into your sleep architecture, leaving you tossing and turning unable to get to sleep, waking up with racing thoughts at 3 a.m., and generally depriving you of the rest and regeneration you need. This week’s guest, Dr. Sophie Bostock, the sleep scientist—and self-proclaimed sleep evangelist—is here to help you pick up the pieces of your broken sleep and get a good night’s rest.
Dr. Bostock has recently spent 5 years working on Sleepio, an award-winning digital sleep improvement program. She also has published sleep research in collaboration with the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute in Oxford and other international researchers showing the impacts of better sleep on mental health and performance. She has developed a systematic approach to improving sleep hygiene and getting your circadian rhythms back in sync so you can enjoy sound, uninterrupted sleep. You can learn more about her work at:
https://www.thesleepscientist.com/about
Feb 17, 2021 • 1h
Become a Fat Burning Machine with Gale Bernhardt (Episode 19)
As active women, we use carbs to fuel our training and racing. But there’s a limit to how many are good for our health (as well as performance), especially as we hit menopause and become more insulin resistant. This week’s guest, coach Gale Bernhardt has been on a mission to help her athletes dial in their nutrition and training to be better fat burners while also having the metabolic flexibility to use those sugars when they need them. That plan includes eating a diet filled with whole food fats and carbohydrates, as well as a healthy dose of special sprint sessions she calls Miracle Intervals that every menopausal athlete should try.
Gale has been working with athletes since 1974 and is a two-time Olympic cycling and triathlon coach. She is the author of several training books, including Bicycling for Women and is the co-author of Become a Fat-Burning Machine. You can find out more about her work at https://galebernhardt.com/ and check out some Miracle Intervals at
https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/all-out-miracle-intervals-to-improve-average-power-for-endurance-events/
**Support the Podcast**
Use the code FeistyMenopause at https://nuun.life/feisty-podcast for 30% off your entire order
Feb 10, 2021 • 1h 12min
Strong Starts in the Mind with Lisbeth Darsh (Episode 18)
What keeps you going when the curtains start to fall at mile 19 of a marathon? How do you get up and charge again 3 days into a 6 day stage race? What makes the difference between picking up a kettlebell or a bottle of wine at the end of a long, hard, tiring day? Mental strength. The muscle between your ears is what keeps you going when the going gets hard. The opposite is true, too. When life is kicking your ass, being physically strong helps you muster the mental strength you need to persevere.
This week’s guest Lisbeth Darsh, author of Strong Starts in the Mind talks all about mental strength, how to build it, and how to use it, especially when menopause knocks you back on your heels. Lisbeth is a former CrossFit executive and aircraft maintenance officer on fighter jets in the U.S. Air Force. Today, she is a proponent of Street Parking, a new workout system that makes CrossFit type training more accessible to people without access to a gym or a lot of equipment. You can learn more about her at https://wordswithlisbeth.com/ and more about Street Parking at https://streetparking.com/
Hit Play Not Pause is proud to be supported by Nuun Hydration in 2021! Show your support and use the code FeistyMenopause at nuunlife.com for 30% off all of Nuun's amazing products.
Feb 3, 2021 • 1h
Going Big & Staying Balanced with Lynda Rowan (Episode 17)
Chasing big athletic goals can supercharge your life. But how do you chase and accomplish those goals without dropping the ball on everything else, especially as you’re also trying to navigate all the changes that menopause and midlife can bring? This week’s guest, long time endurance athlete and coach Lynda Rowan is here to help.
As a dual citizen of both Australia and the U.S., Lynda has competed in Sprint, Olympic, 70.3 and Ironman triathlons and has represented both countries at ITU World Age Group Championships. She has been coaching sport for 30 years and knows what it takes to get it all done. We talk about how to balance endurance and intensity; how to fit in strength training; how to properly rest and recover, and most importantly, how to do it all without coming undone.
Hit Play Not Pause is proud to be supported by Nuun Hydration in 2021! Show your support and use the code FeistyMenopause at nuunlife.com for 30% off all of Nuun's amazing products.
Jan 27, 2021 • 57min
Sex Solutions with Dr. Lauren Streicher (Episode 16)
Time for “the talk.” Seriously, we get sex ed when we go through puberty to know what to expect. But then we hit the other end of the hormonal spectrum and...crickets. Loss of libido and painful sex are real issues during menopausal years and, all too often, women suffer in silence. Issues like vaginal dryness don’t just hurt your sex life (though that’s bad enough!), they also just plain hurt when you’re trying to live an active life. None of that is particularly conducive to feeling and performing your best.
This week’s guest Dr. Lauren Streicher, author of Sex Rx- Hormones Health and Your Best Sex Ever, is one of the top authorities on the topic of menopause and sexual health. Dr. Streicher is the founder and medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Menopause and the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Health, which includes programs on Sexual Medicine and Vulvar and Vaginal Health. She’s been featured on Oprah, Good Morning America, Nightline, 20/20, Today, and the Meredith Vieira Show, just to name a few. She dishes out straight talk on sex solutions to help improve your “SexAbility” through menopause and the rest of your life. You can learn more about her and check out her work at DrStreicher.com
Jan 20, 2021 • 1h 5min
Breaking Down Body Image & Eating Disorders with Dr. Christy Greenleaf (Episode 15)
The words we say to ourselves. The way we look at ourselves. The way we fuel, or often don’t fuel, ourselves. They’re a product of so many things--culture, society, ingrained images and messages. And too often they hurt our health, performance, and general well being. Exercising, playing sports, and being active can help, but they also can be the source of some of these issues, or make them worse. And when we hit our menopausal years and our bodies start taking on a life of their own, seemingly no matter what we do? We can go straight into a tailspin.
This week’s guest, Dr. Christy Greenleaf, of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, is here to help. Christy’s research focuses on the psychosocial aspects of weight, physical activity, body image, and disordered eating. As a lifelong figure skater, she knows a thing or two about all these issues on a very personal, as well as professional, level. We dig in on strategies to break the cycle of body shame, disordered eating, and negative self talk for good. You can find out more about her at
https://uwm.edu/healthsciences/directory/greenleaf-christy/
Jan 13, 2021 • 1h 4min
Overcoming the Mental Agony of Injury with Heidi Armstrong (Episode 14)
Injuries don’t just hurt physically. They can rock you emotionally, as they keep you away from the activity you love, isolate you from your training buddies, and do a number on your self image, especially as we get into our menopausal years and injuries can pop up with increasing frequency. Your doctor or PT help with the physical stuff. But what about the rest? That’s where this week’s guest Heidi Armstrong, founder of The Injured Athlete’s Toolbox comes in.
Heidi has more than 10 years of experience dealing with her own injuries following a devastating mountain bike crash, and has conducted hundreds of hours of research with athletes dealing with their own. She is also one of a few experts in the world who helps athletes—many of whom are perimenopausal or menopausal—overcome the mental fallout of injury, regain their confidence, and stop the emotional rollercoaster. You can find out more about her and her services at https://injuredathletestoolbox.com/
Jan 6, 2021 • 50min
Time to Shine with Kacy Duke (Episode 13)
Ready to create your menopause adventure? Yes, adventure. Now is the time to shine, says this week’s guest, wellness coach and fitness trainer Kacy Duke, who teaches people how to use the right mindset, motivation, and movement to reach their goals.
Named one of New York City’s best trainers, Kacy has been the personal trainer to a long list of A-listers including Gwen Stefani, Kate Beckinsale, Julianna Moore, Dakota Johnson, Bruce Willis, Denzel Washington, and Lenny Kravitz, just to name a few. Now at 65 years of age, she’s growing her business with a health and fitness subscription service called Age Defying Physique, because, as she says, we shouldn’t deny our age—it’s a privilege to live a long life—but we can definitely defy what people think we can do at any given age.
Kacy talks about her own journey through menopause and how she helps women navigate this huge transition in their lives, including improving body image and mindset to live proud and out loud. Consider this your pep talk for 2021.
Dec 30, 2020 • 1h 2min
**REBROADCAST** Joy Goals with Kristen Dieffenbach (Episode 9)
Missing your usual mojo and motivation? Wrestling with body image issues? Want a little help setting meaningful goals that go beyond how fast you can run a 5K? You are not alone!
This week, exercise scientist and mental performance expert Dr. Kristen Dieffenbach addresses these topics and more as we take a deep dive into the competitive psyche during menopause and how to cope with the psychological challenges that come at this time of life.Kristen is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. She is also a Peaks Coaching Group master coach; a USA Cycling Power-certified coach; a USA Track and Field coach, and works as the director of the Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Science at West Virginia University.
You can find more about her work at https://appliedcoaching.wvu.edu/faculty/kristen-dieffenbach
Dec 23, 2020 • 57min
**REBROADCAST** Happy Vaginas with Dr. Mary Jane Minkin (Episode 4)
Mary Jane is clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale University School of Medicine. She has been a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) since 2002, and has been in private practice in New Haven, Connecticut for more than 35 years.
Mary Jane has won myriad awards for excellence in her field and is an authority on all things related to hormone therapy, which she addresses in detail during this show. She’s super informative, straight shooting, an avid exerciser herself, and often hilarious. Be sure to head over to our Feisty Menopause Facebook or Instagram page to check out the photo on the show tile on. Mary Jane is posing in front of a row of some very interesting old gynaecological instruments… made of glass.
For a deeper dive on all things women’s health, check her out at http://madameovary.com/
