s3/e40 Female Athlete Performance & Physiology with Dr. Stacy T. Sims, MSc, PhD

Forward-thinking international exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist Dr. Stacy Sims, MSc, PhD joins the show today for a wide-ranging conversation about fueling, hydration, and optimizing performance for female endurance athletes! In this episode, we cover...

• Getting past focusing on weight loss and body recomposition as "the magic solution"
• The issues with intermittent fasting for female athletes
• What about utilizing low carbohydrate diets to force an increase in using fatty acids for fuel (i.e. fat burning or "fat adaptation")
• The problem with "cycle syncing" training programs
• How funding for research works and potential issues with bias; do we need to be concerned about WHO is funding research?
• Should you be worried about "becoming reliant" on carbohydrates for fuel when you run?
• Different forms of carbohydrate: let's talk about fructose, sucrose, glucose, performance fuel products, and more
• How does dehydration affect performance for women vs men?
• Figuring out your hydration needs
• Current research Dr. Sims is most excited about
• And more!

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STACY T. SIMS, MSC, PHD, is a forward-thinking international exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist who aims to revolutionize exercise nutrition and performance for women.

She has directed research programs at Stanford, AUT University, and the University of Waikato, focusing on female athlete health and performance and pushing the dogma to improve research on all women.

With the unique opportunities, Silicon Valley has to offer, during her tenure at Stanford, she had the opportunity to translate earlier research into consumer products and a science-based layperson's book (ROAR) written to explain sex differences in training and nutrition across the lifespan. Both the consumer products and the book challenged the existing dogma for women in exercise, nutrition, and health. This paradigm shift is the focus of her famous "Women Are Not Small Men” TEDx talk.

Her contributions to the international research environment and the sports nutrition industry has established a new niche in sports nutrition; and established her reputation as the expert in sex differences in training, nutrition, and health. As a direct result, she has been named:

• One of the top 50 visionaries of the running industry (2015) by DMSE Sports.
• One of the top 40 women changing the paradigm of her field (2017) by Outside Magazine. 
• One of the top four visionaries in the outdoor sports industry (2017) by Outside Magazine - Genius Issue (no electronic version but here is the proof).
• One of the top four individuals changing the landscape in triathlon nutrition (2017) by Triathlete Magazine

Dr. Sims has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers, several books and is a regularly featured speaker at professional and academic conferences, including those by USOC and USA Cycling. 

Stacy currently holds a Senior Research Associate position with SPRINZ- AUT University, supervises PhD students, writes academic papers, and is on the advisory board of some cutting edge companies including Tonal Strength Institute, WILD.AI, and EXOS.  She also has her own business (www.drstacysims.com) where she creates and delivers online learning material focused on women training with their physiology across the lifespan.