023. Navigating Hormonal Health in Women from Youth through Menopause: Why ‘Women Are Not Small Men’ with Dr Stacy Sims

Navigating Hormonal Health in Women from Youth through Menopause: Why ‘Women Are Not Small Men’ with Dr Stacy Sims

 

Episode 23: Show Notes.

 

If you’ve ever been frustrated by the fact that the same training methods that work for men simply do not work for women, then this episode is for you! Today, we are joined by Dr. Stacy Sims, an applied researcher, innovator, and entrepreneur in human performance, specifically the sex differences in training, nutrition, and environmental conditions. When studying nutrition, science, and exercise physiology, Dr. Sims became increasingly frustrated that proven physiological protocols and methodologies were based on male data and were not applicable to women. This led her to becoming an expert in this field, coining the phrase ‘women are not small men’, and writing the book, ROAR. Today, she joins us to discuss how we as women should be training our bodies, fueling our bodies, and factoring in our hormones to maximize our performance potential. Hear about how, as women, our cycles influence our physical abilities when training and we need to learn to listen to them and individualize our methods. We also discuss how different phases of life like puberty and menopause influence our bodies and how we can accommodate these hormonal changes for optimal physiological health. For all this and more, tune in today!

 

Key Points From This Episode:

 

• An introduction to performance physiologist, Dr. Stacy Sims.  
• How her questions around physiological methodologies that worked for men and not women led her to become a female athlete performance physiologist. 
• Learn about her book, ROAR, which helps you work with, not against your female physiology.
• Insight into how, as women, your cycle influences your physical abilities when training. 
• Frustrations with the fact that knowledge of female physiology is amiss in healthcare, especially in Canada, and the generalization of data for men.
• Where the catch phrase ‘women are not small men’ came from. 
• ‘Lift heavy shit’; the benefits of ‘lifting heavy’ for menopausal women.
• How Dr. Sims got into weightlifting.
• Hear about some of the online resources and courses that she offers.
• How to avoid negatively impacting your children’s bodies and hormones. 
• Information about Dr. Sims’s upcoming books.
• The importance of hydration, and some of the hydration products she recommends.
• How Dr. Sims makes time for herself.
• Insight into her current training regime while living in New Zealand.
• Her top two tips for women right now: know your cycle and find time for some parasympathetic response. 
• Things to consider before you put your child on birth control pills. 

 

Tweetables:

 

“The more you begin [to research], the more you realize that all the protocols and methodologies, the guidelines are all based on male data.” — Dr. Stacy Sims [0:02:26]

 

“I think about all the female athlete performance potential that’s left on the table because we’ve been training, we’re being told what to do based on male data, and we're inherently not men.” — Dr. Stacy Sims [0:02:33]

 

“Not only do we have to individualize precision training, but how can we appropriately train our women to get the best out of them?” — Dr. Stacy Sims [0:02:53]

 

“If the menstrual cycle was a male problem, there would be an optimal education solution around it.”  — Dr. Stacy Sims [0:06:56]

 

“Know your cycle, and if you don’t have a normal cycle, still track it to see how you feel on certain days because, even if you’re on an OC, you also have fluctuations. Understand how your body responds.” — Dr. Stacy Sims [0:21:13]

 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 

Dr. Stacy Sims  

Dr. Stacy Sims on LinkedIn 

Dr. Stacy Sims on Facebook

Dr. Stacy Sims on Instagram

Dr. Stacy Sims Courses

ROAR

Selene Yeager

Osmo Nutrition

Nuun

Britt Anderson

Britt Anderson on Instagram