S1E7 Cold Intolerance After 40: What Your Body Is Really Telling You
Release Date: 02/03/2026
S1E7 Cold Intolerance After 40: What Your Body Is Really Telling You
40s Forward
In this episode of the 40s Forward Podcast, Dr. Betsy Greenleaf takes a deep, science-backed, and refreshingly honest look at why so many adults over 40 feel cold all the time. What is often dismissed as “just aging” is actually a powerful physiological signal related to metabolism, hormones, muscle mass, mitochondrial health, and nervous system balance. This episode explains why cold intolerance increases with age, how it connects to energy production at the cellular level, and what practical lifestyle medicine strategies can help restore warmth, resilience, and vitality. Shocking Truths...
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40s Forward
In this episode of 40s Forward, Dr. Betsy Greenleaf addresses the widespread belief that hormones are dangerous—a misconception rooted in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study published in 2001. Dr. Greenleaf explains what the WHI actually studied, why its findings were misunderstood, and how fear-based messaging has affected hormone care for decades. This episode explores the science of hormone metabolism, including estrogen pathways and why synthetic, non-bioidentical hormones used in the WHI preferentially metabolize down pathways that can create toxic...
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40s Forward
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S1E4 Why Diet and Exercise Stop Working After 40 — And How to Reignite Your Metabolism
40s Forward
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40s Forward
If you’ve tried hormone therapy and still don’t feel like yourself… If your labs are “normal” but your symptoms aren’t… If you’re confused, frustrated, or afraid of hormones… This episode will change how you understand your body. In this episode of the 40s Forward Podcast, Dr. Betsy Greenleaf explains why hormone therapy fails so many people — and why the problem is not your hormones, but the outdated, incomplete way hormones are treated. Hormones are chemical messengers that influence energy, metabolism, mood, sleep, libido, cognition, confidence, and aging. Treating...
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S1E2 Why Everything Changes After 40 — And How to Get It Back
40s Forward
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S1E1 Special Holiday Edition. Surving the Holidays and New Year New You
40s Forward
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info_outlineIn this episode of the 40s Forward Podcast, Dr. Betsy Greenleaf takes a deep, science-backed, and refreshingly honest look at why so many adults over 40 feel cold all the time. What is often dismissed as “just aging” is actually a powerful physiological signal related to metabolism, hormones, muscle mass, mitochondrial health, and nervous system balance.
This episode explains why cold intolerance increases with age, how it connects to energy production at the cellular level, and what practical lifestyle medicine strategies can help restore warmth, resilience, and vitality.
Shocking Truths Discussed:
• Cold is an energy problem, not a weather problem
• Feeling cold is a sign of metabolic conservation
• Many people who feel cold are under-fueled, not broken
• Muscle is your body’s internal heat generator
• Stress can make you cold even if you eat well
Common Questions Answered:
• Why am I always cold now?
• Is feeling cold just part of aging?
• Do hormones affect body temperature?
• Why are my hands and feet always cold?
• Can cold showers or plunges help?
• Should I just move somewhere warmer?
Key Science Explained (In Plain Language):
• How metabolism creates heat
• The role of thyroid hormones in temperature regulation
• Estrogen, progesterone, and thermoregulation
• Testosterone, muscle mass, and heat production
• Cortisol, stress, and circulation
• Mitochondria as the body’s internal furnaces
Mitochondria & Cold Intolerance:
• Mitochondria convert food into energy and heat
• Aging, stress, and inflammation reduce efficiency
• Poor mitochondrial function lowers heat production
• Lifestyle interventions can support mitochondrial health
Cold Exposure: Cold Showers & Cold Plunges:
• Cold exposure is training, not punishment
• Improves circulation and vascular flexibility
• Supports mitochondrial efficiency
• Must be brief, intentional, and followed by warming
• Very different from being cold all day due to imbalance
What Does NOT Work:
• Wearing endless layers without addressing physiology
• Chronic dieting or under-eating
• Excessive cardio without strength training
• Ignoring sleep and recovery
• Dismissing symptoms as “just aging”
What Actually Works:
• Eating enough calories and protein
• Strength training to build heat-producing muscle
• Supporting thyroid and hormone balance
• Improving sleep quality
• Managing chronic stress
• Strategic cold exposure
• Addressing nutrient deficiencies (iron, B12, iodine, selenium)
• Evaluating hormones when symptoms persist
Key Takeaways:
• Feeling cold is feedback, not failure
• Cold intolerance is often reversible
• Hormones, muscle, and metabolism all matter
• Your body is conserving energy for a reason
• Resilience can be rebuilt
Who This Episode Is For:
• Adults over 40 who feel cold all the time
• Women in perimenopause or menopause
• Men experiencing metabolic or hormonal changes
• Anyone with fatigue, low energy, or cold extremities
• People told “everything is normal” but who feel otherwise
Key Quote:
“Feeling cold isn’t just aging — it’s information.”
If this episode gave you language to better understand your body and advocate for yourself, that’s the goal. Cold intolerance deserves curiosity, not dismissal. Learning how metabolism, hormones, and lifestyle work together can help you restore warmth, strength, and vitality moving forward.
Thank you for listening to the 40s Forward Podcast.