12 Tips for Dealing with Seasonal Depression
Muscle Science for Women
In this episode, Ashleigh and Rachel talk about ways to minimize or even avoid those all-too-familiar feelings of sadness, lethargy, and even increased sickness that come with the winter months. If you live somewhere that is cold and dark for a good part of the year, this is for you! While it's very common, and there are good reasons why you may feel crappy during the winter, the good news is there are plenty of things you can do to combat those issues. With a little proactivity and healthy habits, you can find a way to make those dark, short days more bearable - maybe even more fun - and...
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Ep 120: Understanding Thyroid Health
Muscle Science for Women
In this episode with renowned thyroid expert Elle Russ, bestselling author of The Paleo Thyroid Solution, Ashleigh and Elle discuss: -why it can be so difficult to get a proper diagnosis; -symptoms to look out for, including less common symptoms; -a detailed dive on the proper testing and how to advocate for these tests with your healthcare provider; -lifestyle, nutrition, and environmental changes that can have a big impact on thyroid health; -how thyroid issues intersect with fertility and peri- and menopausal changes; -information about treatment of thyroid disfunction, including...
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Ep 119: Body fat percentage confusion | changes coming for Muscle Science for Women
Muscle Science for Women
In this episode Ashleigh and Rachel discuss the differences in body fat percentages between men and women, including what's healthy and sustainable, and how they will look different depending on a range of factors; they dive into the concept of "mental fitness" and how it applies to overall health and fitness; they discuss changes they're making to Muscle Science for Women in 2026, and Ashleigh chats about her newest personal venture: a coaching app! We hope you find this episode helpful; if you do, please rate/review/subscribe and share it with someone who could benefit. If you have comments,...
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Ep 118: How long does it take to lose muscle?
Muscle Science for Women
This week Rachel and Ashleigh answer questions from listeners including: Advice for vegetarians on how to optimize health and muscle How to train around your cycle when your birth control prevents you from having a cycle How long does it take to lose muscle (and gain it back) when you have to take a break due to injury or surgery Thoughts on THC as a replacement for alcohol, and any possible training benefits All that and more! We hope you find this episode helpful; if you do, please rate/review/subscribe and share it with someone who could benefit! If you have comments, feedback, or...
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Ep 117: Distractions, numbing tactics, and what's keeping us from being our healthiest selves
Muscle Science for Women
In this episode, Ashleigh and Rachel have an impromptu mental health chat, talking about their own personal struggles and ways in which we can all face our challenges head on rather than looking for ways to numb or distract ourselves. Mental health is such a huge part of physical health (and vice versa) and it's helpful to take a step back from muscles and macros every now and then to talk about the bigger picture. After all, most of us are working on our health so we can enjoy life to the fullest. And also, to lighten the mood, they talk Halloween costumes. This is a vulnerable one, and if...
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Ep 116: 5 Ways to make fitness progress when you have NO time
Muscle Science for Women
In this quickie episode, Ashleigh talks about five key ways to make fitness, strength, health, and body composition improvements even when you have no time - maybe you have young kids, a demanding job, or are just going through a period with very little time to meal prep, work out, or do the things you normally do to feel good. We have answers - because there are always choices to make, and the more informed you are about what factors actually move the needle, the better choices you can make with your limited time. We hope you find this episode helpful; if you do, please rate/review/subscribe...
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Ep 115: does weightlifting stunt teenage growth?
Muscle Science for Women
In this episode, Ashleigh and Rachel answer user questions about whether or not powerlifting is bad for teenagers' growing bodies; talking about body image with your kids; can you build muscle with a back injury, and more. Plus they talk about some of the exercises they've been loving lately. We hope you find this episode helpful; if you do, please rate/review/subscribe and share it with someone who could benefit! If you have comments, feedback, or questions please send them to . Check out the BRAND NEW program from Muscle Science for Women: The Fit Pregnancy Specialization program!...
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Ep 114: Why your diet isn't working anymore - and how to fix it
Muscle Science for Women
In this solo episode (a re-release of a popular episode from Rachel's other podcast, MetFlex and Chill) Rachel discusses what happens when your diet stops working for you, and how to fix the problem. We hope you find this episode helpful; if you do, please rate/review/subscribe and share it with someone who could benefit! If you have comments, feedback, or questions please send them to . Check out the BRAND NEW program from Muscle Science for Women: The Fit Pregnancy Specialization program! The program offers a customizable training program that will adjust throughout your pregnancy, a full...
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Ep 113: Are you being insane?
Muscle Science for Women
In this brand-new episode, Ashleigh and Rachel share big life and fitness updates; they give their unfiltered answer to a listener question who wonders if she's being insane about her body recomp goals; they share how to balance cardio and lifting to best support your goals, and more. We hope you find this episode helpful; if you do, please rate/review/subscribe and share it with someone who could benefit! If you have comments, feedback, or questions please send them to . Check out the BRAND NEW program from Muscle Science for Women: The Fit Pregnancy Specialization program! The program offers...
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Ep 112: 10 Mistakes Women Make When Trying To Build Muscle
Muscle Science for Women
In this solo episode (a re-release of a popular episode from Rachel's other podcast, MetFlex and Chill) Rachel talks about the mistakes women make when trying to build muscle. We hope you find this episode helpful; if you do, please rate/review/subscribe and share it with someone who could benefit! If you have comments, feedback, or questions please send them to . Check out the BRAND NEW program from Muscle Science for Women: The Fit Pregnancy Specialization program! The program offers a customizable training program that will adjust throughout your pregnancy, a full exercise video library, a...
info_outlineIn this exclusive sneak peek, Ashleigh shares the first full episode of a new series on Healthy Aging she has developed with friend, Carnivore-ish co-author, wellness writer, and chef Beth Lipton. Over the course of seven episodes they dive deep on topics like beauty, motherhood and pregnancy, relationships, nutrition, mental health, and more, all through the lens of healthy aging for women: what does it mean to age in a healthy way? How do we balance our desire to remain youthful with the inevitability of getting older? Can we find more peace and joy in the way our bodies and priorities shift through life?
The series is honest, real, vulnerable, and created in an effort to create community and share with other women who are no doubt juggling the same questions and uncertainties. There are questions, answers, personal stories, and laughs as they learn.
These are just a few of the questions the women dive into, starting with this first episode on fitness, which covers the ladies' thoughts on:
- what they learned about wellness and fitness from their own mothers;
- whether or not fitness HAS to change as we age, and if so, how;
- their own personal journies through various forms of fitness, and more.
The full Healthy Aging Series will be published on Ashleigh's YouTube channel, which you can find and subscribe to here: https://www.youtube.com/@musclemaven
If you have any feedback, questions or comments, send them to musclescience4women@gmail.com.
Learn more about Beth at bethlipton.com and Ashleigh at ashleighvanhouten.com
Support for this podcast comes from Kion. Use code MUSCLEMAVEN at this link to save on high-quality protein powder, creatine, the tastiest EAA's (I recommend watermelon!) and other tested supplements to support your goals.