Fit or Fat? Training and Measuring Fitness in Menopause
The Flipping 50 Show
Measuring fitness in menopause is complicated. I’m going to take a stab at this and let you know that if you’re not measuring beyond your weight, body composition, inches, and muscle mass at regularly scheduled intervals, you’re doing a disservice. We get all up in the business of burning calories (wrong goal), having it “feel hard” (sometimes the wrong goal), and forget to measure strength (did you see Olympians test grip strength??? Impressive!) and how well your training is actually helping your HEART. Let’s go there. Yes, you want to gain lean muscle. It immediately improves...
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Running Long in Midlife and Beyond One 50-mile Run for a 50th Birthday
The Flipping 50 Show
50 miles for 50th bday? Running long in midlife isn’t the first thing (or second) I recommend to women. But what happens when your peak estrogen levels were at least a decade ago? What if you’ve got a crazy goal, want to go for it, and you know how to interpret reactions and respond accordingly? Come on this unique trail as I interview a friend and colleague around her idea of a fun birthday party that not all of us will appreciate the same way. My Guest: Margaret Floyd Barry is a functional nutritionist, author, speaker, educator and advocate of optimal health through nutrition of adult...
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5 Non-Exercise Ways to Boost Fat Burn
The Flipping 50 Show
This simple list of non-exercise ways to boost fat burn has turned my YouTube channel subscribers upside down! Meaning they’ve flipped over them! It’s crazy! Secretly my hope is that YOU are using these as extra insurance, and not your only line of defense. Increase Water Intake to Boost Hydration Increase Protein Intake Thermogenic effect of food - almost 30 percent of it goes to digest and breakdown Muscle protein synthesis even - 30% of it toward digestion Even without resistance training there is a muscle protein synthesis Sleep More Consistently Release of testosterone and growth...
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Natural Solutions to Restorative Sleep in Menopause
The Flipping 50 Show
Natural Solutions to Restorative Sleep in Menopause Restorative sleep in menopause can be elusive, I think we can all agree on that! Whether perimenopause or post, fluctuating hormones combined with chaos that midlife can be, can kiss sweet dreams goodbye. But it’s the exact opposite of what you need to most easily make weight loss or muscle gain and focus easy to access again. My Guest: Dr. Eric Dorninger is a Registered Naturopathic Doctor and Licensed Acupuncturist, graduated from Bastyr University, after earning a B.A. in Kinesiology from the University of Colorado and completed EMT...
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Research About Menopause: What's Real and What’s Marketing?
The Flipping 50 Show
Research about menopause right now is finally beginning to really get its moment. Or is it? What’s something you can trust? And what’s stated as “science-based” or “science-backed”? What can you trust and what should you question? Think of this as a crash course in Research 101. In fact, I think that was a required course my first semester in grad school. The content is as important or more today when you have influencers talking about studies, in fact sponsoring their own to back up their products. You see both experts and influencers on line and are left to sort out one from the...
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How To Defy Aging Naturally without Needles or Knives
The Flipping 50 Show
Do you want to defy aging naturally and not with botox or fillers? This is a no-judgment zone. I am guessing that if you have opted for Botox or filler, you think twice about it. Wondering about somewhere more fun to spend that $500 with no toxic effect or superficial fake and dead-giveaway that a frozen face is? This is your episode if you love health, wellness and you want to look and feel your most beautiful. My Guest: Trina Felber is a Clean Beauty Expert and the Founder of Primal Life Organics, where she creates natural dental and skincare products. She empowers women to achieve youthful,...
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Can You Wear a Weighted Vest with Osteoporosis?
The Flipping 50 Show
The short answer is yes. The long answer here in this episode is how. Using a weighted vest with osteoporosis comes up frequently as a question. Whether or not you have osteoporosis, stay with me, as I will talk about the overall benefits and science that’s been out since at least 2000, perhaps as long as I’ve been using my weighted vest. Questions I’ll Answer in this Episode: Can you use a weighted vest with osteoporosis? [00:06:20] If so, how do you get started safely? [00:09:30] What weight should you be using? [00:39:00] What if you have already fractured? [00:06:30] What if you...
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TRAVELING ALONE AFTER 50 OR WITH FRIENDS? Safe vs Not Safe
The Flipping 50 Show
Dreaming of traveling but your friends aren’t? How can we step up our game and really get the adventure and bucketlist life we want? I challenge you… and me to take the trip we want. Traveling alone is not just a destination trip, it’s very possibly a destination to yourself. How liberating would that be. My Guest: Peter Mangan is a visionary leader in the positive aging sphere, bringing a wealth of experience in fostering meaningful connections with older adults and igniting their passion for travel. Inspired by his father, Peter's journey highlights the transformative power of travel...
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Truths and Myths: Lifting Heavy in Menopause for Bones & Body Comp
The Flipping 50 Show
Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to begin lifting heavy weights during midlife, perimenopause, or menopause? Let’s talk about how lifting can be very beneficial to your bones, connective tissues, and everyday life. For beginners, you have to start slowly and surely, lifting until we feel that sweet spot. And for those lifting for some time now, let’s discuss the safe progression of lifting weights. Notable notes in lifting during midlife: Don’t rush going heavy. Let your connective tissues adapt. Understand your muscle fatigue and know when to stop. Listen to your body when to...
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Detoxifying Your Body from the Damage of Diets in Menopause
The Flipping 50 Show
The damage of diets, and often in midlife, a lifetime of it can be the limiting factor in your weight loss, your fitness, and your longevity. Girls start dieting as early as 13, sometimes even younger, leading to lifelong struggles with self-image. We talk with a male trainer specializing in helping women in their 50s get in shape. Curious about his career path? So I asked and here he is. You’ll be glad you stayed for this one, and stay till the end if this resonates with you. Joe is giving away 3 months of coaching to one of our listeners and I’ll tell you how to be eligible at the end of...
info_outlineThis is all about menopause fitness changes that you want to make, 20 of them in fact. Before any of these are truly beneficial, I’ll share this: if you’re not measuring you have no idea what is really happening. Measure and track your percent body fat and your skeletal muscle (in lbs or kgs). Other things you may want to do, take your measurements, track the waist or get nitty gritty with visceral belly fat stat from your Smart Scale.
If you’ve always said, I don’t weigh, I just pay attention to how my clothes fit, it’s time to change that thinking. By the time you may realize you lost a significant amount of muscle it could be too late.. and harder to get it back. Let’s not lose anything you have now, and work to build strong futures.
Here's 20 Menopause Fitness Changes to Try
1. Intense exercise Early
2. Exercise late? Make it light.
3. Increase recovery between challenging sessions.
4. If insomnia strikes, leave agility work for another day
5. Warm up and cool down like a boss to prevent injury
6. Bookend workouts with fuel
7. Quality movement wins over frenzied
8. Basics work better than variety for variety’s sake
9. Fuel before any intense exercise
10. Listen to your body better than you have ever before
Perimenopause
11. Restore before more: Exhausted can’t get fit
12. Focus on muscle building
13. HIIT may hurt or help: assess for yourself
14. Activities that create positive neurotransmitters
15. Don’t underestimate walking and strength training
Postmenopause
16. Energy is more stable: Push a little harder
17. Continue to prioritize strength
18. Frequency of HIIT can often increase from 2 to 4 times a week (45 minutes is still a threshold where injury rates seem to go up)
19. Mobility most days
20. Add Power regularly.
Resources:
Hot Not Bothered Challenge: https://www.flippingfifty.com/hnb-challenge
FREE What, When & Why to Exercise for Women 40+ summit: https://www.flippingfifty.com/wwwexercise
TEDx Talk:
https://youtu.be/k5IzLZ1mP94?si=kCE2oE5LA8i7NGEA
Other Episodes You Might Like:
5 Menopause Fitness Questions You Want Answered: https://www.flippingfifty.com/5-menopause-fitness-questions/ 3 Menopause Fitness Makeovers | Hormone Balancing Exercise: https://www.flippingfifty.com/menopause-fitness-makeovers/ Do Menopause Fitness Rules Apply to Post Menopause Fitness, too? 495: https://www.flippingfifty.com/menopause-fitness-rules/