Optimizing Women's Health: Exercise, Nutrition, and Hormones with Dr. Stacy Sims

Dr. Stacy Sims, an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist, shares her expertise on women's health, fitness, and nutrition in this comprehensive discussion. She provides insights into how women can optimize their training, nutrition, and overall health across different life stages and hormonal cycles.

Women's Unique Physiology and Metabolism

Dr. Sims begins by highlighting some key differences between men and women when it comes to exercise physiology and metabolism:

• Women have more oxidative muscle fibers, making them naturally more metabolically flexible than men. This means women are better at utilizing fat for fuel during exercise.
• Women's bodies prioritize blood glucose use first during exercise before tapping into fat stores. They don't deplete muscle glycogen as quickly as men do.
• Women have two distinct areas of kisspeptin neurons in the brain (vs. one in men) that control appetite, luteinizing hormone, estrogen, and thyroid function. This makes women more sensitive to energy deficits.

These physiological differences mean that common practices like fasted training and intermittent fasting may not be as beneficial for women as they are for men. In fact, Dr. Sims cautions that fasting can be detrimental for active women by increasing stress on the body and disrupting hormone function.

Optimizing Nutrition for Women

Dr. Sims emphasizes the importance of proper fueling for women, especially around exercise:

• Women should eat breakfast and fuel appropriately before workouts to support performance and recovery.
• Post-workout, women need ~35g of high-quality protein within 45 minutes (40-60g for perimenopausal/postmenopausal women).
• Overall protein intake should be around 1-1.2g per pound of bodyweight daily.
• Carbohydrate intake is important, especially to replenish glycogen after training. Dr. Sims recommends ~3g/kg within 2 hours post-exercise.
• Getting adequate calories is crucial - restricting too much can lead to hormone disruptions.

She also discusses how nutritional needs change across the menstrual cycle:

• In the follicular phase (first half), women can handle more physical stress and may perform better.
• In the luteal phase (second half), women need more carbs and protein to support the body's tissue-building processes.
• Tracking your own cycle and symptoms is key to understanding your individual patterns and needs.

Exercise Recommendations for Women

Dr. Sims outlines an ideal exercise framework for women focused on:

1. Resistance training: 3-4 sessions per week, focusing on compound movements and heavy lifting, especially for women over 40.
2. High-intensity interval training (HIIT): 1-2 sessions per week of true high-intensity work (80%+ effort for 1-4 minutes with full recovery).
3. Sprint interval training: Very short (30 seconds or less) all-out efforts with long recovery.
4. Low-intensity activity like walking for recovery.

She emphasizes the importance of "polarizing" training - doing either very high-intensity work or very low-intensity work, while avoiding the moderate-intensity "no man's land" that many women get stuck in.

For women over 50, Dr. Sims recommends:

• 10 minutes of jump training 3x/week for bone health
• Heavy resistance training
• Sprint interval training
• Focusing on protein intake

Menstrual Cycle and Exercise

Dr. Sims discusses how the menstrual cycle impacts exercise:

• Performance capability remains relatively stable across the cycle for most women.
• The follicular phase may be better for high-intensity work and pushing for personal records.
• The luteal phase may require more fueling and recovery.
• Tracking your own patterns is crucial, as every woman is different.

She cautions against generalizing too much from research, as many studies only look at "eumenorrheic" women with textbook 28-day cycles, which isn't representative of all women's experiences.

Perimenopause and Menopause

Dr. Sims highlights how exercise and nutrition needs change during perimenopause and menopause:

• Women become more anabolically resistant, requiring more protein (40-60g per meal).
• High-intensity training becomes even more important for maintaining muscle mass and bone density.
• Resistance training should focus on heavy loads to stimulate strength gains.
• Managing stress and cortisol levels becomes crucial.

Supplements for Women

Dr. Sims recommends a few key supplements for women:

1. Creatine: 3-5g daily for muscle, brain, and gut health.
2. Vitamin D3: 2000-5000 IU daily, especially important for iron absorption.
3. High-quality protein powder to help meet protein needs.
4. Adaptogens like ashwagandha, holy basil, and medicinal mushrooms for stress management.

Other Topics Covered

• The benefits of post-exercise sauna use for improving blood volume and performance.
• How birth control pills impact exercise adaptation and overall health.
• The importance of sleep for women's health and how it changes across the menstrual cycle and with age.
• Pregnancy and exercise guidelines.
• The potential benefits of cold exposure for some women, particularly around ovulation.

Dr. Sims concludes by emphasizing the importance of women understanding their own bodies and cycles, rather than blindly following societal expectations or one-size-fits-all advice. By tuning into their intrinsic selves, women can better implement external stressors (like exercise) that will truly benefit their health and longevity.

Article created from: https://youtu.be/pZX8ikmWvEU?si=vnVSRaizAgXL8dAZ