The timing of your exercise hurts or improves exercise benefits in menopause. If this is new stay with me! If this is like a review or you’re a trainer and you’re unsure of how to relate these things to your clients, you stay with me too! This is a great refresher and for some trainers the first time they’re ever hearing it!

If you’re a trainer or health pro, don’t miss the She Means Fitness Podcast, and be sure if you’re not getting results for your midlife and beyond clients you’re aware of our sponsor of this show, the Flipping 50 Menopause Fitness Specialist®. Since 2018 we’ve been providing the course and CECs, and now, this is not a course, it’s a business. Learn more here.

Questions I Answer in This Episode:

• Why type and timing of exercise matters more in menopause? [00:07:56]
• The normal curve of hormones during the day (and night) [00:08:48]
• How exercise affects hormones [00:10:06]
• Some examples of how exercise timing change has supported symptoms of menopause [00:15:38]
• First steps to try if you’re a little “addicted” to your exercise [00:38:49]

Let’s review hormones related to exercise (in menopause or any stage):

• Cortisol is at its highest level at 8am and lowest at 2am when you’re functioning optimally. During times of stress, whether chronic or acute cortisol levels spike (also increasing blood sugar).
• Insulin levels will increase if blood sugar rises, in order to lower blood sugar levels.
• By late afternoon, cortisol levels are low and not providing the energy we’ve enjoyed during the morning. So if we exercise, your body will convert another hormone into cortisol.
• In the evening, progesterone levels rise to help facilitate the chill and relaxation that helps provide a sound night sleep.
• During deep cycles of sleep, we release testosterone and growth hormones which improve muscle growth and repair.

Why Doing Intense Exercise Early Improves Exercise Benefits in Menopause

So you don’t misinterpret, this isn’t a suggestion for intense exercise every day. Doing intense exercise early improves exercise benefits in menopause. Also true, intense exercise late might interfere with exercise benefits in menopause.

The two keys in the conversation on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) are:

1. cortisol during exercise
2. cortisol after exercise

What does cortisol do?

Cortisol is responsible for physiological changes, such as the quick breakdown of fats and carbohydrates and a rise in blood sugar for immediate energy, and repressing the immune system to focus your energy on whatever you’re doing at the moment.

The blood sugar elevation you see on your Continuous Blood Glucose Monitor is normal and not a bad thing (provided you’re recovering quickly from that spike that is caused by a legitimate need). The glucose has been released so it can be used:

It’s when you see your CGM continue to be elevated after your HIIT session, or crash, that you want to be concerned about.

The quality of your recovery is important. In menopause, particularly perimenopause, recovery can be slowed or insufficient simply because of the changes in hormones. The same stressors in your life can potentially have a greater negative impact on your cortisol.

Additionally, some of the keys to recovery are hard to get in midlife:

• Sleep
• Down time for Meditation and breath-slowing exercises
• Foam rolling or massage

Decades of conditioning work against us getting adequate nutrition and hydration. If we still operate with “eat less, exercise more,” we generally don’t have enough fuel to recover, and hydration could be impeded by low sodium intake. So many of us grew up with messaging about low salt, low sodium being the goal and have taken it so far that we’re not actually hydrating by drinking water only, or worse, water with sugary substances.

Exercise Early Improves Exercise Benefits in Menopause But Not If…

One big mistake women make with HIIT is doing it too much or doing it after a workout that was lower intensity, assuming it’s short and feeling you didn’t work hard enough.

We often assume feeling good after exercise is wrong. We’ve been conditioned by the media that it should be hard or hurt to be effective and should be under that threshold of cortisol elevation.

There is a psychological effect from HIIT that differs from cardio activities. Studies on HIIT and high intensity weight training show these are safe and create positive feelings. The brain gets bathed in neurotransmitters after HIIT sessions that give a boost of creativity or problem solving.

While you CAN do HIIT and strength training on the same day, it is not recommended daily. Hard exercise is more beneficial at your capacity.

When you’re in a period of extremely high stress (emotional and or physical) because of that overall load, the allostatic load interferes with recovery.

During Perimenopause, the roller coaster of hormones can mean HIIT is not even ideal for you at all. If you do it and respond positively, 1-3 short sessions a week of not more than 45 minutes of HIIT is ideal. Beyond that point, injury rates go up significantly. Tendons can become more rigid and connective tissue is reduced thanks to lower estrogen. Awareness about this sweet spot of enough - not too much - is really important. I call it the MVP, MINIMUM VIABLE PHYSICAL activity to get results. Doing more gives you less ROI, it might tip your bucket so much that you are headed to breakdown instead of a more resilient body.

During post menopause, the hormone roller coaster has generally calmed down and you can potentially include HIIT. You may be able to increase it up to 4 short sessions a week.

First Steps to Improve Exercise Benefits in Menopause

Skeptical or a creature of habit that it’s hard to change even if you’re not getting the results you want? If you say, your belly fat is not budging, in fact seems to get worse, here’s my suggestion.

Let's use the analogy of science by the Glucose Goddess (we’ll link to that episode). If you have a plate of food and change nothing but the order you eat that food, you can change the impact of your blood glucose by up to 75%. Let’s say you find it hard to give up your exercise habits. Change to exercise intensely only in the morning and light exercise or movement late in the day.

Two things to keep in mind:

• Intensity comes from duration too. So hiking 2 or more hours may also spike your blood sugar.
• Lack of fuel before, during or after exercise (for recovery) will also increase the negative impact on your cortisol.

There you have it, keys to improve the exercise benefits in menopause:

• Time intense exercise early in the day
• Even low to moderate intensity exercise can become intense if the cardiac drift is prolonged enough to elevate cortisol and it remain elevated, or if
• The habits before, during or after don’t facilitate quick recover with the right fuel and rest to avoid muscle breakdown

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25560699/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X22000338

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9990535/

Resources:

My Favorite CGM:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/myglucose

Flipping 50 Membership:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/cafe

Flipping 50 STRONGER 12-week program:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/getstronger

Other Episodes You Might Like:

Cortisol Hormone: Don’t let it derail your fat loss efforts:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/cortisol-hormone/

Best HIIT Workouts for Women Over 50 | Fat Burning:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/best-hiit-workouts/

The Blood Sugar Belly Fat Loss Connection for Women Over 40:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qnjwjT5-nc

Personal drama or personal trauma? One and the same? What is it, and how does it shape your health and happiness?

Let’s explore the connection between everyday irritations and deeper trauma. From bad hair days to betrayal, uncover how personal drama impacts your well-being and how to move past it to live the life you deserve.

My Guest:

Dr. Debi Silber, founder of the PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute and National Forgiveness Day (celebrated annually on September 1st). An international bestselling author and acclaimed speaker on FOX, CBS, The Dr. Oz Show, TEDx (twice).

Her podcast, From Betrayal to Breakthrough, is also globally ranked within the top 1.5% of podcasts. She empowers others to overcome betrayal and reclaim health, happiness, and confidence.

Questions We Answer in This Episode:

• What is betrayal? How does it show up? [00:05:00]
• How does betrayal impact your health, work and relationships? [00:05:50]
• Why do we stay stuck? [00:18:30]
• How can our biggest crises become our greatest gifts? [00:21:50]
• Who needs healing most, the betrayed or betrayer and how are these paths similar or different? [00:23:30]

Connect with Debi:

https://thepbtinstitute.com/

On Social:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/InspireEmpowerTransform

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/debisilber/

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@debisilber

Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/debisilber

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/DebiSilber

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/debisilber/

The latest TEDx: “Do You Have Post Betrayal Syndrome?“:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyqOR69dHiU

TEDx: Stop Sabotaging Yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX30i6nC7ro

The From Betrayal to Breakthrough podcast:

https://thepbtinstitute.com/podcast/

Other Episodes You Might Like:

Healing Trauma to Lose Weight: What if it’s Not Stress?

https://www.flippingfifty.com/healing/

The Hidden Reason for Belly Bloat:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/reason-for-belly-bloat/

Your Brain Better | A No Negative Side-Effects Method

https://www.flippingfifty.com/your-better-brain/

Resources:

Flipping 50 Membership:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/cafe

Flipping 50 STRONGER 12-week program:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/getstronger

Discovery Call with Debra:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/wellness-coaching-for-life/

Having a better menopause experience alone ensures you increase longevity and your health span. Usually we talk about preserving muscle, reversing bone loss, and enhancing walking speed to do so. Today, it’s a lot less sweat and breathlessness. but probably the hardest exercise I could ask you to do.

Research shows that older individuals with more positive self-perceptions of aging, measured up to 23 years earlier, lived 7.5 years longer than those with less positive self-perceptions of aging.

If you don’t like what you see, change it. Change the people around you, change what you’re doing or not doing.

The research study consisted of 660 individuals aged 50 and older who participated in a community-based survey, the Ohio Longitudinal Study of Aging and Retirement (OLSAR). By matching the OLSAR to mortality data recently obtained from the National Death Index, the authors were able to conduct survival analyses. The findings suggest that the self-perceptions of stigmatized groups can influence longevity.

If perceptions about aging are formed by the age of 6, you might want to consider that we’ve likely contributed to our children’s and grandchildren’s early death or improved longevity, one or the other.

You and I have either helped them live longer stronger or believe the little things we’ve said, and I quote from people and potentially myself having said this:

“I’m getting old,” which we don’t usually say with a positive spin. This is most likely first said often at age 25 or at 30 when you have at least ⅔ or ¾ of your life left to live.

“It’s hell getting old.” -said at any age

“Just you wait.” -said to younger women about trying to get or stay fit

“Grandma is old, honey, you have to be careful.”

“There’s nothing good about it.” -in reference to getting old

“So, that’s when it happens/when things start falling apart.”

“I am my mother.”

But, how important are these offhanded, casual, lighthearted comments really?

Increase Longevity Through Growth and a Positive Outlook

A 2018 Plus One study found that the chances of dementia can be lowered by 49.8% if a positive outlook is maintained.

Who do you surround yourself with? What are your own thoughts? Do you think about yourself in 20, 30 or 40 years? What do you see? How does it feel? What are you doing and who are you doing it with?

Physical exercise and nutrition are the two most important of the tangible things you can do. Your mindset, however, is number one. Yes, you should move every day and we eat every day. We think 60-70,000 thoughts a day and 90% of those are the same as yesterday. We continue living the same pattern and change becomes hard.

While preparing for a class reunion, I looked through old yearbooks filled with messages like, “keep being you” or “don’t forget who you are when you go to…. [university].” In reality, we didn’t intentionally do it, but that advice is some of the worst we could have given each other.

“Keep changing and evolving, growing and becoming” would have been wise beyond our years but even teachers didn’t write things like that.

Increase Longevity With a Youthful Mindset

Dr Ellen Langer, the Mother of Mindfulness, tells us that we will stay stuck getting the same results, changing very little, if those habits aren’t changing WHO we are. Unless your best habit is to break habits that keep you doing and repeating thoughts that aren’t getting you results, you’ll continue on the path you’re on now. Virtually, you won’t change much.

The reframing of anything is possible. You’ve probably done it.

For instance, you may have had to run in high school for punishment if you lost or you made mistakes or talked too much in class. Running then was bad.

As an adult you may have come to love running maybe because someone you loved or envied did it and seemed to enjoy it.

Not eating for a long period of time seemed so difficult, it was like dieting, which has a negative connotation stemming from deprivation. But today we know not eating between meals and going 12 hours between dinner and breakfast without calories is positive, and that some often go 16 or more hours without consuming calories and call it intermittent fasting.

So when I go in for a fasting blood test and all that means is I haven’t eating after dinner and it’s 7:30 and they ask if I’m fasting or the phlebotomist asks what I’m going to eat first, as if I must be starving, I’m always a bit surprised they refer to it as a hardship not to have eaten for 11 hours, while I was sleeping most of the time.

A reframe, right?

Dr Ellen Langer’s well-known Counterclockwise study (there’s a book by the same title) with older adults asked to pretend “as if” they were their younger selves for a short time. They were exposed only to music, periodicals, movies of the time they were younger and by the end of the week older adults who arrived using canes, moving slowly, could hear better, see better, were playing touch football. Simply by changing their thoughts about aging.

References:

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2002, Vol. 83, No. 2, 261–270

Copyright 2002 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. 0022-3514/02/$5.00 DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.83.2.261

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0191004

Levy BR, Slade MD, Pietrzak RH, Ferrucci L (2018) Positive age beliefs protect against dementia even among elders with high-risk gene. PLoS ONE 13(2): e0191004. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191004

Other Episodes You May Like:

Think You’re Too Old? Ageism Dismantled with Ashton Applewhite:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/ageism-dismantled/

The Senior Games | Off The Scale and Onto a Starting Line:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/senior-games/

Positive Aging Sources:

How to Change the Way You Age | Bolder is Better:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/growing-bolder/

What, When & Why to Exercise for Women 40+ Challenge Bundle

https://www.flippingfifty.com/store/uncategorized/what-when-why-to-exercise-for-women-40-challenge-bundle/

Resources:

Flipping 50 Membership:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/cafe

Flipping 50 STRONGER 12-week program:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/getstronger

Discovery Call with Debra:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/wellness-coaching-for-life/

Have you ever wondered why you feel better based on the colors you wear? In this episode, you’ll understand just how your fashion is related to your personality.

Know the difference between “image” and “essence". Discover how to use fashion as a tool for self-expression and personal growth!

Today’s guest is my personal color expert (in addition to my voters on IG who helped nail the ultimate Mother of the Groom dress I wore!), and now she can be yours too.

My Guest:

Jennifer Butler is a master of color and style. Holding degrees in Art history, Sociology and Spiritual Psychology she builds on her fashion expertise, knowledge of human nature, and understanding of color, to develop individual DNA based color palettes and style profiles that reveal the essence of an individual’s personality. She is also the author of Dress Your Essence.

Questions We Answer in This Episode:

• What’s the difference between Image and Essence? [00:07:10]
• What are the 12 Fashion attitudes and how do they affect how we dress ourselves? [00:09:30]
• Why do you say "Beauty is a Spiritual Practice? [00:16:30]
• How does your book help us to "Dress in our Essence"? [00:19:40]
• What inspired you to write this book and put much thought into the colors you wear? [00:15:30]
• What are the 3 first steps to get started Dressing our Essence? [00:31:00]

Connect with Jennifer:

https://JenniferButlerColor.com/

Dress Your Essence Book Link:

http://www.worldchangers.media/jennifer-butler-dress-your-essence

Free Essence Quiz:

https://learn.jenniferbutlercolor.com/quiz

Train Your Eye All Four Season-Archetypes:

https://vimeo.com/118613102/4aa456ebb0

On Social:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/JenniferButlerColor

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/JenniferButlerColor/

Other Episodes You Might Like:

Beyond Color: Confidence, Radiance, and Energy in Your Closet:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/color/

Younger for Life with America’s Holistic Plastic Surgeon®

https://www.flippingfifty.com/younger-for-life/

Resources:

Flipping 50 Membership:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/cafe

Flipping 50 STRONGER 12-week program:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/getstronger

Discovery Call with Debra:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/wellness-coaching-for-life/

Building muscle during menopause takes a unique stimulus compared to PRE menopause and is also unique during peri and post menopause.

Of course there’s more. Are you trying to lose weight, gain muscle, prevent osteoporosis, reduce or avoid medication, do you have adrenal fatigue or long haul?

In this episode I’ll discuss the research on protein and call back to a recent episode about exercise volume for building muscle during menopause.

Questions I answer in this episode:

• How have protein recommendations changed over time (then and now)? [00:08:00]
• What are women’s protein needs during menopause? [00:17:30]
• What are the effects of protein on building muscle during menopause? [00:11:00]
• As a refresher, what is the resistance training volume for pre, peri and post menopause? [00:19:50]
• How important is recovery—and are you doing it right? [00:30:20]

Based on RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance), protein consumption is 0.8g per kg (of body weight) per day. This is about 55 grams of protein for a 150-pound woman — but that’s only enough to maintain nitrogen balance and prevent deficiency in sedentary women. It is not enough to help you build muscle.

Let me explain why that is true. The reason for that recommendation is important to understand.

As you age, anabolic resistance increases, meaning you need more protein and stimulus for muscle protein synthesis. More emerging research indicates “that amount may no longer be an appropriate recommendation.” That statement was the conclusion of a  2020 systematic review and meta-analysis addressing the protein needs of people who are exercising and/or trying to lose weight.  Researchers concluded, “The RDA for protein of 0.8g of protein / kg / day may no longer be an appropriate recommendation.”

Scientific Research on Building Muscle During Menopause

An interview with Bill Philips, PhD, in May 2024, on the What, When & Why to Exercise for Women 40+, with his primary research focus shifting to that of midlife women, he could already say that the single simplest way to support fat loss and optimal body composition is to increase protein even if you didn’t change your caloric intake.

A 2022 meta-analysis recommends adults should consume nearly 1.5g of protein / kg / day of protein to maintain and/or augment muscle strength along with resistance training. Small-statured women with low reserves may need even more to prevent muscle loss, strength decline, reduced activity, and increased risk of falls or disease.

For active women, whether you are competing or you are intentionally exercising more than 3 times a week for a purpose of achieving fitness or reduced fatness, the 2023 International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends at least 1.5g of protein / kg / day and maybe even more. “Daily protein intake should fall within the mid-to-upper ranges of current sport nutrition guidelines (1.4–2.2 g of protein / kg / day) for women at all stages of menstrual function (pre-, peri-, post-menopausal, and contraceptive users) with protein doses evenly distributed, every 3 to 4 hours, across the day.”

One thing to note is that hitting the “ballpark” is not enough. You need to meet the threshold. Whether it’s reaching muscle fatigue, breathlessness during exercise, or consistent protein intake, falling short means missing the full benefits.

For women in perimenopause, it requires less stimulus than for postmenopausal women with the most hormone decline and most advanced age contributing to anabolic resistance. (inability to gain lean muscle).

Training and Protein:  Building Muscle During Menopause

When it’s recommended to have at least two total body resistance training sessions a week, that minimum may best serve:

• Women in perimenopause
• Those with adrenal fatigue or long haul
• Time constricted
• Others who require a longer recovery period

And within those workouts, there needs to be adequate volume achieved with a number of muscle groups, sets, and weight to muscle fatigue.

Postmenopausal women require greater stimulus to build lean muscle. You can aim for 4 HIIT sessions per week and increase resistance training volume if 2 sessions aren’t enough, provided protein, sleep, and stress are optimized.

The biggest obstacle to exercise is time. The second though is time for recovery. An aging muscle needs more stimulus overload. It needs greater recovery to repair the microtears that are innate to workout out intensely.

If you’re an active 150 lb postmenopausal woman who wants to improve lean muscle and decrease fat, to reach the upper range of protein that would be 2.2g of protein / kg body weight / day.

68 kg x 2.2 g of protein = 150 g of protein

To get this, here is a sample protein consumption per day

50 g x 3 meals

35-40 g x 4 meals

For strength training, 15-minute weight training sessions likely lack adequate volume in a session, unless focused on one muscle group. This is useful for beginners learning form or those with adrenal stress or special conditions but may not provide adequate stimulus for muscle growth. In a minimum, do 5-8 sets with some rest between puts you at a need for 15-20 minutes. That’s no warm up and cool down. Again, that’s a single muscle. Even 30-minute sessions may not allow you adequate stimulus for your muscles.

Where to Find Support for Building Muscle During Menopause

Personal trainers and fitness instructors, even with degrees or certifications, lack training on menopause and hormonal influences. They’re entering the field with the minimum viable knowledge. But eager to help solve a problem like weight loss or earn money, they may only do as well as they know.

Advice or training from a 20, or 40-something woman showing what’s working for her may not work for the goal you have and the hormone status you’ve got. Someone trained solely in nutrition on clinical recommendations may not necessarily be up to date on contemporary needs of older women and their hormonal status.

It’s coming, but until we start demanding it, here’s how to advocate for yourself:

To determine protein and exercise needs consider:

• Activity level and goals
• Current hormone status
• What you’ve been doing and how it’s working
• 2.2 g protein per kilogram for active and or postmenopausal women
• Volume of exercise – from sets of major muscle groups – increases with age
• Recovery from exercise is as important as the exercise itself

In an upcoming podcast, I’ll share how to start increasing protein, how to plan a day of protein and position it for support of muscle protein synthesis and blood sugar control. Watch for masterclasses monthly where we deep dive with our members

References:

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7231581/
• https://sportsmedicine-open.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40798-022-00508-w
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10210857/

Other Episodes You May Like:

My Post Menopause Workout Week Experiment | What I’m Doing: https://www.flippingfifty.com/my-post-menopause-workout/

Protein Consumption in Menopause (Revisited): https://www.flippingfifty.com/protein-consumption-in-menopause/

Resources:

Stronger: Tone & Define https://www.flippingfifty.com/get-stronger/

Flipping 50 Membership: https://www.flippingfifty.com/cafe/

Today’s episode is a refresher course or your introduction if you’re new to Flipping 50 and not quite sure you can make the connection between sex hormones and bone density. Share this with younger women to understand “more than seen and felt symptoms” of perimenopause.

Many women aren’t aware of the options, pros and cons of hormone health. The more we know, the more we can make our own informed decisions.

Bone density declines at menopause, and postmenopausal increases fracture risks. But do you know the importance of estrogen and testosterone in your bone health? Stay tuned to review the relationship between your sex hormones and bone density.

My Guest:

Dr. Doug Lucas is a double board-certified physician specializing in osteoporosis reversal and hormone replacement. After training at Stanford University, he transitioned from orthopedic surgery to anti-aging and regenerative medicine, gaining a fellowship in Anti-Aging and Metabolic Medicine and started Optimal Human Health MD (OHH) which is his nationwide telehealth practice.

Dr. Doug educates the world through The Dr. Doug Show: Bones, Hormones and HealthSpan (YouTube), HealthSpan Nation and other platforms, while also mentoring physicians to prioritize patient-centered care.

Questions We Answer in This Episode:

• What is the role of sex hormones in maintaining or improving bone density? [00:15:22]
• Can hormone replacement therapy (HRT) improve bone health? [00:18:32]
• What is the relationship between hormone decline and bone density? [00:14:17]
• What are the best strategies to maintain bone density with low hormone levels? [00:30:09]

Connect with Dr. Doug:

• https://www.optimalhumanhealth.com/

On Social:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrDougLucas/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dr_DougLucas
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_douglucas/

Other Episodes You Might Like:

• Bone Health, Osteoporosis, Osteopenia Tips You’ve Never Heard: https://www.flippingfifty.com/bone-coach/
• Build Bone After Osteoporosis: https://www.flippingfifty.com/build-bone-after-osteoporosis/
• Can I Still Start Hormones 10 Years After Menopause? Doctors Respond: https://www.flippingfifty.com/start-hormones-10-years-after-menopause/

Resources:

• Flipping 50 Membership: https://www.flippingfifty.com/cafe
• Flipping 50 STRONGER 12-week program: https://www.flippingfifty.com/getstronger

If you deal with menopause brain fog, mild depression or anxiety any time of year, this is for you. It’s also for anyone who wants the latest science on exercise and brain health. The evidence around how movement affects mental well-being is growing, and I want to share some of the most impactful insights with you.

Almost all types of exercise seem to show benefits on mental well-being. Activities like resistance training, yoga, other mind-body activities, aerobic exercise, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can support brain health to some extent. In this episode I’ll share which exercise helps most, specifically on menopause brain fog, mood, or anxiety.

No matter when you’re listening to this episode, it’s relevant for multiple reasons and seasons. But as I release it during the holiday season, it can have more impact. Whether you might be facing memories of loved ones you’ve lost, whether it was this year or in years past, or the traditions, memories, or emotions that come with the season that make this time of year bittersweet. While holidays can be magical and full of warmth, they can also feel heavy, bringing sadness, anxiety, or emotional struggles to the surface. For women with menopause brain fog and memory issues, the holidays can have an even greater impact.

Beyond Menopause and Brain Fog

Global prevalence of depression in perimenopausal women are at 33.9% and 34.9% in postmenopausal women. Why? This may be due to estrogen and progesterone fluctuations, sleep disturbances and greater susceptibility to negative effects of stress.

Most adults with depression don’t receive adequate care - due to the stigma or the fact that they don’t respond well to antidepressants. And pharmaceuticals don’t address the physical comorbidities associated with depression.

Exercise is well accepted as an alternative or complement due to accessibility, acceptability and safety. Even physical activity below public health recommendations can yield significant mental health benefits [and is a necessary place to start].

Menopause Brain Fog, It’s Not Just You

A recent study published in the Biomedical Central Public Health Journal of over 200 randomized controlled trials show exercise interventions may have more potent antidepressant effects than SSRIs.

A study examined which of 5 exercise interventions helped reduce depression levels most in postmenopausal women and if certain population characteristics responded differently.

The Exercise Interventions:

• Stretching Exercise
• Aerobic Exercise
• Resistance Training
• Mind-Body Exercise
• Multi Exercise

Mind-Body Exercise had the greatest effect on easing anxiety, followed by Aerobic Exercise. Exercise helps because it creates a controlled stress response, increasing resilience to anxiety.

Years ago, I shared a study showing yoga boosts cognitive function more than muscle conditioning. A study published in Menopause: The Journal confirmed that mind-body exercises reduce fatigue, insomnia, depression, and anxiety.

Why mindbody? Yoga increases melatonin levels, balances nervous system and improves

brain-derived neurotrophic which improves cognition and memory.

Best Exercise for Menopause Brain Fog

The menopause brain fog experienced by many women may improve most with HIIT, being characterized by periods of “all out” exercise to breathlessness.

A study in the Journal of Exercise Nutrition & Biochemistry in 2018 showed a Wingate protocol study on HIIT:

• Exercise Structure
  • 30 seconds of all-out effort (fast-paced or against resistance) per interval
  • 4 - 6 intervals per session, with 4 minutes of recovery between intervals
• Total Intense Exercise Time
  • 2 - 3 minutes of intense exercise per session lasting a total of 20 minutes, including rest periods
• Training Frequency
  • 3 sessions per week (totaling 15 minutes of high-intensity work per week)
• Results
  • 2 Weeks - Improved skeletal muscle oxidative capacity
  • 6 Weeks - Equivalent to traditional endurance training (40 - 60 minutes, 5 sessions per week)
• Additional Benefits for Midlife Women:
  • Time - HIIT sessions take 1.5 hours a week, compared to other traditional endurance training 4.5 hours a week
  • Cortisol - Short HIIT sessions avoid the cortisol spike (40 - 60 minutes is the tipping point where cortisol spikes negatively)

Most women say they feel more energized, lighter, and more focused after HIIT compared to long endurance sessions. Studies on postmenopausal women with osteoporosis found that high-intensity, high-impact protocols led to positive responses, with low injury rates and high retention.

Other Exercises for Menopause Brain Fog

Resistance training also proves popular among women with anxiety, potentially due to the fact that the increase in heart rate and intensity is temporary, strength gains are made fairly quickly for a beginner and that carries over to increasing motivation, improved sleep.

Walking outdoors with friends combines three sources of serotonin for women, particularly: movement, sunlight, and venting/talking.

References:

Han, B., Duan, Y., Zhang, P. et al. Effects of exercise on depression and anxiety in postmenopausal women: a pairwise and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Public Health 24, 1816 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19348-2

Min Chul L, Sung Ki L, Suk Yool J, Hyung Hoon M. New insight of high-intensity interval training on physiological adaptation with brain functions. J Exerc Nutrition Biochem. 2018 Sep 30;22(3):1-5. doi: 10.20463/jenb.2018.0017. PMID: 30343552; PMCID: PMC6199482.

Xu, Hong MM; Liu, Jian MD; Li, Peishan MD; Liang, Yujie MD. Effects of mind-body exercise on perimenopausal and postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Menopause 31(5):p 457-467, May 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000002336

Resources:

BLISSMAS 12-Day Challenge:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/blissmas

Other Episodes You Might Like:

Heal Your Gut, Save Your Brain:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/save-your-brain/

Six Powerful Ways To Keep Your Perimenopause Brain Sharp:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/perimenopause-brain/

Exercise Your Way to a Better Mood in Menopause:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/better-mood-in-menopause/

Let’s have a quick flashback on fitness then and now, a look at fitness routines as you age. We're going to talk about how we exercised through the years with my guest Linda Malone who is 65. She’s been in the fitness industry as a personal training and fitness expert. She’s doing some marketing and helping fitness and health pros develop their copy.

My Guest:

Linda Melone is the founder of The Copy Worx, a copywriting business targeting health and fitness businesses. She’s a seasoned copywriter, former personal trainer, and a fitness specialist for women over 50. She once ran an online fitness program for women over 50. She also hosts a podcast, B2B Marketing & Copywriting.

Her byline appears in top publications including MSN Health, Oxygen, TIME, Shape, Self, AARP, and the Huffington Post, among many others. She was also a ghostwriter for a high-profile television celebrity fitness expert.

Questions We Answer in This Episode:

• How did you start your fitness journey, and how has it shaped your life? [00:05:58]
• How has your workout routine changed, and what inspired those shifts? [00:07:37]
• Reflecting back, what do you wish you’d known in your 30s when training women over 50? [00:19:04]
• What are the biggest physical changes and abilities you've noticed over the years? [00:18:01]
• What are your top 3-5 tips for women embracing midlife at 65? [00:22:45]
• What are the biggest myths about exercising as you age? [00:26:09]

Connect with Linda:

https://thecopyworx.com/

On Social:

• Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LindaMeloneWrites/

• Instagram:
• https://x.com/LindaMelone
• YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@thecopyworx

• LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-melone/

Other Episodes You Might Like:

• Ageless Aging: Believe it or Not?

https://www.flippingfifty.com/ageless-aging/

• Truths and Myths: Lifting Heavy in Menopause for Bones & Body Comp:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/lifting-heavy-in-menopause/

• Exercise for Bone Density Then and Now:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/exercise-for-bone-density/

Resources:

• Meditation:

https://www.brain.fm/

In my 20s, I would go for a run within an hour of waking. But as the years went by, I would linger over coffee and my studies or work. Even though I still wanted to move in the morning, I realized the best quality creativity and focus were accessible to me in the first hours of the morning. It wasn’t the same later.

Eventually, I realized that if I focus on studying or work on a project and delay my workout until later, I could get another boost of focus when I return, refreshed and showered from exercise.

Even when I was training for Iron -distance triathlons, 3 to 4-hour long sessions of running, biking, or swimming could be tiring. I may have had some good ideas on the bike, but overly long sessions left both mind and body drained and exhausted.

The science behind this has a lot to do with cortisol, which helps our brains handle stress and concentrate more effectively earlier in the day. Mental focus is best between 10am and 2pm, but this may vary based on whether you’re a morning or night person.

For me, it’s the quiet of early morning.. typically between 5am and 9am.. that offers the best focus. But if you’re a night owl, you may find focus and get things done later. But only a few of us can focus really well late at night.

P.S.  Waiting a little while before exercise has another benefit backed by science: it reduces the risk of back injuries. After an hour of moving around before getting to the gym (like getting dressed or driving) the pressure on spinal discs lessens, lowering the chance of herniation. You can check out the link of another episode below for Myths, Causes, and Solutions for Back Pain.

My Morning Routine and Clear Thinking

A fascinating article on sleep cycles, naps, shorter sleep spans and no naps might make you a believer in naps. Even me, as a fairly proclaimed non-napper, I find it difficult to wake up and re-engage in the day after a nap. But the science behind napping is compelling.

There’s something about working too long. When we push through long work hours without breaks (a common Western habit), it disrupts the potassium-sodium balance and keeps us in a Beta brain wave state. Beta waves are for analyzing and alertness. When we sleep, we get Theta waves which are for creativity and higher mental functions. If you study meditation at all, you’ll hear about different waves.

As we fall asleep, our brains move from Beta (awake and analyzing) to Alpha (calmer and quiet mind), then Theta (half-awake or half-asleep), and finally Delta (deep sleep). Research says, we cycle through these stages in 90-minute intervals during sleep and even during the day, our brains naturally focus best in 90-minute bursts. So, if your mind starts wandering after about 90 minutes, it’s normal. We do better with a 20-minute break for productivity and creativity than powering through. The quality of the work is better.

I discovered this myself by pure accident, and then began to lean into it more as I learned more about the brain. What is hard for me is to honor the habit of meditation first thing because when I wake, I tend to want to start my usual habits. It’s true for most of us. And if you have a dog, your habits change real fast!

If you are finding you aren’t as productive or energetic as you like, and you’re ready to try a new routine, here are some suggestions so you can find a morning routine that works for you.

4 Steps to Create Your Own Personal Instead of Adopting My Morning Routine!

1. Learn your personal patterns: keep a track of your energy during different parts of the day, and you’ll eventually see which are the best moments for you to work and rest. We all have this Basic Reset-Activity cycle, but you can learn more about your own personal best routine, even within the confines of work, kids or dogs!

   Now, this is not going to work best until  you’ve begun optimizing habits like high protein/low carb breakfasts; avoiding coffee-only till noon rituals, avoid skipping meals. You’re not using wine to wind down every night. None of this is going to help you as directly with day time energy if you’re sabotaging yourself.

2. Maximize your peak cycles: plan your day in order to take advantage of the moments where you have the most energy.

   I share this with health coaches and trainers in our Flipping 50 Menopause Fitness Specialist program and with our team members too. Though there are things that have to be done on a 12 and 24-hour period within our business, we allow flexibility in our team members to do them.

   Where we have issues is if there are too many errors, oversights, and it becomes obvious someone isn’t firing on all cylinders, assuming they are the right person for the job.

3. Take a break: When you’re in a down cycle, it’s better to rest than power through. Rest is not optional.

   My personal mental breaks from work are physical movement. After 3 or 4 hours of morning focus, I’ll break to workout. In the afternoon, between sessions, I’ll get Moses outside and play fetch with him or do one of what I’ve coined our 10-minute Longevity snacks. The dynamic balance and agility moves actually require thought, but of an entirely different kind, and definitely away from a screen.

4. Get enough sleep: Sleep deprivation results in a prolonged cycle, lowering your productivity.

My Morning Routine Can be Different to Yours

For me, sleep has always been non-negotiable. Even in high school, I didn’t “sleep in” well. Slumber parties wrecked me for the next couple days. And I was in bed by 10:00pm most high school nights. I just preferred it. Now, all of us were teens with different sleep habits at one point, but even in high school and college, I was up irritatingly early for my dorm roommates at least.

Women in Midlife are more susceptible to negative effects of stress. That’s going to impact our brain as well as our physical body. Doing either of these types of stressful work early in the day will reap better rewards.

For women in midlife, working with cortisol levels in this way is also beneficial. You can avoid the conversion of other hormones necessary for sleep and rest to cortisol to supply the energy in late-day intense exercise. It seems to go well for women during, but the quality and quantity of sleep is negatively affected.

By studying scientific processes and anecdotally having thousands of clients flip their intense workouts to am, we’ve seen improvements in their energy, fitness, and fatness.

References:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/npr2.12042

https://fmidr.com/the-power-of-the-sleep-cycle/

https://hive.com/blog/90-minute-time-blocking/

Other Episodes You Might Like:

Morning Routines, Training to Fatigue, and Defining “Fueled”: https://www.flippingfifty.com/morning-routines/

Successful Habit Change for Health, Fitness, & Wellness After 50: https://www.flippingfifty.com/successful-habit-change/

Myths, Causes, and Solutions for Back Pain with Dr. Stuart McGill: https://www.flippingfifty.com/myths-causes-solutions-back-pain/

Resources:

BLISSMAS 12-Day Challenge: https://www.flippingfifty.com/blissmas

Flipping 50 Membership: https://www.flippingfifty.com/cafe

What you don’t know about GPL-1 drugs may hurt you, or your opportunity to improve your health. Misconceptions could limit your ability to make an informed decision about whether they’re right for you.

Whether you’re someone considering these medications for your own health or a fitness professional trying to better understand how they fit into the broader health landscape, this episode will offer valuable insights on what you don’t know about GPL-1. We’re not having a persuasive argument here. Instead, we want to provide a balanced and nuanced discussion, offering you the information needed to make a well-rounded decision.

We are opening up the conversation again with a physician who's been using GLP-1 for a long time. She’s sharing what she’s seen and experienced and if you’re a health and fitness professional, stay tuned as we have something special for you too.

My Guest:

Dr. Tami Meraglia MD is a leader in Functional Medicine specializing in Hormones, Weight Loss and non-surgical facial rejuvenation. She is the best selling author of The Hormone Secret, published by Simon and Schuster, has appeared on Good Morning America, Fox, ABC, NBC and many podcasts and summits as a health expert. She lectures nationally and internationally and is the Medical Director of BioThrive Life that offers personalized medical programs in person in Seattle and virtually across the USA.

Questions We Answer in This Episode:

• What are the risks and benefits of these medications? [00:11:01] (Benefits), [00:33:10] (Risk)
• If you use them do you need to take them for life? [00:11:19]
• If you use them does the weight loss involve muscle loss? [00:40:48]
• Future of GLP1 medications [00:28:23]

Connect with Dr. Tami:

https://www.biothrivelife.com/

On Social:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askdrtami/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askdrtami/

Other Episodes You Might Like:

• How to Spot Menopause Misinformation: A Doctor Talks: https://www.flippingfifty.com/menopause-misinformation/
• Your Glucose Levels in Menopause with the Glucose Goddess: https://www.flippingfifty.com/glucose-levels-in-menopause/

Our stance:

Flipping 50 believes each woman is unique.

That said, we favor fed exercise over fasted exercise when it is intense. That is, high intensity interval training, or strength training with the intent of preserving lean muscle mass and avoiding frailty or fragility occur within the eating window and ideally bookended by protein consumption if for muscle or bone mass.

We do acknowledge that exercise may “feel hard” when exercise is performed fasted giving the perception of “working hard.”

However, we suggest based on research and 4 decades of primary observation, women actually exercise harder related to their capacity for exercise when fueled. That is, they will go faster if being timed, go further within a timed test, lift more weight or perform more reps to muscular fatigue.

Fasted Exercise Pros and Cons During Perimenopause

A 27% muscle loss has been reported between early and late stage perimenopause. This is most likely due to multifactors: insomnia disrupting anabolic hormones and together with other signs and symptoms of menopause interfering with desire to workout, as well as a drop in estrogen, testosterone and growth hormone levels, and an increase in cortisol levels.

This is an important consideration when looking at fat loss vs lean muscle gain and priorities. Mitigating potential loss of muscle is a critical factor in aging well and overall metabolic health.

What Science Says

Some studies (review of literature) suggest that before prolonged exercise, fueling provides more benefit but before short exercise, results are inconclusive. A 2013 study on sumo wrestlers eating a ultra high calorie, 50% fat diet burned more fat after exercise done fasted. However, we’ve got to consider…. How like you are that? Extremely high calorie and 50% fat? In almost the same time frame, college women were fed vs fasted in exercise and showed no difference. Their diets probably reflected at least a little closer to yours and their hormone profiles also at least slightly more like you.

The problem is, few studies about fasting and exercise exist on midlife or postmenopausal women.

Women who are at risk for accelerated muscle and strength losses.

In studies for the last 10 years, fasted vs fed with the same hypocaloric diet there was no difference in increased fat loss due to fasted vs fed.

I hear comments from women who believe they are burning fat for fuel when they’ve fat-adapted, however, without measuring this, we don’t know it to be true. The crossover is only visible when you’re measuring in a lab. It would mean that at the same speed and intensity previously (watts) you were burning fat vs carbs for fuel. We can see that in clinical lab testing during progressive exercise testing using stages. Your cardiovascular fitness level may also improve meaning for the same speed your heart rate isn’t as elevated. That’s another way to hypothesize you’re burning more fat for fuel at higher levels.

I want to remind you that at a certain point we all cross over. If you’re “working hard” in high intensity interval training you are NOT burning fat during. You’re burning a lower percent of fat for fuel during. Because you’re burning calories - that is your energy expenditure is higher - you are still burning more fat.

Your goal is not to burn a high percent of fat for fuel during.. Or you’re doing that best at rest.

The data is not there to support higher fat burning during HIIT fasted. It’s not there to support higher fat burning after HIIT if fasted.

What seems most important is a hypocaloric diet, performing optimal exercise intensity for energy expenditure. And resistance training improves post workout FFA circulation most compared to HIIT.

To support anabolic response to strength training, especially for women when more prone to anabolic resistance, fed exercise makes the most sense.

Fasted Exercise Pros and Cons with Obese Women

For women who can’t seem to lose fat weight, and are in good adrenal health, after employing a foundation of high protein, 3 meals no snacks, fasting at least 12 hours overnight, extending the fast and testing can help shake a plateau.

The approach needs to be unique to individual needs and goals to lose fat weight and gain lean muscle mass. It may need to be addressed step by step to first improve metabolic health (blood lipids, blood pressure, insulin, glucose), with close observations on skeletal muscle to determine success.

For other women though, recomposition is best addressed by focus on gaining lean muscle mass and not slowing progress. We do know strength can be gained during fasting, at least in the beginning. Muscle mass doesn’t improve during fasted exercise.

Again, important to remember, the research featuring women in menopause and post, with anabolic resistance is minimal. Anabolic resistance is the resistance to gaining lean muscle mass. Basically, the older we get the more you have to work for it.

So, if you focus on losing fat, you may also lose lean muscle if you’re doing it by fasting. Like many things including exercise, the solution may be cycling fasting duration with alternating periods of time (weeks/months) with primary focus on muscle gains vs fat loss.

But the one constant should be monitoring your personal results. Is your lean muscle mass going up or down? Is your body fat going up or down? Is your gut health/digestion/elimination improving?

To Unpack Your Personal Fasted Exercise Pros and Cons, Prioritize

Prioritize goals:

Longevity (autophagy)

Avoidance of frailty, fragility

Improvement of balance and stability

Increase in bone density

Gut health

Emotional eating/relationship with food

Consuming inadequate fuel can make women store more fat. It may depend on whether you are in perimenopause vs postmenopause. According to Stacy Sims, it’s the hypothalamus related to the kisspeptin hormone. Thyroid hormone gets down-regulated within a short period of a few days.

You feel like you’re exercising “hard.” But you’re not necessarily exercising to your capacity. You’re simply struggling. It’s not the same as a quality intensity workout.

If you’re more athletic, you want to do more endurance or more peak performance, the more you have low calories while taxing your system.

Increasing protein without changing anything, even without exercise,  body fat loss will be facilitated within 3 months.

For women who struggle with dieting or a history restrictive eating or binge-purging, using a time restricted eating window can be complicated by the desire to also restrict calories. The low fuel intake means low micronutrient intake. Frequent testing would be extremely beneficial for women who also ideally will monitor their skeletal muscle mass, body fat percent and blood glucose levels on a daily/weekly basis.

For extremely active women, fasted exercise reflects poorer performance:

• Slower walking pace
• Lower endurance
• Longer recovery periods
• Less muscle mass gains
• Less fat loss (compared to fed exercise at higher intensity)

Resources:

Smart Scales:

https://www.amazon.com/shop/flipping50/list/GFTU3QXMJ07G?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_aipsfflipping50_7CD0CBB5VP0Q08ZGZ7JF

Dr. Mindy Pelz:

https://www.youtube.com/@DrMindyPelz

5 Day Flip:

https://www.flippingfifty.com/5-day-challenge-new/

References:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29315892/#:~:text=Fasted exercise increased post-exercise,mitochondrial adaptation and substrate utilization.
• https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0301369
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4242477/

Other Episodes You Might Like:

• How to Pair Intermittent Fasting and Exercise After 40: https://www.flippingfifty.com/intermittent-fasting-and-exercise/
• How Emotional Eating Can Be the Hidden Reason for Weight Gain: https://www.flippingfifty.com/reason-for-weight-gain/
• End Diets, Food Rules, and Emotional Eating: https://www.flippingfifty.com/freedom/