Menopause and midlife can send dueling wrecking balls straight into your sleep architecture, leaving you tossing and turning unable to get to sleep, waking up with racing thoughts at 3 a.m., and generally depriving you of the rest and regeneration you need. This week’s guest, Dr. Sophie Bostock, the sleep scientist—and self-proclaimed sleep evangelist—is here to help you pick up the pieces of your broken sleep and get a good night’s rest. Dr. Bostock has recently spent 5 years working on Sleepio...
Feb 24, 2021•1 hr 17 min
As active women, we use carbs to fuel our training and racing. But there’s a limit to how many are good for our health (as well as performance), especially as we hit menopause and become more insulin resistant. This week’s guest, coach Gale Bernhardt has been on a mission to help her athletes dial in their nutrition and training to be better fat burners while also having the metabolic flexibility to use those sugars when they need them. That plan includes eating a diet filled with whole food fat...
Feb 17, 2021•1 hr 2 min
What keeps you going when the curtains start to fall at mile 19 of a marathon? How do you get up and charge again 3 days into a 6 day stage race? What makes the difference between picking up a kettlebell or a bottle of wine at the end of a long, hard, tiring day? Mental strength. The muscle between your ears is what keeps you going when the going gets hard. The opposite is true, too. When life is kicking your ass, being physically strong helps you muster the mental strength you need to persevere...
Feb 10, 2021•1 hr 14 min
Chasing big athletic goals can supercharge your life. But how do you chase and accomplish those goals without dropping the ball on everything else, especially as you’re also trying to navigate all the changes that menopause and midlife can bring? This week’s guest, long time endurance athlete and coach Lynda Rowan is here to help. As a dual citizen of both Australia and the U.S., Lynda has competed in Sprint, Olympic, 70.3 and Ironman triathlons and has represented both countries at ITU World Ag...
Feb 03, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Time for “the talk.” Seriously, we get sex ed when we go through puberty to know what to expect. But then we hit the other end of the hormonal spectrum and...crickets. Loss of libido and painful sex are real issues during menopausal years and, all too often, women suffer in silence. Issues like vaginal dryness don’t just hurt your sex life (though that’s bad enough!), they also just plain hurt when you’re trying to live an active life. None of that is particularly conducive to feeling and perfor...
Jan 27, 2021•58 min
The words we say to ourselves. The way we look at ourselves. The way we fuel, or often don’t fuel, ourselves. They’re a product of so many things--culture, society, ingrained images and messages. And too often they hurt our health, performance, and general well being. Exercising, playing sports, and being active can help, but they also can be the source of some of these issues, or make them worse. And when we hit our menopausal years and our bodies start taking on a life of their own, seemingly ...
Jan 20, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Injuries don’t just hurt physically. They can rock you emotionally, as they keep you away from the activity you love, isolate you from your training buddies, and do a number on your self image, especially as we get into our menopausal years and injuries can pop up with increasing frequency. Your doctor or PT help with the physical stuff. But what about the rest? That’s where this week’s guest Heidi Armstrong, founder of The Injured Athlete’s Toolbox comes in. Heidi has more than 10 years of expe...
Jan 13, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Ready to create your menopause adventure? Yes, adventure. Now is the time to shine, says this week’s guest, wellness coach and fitness trainer Kacy Duke, who teaches people how to use the right mindset, motivation, and movement to reach their goals. Named one of New York City’s best trainers, Kacy has been the personal trainer to a long list of A-listers including Gwen Stefani, Kate Beckinsale, Julianna Moore, Dakota Johnson, Bruce Willis, Denzel Washington, and Lenny Kravitz, just to name a few...
Jan 06, 2021•52 min
Missing your usual mojo and motivation? Wrestling with body image issues? Want a little help setting meaningful goals that go beyond how fast you can run a 5K? You are not alone! This week, exercise scientist and mental performance expert Dr. Kristen Dieffenbach addresses these topics and more as we take a deep dive into the competitive psyche during menopause and how to cope with the psychological challenges that come at this time of life.Kristen is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant wit...
Dec 30, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Mary Jane is clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale University School of Medicine. She has been a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) since 2002, and has been in private practice in New Haven, Connecticut for more than 35 years. Mary Jane has won myriad awards for excellence in her field and is an authority on all things related to hormone therapy, which she addresses in detail during this show. S...
Dec 23, 2020•59 min
Recovery, resilience, and injury resistance gets harder as we get older. The harder and longer you go, the harder and longer the recovery process can be. This week’s guest, legendary ultra runner Magda Boulet knows all about what it takes to stay resilient and recover well even after the longest, hardest challenges. Since turning 45, Magda’s won the Marathon des Sables, a six day 156 mile stage race, in Morocco; completed the 172-mile Tahoe Rim Trail in 50 hours and 40 minutes, and won the 2019 ...
Dec 16, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Studies show women following a plant-based diet have fewer night sweats and hot flashes during menopause. So this week Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN, owner of Active Eating Advice digs into the powers, and occasional pitfalls, of a plant-based diet: what it means and what foods to include for optimum muscle, bone, and hormonal health, as well as to sleep, feel, and perform your best. We also delve into the truths and myths surrounding soy, and cover the often overlooked topic of how to be kin...
Dec 09, 2020•55 min
Past trauma can lead to more severe symptoms and a more challenging menopause journey. This week, stress and resiliency expert Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., explains how stress and trauma can change our DNA and drag us down mentally and physically, especially at midlife. She also serves up a whole lot of hope and no B.S. advice for building your best present and future, no matter your past. Or in her words: “What you’re doing is trying to do everything in your power to inject joy, inject adventure...
Dec 02, 2020•58 min
Missing your usual mojo and motivation? Wrestling with body image issues? Want a little help setting meaningful goals that go beyond how fast you can run a 5K? You are not alone! This week, exercise scientist and mental performance expert Dr. Kristen Dieffenbach addresses these topics and more as we take a deep dive into the competitive psyche during menopause and how to cope with the psychological challenges that come at this time of life. Kristen is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant wi...
Nov 25, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Low fat. High protein. Low carb. No carb. This week’s guests and authors of The Menopause Diet Plan, Hillary Wright and Elizabeth Ward, have seen diet trends come and go and come around again. And they know what works. Spoiler alert: Yes, you can - and should - eat carbs. We get into why, as well as all the other macronutrients, vitamins. minerals, and foods that menopausal women need for optimum health and performance. Hillary Wright, MEd, RDN, is a registered dietitian and the author of The PC...
Nov 18, 2020•1 hr 3 min
Depression, anxiety, bone-crushing fatigue, incontinence, heart palpitations, migraines. What the hell is going on? Shockingly, your family doctor may not know it’s menopause. And you’ll end up feeling like you’re losing your mind like this week’s guest Amanda Thebe, author of Menopocalypse: How I Learned to Thrive During Menopause and How You Can Too. Amanda was so frustrated by her two year odyssey to find out what was derailing her life (spoiler alert: it was perimenopause), she wrote a book ...
Nov 11, 2020•1 hr 3 min
It happens. You sneeze, cough, or laugh…and leak. Or you can barely get your key in the door without wetting yourself. It’s common, but not normal…or necessary. This week, pelvic floor specialist Chloë Murdock, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS offers solutions to the incontinence that can happen during menopause. And, spoiler alert, there’s more to fixing it than Kegels—in fact they can make it worse. Chloë explains that there’s more to your core than your abs and obliques and how muscle imbalances and weakne...
Nov 04, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Thirty four years ago, at the age of 42, Cherie Gruenfeld went from lying in bed eating sticky buns and watching the LA Marathon to buying running shoes and a book on how to run a marathon the very next day. She wanted to know what she was capable of. At 76 years old, after completing 28 Ironman races, winning 13 World Ironman titles and setting numerous course records around the world, she still does. Cherie is still eyeing up world records, setting goals, and living life by her philosophy: “I ...
Oct 28, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Heavy periods, hot flashes, vaginal pain, debilitating full body achiness, we’ve got a hit parade of menopausal symptoms, and more importantly, solutions this week with guest Mary Jane Minkin, M.D. Mary Jane is clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale University School of Medicine. She has been a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) since 2002, and has been in private practice in New Haven, Connectic...
Oct 21, 2020•59 min
It’s easy to beat yourself up (and down) with strength training. That’s not Erin Carson’s game. As the strength trainer for endurance athletes like 3x Ironman World Champion Mirinda Carfrae, Erin’s approach is building her athlete’s up to be not just strong, but also energetic, nimble, and fast. She dishes out plenty of thoughts on how we all can achieve those goals in this week's episode. She also practices what she preaches, recently running one of her fastest half marathons at age 54. She’s c...
Oct 14, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Traditionally athletes in their 40s (and certainly their 50s) are supposed to retire and find something else to do. Not seven-time world champion Rebecca Rusch, who didn’t even start racing professionally as a mountain biker until age 38, and proceeded to rack up national and world victories, win Leadville 100 four times, DK200 three times, and crushed the first 350-mile DKXL gravel race at age 50. Talking menopause for the first time, Rebecca Rusch reveals what her transition through “the chang...
Oct 07, 2020•1 hr 3 min
What is happening?! You’ll find out as Selene Yeager talks all things menopause with Dr. Stacy Sims, exercise physiologist, nutrition scientist and the brains behind the women’s training and nutrition book ROAR. The show dives deep on symptoms and solutions, including specific fueling and training techniques and adaptogens that can help women maintain muscle, energy, and performance during their menopausal years. Find the list of adaptogens mentioned in the podcast and recommended doses at https...
Oct 07, 2020•47 min
Welcome to the Hit Play Not Pause Podcast, a Feisty Menopause podcast for active, performance-minded women who aren’t willing to put their best years behind them. It’s time to break the silence and get past the stigma of what you can accomplish as an active woman in your 40’s, 50’s and beyond. We’ll talk about how to optimize your physiology, maintain your fitness, and harness your power! Join host Selene Yeager for a no bullsh*t podcast for women ready to live their feistiest lives, and follow ...
Sep 23, 2020•7 min