Dr. Stacy Sims knows that women are not small men. In this episode of Harder to Kill Radio, she’s explaining how to work with your female physiology instead of against it.
Dr. Sims’s bio:
Stacy T. Sims, PhD, served as an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist at Stanford University from 2007 to 2012, where she specialized in sex differences of environmental and nutritional considerations for recovery and performance. She is a partner of Grant & Sims Nutrition, a company that merges science and food for professional athletes, and the cofounder and former Chief Research Officer of OSMO Nutrition, a sports nutrition company. A regular featured speaker at professional and academic conferences, including those hosted by USOC and USA cycling, she resides in Fairfax, CA.
About Roar: How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body for Life:
In the words of author Dr. Stacy Sims, women and are not small men. Women have a unique physiology that is different than men; therefore, women require a different nutritional approach to achieve their best athletic performance. Roar is a complete guide for active women looking to match their nutritional intake to their unique physiology to achieve optimum athletic performance. Together, Dr. Sims and contributing author Selene Yeager are the ultimate authority on women’s nutrition, health, and fitness. In this book, you will learn how to train your unique body to optimally adapt to exercise, including building lean muscle where you need it most, strengthening bone, and boosting power and endurance. Roar provides you with all the nutrition and training advice you need to build a rock-solid fitness foundation.
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Lord of the Rings nerd, cold brew drinker, and depending on who you ask, crazy cat lady. My mission is to help you fuel for more, not less: bigger muscles, strength, energy, and possibilities. We’ll do it with my signature blend of science, strategy…and a little bit of sass.
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19 Responses
Oh my goodness, I loved this podcast! It was my first HTK listen and I am so glad I did. I have read about the menstrual cycle and diet before, but not about training! So much good info! I have felt lost for so long and so many timed during the podcast my mind was blown and I thought, “so that’s what I was doing wrong!” I went straight to Amazon and ordered Staceys book and I can’t wait to share this with all my girlfriends.
I’m SOOO happy to hear that Megan. Really pleased that it was helpful for you, and I would definitely appreciate you sharing the good word 🙂
OMG, Stephanie, I can’t thank you enough for this podcast. I cannot wait to read her book. I have lived with so much of what she was talking about, including trouble with my thyroid after doing a pretty intense low carb diet. I kept going through intense periods of training and dieting, only to feel worse and ultimately gain weight. After working the past two years to heal my relationship with my body, I have gotten better at listening to what it needs, and so much of what she was saying lined up with my experience. For example, I’ve started just wanting what seems like a ton of protein, and I started lifting weights over the past few months, because my body was craving it like it’s craved chocolate before. I was listening with tears in my eyes, realizing once again what a primal wisdom my body has, that we really are on the same team, not adversaries, as I had believed for so long as I was following conventional diet and training advice. I couldn’t be more grateful for the women in health and wellness professions who are sharing their knowledge. Thanks so much for your work!!
Hi Gwendolyn! I’m SO glad this episode hit home for you. What you’re experiencing is very common with women, and thankfully there are women like Dr Sims who are helping to spread the word and devoting their work to helping ladies get and stay healthy. You hit the nail on the head…our bodies are so wise. Big hugs to you!
Hi Steph!
I just wanted to thank you for having Dr Sims on your podcast. She was amazing & such a breath of fresh air! I absolutely loved her attitude, her fountain of information, and her candor about how science has always focused on 20-something men & how we need to get over the “shamefulness” of our periods.
I was on the edge of my seat, listening to every word she was saying! I was even taking notes!
I immediately ordered her book, and it can’t get here fast enough!
FINALLY we are talking about training & diets for WOMEN!!! We are different from men…??? What a concept!
Thank you for your podcast, and please keep up the excellent work! 🙂
Wow thank you SO much for sharing your experience and feedback with me, Kerri! It’s the best thing on the planet when I get to find out that these resources are helpful for all of you! You’re very welcome <3
Thanks so much for having me!!
This is one of the most popular shows ever so thank YOU for lending your voice and expertise!
In the episode Stacy mentioned a study about exercise timing for women: “Just knowing that in training, there’s a study that just came out last month that looked at doing intensity training the first two weeks of the period to ovulation and then just doing your standard three day a week hypertrophy kind of thing.”. Do you have a link to that study or somewhere where I could read more about this? Like I’m not even sure what “standard 3 day a week hypertrophy thing” means, but since I bounce back and forth between over exercising and 0 exercising I’m interested in learning more about when to go hard and when to dial back etcetera…
I can try to find it for you. I’m writing an article right now about how to train during your cycle. Stay tuned!
I would be interested in this study as well.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4236309/
Summary / takeaway: strength training in the first half of your cycle may be most effective b/c of the dominant hormones at that time. Don’t overthink it, ladies!
I loved this episode! I’ve read ROAR, and just really enjoyed hearing more from Dr. Sims. I have one clarification question though. At the end of the episode, when you got to the topic of menopause, it was mentioned that plyometrics were preferred to endurance. Am I to take this to mean that the post-menopausal woman should/can no longer be an endurance athlete because of the concern of bone density and muscle loss?
I’m a soon-to-be-fifty-year-old runner/cyclist. Hate to think I may have to give that up in a few years. Any pointers you can offer would be appreciated. I know that the bigger goal is to maintain strength and bone density for the long term. Guess I may need to discover new ways to be an athlete when the time comes. Thank you Steph!
Hi Mary…good question. Nobody is saying you have to give up endurance work. What she does say in the book and what I recommend is that you have to do some kind of strength training or at the very least plyo work IN ADDITION TO straight endurance training. Strength training will offset the endurance you’re doing and provide an opportunity to build muscle instead of it wasting as does with age and most endurance work. (I competed in endurance cycling and triathlon for many years so I’m speaking from a place of experience.) Your best bet is to add 2-3 strength sessions a week as your season/schedule allows. My Made Strong program would be perfect for you: https://stephgaudreau.com/madestrong. Hope this helps!
Steph, Thanks for the reply. This does help. I went back and reread the chapter on menopause last night. It’s good to know that adding strength sessions is the best first step. I’ll definitely look into the Made Strong program!
Do you have a eating plan and workout plan for post menopausal women?
Definitely want to think about limiting processed carbs and alcohol, getting enough protein, and lifting some weights. Check out my Core 4 Program! https://core4program.com <3
Hi you picked a great author to interview. I’d like to stress many, MANY, women are asking for Dr. Sims to speak to those of us in the 50s +. I’m not have menses so non of that applies anymore. She very briefly addresses the 50+ person. I’ve read comments across social media asking for this. I hope she will. It’s needed as more are reaching the 50+
Thanks for stopping by! Not every professional speaks to every age bracket, and I think that’s okay. Her research is primarily focused on menstruating people which is why she is speaking about that. I know it’s frustrating to not have as much info as you’re craving, but speaking as someone in the nutrition / fitness space, if we try to serve everyone, we often end up not serving anyone because information is too general and unfocused. For perimenopause or menopause support, see Amanda Thebe as a starting point: https://www.stephgaudreau.com/amanda-thebe-defeat-menopause-taboo/