Supplements get a bad rap. And to be fair, there is a lot of trash out there. But there are some treasures, too, especially for midlife and menopausal women who often can use some extra help building bone, recovering from injuries, and hitting it hard during training and events. This week we break down the best ergogenic aids for active women in and beyond the menopause transition with Kristen Arnold of Sports Nutrition for Women.

Kristen Arnold MS, RDN, CSSD is a board-certified sports dietitian, cycling coach, retired professional athlete, and team sport director for USA Cycling and professional cycling teams. Her private practice is centered around empowering women through evidence-based sports nutrition coaching and information, and she has done research on improving postmenopausal women's health through nutrition strategies and counseling. You can learn more about her and her work at sportsnutritionforwomen.com.

Resources

The JUMPFOOD study: additional effect of hydrolyzed collagen and vitamin C to exercise treatment for patellar tendinopathy (jumper’s knee) in athletes—study protocol for a double-blind randomized controlled trial here

Specific Collagen Peptides Improve Bone Mineral Density and Bone Markers in Postmenopausal Women—A Randomized Controlled Study here

How collagen could help heal your torn rotator cuff, Achilles tendon, meniscus and more here

The effects of collagen peptide supplementation on body composition, collagen synthesis, and recovery from joint injury and exercise: a systematic review here

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Here we go again with the bombardment of “New Year, New You” ads and messages to “eat this, not that,” or “do this specific workout for 30 days to get amazing abs.” You know the drill and they’re probably in your feed as we speak.

In this first-of-its kind episode, Feisty Media podcast hosts Kathryn Taylor (Girls Gone Gravel), Sara Gross (Women’s Performance Podcast), Kelly O’Mara (If We Were Riding), and Selene Yeager (Hit Play Not Pause) unite for a candid conversation about these societal pressures of New Year's resolutions and the pitfalls of Fitness Challenges within women’s fitness culture.

Building positive new habits isn’t a bad thing, but the problem is that most of the challenges, diets, and cleanses often lead to underfueling, which can sabotage your goals as an active woman.

Sharing their own personal experiences with diet culture and disordered eating, Kathryn, Sara, Selene, and Kelly advocate for more self-acceptance and celebrating what the body can achieve, emphasizing overall health over aesthetics. Quite simply - they want you to be fueled for your 2025 goals.

That’s why we’re launching the Feisty Fueled Challenge in January to foster healthier food and fitness dialogues. This FREE five day challenge will help you dive deeper into some of the internalized messages that we all struggle with, and feel empowered to make smart and mindful decisions about how to fuel in 2025.

Starting January 6th, you’ll receive daily emails from leading fueling & mindset experts that will reframe your mindset around fueling and cover some practical ways to fuel your 2025 goals.

With just 10 minutes each day, you’ll be ready to be your best feisty, fueled self in 2025 and redefine health and fitness on your own terms.

To sign up for the FREE Feisty Fueled Challenge:

https://www.womensperformance.com/fueled-challenge

The conversation around hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms is pretty clear. Hormone therapy is the gold standard for treating hot flashes and night sweats and can help with many other common symptoms that come with the menopause transition. It’s very effective and broadly safe. But recently, the conversation has evolved past symptom management and into preventative health with many experts suggesting that hormone therapy may play a larger role in extending a woman’s healthspan, if not lifespan. That maybe we should all start taking hormones to protect our hearts and cognitive health. And there’s promising research in those areas. Yet none of the medical associations recommend hormones for those purposes. Why? That’s what we dig into this week with Professor Susan Davis, AO, who is a pioneer and leading expert in women's health as a clinical endocrinologist, researcher, and educator. She reflects on her decades of research on various forms of hormone therapy and shares what we know–and still don’t know–today regarding traditional hormone therapy as well as testosterone therapy for women’s health post menopause.

Professor Susan R Davis AO, MBBS, FRACP, PhD, FAHMS is a clinician researcher with expertise in the role of sex hormones in women across the lifespan. She is Head of the Monash University Women’s Health Research Program and holds a Level 3 NHMRC Investigator Grant. Susan is a Consultant Endocrinologist and Head of the Women’s Endocrine Clinic, Alfred Hospital Melbourne and a consultant at Cabrini Medical Centre. She is a Fellow and Council Member of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. She is a past President of the Australasian Menopause Society and the International Menopause Society. She has over 435 peer-reviewed publications and has received numerous national and international prestigious research awards. Susan was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to medicine, to women's health as a clinical endocrinologist and researcher, and to medical education. You can learn more about her and her work at Monash University.

Resources

2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause here

Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Cardiovascular Disease: The Role of Formulation, Dose, and Route of Delivery here

Use of MHT in women with cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis here

Studying Studies: Part I – relative risk vs. absolute risk by Peter Attia, MD, here

Join the Feisty Girona Gravel Camp: https://www.thomsonbiketours.com/trips/feisty-girona-gravel-camp/

Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page

Follow Us on Instagram:

Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause

Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099

Support our Partners:

Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/

Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and book a call with a Registered Dietitian

Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/