Dr. Stacy Sims: The Science of Changing How Women Should Eat & Exercise After 40

Doing everything right but still exhausted, waking at 3 am and gaining weight after 40? Dr. Stacy Sims explains what is really going on.

In this episode, I sit down with someone whose work has changed how I fuel, train, and protect my body for the decades ahead: the incredible Dr Stacy Sims. I asked the questions my community sent in, and Stacy went deeper than ever on why so many midlife women feel like they’re failing when their bodies simply need something different.

We talk about why skipping breakfast can throw out your circadian rhythm and wreck your sleep, why alcohol hits a woman’s sleep harder than a man’s, and why your wearable might be telling you the wrong story. Stacy also shares exactly how she’d structure a training week for a woman in her 40s or 50s, why marathon and zone 2 training can add belly fat, how much protein we really need after 40, and why so many of us are under eating without realising it.

Key Takeaways:

-Why a small amount of food soon after waking can help steady your energy, cravings and sleep-How strength training supports your brain, bones, muscle and gut as you age-Why under fuelling can stall muscle gain and affect your metabolic health in perimenopause-How to read your wearable data as a woman, and why trends matter more than daily scores

About the Guest:Dr Stacy Sims, PhD, is an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist who has spent her career researching female physiology, and she is the author of ROAR and Next Level. Her work challenges the idea that women should train and eat like small men. She has worked on the Women’s Health Initiative at Stanford and is now building Collective X, a platform that brings vetted female health research into wearables and AI.

Website: https://www.drstacysims.comCollective X: https://collectivex.healthInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drstacysims

Timestamps

Introduction (00:00)

Why You’re Exhausted and Waking at 3 am (01:07)

How to Sleep Better in Perimenopause (14:12)

Why Alcohol Hits Women’s Sleep Harder (24:09)

Melatonin, ADHD and Sleep (27:43)

Stacy’s Mission for Women’s Health (36:21)

Cycle Syncing and HRT: What Changed (46:32)

Strength Training for Women Who Aren’t Athletes (50:07)

A Weekly Training Plan for Women Over 40 (1:01:16)

How Much Protein You Need After 40 (1:13:49)

Low Energy Availability: Are You Eating Enough? (1:18:05)

Supplements for Women Over 40 (1:22:31)

Join Thrive after 40, starting 9th November. Learn the protein and nutrition requirements your body needs in perimenopause and post menopause, and how to build a plate that keeps you full for hours.

Grab your place → https://bit.ly/4hxbWHA

Sarah Rusbatch is an accredited Health and Wellbeing Coach and one of Australia's leading experts on grey area drinking. Her podcast,  Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, is the go-to space for women who are questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating life alcohol-free, or simply curious about what life could look like on the other side of the bottle.

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