Book Review: Next Level by Stacy Sims, PhD & Selene Yeager

Stacy Sims, PhD, is super hot right now — you’ve probably heard her name. She’s an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist specializing in female athletes. Selene Yeager is a professional cyclist with a podcast called Hit Play Not Pause, and her brand is Feisty Menopause. Together, these two offer excellent advice for sports enthusiasts, athletes, and physically active women navigating through peri and post menopause.

Book review: Next Level highlights key ways to modify your training during menopause. It covers the importance of rest, strength training (especially lifting heavy), jumping for bone health, and dialing in protein and carb ratios for optimal performance and stress hormone balance.

Here are my key takeaways:

• Reframe menopause: Value being strong over being skinny. Staying active as you age helps reduce fall risk and boosts quality of life.

• Lifting weights is essential in menopause to counter the loss of muscle with aging.  The authors put a preference on lifting heavy. Rebecca says a variety of resistance activities are beneficial here.  Injury prevention is key, and listening to your body!

• Bring in more interval training for shorter workouts with a bigger impact.  The authors introduce SIT, which is sprint interval training. Going all out for 30 seconds with a nice chunk of rest, 2-4 min between sets.  SIT does not need to be running; it could be assault bike, kettlebell swings, battle ropes, or other exercise.  Rebecca says that SIT is not for everyone.  Intervals can be modified in many ways to adapt to your ability and capacity. Interval training is a good way to address belly fat in Menopause.

• Protein is crucial in menopause. Aim for 1.8–2.4 g per kg of body weight, or about 30 g per meal. Prioritize protein before/after strength training to support muscle synthesis.  Aim to have 20 g protein within 60 min of a strength training workout.  Rebecca says protein has many benefits for menopause. Read Rebecca's blog– The Menopause Nutrient: Why Protein is Getting its Moment in the Spotlight.

• Rest is essential for managing stress hormones. This includes downtime, relaxation, sleep, prayer/meditation, and stress reduction.

• Choose good-quality carbs with plenty of fiber to support the microbiome and fuel workouts.

• Be cautious with fasted workouts— eating too little can disrupt hormones and lead to LEA (Low Energy Availability). Please note this is a hotly debated topic. Rebecca is doing an IG live on fasting on June 25th at 1 pm ET– Intermittent Fasting for Menopause: Helpful Tool or Hormonal Stress?

The bottom line:

Weight lifting and interval training are the main prescriptions in Next Level, but we know they’re not for everyone. The key is to keep moving throughout your life. Listen to your body and do what feels right for you. As we age, women don’t utilize protein as efficiently, so our intake needs to increase to maintain muscle mass— and muscle is a cornerstone of healthy aging. Eating like your grandparents, with three meals a day, is a great way to support an active lifestyle while naturally creating a mild overnight fast.