Learning to Thrive: A Runner’s Midlife Reinvention with Megan Eastwood (Episode 225)
This week’s guest ultrarunner Megan Eastwood is a portrait of perseverance. She’s lived through trauma, battled eating disorders, and been flattened by perimenopause. Through it all, she’s learned, grown, evolved, and ultimately thrived. Now 55 and postmenopausal, Megan is out in nature every week, running, climbing, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, basically anything she can do outdoors. She’s completed numerous multi-day running events, where she generally posts top five in her age group, and currently has her sights set on 70.3 Ironman triathlon events. We talk all about her journey and learnings and what she wants other women like her to know.Megan Eastwood never considered herself athletic. She was the girl no-one wanted on their sports team at school. Now 50+ she’s finding the confidence to see what her body is capable of.She found ultra trail running in the UK in her early 20s, but an eating disorder ended any sports activity by the age of 30. Through career, marriage, and raising a family, she hit 39, overweight and not even able to run around the block. She knew she couldn’t enter her 40s like this and started running again. Living in Vancouver, Canada she quickly found the ultra-marathon scene.Perimenopause hit hard. Like many women she couldn’t understand why everything was going wrong. She dug into research and resources and turned her situation around. Her message to anyone struggling to stay fit through menopause is keep going (and strength train), you will come through the other side eventually.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 use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Paradis Sport: Use code: FEISTY20 for 20% off any single item at https://paradissport.com/This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
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Respinning Menopause: Movement, Mindset & Midlife with Maria Luque, PhD (Episode 224)
Active and athletic women can be hit hard by the menopause transition. Many of us have become accustomed to our bodies responding in a predictable way to our training and nutrition, only to have that sense of control slip away during the menopause transition. That can leave us feeling desperate for solutions–and vulnerable to predatory marketing. That’s where mindset, especially acceptance, becomes an essential tool in our midlife toolbox. While there are steps we can take to feel and perform our best at every age and stage of life, there will always be some changes outside of our control. Accepting that isn’t “giving up”, it’s freeing yourself to stop battling your body and to truly appreciate all it does for you. This week we talk all about movement and mindset during midlife and menopause with fitness expert Maria Luque, PhD, menopause coach with Respin Health.Dr. Maria Luque is an energetic and accomplished fitness and menopause expert, former health science professor, and USAF veteran. With a PhD and MS in Health Sciences and over two decades of fitness experience, she combines academic expertise with practical insights. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist, ACE Certified Personal Trainer, ACE Fitness Nutrition Specialist, and NASM Women’s Fitness Specialist. Dr. Luque is passionate about helping women in midlife re-imagine exercise, body image, and well-being. She’s the founder of Fitness in Menopause, a company dedicated to helping women be healthier, stronger, saner, and more open to fun and adventure. In her role as head coach at Respin health, she has worked as the menopause coach to founder Halle Berry. You can learn more about her work at www.FitnessInMenopause.com and www.DrMariaLuque.com. You can find her at Respin at www.respin.health/coachesSubscribe 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 use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Paradis Sport: Use code: FEISTY20 for 20% off any single item at https://paradissport.com/This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
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The Fast Lane After 40: Perimenopause Training Tips with Marissa Axell (Episode 223)
Perimenopause can blindside us in unexpected ways. Fatigue hit this week’s guest, elite cyclist and coach Marissa Axell, so hard she thought she had cancer. Now the creator of the Cycling Success System wants everyone to know what can happen during this phase of life, and importantly what active women can do to counteract it. We talk all about how Marissa tailors her coaching for 40+ women, focusing on proper fueling, strength development, and smart exercise programming so they can keep crushing their active and athletic goals. You can learn more about her and her work at www.axnfitnessandcoaching.comMarissa Axell is the founder of AXN Fitness and Coaching, LLC, and on a mission to get more women on more start lines! She coaches her athletes to success by showing them how to climb hills stronger, ride farther, at faster average speeds, while creating more energy to ride day after day. As a result, her athletes are setting personal bests on their rides and landing top 10 placings at their races. Marissa has been coaching and personal training since 2008. She’s stood on a dozen national masters podiums, been top 5 in the UCI World Masters Track Championships 4 times, holds a cycling coaching certification from UESCA and is working on a nutrition certification from ISSA. She is a USAC category 1 cyclist, and holds an undergraduate degree in biological sciences from Willamette University. She believes that love is love, Black lives matter, Transwomen are women and belong in sports, no human is illegal, and bikes are a form of therapy.ResourcesA Role for Branched-Chain Amino Acids in Reducing Central Fatigue hereSubscribe 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 use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Paradis Sport: Use code: FEISTY20 for 20% off any single item at https://paradissport.com/This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
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55:45
Underwear, Estrogen & Ultras with Lauren Puretz, DO (episode 222)
We’ve got a grab-bag of gynecological goodness for you this week, as we sat down with elite ultrarunner, gynecologist, and Paradis pro ambassador Dr. Lauren Puretz. We dive into her running life, including how she navigates elite ultra training with two kids and a medical practice; the common gynecological issues she helps peri and menopausal women navigate, how to find quality care, and of course, what makes a good pair of performance underwear.Lauren Puretz, DO, is a gynecologist dedicated to helping women especially during transitions in life. She’s an elite ultra runner, a mom of two, and recently opened up a private practice in Colorado Springs, CO. Last year, at age 41, Lauren finished third at the 2024 Javelina Jundred, running 100 miles in 15:00:50, the ninth-fastest time by a woman on the course. She came in 3rd at the Black Canyon 100k, securing a Golden Ticket for the Western States 100, which she competed in later that year. She also won the 2024 World Masters Mountain Running Championship. Lauren is also a pro ambassador for Paradis Sport, performance underwear by and for women. You can read more about her and her work in her ambassador profile here. 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 use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Paradis Sport: Use code: FEISTY20 for 20% off any single item at https://paradissport.com/This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
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51:33
The Nervous System, Hormones & Trauma with Paula Rastrick (Episode 221)
If you’ve ever felt like your mood has a mind of its own during PMS, pregnancy, or perimenopause, you already know that hormones like estrogen and progesterone don’t just affect your body — they shape your entire sense of well-being. And if you’ve lived with trauma or neurodivergence, like ADHD, you also know how reactive the nervous system can be. What happens when all of that collides during midlife and menopause…and hormone therapy gets added to the mix? For some women, the results are anything but balanced. This week’s guest, trauma therapist Paula Rastrick, knows that firsthand. She opens up about her harrowing experience with high-dose hormone therapy — an intervention that nearly unraveled her — and shares what she’s uncovered about the deep, complex relationship between hormones, nervous system sensitivity, trauma, and stress. Paula Rastrick is a trauma therapist, author and creator of The Brain-Body Method, an integrated trauma-informed and neurodiverse approach to hormonal sensitivity. She is a BSc (Hons) in Sport & Exercise Psychology; has postgraduate certification in Psychological Trauma, Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EDMR) Trauma Therapy, is a Safe and Sound Protocol Practitioner and has training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), pain science, and integrated kinetic neurology. She’s also done trauma-informed continuing professional development work in yoga therapy, applied polyvagal theory in yoga, vagus nerve integration, HRV training, performance psychology, and somatic psychology. You can learn more about her work at www.thebrainbodymethod.com and check out her e-book at https://subscribepage.io/hormonal-sensitivity-els-trauma-pdfSubscribe 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 use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Paradis Sport: Use code: FEISTY20 for 20% off any single item at https://paradissport.com/This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
Perimenopause and menopause hit active women differently. We have a different lifestyle and different goals. And we know our bodies. Whether you run and hike or do CrossFit and ski (or a little of everything!), you’ve had a way of eating and exercising that worked…until the menopause transition, when it all goes out the window as body composition changes, fatigue, body aches, sleepless nights, hot flashes, brain fog, mood swings, and low mojo blindside you out of the blue—despite doing everything right. Your doctor may (or may not) help with hormone replacement therapy. But what about all the active stuff you love? You’re already exercising and eating well. What you want is to feel and perform like you used to. That doesn’t mean fasting, swearing off carbs for life, or just slowing down. It means adjusting your nutrition, training, recovery, and mindset to work with your changing physiology as you hit this phase of life. And we’re here for it.
At Hit Play Not Pause, we know the potential of women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, because we talk to elite athletes and everyday active women who are still hitting personal bests along with world-renowned sports dietitians, researchers, medical and menopause specialists to help you understand what’s happening under the hood during the menopause transition and more importantly, what you can do about it—from hormone therapy to heavy lifting and everything in between—to feel and perform your best.
Host Selene Yeager is a health and science journalist with 30 years’ experience and more than two dozen books to her name. She also lives an active life as a former Ironman triathlete and professional mountain bike racer who still rides, runs, paddles, hikes, lifts, and through her work at Feisty Menopause helps others do the same.
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