I have been in a peri/post menopause certification given by Dr. Stacey Sims. Dr Stacey Sims has a PhD in exercise physiology and Biochemistry. She has a bachelor’s degree in exercise science specializing in female health and performance. She is one of the first research scientist to actually study women. Up until 5 years ago most studies were just done on men.

Full disclosure: I was a “fasted workout” athlete for many years. It had many positive effects until it didn’t and conclusive to the evidence, it was when I started to go through menopause. I am 57 years old and this small change in my life has had a significant impact on my workouts and how I feel during the day.

Let’s break down fasted workouts for women.

If you are peri/post menopausal and you decide to train fasted here is what’s going on in your body.

When you wake up in the morning your hormone cortisol is raised naturally to wake up and get you out of bed.

Cortisol is the “stress” hormone, but it actually has important job in your body. Think of it as your body’s alarm system and energy manager.

When you wake up or face a stressful situation, cortisol helps you stay alert, gives you quick energy, and keeps your blood sugar levels get steady so you can handle what comes your way.

But if cortisol stays high in the body for too long-like when you are constantly stressed, or not eating in the am to dampen the cortisol spike, it causes weight gain (around the belly and hips, aka the vital organs on a women), trouble sleeping, and feeling anxious.

So cortisol in small doses is helpful, but too much can affect your health negatively.

1 simple change in the morning for peri/post menopausal women can help out tremendously

Eating 12-15 grams of protein 30 minutes after waking up.

By not eating 30 minutes after waking up your cortisol spikes to protect you. If you eat just 12-15 grams of protein, the body thinks it’s protected and lowers your cortisol.

Eating 12-15 grams of protein before you workout is very beneficial especially if you are peri/post menopausal.

Over time not eating 30 minutes after waking up can produce blood sugar regulation disruptions. This means your body will not be able to regulate your blood effectively and lead to insulin resistance, which leads to diabetes type 2.

There is also a huge stress on your adrenal glands, as well, if you train fasted. What are the signs that that is happening?

Weight gain, impaired muscle recovery, impaired immune function, disruption in sleep

Now you know what can happen if you are peri/post menopausal and train fasted and what to do about it.

Here are some examples of 12-15 grams of protein you can eat in the am. I hope this helps, send me any questions you have at:

elizabeth@thehouseofobrien.com

• Greek yogurt + small handful of nuts (3/4 cup greek yogurt) (15 grams protein)
• Scrambled eggs + small sprinkle of cheese (2 eggs) (12grams protein)
• Protein shake + Almond milk + banana (1 scoop of protein) (15 grams protein)
• Oatmeal with Milk & Chia seeds (1/2 cup oatmeal/1/2 cup cows milk or almond milk/1 tbsp chia seeds or peanut butter) (around 11-12 grams protein )
• Cottage cheese + fruit (1/2 cup cottage cheese/small handful berries) (14 grams protein)
• Turkey or Chicken Breakfast Wrap (Whole grain wrap/3oz cooked turkey or chicken/ + veggies)(15 grams protein)
• Hard boil eggs + whole grain toast (2 hard boiled eggs/ a slice of whole grain toast) (12 grams protein)
• Smoked Salmon and cream cheese + whole grain/sourdough bagel (3 oz salmon/smear of cream cheese on a bagel) (15 gram protein)
• Protein Pancakes (made with protein powder or eggs, topped with a tbsp of nut butter (20 grams protein)

Eating 12-15 grams of protein was hard at first for me to do but my workouts, brain fog, and metabolism has improved dramatically for the better. I hope this helps you as well.

Enjoy!!