Entering/ed Menopause? This Book will Change Your Athletic Arc
This book has real, usable exercise and nutritional support information for the peri- and post-menopausal woman, from those who just fancy ourselves gym rats to outright athletes. I favor fact over opinion, with any science noted being geared toward the regular person in the health and exercise books I read; and this book is factual, contains doable suggestions, and does not pander to the latest fads. The cover was bent and torn when it arrived, but I missed the window to report it (busy professional, needed the info STAT- hot flushes and night sweats and muscle loss, oh my!). Great information from a writer and trainer who have been where you are, and trained people like you, if you are an athlete anywhere in the menopausal phase.

Book Geared to the Elite Athlete; Read the Adaptogen Section with Extreme Caution
I struggled with how to rate this book after reading it twice. I am a newbie exerciser and was hoping to come up with a plan moving forward. I recently joined a gym and was looking for a book that would discuss weight training and how to begin this. I purchased this book because the author is a PhD like myself and I was hoping for science and a fitness approach. Many of the books and magazines have taken a consumer sales (i.e., supplements, clothing, fillers, surgery, cosmetics, lotions etc…) focus.1. 4 stars: There were many references on how to “maintain” shape if you are an avid exerciser/ultrarunner/triathoner. The book clearly explains the importance of high intensity training and rest days (particularly after menopause). There were explanations on how to deal with the off season. Unfortunately, there were many exercises and acronyms I didn’t know what they were.2. Not a log of images of weight training or how to incorporate kettle balls which were stressed in the book. The training routines briefly outlined with details on interspersing activity with intense training days.3. The chapter on adaptogens (“complementary alternative medications/supplements”) gave me pause. I teach pharmacology and the information provided was largely sound (i.e., accurately dispelled myths and hype) but it only told part of the story. I was stunned at the cursory attention to drug-drug and drug-disorder interactions with the few supplements that were mentioned. Given this books focus toward perimenopausal/menopausal women who are more likely to be on medication (i.e., thyroid medication, hypertension, diabetes, anticoagulants) this glaring ommission was surprising. I will illustrate this point with one plants – Ashwagandha. The section contains a caution about impact on thyroid hormone and ends there. No mention of category C (probable) liver toxicity (reference: livertox.NIH.gov). It also lacks a warning about miscarriages. It’s dangerous to assume your perimenopausal or even menopausal reader isn’t pregnant. Ashwagandha may activate the immune system which may increase symptoms for many autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, SLE or RA (reference: Medline). If you are going to the operating room beware that Ashwagandha may impact the anesthesia – lowers blood sugar and blood pressure (reference: Medline).4. I was expecting a textbook style. I found the writing a curious mix of styles – part scientific journal and part fitness magazine. The style of writing was friendly like a blog or to a friend and not serious (which is I guess what I was looking for).When I re-read the description – I see the word “maintain” your fitness and this message is key in this book. The 5 star reviewers mention this authors blog and this is clearly the intended audience for this book.End assessment: This is a great book with excellent information for the avid exerciser or elite athlete. I don’t think I was the correct audience for this book. I would caution the reader to follow the recommendations in the supplement section with extreme caution.For all of the body positivity (aging) in this book it would have been nice to show the entire face of a menopausal woman on the cover without part of the face cropped out.

Motivating, informational, educational
very happy with my purchase

Great Results
Loved this book! Written for active women at or after menopause it is helpful for navigating the hormone imbalances that necessitate a change in approach during these years. I quickly found out where I was making crucial mistakes. Now I am eating more calories and protein and have shorter, more focused workouts and the weight I gained is coming back off!

I wish I had this information 6 years ago when I started my perimeno journey. Looking forward to putting this all into practice. I haven’t been this excited about a new way of life in a long time. Thank you so much to the authors for providing the science behind the pain, confusion and what/how to target the issues.

At last I have found a book that clearly lays out the correlation between menopause, exercise and diet. The book is well presented and easily digested. I love the how to at the end of the chapter, real life case studies and the final pulling it all together chapter with practical guides to help achieve goals. Stacy is clearly very knowledgable in the subject- this is must read for all women from perimenopause to post menopause