Midlife and the menopause transition can leave us breathless, with stress, rising anxiety, and for some an accelerated decline in lung function. The good news is help is right under your nose–your breath. Many of us think of breathing as something that just happens–so we really don’t think about it at all. But as this week’s guest, human performance specialist Erin Carson explains, deliberately thinking about and using our breath gives us the power to calm our nervous system, decompress our joints, and improve our lung function, performance, and health, which is especially beneficial during the menopause transition and beyond.

Erin Carson, CSCS, is the head coach for ECFIT where she provides strength training programs for endurance athletes seeking to perform at their very best in triathlons, marathons, and cycling events. Erin’s programs are anchored in science-based fundamentals of mobility, strength training, and breathwork. Her commitment to the most advanced training strategies offered by performance specialists around the world ensures that she’s at the cutting-edge of high performance sport support. Her clients include world champions and Olympians as well as everyday athletes seeking excellence. You can learn more about her and her work at www.ecfitstrength.com

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November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and many peri- and postmenopausal women have questions. Like why is my fasting blood glucose and/or AIC going up? What role do hormones, diet, exercise, and lifestyle play? What does it mean (and not mean) for my current and future health? So, this week we sat down with midlife health and nutrition specialist Val Schonberg to explore “prediabetes” (which, spoiler alert, is not recognized as a diagnostic category by the World Health Organization) and how we should think about it as active midlife women.

Val Schonberg RDN, CSSD, is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition science from the University of Minnesota. She is Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics, a Certified Menopause Practitioner with The Menopause Society, and a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Val owns a private practice in Atlanta, Georgia where she specializes in midlife health and menopause, recreational and professional sports nutrition, all types of eating disorders and helping individuals break free from dieting and disordered eating. She is the consulting dietitian for Emory Sports Medicine, Orthopedics, Atlanta Ballet, and the Atlanta Dream Women’s NBA team. Val is passionate about providing nutrition care to populations vulnerable to disordered eating and promoting positive nutrition messages that help people make informed decisions about their health and live a life where they are at peace in their relationship with food and their body. You can learn more about her at valschonberg.com.

Resources

The Problem with the PRE in Prediabetes for Women in Midlife and Beyond

Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page

Feisty Menopause Performance Retreat: Join us from November 21st-23rd, 2024 https://www.feistymenopause.com/retreat

Follow Us on Instagram:

Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause

Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099

Join Level Up:https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1

Support our Partners:

Lagoon Sleep: Go to LagoonSleep.com/hitplay and use the code HITPLAY to get $25 off any pillow between now and December 2, 2024.

Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/

Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and book a call with a Registered Dietitian

Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/

Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) sends about 4% of women into premature menopause before the age of 40. Yet, the condition is little understood and for those experiencing it, incredibly isolating. This week we talk about the struggles women with premature menopause face with athlete and entrepreneur Christy Napolitano Wernau, who experienced premature menopause at age 38. We also talk with her doctor, national expert and leader in menopause, Jewel Kling, MD, MPH, about the unique care women with premature menopause require, especially when it comes to menopausal hormone therapy.

Christy Napolitano Wernau is an accomplished entrepreneur and advocate for women’s health. With 27 years of experience at McDonald’s, she became a franchise owner, managing multiple restaurants and teams. She serves as a board member for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), contributing to impactful community work. Diagnosed with premature ovarian failure and experiencing menopause at 38, she is passionate about raising awareness and building a supportive community for women navigating non-traditional menopause. A dedicated wife, fitness enthusiast, and mother, she balances her personal and professional life with a love for travel and wellness. Currently, she’s pursuing a degree in Organizational Leadership with a minor in sociology, and she’s an advocate for self-growth and resilience.

Jewel Kling, MD, MPH, is a Professor of Medicine, Chair of the Division of Women’s Health Internal Medicine, Assistant Director of the Mayo Clinic Women’s Health Center and Dean of the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine AZ campus at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her clinical and research interests are in menopause, sexual health, LGBT care, education, as well as efforts to expand the discipline of Sex and Gender specific medicine. Dr. Kling is recognized as an institutional and national expert and leader in menopause. She is a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, a fellow and board member of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH), and board member of the American Medical Women’s Association Sex and Gender Health Collaborative. She is also part of the transgender and intersex specialty clinic committee at Mayo Clinic Arizona and has been a past co-chair of the LGBTI Mayo Employee Resource Group.

Resources