Discussion/support regarding "Next Level" by Simms & Yeager

[flav]

Pregnancies, gravity and years passing definitely affected my body. It is hard for me to know which symptoms are associated with perimenopause vs period. The symptoms are definitely getting clearer, or I know myself better. I have always been hot, I run hot, I drink coffee and I get hotter, I sleep hot, and hotter if I am recovering from a race. In my cycle, I go exactly through some of you described above: Feeling like I will get the flu, bad night of sleep, headache, lost of appetite, gain of appetite, etc. I have a weak pelvic floor too. And I find myself either sluggish or overexcited.

Having great support is important. My gyn is also my ob. Her clinic mission (and name) is women’s health. We discussed about this topic even before I am in the thick of it.

So I probably will learn more from this thread than I will contribute, but I will try Thank you for starting it and for sharing your experiences.

 

[avondale]

Wow, I take a couples days off, and this exploded! I appreciate all the interest!

I'm here, I'm 48 and perimenopausal.

Hi, @michigandergirl ! LOL! I feel like we've started a session. To go more on record, I just turned 50 and I'm perimenopausal.

It’s frustrating and infuriating that we don’t have better knowledge across the spectrum of healthcare to understand how much hormones impact EVERYTHING, from heart, to GI, to bone density, to muscle strength, to immune functions. Even many - maybe most - OB/GYNs aren't educated in peri/menopause. Make that make sense?!?!

No kidding! My mother was a OB/GYN nurse practitioner for most of her professional career, and she knows very little about what happens. I don't know how that happens.

One of the big things the book covers, and that I’ve spent time learning about more beyond the book, is the hormonal changes that come with peri. That it’s not “just” that estrogen production drops, but that it can go up and down wildly and without pattern for years (like, potentially a LOT of years - Oy), before hitting menopause… and can still continue to do some weird stuff post-menopause, too.

THIS exactly was very helpful to me, too. Having some idea of what's going on is very helpful.

I have hypothyroidism and Pernicious Anemia.

My mother also has thyroid issues. She had a heart attack last October (doing well now) and for 6 months or more after that, she had so much trouble because she kept getting out of breath. Turns out that they eventually realized she had anemia (don't know if specifically pernicious). She had always had low iron levels, but it didn't seem to affect anything until she had the heart attack...and then it did. She got an iron transfusion and a blood transfusion (maybe two) and suddenly she could breathe! Since then, it has been managed better.

I was going to say I am still taking birth control, which is basically hormone therapy. I dont even take the placebo pills. I am on low dose estrogen all year round, as of June 2023.

This is very nearly what I do. I take 13 weeks active pills, then 1 week placebo. I'm still getting a light cycle during this time, but from what I understand, this can just be an effect of the pill. I'm going to be checking into this.

We often have similar menopause to our mothers, so I asked mine. Since she was an OB/GYN NP, when she got to 50 and hadn't hit menopause yet (or had big symptoms), she went on HRT to avoid the symptoms like hot flashes. So that was that. I may do something similar, but we'll see.

I really, really like how prescriptive the book is. Even if everything doesn't work perfectly for everyone, it's great to have a starting point.

I had already been planning to start taking beta alanine from some other info I had read, but then its usefulness was confirmed in this book, too. I started it Saturday (before my most recent long run), and I have to say that my long run went pretty well. Nothing amazing, but better than I was afraid it would. I'm hoping it is helping a bit already.

 

[HockeyMomNH]

Just stumbled across this thread. I'm definitely in this zone. 52 in Feb. I've not heard of this book but I'm intrigued. Posting so I can come back and jump in later.

 

[michigandergirl]

I bought the book - black Friday deal! Now just need to find time to read it.

 

[PrincessV]

I had already been planning to start taking beta alanine from some other info I had read, but then its usefulness was confirmed in this book, too. I started it Saturday (before my most recent long run), and I have to say that my long run went pretty well. Nothing amazing, but better than I was afraid it would. I'm hoping it is helping a bit already.

This section was fascinating and then so depressing for me! All of the adaptogen talk was really exciting… and then finding out that people with autoimmune disorders like me can't use them. <sad trombone> I still want to hear from you and anyone else trying the, though, and I hope they wind up being helpful!

 

[avondale]

This section was fascinating and then so depressing for me! All of the adaptogen talk was really exciting… and then finding out that people with autoimmune disorders like me can't use them. <sad trombone> I still want to hear from you and anyone else trying the, though, and I hope they wind up being helpful!

The only autoimmune problem I have is Raynaud's. I think the beta alanine has been helpful, but it's still only been about two weeks. I take it in two ~2g doses, one morning and evening. I get mild pins-and-needles with it.

 

[BigEeyore]

I'm here for this! Going to be 50 in March, also have hypothyroidism and Reynauds.
I admit I am a little turned off by the high protein recommendations but I'm dealing with all kinds of perimenopausal weirdness and I need some kind of resource! I feel like this is something not enough women (or medical professionals!) talk about!

 

[PrincessV]

Well. I’m here to say that just because an expert in a book says “do this!”, it doesn’t always mean it’s going to be the right thing for your body. I really tried to lean in on the Lift Heavy Stuff philosophy and thought I was doing wonderful things for my body… and mostly what I wound up with is a raging case of bilateral prepatellar bursitis. Too much bending under heavy load on knees that have very little cartilage left in them. Running hurts; walking hurts; going up and down the stairs to get into/out of my home is excruciating.

Doc says stop doing weighted squats. I don’t need to abandon weighted everything, only movements that involve knee bending under load. And I can do some things with old-school ankle weights from supine and prone positions to help with quad, glute and hamstring strength. So not really abandoning the LHS idea, just tweaking it to suit what my body needs.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

Well. I’m here to say that just because an expert in a book says “do this!”, it doesn’t always mean it’s going to be the right thing for your body. I really tried to lean in on the Lift Heavy Stuff philosophy and thought I was doing wonderful things for my body… and mostly what I wound up with is a raging case of bilateral prepatellar bursitis. Too much bending under heavy load on knees that have very little cartilage left in them. Running hurts; walking hurts; going up and down the stairs to get into/out of my home is excruciating.

Doc says stop doing weighted squats. I don’t need to abandon weighted everything, only movements that involve knee bending under load. And I can do some things with old-school ankle weights from supine and prone positions to help with quad, glute and hamstring strength. So not really abandoning the LHS idea, just tweaking it to suit what my body needs.

When I did yoga teacher training, it said body weight is still a fantastic way to do resistance training!

 

[PrincessV]

When I did yoga teacher training, it said body weight is still a fantastic way to do resistance training!

I’ve been a practicing yogi for 35 years - I’ll attest! The wild thing is how little so many “experts” seem to understand or value yoga or Pilates (which I also do avidly). I had 2 doctors and 1 PT tell me yoga was “useless” for building strength and “dangerous because it’ll make you too flexible.” I’ve been a ballet dancer since age 5 and have that plus 35 years of yoga under my belt - like, I’m already flexible, folks, like it or not! My biggest fitness mistakes have nearly always been following that kind of “expert” advice instead of listening to my own body... you’d think over 50+ years, I’d have that figured out by now.

 

[michigandergirl]

1 PT tell me yoga was “useless” for building strength

This makes me laugh! I'm a former yoga instructor. I've done PT for various issues over the years. From what I've experienced almost half of the rehab exercises they prescribe IS YOGA!! The last time I was at my PT, he razzed me and knew I was slacking with my yoga. He said "you wouldn't be here right now if you were keeping up with your yoga".

 

[PrincessV]

This makes me laugh! I'm a former yoga instructor. I've done PT for various issues over the years. From what I've experienced almost half of the rehab exercises they prescribe IS YOGA!! The last time I was at my PT, he razzed me and knew I was slacking with my yoga. He said "you wouldn't be here right now if you were keeping up with your yoga".

Right?! When I was sent to PT for really bad spinal nerve impingement, 90% of what the PT had me doing was exactly what I’ve done 3x a week for decades. He was all, “you got that down right away!” And I was all “yeah, I mean, I’ve been doing it a loooong time…” Ironically, this as after the doctor told me to stop doing yoga and start doing PT instead. To say I’ve been underwhelmed with the state of healthcare for active adults where I live (FL) would be an understatement. The majority of them seem to assume all people - and especially women - over 40 are unhealthy couch potatoes and don’t seem to know what to do with someone trying to maintain fitness as they age. I’ve lost count of how many have handed me a PDF of tips for XYZ injury/chronic issue that has as its first piece of advice “start getting active” and “lose weight.” All of that is exactly how I landed on the Simms/Yeager book, desperate for an alternative view!

 

[eminemilie]

I’m interested in this book, I may have to check it out. I’m a little early to party (I’ll be 39 in March), but I have struggled with hormone imbalances my whole life. Never been regular, never been pregnant, have had severe endometriosis since I was 15 and have had more surgeries than I can count. In Jan of 2021 I had a hysterectomy due to a mass in my uterus that was cancerous but very early stages. This past march I had one of my ovaries removed due to a massive cyst that grew to be 3x the size of my ovary in less than 2 weeks. So I have been through the wringer. I also have PCOS and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, so my hormones are just all over and nowhere at the same time.

for those of you who have read this, do you think it would be helpful to someone who may not be menopausal or perimenopausal yet, but struggles with some of the same issues?

 

[DisneyParrothead]

Right?! When I was sent to PT for really bad spinal nerve impingement, 90% of what the PT had me doing was exactly what I’ve done 3x a week for decades. He was all, “you got that down right away!” And I was all “yeah, I mean, I’ve been doing it a loooong time…” Ironically, this as after the doctor told me to stop doing yoga and start doing PT instead. To say I’ve been underwhelmed with the state of healthcare for active adults where I live (FL) would be an understatement. The majority of them seem to assume all people - and especially women - over 40 are unhealthy couch potatoes and don’t seem to know what to do with someone trying to maintain fitness as they age. I’ve lost count of how many have handed me a PDF of tips for XYZ injury/chronic issue that has as its first piece of advice “start getting active” and “lose weight.” All of that is exactly how I landed on the Simms/Yeager book, desperate for an alternative view!

Geez, . At least my PCP is a yogi and understands it. I also do acupuncture for various things, which isn’t covered by insurance. I even got my mom on to acupuncture for her hips bursitis.

 

[avondale]

I’m interested in this book, I may have to check it out. I’m a little early to party (I’ll be 39 in March), but I have struggled with hormone imbalances my whole life. Never been regular, never been pregnant, have had severe endometriosis since I was 15 and have had more surgeries than I can count. In Jan of 2021 I had a hysterectomy due to a mass in my uterus that was cancerous but very early stages. This past march I had one of my ovaries removed due to a massive cyst that grew to be 3x the size of my ovary in less than 2 weeks. So I have been through the wringer. I also have PCOS and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, so my hormones are just all over and nowhere at the same time.

for those of you who have read this, do you think it would be helpful to someone who may not be menopausal or perimenopausal yet, but struggles with some of the same issues?

Yes, I think it could be useful. It talks about which hormones do what for the body and how that changes through menopause...you may be experiencing some of the same issues if your hormones are already doing crazy things.

 

[avondale]

A bit of an update since I started this thread on Nov. 18.

Since then, I've been working really hard to get at least 30g of protein 30min after a run. Often this ends up being additional calories to what I normally eat because I can't get my whole meal ready within that time. I haven't gained weight on it. Am I getting better recovery? Hard to say. I'm going to try to keep going with it for the time being.

I've also added a "SIT" or HIIT workout once per week since then. If you read my training log, you'll see I'm doing 20-sec hill repeats. So far I'm not sure if I'm seeing too much in results from this, but maybe it's part of what's keeping me from gaining weight on the protein? At any rate, I'm happy to keep including this because it's definitely a quickie workout, relatively speaking and doesn't seem detrimental.

I've also been running tons of miles lately with my training, but I've also been eating like crazy beyond the protein. Whatever is going on, I'm happy not to have gained weight during this training plan because usually even during marathon training plans, I can gain weight!

 

[Zutroy]

Since then, I've been working really hard to get at least 30g of protein 30min after a run. Often this ends up being additional calories to what I normally eat because I can't get my whole meal ready within that time. I haven't gained weight on it. Am I getting better recovery? Hard to say. I'm going to try to keep going with it for the time being.

This sounds very similar to the “anabolic window” bro-science in the weight lifting world. I would see guys at the gym eating cans of tuna and drinking protein shakes after a workout because they believed they had 30 minutes to get gains. The science suggests that the window is actually 5-6 hours post workout, so don’t force feed yourself unnecessarily. If your daily protein intake is around .5 grams to 1 kg of body weight, you’re probably hitting your macros.

https://lewis.gsu.edu/2021/10/13/fact-or-fiction-the-anabolic-window/

 

[PrincessV]

A bit of an update since I started this thread on Nov. 18.

Since then, I've been working really hard to get at least 30g of protein 30min after a run. Often this ends up being additional calories to what I normally eat because I can't get my whole meal ready within that time. I haven't gained weight on it. Am I getting better recovery? Hard to say. I'm going to try to keep going with it for the time being.

I've also added a "SIT" or HIIT workout once per week since then. If you read my training log, you'll see I'm doing 20-sec hill repeats. So far I'm not sure if I'm seeing too much in results from this, but maybe it's part of what's keeping me from gaining weight on the protein? At any rate, I'm happy to keep including this because it's definitely a quickie workout, relatively speaking and doesn't seem detrimental.

I've also been running tons of miles lately with my training, but I've also been eating like crazy beyond the protein. Whatever is going on, I'm happy not to have gained weight during this training plan because usually even during marathon training plans, I can gain weight!

The more calories but not gaining weight is wild, isn’t it?!

I’ve always been a fan of HIIT and sprint workouts: they’ve always suited my body better than endurance, so it’s my comfort zone. But with all the long distance training I’ve done for the past decade, it was getting harder and harder to fit those into the mix. Lately, thanks to a variety of painful physical ailments, I’ve dialed way back on the mileage and up on the intensity - IDK if it’s doing anything particularly special for my body, but it’s making m really, really happy! I’d rather do 20-sec sprint intervals for 20 mins than a slow jog for 2 hours any day. I wish there were more opportunities for amateur fun racing like that for our age…

 

[flav]

. I wish there were more opportunities for amateur fun racing like that for our age…

I was at a Track and Field event last weekend for DD. There are always a few people in the Open category and they are pretty much guaranteed a placement. So if speed is something you like to challenge yourself to, maybe register for a track 1500m or 3000m?

 

[Bree]

This sounds very similar to the “anabolic window” bro-science in the weight lifting world. I would see guys at the gym eating cans of tuna and drinking protein shakes after a workout because they believed they had 30 minutes to get gains. The science suggests that the window is actually 5-6 hours post workout, so don’t force feed yourself unnecessarily. If your daily protein intake is around .5 grams to 1 kg of body weight, you’re probably hitting your macros.

https://lewis.gsu.edu/2021/10/13/fact-or-fiction-the-anabolic-window/

.5 seems super low. I weigh 54-55 kilos which would mean 27 grams of protein a day. I aim for at least 100 grams a day. It’s so hard sometimes. I am allergic to eggs and avoid artificial sweeteners, erythitrol and xylitol which rules out most protein powders and bars. I have yet to find anything that I like without those additives.

I use Tailwind Recovery mix that has 10g of protein in it after a run. It makes a decent shake and you can get more protein if you add milk, but I’m just too lazy to clean the blender