Hit Play Not Pause

Eat less. How many times have you seen and heard that message? As a generation that grew up steeped in diet culture, most of us have it deeply internalized…often to our detriment. Underfueling among active women is extremely common and puts us at risk for low energy availability (LEA), which can lead to relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S), a condition that not only hurts performance, but a...

October is breast cancer awareness month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer. That’s especially important for women in the menopause transition and beyond because the risk of breast cancer rises with age. Most breast cancers are found in women who are 55 and older. This week we sat down with marathon runner and breast oncologist Amy Comander, MD, at the Massach...

The good news: we are finally talking about menopause! The not so good news: we still have a long way to go, especially in the realm of research, says this week’s guest Dr. Stephanie Faubion, who is on the tip of the spear leading the way forward as the Medical Director of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). When it comes to dealing with menopause openly in our culture, especially in the...

We are celebrating our 100th episode…and the fact that we have surpassed one million downloads in just two years’ time! Our community is growing by leaps and bounds and you’re the reason why. So this week, we are also celebrating YOU!  Host Selene Yeager sits down with Hit Play Not Pause producer Carrie Barrett to share listener messages, talk about what we’ve learned, our hopes for the futur...

Bloating, hot flashes, night sweats, disrupted sleep, irritability, restlessness, brain fog…this week’s guest Michelle Hay treats them all, as well as the stress that can exacerbate them, with acupuncture. This week’s show is all about this Traditional Chinese Medicine practice, how it works, what to expect, and the specific benefits for menopausal women. Michelle P. Hay, is Co-Director of Acupunc...

Most of us, even if we’re very active, are not moving our bodies the way nature designed them to move. We exercise plenty. We also sit plenty. We wear shoes that don’t help keep our feet strong or our posture properly aligned. That can set the stage for aches, pains, and injuries, especially during this time of life when our joints are more vulnerable. This week we talk with movement coach Petra F...

Heavy lifting, HIIT training, and explosive exercises like plyometrics do a menopausal body good. So, CrossFit can be the perfect workout for women in this stage of life…provided they scale it to their needs. That’s because CrossFit also has elements that may not work with our physiology and can leave us feeling tired and beat down instead of strong and built up. That’s why this week’s guest, Cros...

What would happen if you tossed out all your premenopausal notions about how you are “supposed to” eat and train for your best performance and tried some new tricks to work with your changing physiology? If you’re like this week’s guest, you might just win a gold medal. Ashling Smith is a runner from Ireland who recently won a gold medal at the World Masters Athletics Championships in the 4 x 400...

How do you know if menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is for you? What should you expect if you start hormone therapy? How long does it take to work? What should you do if you don’t feel like it’s working? We dive into the ABCs of starting MHT this week with menopause doctor Heather Hirsch, MD. This is a good one for active menopausal women whether or not you are taking or plan to start MHT because...

The only thing women tend to do better than men after having a heart attack is die. That’s a sobering mic drop. It’s also a fact and one that this week’s guest Dr. Martha Gulati is making her life’s work to change. We dive into the special heart disease risk factors women, especially menopausal women face, even if they’re active and fit, what you need to know about your cardiovascular health, and...

From femtech apps to menopause telehealth, tracking rings to cooling bracelets, and even cryotech surgical services designed to prolong ovarian function, menopause is having a moment in innovation and enterprise. This week we dig into it with Alyssa Dweck, MD, FACOG, who is an avid runner as well as a consultant, key opinion leader (KOL), and medical advisor in the women’s health device, pharmaceu...

One in eight women will have their ovaries removed before the natural age of menopause. Five percent of women naturally go through early menopause between the ages of 40 and 45, and 1 percent experience premature menopause before age 40. That’s a lot of women. And a large percentage of these women are not getting the counseling they need to optimize their well-being and long-term health, says meno...

Hit Play Not Pause is on a quick summer break during the weeks of July 18th and 25th, 2022. While we're out, we are excited to share two episodes from Feisty Media's excellent limited Title IX series. Not to pick favorites, but here at Feisty - this is definitely a favorite. With almost 50 years of experience as an athletic director and inductions into seven different halls of fame, Joan Cronan ha...

Hit Play Not Pause is on a quick summer break during the weeks of July 18th and 25th, 2022. While we're out, we are excited to share two episodes from Feisty Media's excellent limited Title IX series. This week, Haley Chura - co-host of Ironwomen - interviews the renowned Wendy Mink. Wendy is a professor of politics, women's and gender studies, as well as the daughter of the very first woman of co...

If you’re feeling more injury prone, you’re not alone. Many women who have led active, athletic lives without a lot of injuries and “itises” suddenly find themselves sidelined more often during the menopause transition. Fluctuating and declining hormone levels directly impact your musculoskeletal system, as do your lifelong movement patterns, exercise habits, recovery practices, and nutrition–all...

Women often stop going to the high mountains when they reach menopause. The reasons why–hot flashes, unpredictable periods, anxiety, and fear, to name a few–will resonate with all of us, whether or not we ever step foot above sea level. This week’s guest, high altitude mountaineer Jeannette McGill is currently navigating the menopause transition herself and is determined to help women manage their...

The menopause transition can throw a lot of obstacles in your path. Training for and participating in obstacle course races can help you overcome them both physically and mentally, as you lift heavy loads, strengthen your grip, and hone your mental toughness and problem-solving skills. Plus, it’s super fun, says this week’s guest, obstacle course race enthusiast Laura McElduff, 52, who credits obs...

As active women, we train our strength and our endurance. But we don’t clean that barbell, we don’t cross that finish line, we literally don’t accomplish anything in life without first having the mental ability that comes from our brain. And as we age, our brains become vulnerable to decline. They physically change during the menopause transition, as our hormones fluctuate and taper off. But there...

As women are living longer, pursuing higher education, and chasing athletic goals well into midlife, the decision if, when, or even how to have a baby has become increasingly complex, because the old formula of graduate, get married, have kids just doesn’t work the way it used to. So this week’s guest, Liz Carlson, created her own formula and after her decades-long pursuit of professional and athl...

Breaking a sweat is generally a good thing–a sign of healthy exertion–unless you’re working out in temperatures more suited to penguins than people. In those conditions, it can quickly lead to hypothermia, frostbite…or worse. So how does a perimenopausal woman (hello, hot flashes) make a 1,130 kilometer trek across Antarctica while pulling a 175-pound sled? That’s exactly what this week’s guest Ge...

The menopause transition can leave a minefield of body image issues in its wake. Some research shows that as few as 12 percent of us are satisfied with our bodies at this time of life. That’s a problem, as poor body image is also linked to mental health issues like depression. We can’t wave a magic wand and make them go away, but we can equip ourselves with tools to make them a whole lot better. T...

Hot flashes. Sleepless nights. Mood swings. Divorce. The challenges of menopause and midlife came raining down on this week’s guest, Karen Duff, just a few years after she’d taken up mountain biking and was ascending the ranks quickly with her sights set on world-class competitions. She shares how she persevered through training, racing, and community and ended up getting 2nd place in the women’s...

Your pelvis changes during menopause–inside and out. The vaginal and vulvar tissues become thinner; the pH and microbiome in your vagina can shift; and the scaffolding that supports your pelvic organs can weaken, increasing your risk for pelvic organ prolapse. There’s help for all of that, so you can continue running, riding, lifting, having sex, and enjoying an active life free from pain, infecti...

Menopause is not the end of the line. It is not a “deficiency.” It’s a transition to the next phase of your life–a phase that can be positive, empowering, and powerful. But first, we need to understand what menopause really is; what is happening hormonally during this time, and how it is affecting literally every cell in our bodies. That’s where Dr. Stacy Sims and her upcoming book Next Level: You...

Your muscles and connective tissues can get “stickier” and feel stiffer during the menopause transition, and you can find yourself with more aches and pains and niggles than you had before. Massage therapy can help with that. But the benefits don’t end with your muscles. Massage is also good for the menopausal mind. It activates your parasympathetic nervous system to lower cortisol and anxiety. It...