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The Mel Robbins Podcast #361 · January 14, 2026 · 1h 30m

The Ultimate Guide to Menopause: How to Boost Your Metabolism, Build Muscle, & Balance Your Hormones

Dr. Stacy Sims
SpotifyApple PodcastsShow Notes

Exercise physiologist Stacy Sims on why most fitness and nutrition advice fails women — it's based on male bodies. Covers why fasting doesn't work for women, how hormonal changes affect fat distribution, the protein gap (current RDA was set for sedentary men), benefits of creatine for women, cold plunging differences, and gut microbiome changes during perimenopause. Research-dense and highly practical.

Canon

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Exercise as foundation — female-specific protocols
Sims: standard exercise advice fails women because it's based on male physiology. Female-specific training must account for hormonal cycles, menopause, and different protein needs.
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Highlights

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Fasting doesn't work for women
Sims argues intermittent fasting is counterproductive for most women — it disrupts hormonal balance, increases cortisol, and can worsen perimenopause symptoms.
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Women's protein needs are dramatically underestimated
The current RDA for protein was established to prevent deficiency in sedentary people — not to optimize health for active women. Women in perimenopause need significantly more.
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References

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ROAR — Stacy Sims (2016) — Female-specific exercise and nutrition
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Next Level — Stacy Sims (2022) — Perimenopause and menopause training

Misc

✧'Women are not small men' — Sims's core thesis
✧Current RDA for protein was established for sedentary people, not active women
✧Sims is professor at both Stanford and Auckland University of Technology