Ever wonder why your “clean” meals sometimes make you feel bloated, puffy, or downright awful? In this fierce, honest episode, Louise, as one of the world’s leading health, fitness, and performance experts, breaks down how even the healthiest habits can backfire during perimenopause. She shares raw, real-life examples of how stress, impacts of changing hormones, and food timing collide and what to do when your once-perfect routine suddenly stops working. From alcohol pairings and carb choices to HRV tracking, blood sugar hacks, and nervous system health, this episode is packed with “aha” moments for active women and female runners who want to stay strong, lean, and balanced without losing their joy (or their nachos).

You’ll learn why “healthy” snacks can secretly spike inflammation, make your blood sugar erratic, how HRV can reveal hidden stress, and why balancing carbs, fats, and protein in the right portions and at the right time of day can make or break your energy, mood, physique, long-term health and performance.

Link to check out the Daily Nutritional Support (DNS) Shake mentioned (go to “Supplements” → “Daily Nutritional Support”) https://equi.life?irad=859795&irmp=3644194

Learn & level up with my free nutrition guide and award-winning Badass Breakthrough Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing Promo code LOUISE saves on all future orders!

Link to our FullScript where you can see our curated best supplement picks & save 20% off: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/breakingthroughwellness/store-start

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(4:38) How hormone shifts change everything
(7:52) Why running harder can backfire
(9:24) What HRV reveals about your stress
(15:25) When alcohol and “clean” food don’t mix
(29:22) The muffin mistake that triggered inflammation
(33:40) How stress amplifies your body’s response
(38:22) Why food timing and ratios matter
(43:02) Louise’s recovery and lessons learned
(47:47) Why managing inflammation is a full-body strategy
(50:35) What to look for in a protein powder
(55:31) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for our simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

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https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

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https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
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As hormones change age 35 and beyond, true strength isn’t just about lifting heavier, but finding balance between a variety of strength training strategies, power, dialed in female-specific nutrient timing and your most confident vibrantly well glow... that's resilient enough to shine through life's up and downs!

In this empowering episode, Louise, one of the world’s leading experts in women's health, fitness, and running, challenges the all-or-nothing mindset that dominates women’s fitness and strength training today. She opens up about her own journey from working in male dominated fields like high-performance professional sports and research, to redefining what feminine strength really means, encouraging women to honor both their fierce and graceful sides.

Listeners will learn how to train smarter, not harder, by understanding their physiology, preventing overtraining, and embracing a personalized results-based approach to strength and running. Louise breaks down why specific strength exercises like endless squats do not serve female runners, how muscle-building differs for each woman, and why “bigger, faster, stronger” doesn’t always equal better health.

She reminds us that it’s okay to want to look lean, to crave badass definition, or to simply feel at home in your body. Whether you’re lifting for health, injury prevention, power in running, or physique, this episode invites you to let go of black-and-white fitness thinking and live strong and feminine, without apology.

Learn & level up with my free nutrition guide and award-winning Badass Breakthrough Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Link to our FullScript where you can see our curated best supplement picks & save 20% off: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/breakingthroughwellness/store-start

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing Promo code LOUISE saves on all future orders!

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(3:39) Masculine energy in wellness culture
(5:11) Balancing strength with femininity
(7:00) Smart training for runners
(8:08) Why endless squats can backfire
(9:58) The “gain as much muscle” debate
(13:15) Tailoring training to body type and goals
(16:51) When heavy lifting turns harmful
(17:51) The gray space between strength and softness
(28:37) Letting go of black-and-white fitness thinking
(31:16) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for our simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

What if midlife wasn’t the end of your best runs, vibrant health, and unstoppable performance, but it was the start of something even stronger?

In this inspiring episode, host Louise Valentine, one of the world's leading experts for perimenopausal avidly active women and runners, reminds every woman that it’s never too late to pivot, reset, and build your own dream happy place. Louise opens up about her journey of “retiring” at 40 after a remarkable career, not to stop working, but to serve from a place of love, integrity, passion, and deep meaningful purpose.

Listeners will hear powerful stories of Breaking Through Wellness women runners who overcame chronic pain, hormone imbalances, perimenopause symptom hell, amenorrhea, and running burnout to reclaim their best strength, confidence, and performance yet! Louise also shares how Breaking Through Wellness became more than a women's health practice and program; it’s a movement of women runners and endurance athletes redefining what health and high performance look like age 35 and beyond as hormones change.

If you’ve ever felt like your body or work life is changing faster than you can keep up, this episode is your permission slip to slow down, realign, and start again, without guilt or grind.

Learn & level up with my free nutrition guide and award-winning Badass Breakthrough Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Link to our FullScript where you can see our curated best supplement picks & save 20% off: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/breakingthroughwellness/store-start

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing Promo code LOUISE saves on all future orders!

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(3:04) Life updates and rapid podcast growth
(5:19) Transformations at the Wineglass Wellness Retreat
(8:03) Integrity, limits, and community connection
(15:01) What “retirement” really means for Louise
(19:57) The shame of slowing down as a runner
(27:27) Redefining women’s health with authenticity
(41:37) Be bold, take up space, and rewrite your story
(45:53) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for our simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

After years of running, we know that our strongest race day performance starts before we even lace up our shoes and hit the start-line. Now, it's time to discuss nuances as our hormones change age 35 and beyond and how to optimize race day outcomes! Ready to thrive? Hell yes you are!

In this energizing episode, Louise shares the excitement of taper week leading up to the first Breaking Through Wellness retreat and half marathon in the Finger Lakes of beautiful New York. With real stories of women thriving through hormone-optimizing training and female-specific fueling, she reveals how small shifts, like maximizing cortisol resilience, sleep, and recovery, can completely transform performance and confidence for women in perimenopause and beyond.

Louise, as one of the world’s leading health, nutrition, and performance experts for everyday female runners, breaks down her exact taper-week formula, explaining how to balance strength training, short yet effective mindset work, and nervous system regulation to feel strong, calm, and injury-free on race day. Through personal experiences, including winning a 5K during her taper week, she demonstrates how female-specific methods can yield results that seem “too good to be true.”

As an industry leader actively rewriting women's health, fitness, and recreational running age 35 and beyond alongside her clients, this is a can't miss episode with inspiring badass runner stories!

Whether you’re chasing a PR or just want to feel amazing in your next race, this episode gives you the roadmap to do it: hormonally smart, strategic, and joy-filled.

Learn & level up with my free nutrition guide and award-winning Badass Breakthrough Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Link to our FullScript where you can see our curated best supplement picks & save 20% off: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/breakingthroughwellness/store-start

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing Promo code LOUISE saves on all future orders!

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(3:15) Breaking Through Wellness Retreat & race prep
(5:17) Taper week and hormone optimization
(7:06) Louise’s race-day story & mindset
(23:39) Training week breakdown for taper
(15:04) Recovery and cortisol management
(23:39) Training week breakdown for taper
(24:59) Mindset: From breakdown to badass
(29:58) Nutrition and carb-loading for women
(32:14) Recovery, results, and redefining limits
(33:51) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for our simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

As hard as it is for us to hear, the “grind harder” and "bigger, faster, stronger" mindsets that once got us results are now holding us back.

In this powerful episode, world-leading perimenopause women's health, fitness and performance expert Louise Valentine breaks down why women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, especially runners and Type A high-achievers, need to rethink how they train, fuel, and recover. She introduces the idea that “the threshold has changed”. Our bodies, hormones, how we achieve fitness adaptations, and nervous system health evolves with aging, and so must our approach.

Listeners will learn how chronic stress, underfueling, male-based nutrition strategies and unexpected overtraining due to male-based running methods stall progress, and how recalibrating with smarter female-specific strength training, fueling, recovery, and nervous system regulation can unlock new levels of strength, holistic mind-body performance, and clarity.

Louise shares real client stories showing how doing a bit less with intention and customized female-specific strategies can lead to faster running, better sleep, glowing skin, PRs, and lasting energy.

This isn’t about slowing down, it’s about working smarter with your changing body and female physiology so you can continue to thrive, perform, and feel amazing at every age.

Learn & level up with my free nutrition guide and award-winning Badass Breakthrough Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Link to our FullScript where you can see our curated best supplement picks & save 20% off: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/breakingthroughwellness/store-start

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(5:07) Discovering the “threshold has changed”
(7:57) Why Type A women need new strategies
(12:28) The role of cortisol and recovery
(16:37) Real client wins from doing less
(20:06) Nervous system regulation and breathwork
(25:39) The cost of always “crushing it”
(28:46) New rules for nutrition, rest, and strength
(30:46) Action steps to adapt and thrive
(34:41) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for our simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

Lady runners and endurance athletes, don't let anyone ever tell you we can't lower our cholesterol, balance our hormones, and boost our running performance without extreme diets, endless supplements or prescriptions. Most of the time, there is a (much) better way and it's time we learn some specifics, nuances, and targeted female-specific strategies to try!

In this episode of Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause, Louise Valentine, one of the world’s leading health, fitness and performance experts, shares a simple, science-backed roadmap for avid active women and recreational runners age 35+ who are navigating perimenopause and beyond.

Louise reveals root cause mechanisms of why LDL cholesterol often spikes as estrogen declines and how outdated advice about cutting out eggs or red meat isn’t the full picture. Drawing from over two decades of coaching and research, her own fiercely inspiring health journey, and empowering thousands of individuals over the course of her proven career designing integrative health and fitness interventions, she explains practical steps you can take to improve biomarkers in as little as three months.

You’ll learn which supplements actually make a difference, how much your specific food choices matter, awareness of how seed oils sneak into your pantry, and why advocating for yourself with doctors matters. You'll get a step-by-step playbook to discuss your labs with your doctor to be fully heard and get the comprehensive effective care you deserve. Most importantly, you’ll discover realistic strategies, rooted in cutting-edge female-specific science, that help you feel energized, resilient, and confident in your body.

If you’re a driven, active woman who’s tired of feeling blindsided by midlife changes, this episode is your playbook for thriving with less stress, relentless confidence, and more strength.

Link to our FullScript where you can see our curated best supplement picks under "Favorites" & save 20% off the supplements mentioned in today’s episode: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/breakingthroughwellness/store-start

Learn & level up with my free nutrition guide and award-winning Badass Breakthrough Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Our affiliate link to check Function Health for comprehensive blood work: https://my.functionhealth.com/signup?code=LVALENTINE11&_saasquatch=LVALENTINE11

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing Promo code “LOUISE” saves on all future orders!

Episode Highlights:
(0:000 Intro
(3:04) A step-by-step roadmap to lower LDL
(7:41) The importance of advanced lipid testing
(11:13) A client’s success challenging the “only meds” advice
(14:56) Louise’s personal results lowering biomarkers
(19:26) Fueling frameworks that boost natural hormone production
(22:42) Ou

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for our simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

Fact: The narrative we’ve been told about perimenopause, that it means slowing down, feeling like crap, gaining fat, and losing our strong, fit, and athletic edge... is not our truth at Breaking Through Wellness!

In this inspiring episode of Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause, host Louise Valentine sits down with Katie Lowe, a teacher, dedicated runner, and race director, who has transformed her holistic health, energy, physique, and performance during perimenopause.

Katie shares her journey from frustrating overwhelm with conflicting advice, surprising symptoms, fat gain, and burnout...

to smashing PRs at ALL race distances, building strength, and redefining what’s possible for women in their 40s!

With support from Louise’s science-based coaching and innovative female-specific methods, Katie discovered the power of adjusting fueling, living, and training to align with her changing female physiology, embracing the mantra “courage over comfort.”

Her story proves that you can achieve breakthrough results at any age, including a more fit and lean body composition, faster recovery, and stronger running, without extreme diets, injury, or burnout!

You will leave encouraged to trust the process, fuel, and train your body smarter, and know that you have a supportive community of strong, badass, and like-minded women runners that validates the highs and lows of the perimenopause journey.

Learn & level up with my free nutrition guide and award-winning Badass Breakthrough Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress here: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Learn more about Katie's running company here: https://2lowerunco.com/

Link to our FullScript where you can see our curated best supplement picks & save 20% off: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/breakingthroughwellness/store-start

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(3:00) Katie’s early love for sports and running
(7:15) Jumping into a 50-mile race unprepared
(8:05) Building a local running community
(10:08) Feeling stuck despite doing “all the things”
(11:35) Finding Louise through a Facebook comment
(16:53) Early breakthroughs: body comp and performance
(17:53) Unexpected PRs and faster recovery
(22:44) Learning the art of adjustment
(24:40) Balancing a daily run streak with recovery
(30:24) “Courage over comfort” mindset shift
(32:49) Defying society’s limits on aging women
(36:22) Eating more food and still seeing results
(40:41) Why breakfast is now non-negotiable
(48:05) Shifting priorities and trusting the “why”
(57:02) Sustainable strategies for lifelong running
(1:00:19) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for our simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

Often, the very thing we love, running and endurance training, is silently adding counterproductive stress to our body. While not a sole causative factor in adverse health outcomes, recent research findings have scientists, practitioners, recreational endurance athletes, and runners pausing across the world!

In this episode of Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause, Louise, one of the world’s leading integrative health practitioners, exercise physiologist, and fitness experts explores the often-overlooked connection between female physiology, gut health, and endurance training.

Drawing on her 22+ years of clinical experience, research, supporting thousands of active individuals at all levels, and her own journey as a dedicated runner reversing stomach precancer, Louise explains how stress, gut health, and hormonal changes intersect during perimenopause and what you can do about it. From the science behind intestinal permeability (that stubborn lower ab “pooch” and bloat) to targeted, affordable supplements and practical fueling strategies, she keeps it simple, science-based, and specific to highly active women who love to run.

You’ll also hear Louise’s candid take on the latest viral headlines and misleading social media spins claiming running causes cancer, why it’s not that simple, and how to critically approach the noise without giving up the sport you love. This episode is equal parts honesty, science, and actionable tools so you can run, live, and thrive with confidence.

If ready to critically think about novel research findings, instead of panic or jump to conclusions, this episode is for you!

Feel, look & perform your best with my “All About Gut Health & How to Restore It” Mini Course here: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/offers/tKTJYVjP/checkout

Link to check out the “Healthy Gut Support” (intestinal support formula) mentioned in the beginning of this episode: https://equi.life?irad=859795&irmp=3644194

Watch my blog article “The Art of Magaining Stress & Chronic Disease Risk When You Love Fitness or Running… A Lot” “https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/blog/dedicated-female-runners-the-art-of-managing-stress-women-s-health-osteoporosis-chronic-disease-risk

Learn & level up with my free nutrition guide and award-winning Badass Breakthrough Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Link to our FullScript where you can see our curated best supplement picks & save 20% off, including 20% off Seed, the supplement mentioned in today’s episode: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/breakingthroughwellness/store-start

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pa

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for our simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com