BETTER! with Dr. Stephanie Estima | Strength, Body Composition & Perimenopause

What if the guilt you feel for skipping the gym is based on a flawed concept? Biomechanist Katy Bowman challenges the notion that exercise is merely a modern, recent way to meet our body’s movement needs. She introduces her ”movement diet” framework, which includes movement calories (volume), movement macronutrients (walking, carrying, climbing, hand use, big-body work, active rest), and movement micronutrients (joint work often overlooked).Katy also encourages playing cards on the floor instead of the couch, sprinting with your kids at the park instead of on a track, why bunions and hallux valgus develop from years of subtle gait compensation, not "just aging," and why fixing the small stuff often matters more than adding another workout. Remember your bones and joints don’t distinguish between loads from a barbell and carrying groceries; they only care that the load occurred.If this episode has you wanting more than an hour with Katy, she's leading an in-person retreat, Dynamic Aging: Movement Through Menopause & Beyond, October 2–4 2026. https://artoflivingretreatcenter.org/retreat/presenter/katy-bowman/dynamic-aging/🎤 TOPICS COVEREDExercise vs. physical activity vs. movement (the three circles)Fitting movement into an exhausted eveningThe movement diet: macros, micros, and why movement is a nutrientThe Movement Pyramid, bottom to topShould you push through pain, or back off?Why "it's just age” is usually a movement-pattern problemDriving, automatic transmissions, and the pelvic floor connectionHadza activity levels vs. modern sedentary lifeFinding movement inside a "fixed" daily scheduleKaty's own movement diet, and "Night Bitch"What bone actually needs: a biomechanist's view on bone density"Loads, not modes": Katy's rowing routine and the vitamin D/tofu analogyReframing sprinting: racing your kids at the parkMovement snacks and redesigning your environment"Convenience isn't saving you time — it's saving you movement"Feet, bunions, and how gait patterns formNot "over the hill": choosing uphill in midlife📎 RESOURCES MENTIONED https://drstephanieestima.com/podcasts/ep487📦 OUR SPONSORSJUST THRIVE HEALTH - Your gut runs the show — take the Feel Better Challenge and save on your first order at https://justthrivehealth.com/better with code BETTER.SUNLIGHTEN - Boost recovery, heart health, and balance with sauna therapy. Go to https://get.sunlighten.com/DRSTEPHANIE and use code DRSTEPHANIE for a special discount.TIMELINE - Timeline’s clinically proven formula is now available at a great price when you go to https://timelinenutrition.com/better with code BETTER.PIQUE LIFE - Experience Transformative Results. Start your daily ritual today and elevate your morning and evening routine at https://piquelife.com/better ****************************P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:Subscribe: The Mini Pause — My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.Build Muscle: LIFT — My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Falling in love triggers a specific hormonal cascade: oxytocin, dopamine, the whole cocktail that makes you feel like you can't think about anything else. What almost nobody talks about is that losing someone runs that same system in reverse. Mary-Frances O’Connor, director of the Grief, Loss, and Social Stress Lab, discusses how grief can be understood as a hormonal “withdrawal” from the bonding chemistry of love, debunks the myth of five linear stages, and clarifies the difference between acute “grief” and the longer-term trajectory of “grieving.” Prof O’Connor explains common emotional, cognitive, and physical manifestations, why the brain both knows a loved one is gone yet still expects them, and how grieving involves intense learning and identity updating. This episode also covers health risks after bereavement, the importance of preventive care and supportive companionship, practical ways to honour loved ones, and how reflecting on mortality can shape meaning. 🎤 EPISODE OVERVIEW (0:00) Intro & Rapid-Fire Questions (4:44) Defining Grief vs. Grieving (6:15) Grief Beyond Death: Divorce, Empty Nests & Identity Loss (10:17) The Neurobiology of Love, Bonding & Loss (13:55) Acute Grief and the 21x Heart Attack Risk (21:13) The Broken Heart Phenomenon & the Case for Bereavement Care (30:42) Platitudes and How to Actually Support Someone Grieving (41:02) The "Gone But Everlasting" Theory & Grief as Learning (47:35) Purple Towels: Identity, Continuing Bonds & Facing Our Own Mortality (1:15:56) After Party with Dr. Stephanie 📎 RESOURCES MENTIONED https://drstephanieestima.com/podcasts/ep486 📦 OUR SPONSORS BEARABY - Find a more natural way to support deeper, calmer sleep. Go to https://bearaby.com and use code BETTER10 for a discount on any Bearaby weighted blanket purchase. BON CHARGE - Recover Faster. Sleep Deeper. Look Better. Bon Charge brings you science-backed wellness technologies to enhance sleep, recovery, and beauty. Get a special deal on the full suite at https://boncharge.com/better with code BETTER. BRICKHOUSE NUTRITION - Switch to BRICKHOUSE WHEY for guaranteed results or your money back. Go to https://thenewwhey.com and use promo code BETTER for a special deal. LMNT  - Stay hydrated without the sugar, food dye, and other dodgy ingredients found in popular electrolyte and sports drinks. Get a special offer when you make a purchase at https://DrinkLMNT.com/Better ****************************P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:Subscribe: The Mini Pause — My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.Build Muscle: LIFT — My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you’ve got a cupboard full of supplements you bought with good intentions but never used, this episode is for you. Cathy Eason, Chief Science Officer at Berkeley Life, talks about nitric oxide, a molecule that affects almost every body system, including blood flow, blood pressure, digestion, energy production, and sexual arousal. She explains why nitric oxide production declines in your 30s and how it’s linked to perimenopause. Eason also discusses the research behind using dietary nitrates (like beets and leafy greens) to support nitric oxide production and when supplementation might be necessary.  This episode covers practical aspects like testing nitric oxide status at home, the connection between oral health and nitric oxide, and how the protocol differs for daily energy needs versus intense training. Eason also advises caution with nitric oxide supplementation, especially for those on blood pressure medication, and why she moved away from arginine/citrulline supplements. Go to https://drstephanieestima.com/berkeleylife  and use code BETTER20 for 20% Off. 🎤 EPISODE OVERVIEW (0:00) Intro/Teaser (05:33) How Nitric Oxide Opens Blood Flow (Vasodilation 101) (11:04) Blood Pressure, Arterial Stiffness & the Research (15:49) Digestion, Gut Motility & Hypertension Safety (24:01) Oral Health, Fluoride & the Nitrate Recycling Pathway (29:34) Dietary Nitrate Sources: Beets, Ferments & Histamine Considerations (34:19) Arousal, Desire & Blood Flow to the Genitals (39:48) Closing the Research Gap: Female Sexual Function Data (41:08) Performance & Recovery: From the Soccer Field to the Gym (46:43) Muscle Force, DOMS & Timing Your Dose Around a Workout (51:10) Testing Your Own Nitric Oxide & Finding Your Pattern (59:28) Choosing a Supplement: The Ophelia & Emily Protocol (1:19:48) After-Party: Final Thoughts with Dr. Stephanie 📎 RESOURCES MENTIONED - https://drstephanieestima.com/podcasts/ep485 📦 OUR SPONSORS QUALIA CREATINE+ - If you want to feel stronger, sharper, and more resilient, Qualia’s Creatine+ is my recommendation.Go to https://qualialife.com/better  and use code BETTER to save.  PIQUE LIFE - Experience Transformative Results. Start your daily ritual today and elevate your morning and evening routine at https://piquelife.com/better TIMELINE - Timeline’s clinically proven formula is now available at a great price when you go to https://timelinenutrition.com/better with code BETTER. JUST THRIVE HEALTH - Your gut runs the show — mood, immunity, energy, all of it.  Save on your first order at https://justthrivehealth.com/better with code BETTER. ****************************P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:Subscribe: The Mini Pause — My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.Build Muscle: LIFT — My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For over 30 years, Jim Kwik has coached Hollywood, professional athletes, political leaders, and Harvard University on how to learn faster and think sharper — and in this episode, he tackles the question sitting underneath so much of modern life: what happens to your mind muscle when every cognitive task gets handed off to ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini? The good news: your brain, like your muscles, adapts to the demands placed upon it at any age or stage. Jim explains why frustration and failure aren’t obstacles to brain training, shares his personal top ten list of brain-building habits, ranging from racket sports to language learning and volunteering.  He also delves into an MIT study examining the impact of ChatGPT and introduces his own framework for using AI as a genuine cognitive partner, rather than a replacement for human brain power. 🎤 Episode Overview: (0:00) Intro/Teaser (5:09) Can You Strength Train Your Brain? (7:46) Why Frustration Is the Whole Point (12:09) Racket Sports and the Longevity Connection (17:19) Ten Daily Habits for a More Resilient Brain (25:25) Cognitive Flexibility and the Echo Chamber Problem (30:35) Digital Dementia, Digital Deduction, and the Escalator Problem (36:29) Build Before You Borrow: Jim's Rule for Using AI (41:03) Kids, Screens, and Digital Addiction (48:01) Small Choices, Consistency, and Limitless Daily (56:35) After Party with Dr. Stephanie 📎 RESOURCES MENTIONED - https://drstephanieestima.com/podcasts/ep484 🎁 OUR SPONSORS ONESKIN  - Save 15% at https://oneskin.co/better with code BETTER. BIOPTIMIZERS  - Visit https://bioptimizers.com/better and use code BETTER to save 15% (and more) OXFORD HEALTHSPAN PRIMEADINE  - Save 20% at https://OxfordHealthspan.com/DrStephanie with code DrStephanie. BRICKHOUSE NUTRITION  - Go to https://thenewwhey.com and use promo code BETTER for a very special deal. INCREDIWEAR  - Head to https://drstephanieestima.com/incrediwear and use code DRSTEPH20 for 20% off your order. ****************************P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:Subscribe: The Mini Pause — My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.Build Muscle: LIFT — My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For decades, women with low bone density were told to take it easy; Professor Belinda Beck's research proved the opposite: high-intensity resistance and impact training safely rebuilds bone, even in women who had been told their bones were too fragile to lift heavy. Belinda covers the full arc of bone health, from how peak bone mass is set in the teenage years, to what actually happens to bone when estrogen declines through perimenopause and menopause, to why so many popular "safe" exercises, including walking, cycling, and Pilates, simply don't provide enough stimulus to protect bone. They dig into the physiology of bone remodelling, the real evidence (and lack of it) behind weighted vests, how to read a DEXA scan, and practical calcium and vitamin D guidance. Belinda also shares the story behind LIFTMOR itself, including how her research team was once considered reckless for asking postmenopausal women to lift heavy, and how those same women ended up stronger, more confident, and more independent than they'd been in decades. EPISODE OVERVIEW (00:00) Introduction & Rapid Fire (05:15) Bone 101: Structure, Types & What Determines Density (11:52) How Bone Forms: Peak Mass, Sex Differences & Sesamoid Bones (17:12) Diet Culture, Dairy Myths & Caloric Restriction (23:42) Debunking the Kids & Weightlifting Myth (28:31) Runners, Multi-Sport & Varying the Stimulus (34:51) Wolff's Law & How Bone Adapts to Load (42:22) Best & Worst Exercises for Bone, Weighted Vests & Pilates (50:08) Estrogen, Perimenopause, Menopause & Building Your Baseline (1:04:16) The LIFTMOR Trial, ONERO & Getting Your Life Back (1:16:16) The After Party: Final Thoughts with Dr. Stephanie RESOURCEShttps://drstephanieestima.com/podcasts/ep483 OUR SPONSORS LMNT Stay hydrated without the sugar, food dye, and other dodgy ingredients found in popular electrolyte and sports drinks. Get a special offer when you make a purchase at https://DrinkLMNT.com/Better BEARABY Find a more natural way to support deeper, calmer sleep. Go to https://bearaby.com and use code BETTER10 for 10% off any Bearaby weighted blanket purchase. YOUNG GOOSE Skin aging isn't defined by wrinkles. It's defined by skin quality. Head over to https://drstephanieestima.com/younggoose and use code BETTER for 10% off your first purchase. TIMELINE Timeline’s clinically proven formula is now available at a great price when you go to https://timelinenutrition.com/better with code BETTER. ****************************P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:Subscribe: The Mini Pause — My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.Build Muscle: LIFT — My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.