I was struggling with a thickening middle and the usual diet and exercise habits were not working. After creating serious calorie deficits for over a month and seeing no change in my weight, I read this book. It is not a list of 5 diet and exercise things you need to do to be thin, but instead a deep dive into what is happening to your body and how you can work with what you have to be healthy and active. You need to read it and then experiment with what works for you and how you can put the principles into practice. Key things are maintaining bone density, building muscle for higher metabolism, and cranking up cardio for short bursts. I put a plan in place and have been working it for about 6 weeks. I feel better and stronger.

This is exactly what I needed. Definitely geared towards the athlete during menopause but can be applied for all women during this stage of life. I have seen great results implementing some of her recommendations, and got me over a plateau I was in. There is so much conflicting "science" out there and who to believe. She covers a lot of what's out there and if you should or shouldn't. The only thing I can't get to is her protein recommendation, but again, this is really geared for the athlete, so I do the best I can. Highly recommend!

I can't say enough about how much I enjoy this book. It is so full of insightful information for women as they age and go from perimenopause through menopause and beyond. I have learned so much about how my body is changing and what it really needs to be in the best shape I can possibly be. I have also learned a lot about HRT and how to decide if it's something I should use or not. If not, there is also a ton of information about natural supplements, which is what I am more interested in. Great book for any woman wanting to learn more about their changing bodies and how to be happy, healthy and loving life as she ages. It's made me feel so much better about myself.

This was a great book and so much better for me than her first book. This was far more relatable. I could identify with so much in here! I will be referring to this often!

I struggled with how to rate this book after reading it twice. I am a newbie exerciser and was hoping to come up with a plan moving forward. I recently joined a gym and was looking for a book that would discuss weight training and how to begin this. I purchased this book because the author is a PhD like myself and I was hoping for science and a fitness approach. Many of the books and magazines have taken a consumer sales (i.e., supplements, clothing, fillers, surgery, cosmetics, lotions etc...) focus. 1. 4 stars: There were many references on how to "maintain" shape if you are an avid exerciser/ultrarunner/triathoner. The book clearly explains the importance of high intensity training and rest days (particularly after menopause). There were explanations on how to deal with the off season. Unfortunately, there were many exercises and acronyms I didn't know what they were. 2. Not a log of images of weight training or how to incorporate kettle balls which were stressed in the book. The training routines briefly outlined with details on interspersing activity with intense training days. 3. The chapter on adaptogens ("complementary alternative medications/supplements") gave me pause. I teach pharmacology and the information provided was largely sound (i.e., accurately dispelled myths and hype) but it only told part of the story. I was stunned at the cursory attention to drug-drug and drug-disorder interactions with the few supplements that were mentioned. Given this books focus toward perimenopausal/menopausal women who are more likely to be on medication (i.e., thyroid medication, hypertension, diabetes, anticoagulants) this glaring ommission was surprising. I will illustrate this point with one plants - Ashwagandha. The section contains a caution about impact on thyroid hormone and ends there. No mention of category C (probable) liver toxicity (reference: livertox.NIH.gov). It also lacks a warning about miscarriages. It's dangerous to assume your perimenopausal or even menopausal reader isn't pregnant. Ashwagandha may activate the immune system which may increase symptoms for many autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, SLE or RA (reference: Medline). If you are going to the operating room beware that Ashwagandha may impact the anesthesia - lowers blood sugar and blood pressure (reference: Medline). 4. I was expecting a textbook style. I found the writing a curious mix of styles - part scientific journal and part fitness magazine. The style of writing was friendly like a blog or to a friend and not serious (which is I guess what I was looking for). When I re-read the description - I see the word "maintain" your fitness and this message is key in this book. The 5 star reviewers mention this authors blog and this is clearly the intended audience for this book. End assessment: This is a great book with excellent information for the avid exerciser or elite athlete. I don't think I was the correct audience for this book. I would caution the reader to follow the recommendations in the supplement section with extreme caution. For all of the body positivity (aging) in this book it would have been nice to show the entire face of a menopausal woman on the cover without part of the face cropped out.

Something that makes sense! I’m so grateful that this resource was available to me and that Dr. Sims broke down philology into simple terms that were easy to understand. I spent so much time nodding and verbally saying, “Oh, that makes so much sense!” I can honestly say that I’ve recommended this book to so many people even some with the caveat, “Remember Dr. Sims when you hit menopause as she cleared up some sources of confusion for me in really easy to understand ways and when it’s your time she’s the resource you’ll want at your fingertips!”

Loved this book! Written for active women at or after menopause it is helpful for navigating the hormone imbalances that necessitate a change in approach during these years. I quickly found out where I was making crucial mistakes. Now I am eating more calories and protein and have shorter, more focused workouts and the weight I gained is coming back off!

This book has real, usable exercise and nutritional support information for the peri- and post-menopausal woman, from those who just fancy ourselves gym rats to outright athletes. I favor fact over opinion, with any science noted being geared toward the regular person in the health and exercise books I read; and this book is factual, contains doable suggestions, and does not pander to the latest fads. The cover was bent and torn when it arrived, but I missed the window to report it (busy professional, needed the info STAT- hot flushes and night sweats and muscle loss, oh my!). Great information from a writer and trainer who have been where you are, and trained people like you, if you are an athlete anywhere in the menopausal phase.