EVERFIT book review : ROAR by Stacy Sims

Book Reviews, November 28, 2019

How to match your food and fitness to your female physiology for optimum performance, great health, and a strong, lean body for life. This is a great read even for the guys.

After meeting Stacy Sims and hearing her speak at a sports conference I was excited about getting into her book Roar. Although I don't personally subscribe with all of the recommendations due to my plantbased bias, her recommendations throughout the book were fantastic. They are backed up by research, and more importantly, years of working with top athletes with excellent results.  Below are my notes from the book and how to practically apply the recommendations in regards to nutrition, periodisation, and training especially for women athletes. 

 

Hormones

These are our bodies messengers. For a women the hormones revolve around the menstrual cycle which effects training, fueling, and ultimately performance. As a coach with around half of my athletes women this is an area I need to upskill.  The major differences between the main male hormone - testosterone and the main female hormone Estrogen is testosterone leads to protein synthesis (larger muscles) and EPO release (more red blood cells - better O2 carrying capacity) while estrogen promotes fat deposition (lipoprotein lipase - enzyme, takes fatty acids from blood stream and stores in fat cells), inhibits muscle making ability, and makes more fat mass. 

This makes it harder for women to adapt to training stimuli compared to a man, and women need to ensure that recovery protocols are adhered with so training is absorbed. Women's muscle glycogen turnover (utilising stored carbs in the muscle) is generally LOWER (especially when estrogen is high). Women mobilise more fat during training but the opposite is true during the recovery - women will burn more carbohydrate  (CHO) in proportion compared to men. Womens fat-burning comes back to normal 3hrs following the workout while men's remain elevated up to 21 hours after the session is ended! Progesterone also increases muscle breakdown - this makes getting protein very important post exercise to rebuild muscle and reduce the hormone signalling to store fat.

 

Menstrual cycle

The average is 28 days long - it's broken down into 2 x 14 day phases. It begins when the period starts. Day 1-14 is the FOLLICULAR phase, the second 14 days in the LUTEAL phase. They can be further broken down into Day 1-5 = Menstruation phase, and day 15-23 = ovulation phase. Hormone levels signal all of this.  After the period ends (day 5 or 6) estrogen increases, day 12 estrogen levels surge with a luteinizing hormone (LH) which stimulates ovulation and an egg is released. Then estrogen levels lower then begin a gradual rise (day 16-20) as the body goes into nesting mode - this is where progesterone levels rise surpassing estrogen, both peak around 5 days before the period starts (this is where PMS symptoms can arise). If a fertilised egg is implanted the progesterone levels fall, and you are back to day 1. 

 

Training sessions or racing will feel easier when you are in the low hormone phase of the cycle (day 1 - start of the period). There is a study of swimmers that show women swam their fastest times during their period and slowest during the days before the period started. Don't stress if your event falls during this time thou research shows  the key performance measures like VO2 max and lactate threshold are constant throughout the cycle. With training it is HARDER to make and maintain muscle when these hormones are high.* Women need to put more carbs into the system during the premenstrual phase of the cycle - looking at a combination of 10-15g of protein and 40g of CHO before any workout longer than 90min (for example nut butter on wholegrain bread or soaked oats with blueberries and chia seeds) and around 40g of CHO (with a little protein and fat) per hour while you are out there.

50% of athletes in a 2014 ESPN pole indicated that menstrual cramping has negatively effected performance. This can be mitigated by taking magnesium, omega 3 fatty acids, and low dose (80mg) aspirin 5-7 days before the period starts. to reduce the effect of cramp causing chemicals. NO not take anti-inflammataries. 
If you have heavy bleeding during periods you are at a greater risk of becoming anemic. Anemia can cause fatigue, shortness of breath, light headedness, and heart palpitations during exercise. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms PLEASE see your GP, get a blood test and think about an iron supplement. 

 

*Why it's important for women to have protein that's high in leucine (muscle building amino acid) or BCAA - branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine - 3 essential AA that make up 30% of your muscle tissue) I recommend AMAZONIA raw Protein Isolate with all of the BCAA present in 8.5g, 5.1g and 5.6g per 100g of leucine, isoleucine, and valine respectively. 

 

Training tips to work in with the menstrual cycle

Day 1-5 Menstruation phase - LOW levels of estrogen and progesterone = possibly  unmotivated  to get moving BUT optimal time to build strength and muscle (if symptoms allow). If strong symptoms then look at restorative easy sessions.

Day 6-14 Follicular phase  - End of period and about 3 days before ovulation - SURGE in estrogen and peak in testosterone = increased energy to workout & recover faster.  Possible time to increase training intensity - if able LEAN IN to strength training + high intensity workouts. 

Day 15-23 Ovulation phase - Estrogen briefly drops in concentration but progesterone rises. HIGHER levels of progesterone can contribute to muscle breakdown - making recovery more imperative. WARM DOWN well and gentle stretch after sessions + good protein intake. Also look at extra CHO during sessions as your body has more reliance on fat to fuel. Take extra days off during this phase for recovery if needed. 

Day 24-28 Luteal phase - Estrogen and progesterone are at their PEAK, just before they fall and the start of the period. PMS and inflammation can impact motivation. Good time to REDUCE training load - technique workouts? Strength training - focus on form/technique. TRAIN TO DECREASE stress.

 

Menopause

This is when you stop menstruating and used to be termed "the change", but it's actually a series of changes that can happen over years (up to 10 years). Estrogen levels fluctuate and decrease as you progress through the 40's. This means there is a tendency to accumulate fat around the belly rather than hips and thighs (this increases the chance of fatty liver and CV disease). Also as estrogen drops postmenopausal women are less reactive to muscle making stimuli from resistance training and eating protein. The postmenopausal system finds it more difficult to synthesize the protein consumed into the muscle required with added problem of burning less fat than when premenopausal - so women have to rely more on their limited CHO stores.  Another change to be aware of is post menopausal women find it more difficult to metabolise fructose (fruit sugar) than those in their reproductive years. This can result in more fatty acids circulating in the blood stream (can cause high triglyceride levels and insulin resistance)  and can cause GI issues like cramping and bloating. Another hormonal change is the drop in DHEA which is produced by the adrenal glands - it's role is to limit the effects of cortisol encouraging glucose to be burned as fuel.  The case study on page 37 "The 60 something IM triathlete" goes into some diet changes from a high glycemic CHO diet and replaced these with fruit, veggies, and whole grains. Overall she increased the quality and quantity of her protein and CHO across her day to maximise lean mass and body fat loss. 

 

Other ways to help is quality sleep. A common saying among athletes in "the race is won in bed". Sleep is a super performance agent (check out my article on the benefits of sleep and tips on improving your sleep environment  - ) More than 60% of post menopausal women report problems with insomnia (National Sleep Foundation) This is related to the drop in progesterone (anti-anxiety hormone) which has direct sedentary effects. Estrogen increases REM sleep, assists serotonin metabolism, and helps with getting off to sleep quicker. Check out my article on sleep for more information https://everfit.co.nz/articles/wholistic-runner-part-2-sleep

 

Some other ways to help with sleep

  1. Tart cherry juice - high in sleep promoting chemical melatonin and has anti-inflamm properties. Drink chilled 30min before bed.
  2. Valerian root (tea or capsules) - In one study participants given 400mg of valerian extract reported better sleep compared to a placebo group. 
Exercise tips for women post menopause
  1. It's more difficult dealing with heat so pay more attention to cooling off post exercise, during session consume cool fluids.
  2. The body tries to get rid of heat by sending more blood to the skin instead of relying just on sweat so focus on hydration.
  3. There is less need for carbohydrates due to greater carb sensitivity. So aim for lower intake - 40-50g/hr 
  4. Your body uses protein less effectively so type, quality, and when you eat the protein is very important. Soy protein doesn't contain enough leucine.
  5. Less power production so power and speed become important aspects of training for postmenopausal women.

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