What if the workout habit you thought was helping your body is actually making perimenopause harder? In this episode, Louise Valentine, one of the world’s leading exercise physiologists and women's integrative health practitioners, gives a clear, honest breakdown of why fasted training may not be the best fit for active women, especially runners navigating changing hormones, stress, cravings, sleep issues, and body composition goals.

Louise explains how morning workouts, low fuel, caffeine nuances, and high cortisol can stack up quickly for ambitious women who are already juggling a lot. She shares why a small amount of protein and carbs before training can help support hormone production, energy, recovery, mental health, and long-term performance. She also challenges the confusing noise online around women’s health, HRT, cortisol, and perimenopause trends, reminding listeners that context matters.

This episode is especially useful for women who run, lift, train early, struggle with cravings, wake up at night, feel burned out, or feel stuck despite doing “everything right.” Louise keeps the message grounded in solid female-specific science: fuel your body, stop punishing and potentially harming yourself, and make choices that support your long-term health, energy, and ability to run strong for life.

RESOURCES + LINKS

Learn & level up with my free nutrition guide & award-winning 1:1 Badass Breakthrough Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Learn, laugh & level up with a Breaking Through Wellness masterclass here, including “How to Ditch Cravings & Overeating Habits For Good” mentioned in this episode.

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount & save 20% off Kion’s science-backed clean products, including Kion aminos & Creature creatine. Code "LOUISE" saves on all future orders: https://www.getkion.com/maximizing

Link to check out Function Health & save $25 off comprehensive, proactive blood work using code “LVALENTINE11” here. $25 goes back to support BTW with each new sign up! Thank you!

Check out my FullScript here where you can see my curated favorite supplement picks, by topic, to address your concerns & save 25% off! A small portion of EACH sale goes back to support BTW. Thank you!

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(4:12) Social media misinformation in women’s health
(7:21) Building a private, focused wellness community
(9:21) Why active women need a different approach
(13:18) The problem with fasted training
(19:03) Why fasted training is not black and white
(21:19) How cortisol overload affects active women
(24:21) Why training without fuel adds more stress
(27:10) Simple pre-workout fuel ideas
(32:16) Why recommendations can change as science evolves
(34:33) Releasing shame around past diet and fasting habits
(36:45) Why post-workout fueling matters too
(38:04) Concerns around careless hormone prescribing
(44:30) Is fasted training ever appropriate?
(45:12) How underfueling can affect mood, cravings, and sleep
(48:07) The rare exception after a big meal or holiday
(50:41) Listener questions and closing thoughts
(52:38) 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!

Email 💬 support@breakingthroughwellness.com

Please note if you want to be a podcast guest, there is a minimum $1,000 fee and interview process to vet you as a guest. This is safe space and curated Community exclusively for women who love to feel, look and run our best without B.S. noise, endless pills, extreme diets or fads.

Sometimes your biggest race win is not the time on the clock. It is realizing your body is still capable of surprising you. In this episode, Louise Valentine, leading expert for perimenopausal active women and runners, welcomes Jen back to unpack her unexpected victory at the Cleveland Half Marathon, a race run in brutal heat, humidity, and direct sun.

What started as a “just have fun” race turned into a powerful lesson in hormone-supportive training, smarter recovery, strategic fueling and trusting a less-is-more running approach.

Louise and Jen share how Breaking Through Wellness's strategic strength training, sleep, nervous system support, pre-race hydration, simple fueling, mobility, and 30-second burst strategies empowered Jen to stay strong when the race got hard. They also talk about redefining what a PR really means, especially for women running through perimenopause, life stress, and changing energy needs.

This episode is a reminder that running does not have to feel punishing to be powerful. Sometimes the breakthrough comes when you stop forcing your body and start working with it to unlock its full potential!

RESOURCES + LINKS

Learn & level up with my free nutrition guide & award-winning 1:1 Badass Breakthrough Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Learn & level up faster with a Breaking Through Wellness masterclass here.

Get your fabulously fit & moisturized glow on with Element LABS beauty & skincare products here.

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

Check out my FullScript here where you can see my curated favorite supplement picks, by topic, to address your concerns & save 25% off! A small portion of EACH sale goes back to support BTW. Thank you!

Save $25 off Function Health comprehensive functional labs here. With every sale, $25 goes back to support BTW. Discount code is “LVALENTINE11” Thank you!

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(2:44) Jen’s unexpected Cleveland Half Marathon victory
(4:06) Redefining what a PR really means
(4:22) Pivoting training when life stress is high
(6:17) Brutal race-day heat and humidity
(7:22) Less running, better hormone support, and nervous system regulation
(8:44) Taking pressure off at the start line
(12:19) Fueling well without overdoing carb loading
(15:14) Heat safety, gels, electrolytes, and mid-race decisions
(20:52) Strength training, soreness, and recovery before race day
(23:53) The mile 10 decision point
(27:02) Crossing the finish line and what the victory symbolized
(30:04) Working with the female body instead of against it
(33:07) Post-race protein and recovery habits
(36:09) Sleep, mobility, and pre-hydration strategies
(37:42) The power of running with a friend
(38:42) Community, travel, and finding joy through running
(58:15) 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!

Email 💬 support@breakingthroughwellness.com

Please note if you want to be a podcast guest, there is a minimum $1,000 fee and interview process to vet you as a guest. This is safe space and curated Community exclusively for women who love to feel, look and run our best without B.S. noise, endless pills, extreme diets or fads.

Your body often tells the truth before your mind is ready to admit it. In this episode of Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause, Louise Valentine, a leading expert for perimenopausal active women and runners, shares a deeply personal look at what happens when major life stress collides with fitness, hormones, running, and midlife health. Through her own experience with devastating family news, interrupted sleep, inflammation, gut changes, low energy, and emotional overload, Louise explains why pushing harder is not always the answer, especially during perimenopause.

Listeners will learn how to recognize when the body is reaching its stress tipping point, why exercise can become counterproductive when cortisol is already high, and how to adjust workouts, fueling, recovery, and lifestyle habits with more care. Louise also shares practical tools like eating more when sleep is disrupted, scaling back intensity, foam rolling with calming music, red light therapy, family connection, therapy, and brain spotting. This episode is a powerful reminder that resilience is not always about doing more. Sometimes, it starts with slowing down before your body forces you to.

RESOURCES + LINKS

Learn & level up with my free nutrition guide & award-winning 1:1 Badass Breakthrough Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Learn & level up faster with a Breaking Through Wellness masterclass here, including my How to Support & Restore Your Gut Health Mini Course.

Find a brain spotting therapist near you: https://brainspotting.com/directory/

Explore client success stories & educational resources on my blog here.

Read my best-selling book, The Art of Breaking Through, found on Amazon here.

Explore Joovv Red Light Therapy devices here.

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

Check out my FullScript here where you can see my curated favorite supplement picks, by topic, to address your concerns & save 25% off! A small portion of EACH sale goes back to support BTW. Thank you!

Save $25 off Function Health comprehensive functional labs here. With every sale, $25 goes back to support BTW. Discount code is “LVALENTINE11” Thank you!

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(3:07) Adjusting fitness when life gets hard
(7:52) Living openly through hard seasons
(9:44) When training becomes stress control
(15:00) Understanding the body’s stress tipping point
(17:09) Changing goals for health and longevity
(25:27) How stress disrupts sleep and safety
(27:17) Fueling more when the body needs support
(30:15) Knowing when to stop pushing
(31:42) Cortisol, gut health, and perimenopause
(36:49) Choosing calm instead of more tasks
(40:23) Family connection as recovery support
(44:09) Brain spotting and therapy for stress patterns
(49:24) Practical ways to adjust under high stress
(52:38) Choosing presence, light movement, and support
(54:05) 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!

Email 💬 support@breakingthroughwellness.com

Please note if you want to be a podcast guest, there is a minimum $1,000 fee and interview process to vet you as a guest. This is safe space and curated Community exclusively for women who love to feel, look and run our best without B.S. noise, endless pills, extreme diets or fads.