What if the most powerful thing you could do for your health today is simply pause and slow down to notice how strong, capable, and resilient you are?

In this short guided daily practice, listeners are invited to step out of the constant momentum of daily life and reconnect with their bodies through a simple pause practice. Many of us move through stressful days on autopilot, pushing forward without noticing how tension and mental noise build up. This episode offers a practical way to interrupt that cycle.

Through mindful breathing, slowing down movement, and tuning into physical sensations, the pause practice helps calm the nervous system and restore inner balance. Host Louise Valentine encourages listeners to lengthen their exhales, notice areas of tension in the body, and gently relax the shoulders, jaw, and face. These small shifts can help quiet racing thoughts and bring attention back to the present moment.

By practicing this daily reset, listeners can support healthier stress responses, improve emotional balance, hormone balance, blood sugar responses, and cultivate a deeper sense of calm. Over time, these brief pauses can help shift life from constant pressure and “powering through” toward a more peaceful and energized way of living.

Learn how to maximize use of this simple yet highly effective daily pause practice in podcast episode 124A. Louise discusses why it can help hack your cortisol response, balance blood sugar and your hormones with greater calm and ease.

LINKS + RESOURCES

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

Check out my FullScript here where you can see curated best supplement picks & save 20% off. A small portion of the sale goes back to support BTW. Thank you!

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

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

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https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
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This simple and effective upgrade to your health, hormones and performance only takes two minutes a day!

In this episode, Louise Valentine, one of the world’s leading integrative health practitioners and exercise physiologists, explores a hidden challenge many active women face during perimenopause: chronic stress, elevated cortisol and blood sugar.

For driven women who love running, training hard, and pushing themselves, the constant “go, go, go” mindset can quietly disrupt hormones, insulin sensitivity, recovery, and long-term health. Louise explains how intense training, under-fueling, caffeine, and daily life stress can compound, leaving many women feeling exhausted, stuck with stubborn fat loss, or even facing rising blood sugar levels.

The good news is that the solution does not have to be complicated. Louise introduces a simple but powerful tool called a pause practice. By intentionally slowing down for just a few minutes during stressful transition points in the day, women can calm the nervous system, regulate cortisol, and improve recovery.

Listeners will learn how small moments of awareness, breathing, and presence can shift not only their health and training results, but also their energy, mood, and family environment. Sometimes the most powerful performance strategy is learning when to pause.

Apply what you learned with a simple yet highly effective daily pause practice in podcast episode 124B that immediately follows today’s episode!

LINKS + RESOURCES

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

Check out my FullScript here where you can see curated best supplement picks & save 20 % off. A small portion of the sale goes back to support BTW. Thank you!

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

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(02:48) Introduction to the episode and the pause practice concept
(05:27) Why perimenopause starts earlier than many women expect
(06:03) Understanding cortisol and the stress response
(07:38) How running and training volume affect cortisol levels
(09:16) Living in constant “go mode” and hidden stress
(13:29) Cortisol, insulin resistance, and pre-diabetes risk
(17:30) The “cortisol steal” and hormone imbalance
(18:01) Training adjustments to become cortisol resilient
(19:00) Using HRV and symptoms to track recovery and stress
(22:02) Introducing the pause practice for stress regulation
(25:12) How to perform a simple breathing pause
(29:18) How a pause can change your home environment and mood
(31:16) Why slowing down improves digestion and recovery
(34:12) Regulating the nervous system and cortisol response
(36:20) Finding the right moment in your day to pause
(38:30) How stress affects fat loss and belly fat
(39:49) 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

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

Facebook
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What if perimenopause could actually become one of the strongest, healthiest seasons of your life? In this episode, Louise, one of the world's leading women's integrative health practitioners, performance scientists, and exercise physiologists, sits down with Jen to share a transformation story that challenges everything many women believe about aging, hormones, body recomposition, running, and performance!

Jen highlights how simple, consistent strategies like whole-food nutrition, strategic strength training, and fueling that works with our unique changing hormones and female physiology can lead to meaningful changes in body composition, energy, confidence, and biomarkers without relying heavily on medications or extreme protocols.

The conversation explores how small, sustainable, and highly strategic habits compound over time, why a community of strong women's support matters most during midlife, and mindset shifts that can help women move from feeling stuck to feeling empowered.

Listeners will walk away with reassurance that progress does not require perfection, endless supplements, diets, or expensive tools. Instead, it comes from learning how to work with our female body, not against it. Whether you are navigating hormonal changes, struggling with a fitness plateau, or want to feel your best in your body, this episode offers hope, clarity, and practical perspective.

RESOURCES + LINKS

Find the Injury Prevention for Women Runners 30+ and a Female Runners Guide to Support Optimal Ferritin courses mentioned here.

Grab our free monthly goal planning calendar & learn how to use it here.

Get $25 off Function Health labs here or use code LVALENTINE11

Find FullScript here and see curated supplement picks. Save 20% off the Red Yeast Rice & ALA mentioned in this episode. A small portion of the sale goes back to support BTW. Thank you!

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

Save 20% off Kion’s science-backed clean products. Code "LOUISE" saves on all future orders: : https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(2:55) Jen’s success and community impact
(5:39) Home workouts and building confidence
(8:02) Why many women feel stuck in fitness
(10:40) Staying consistent during vacation
(11:33) Nutrition timing and lifestyle flexibility
(14:55) Retreats and community support
(17:55) Motivation through shared goals
(20:30) Coaching structure and accountability
(24:57) Improving biomarkers without medication
(29:30) Science-based strategy and synergy approach
(34:48) Changing the narrative around perimenopause
(38:36) Balancing performance with long-term health
(40:33) Tracking cycles, nutrition, and progress
(45:24) Advice for women feeling stuck
(48:41) 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!

Email 💬 support@breakingthroughwellness.com

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

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

Perimenopause does not have to be the beginning of decline, but can instead be the start of your strongest chapter!

In this inspiring success story, Louise, a leading expert for perimenopausal active women and runners, sits down with Jen, an everyday runner and mom who transformed her health, hormones, and body composition after years of frustration. Jen shares how anxiety, overtraining, fasting, and misinformation left her injured and stuck, despite doing everything she thought was “right.” The turning point came when she learned to fuel her body to build beautiful hormones and mitigate symptoms, apply specific targeted strength training, adjust her running, and work with her hormones instead of against them.

Listeners will take away a powerful reminder that thriving in perimenopause does not require extreme diets or complicated protocols. Simple yet strategic consistent habits are often the most effective. This episode also highlights how community support, understanding your body’s signals, and using whole foods strategically can improve energy, reduce inflammation, and restore confidence.

If you feel discouraged by changing hormones, stubborn belly fat, being told there is nothing you can do about your genetic predispositions, or frustrating injuries that make you question your future as an active woman, Jen’s story shows what is possible with the right approach, support, and mindset.

RESOURCES

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

Take Injury Prevention for Women Runners 30+ or my Female Runners Guide to Support Optimal Ferritin Masterclasses mentioned here.

Grab a free monthly goal planning calendar & learn how to use it here.

Get $25 off Function’s comprehensive labs here or use code LVALENTINE11

Check out FullScript here where you can see curated supplement picks & save 20% off. A small portion of the sale goes back to support BTW. Thank you!

Save 20% off Kion’s science-backed products. Code "LOUISE" saves on all future orders: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Highlights:

(0:00) Intro
(3:02) Retreat and power of supportive community
(6:03) Rethinking running intensity and long-term health
(13:05) Jen’s journey into running for anxiety
(17:37) Midlife wake-up call and quitting alcohol
(22:20) Weight gain, injuries, and fasting mistakes
(24:30) Severe injury and fear of never running again
(27:11) Strength training and SI joint breakthroughs
(35:31) Nutrition label awareness and inflammation insights
(38:07) Simple fueling framework and sustainable habits
(41:06) Bloodwork improvements using food
(45:25) Genes, hormones, and personalized health approach
(48:00) Biological age improvements and body transformation
(51:53) Preview of part two

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

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

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

Most symptoms we're dealing with as active women and runners aren’t random at all, but are instead clues our body is trying to give us.

In this episode, Louise, a multi-award-winning women's integrative health practitioner, shares three powerful lessons from her own health journey and client experiences that every woman should know, especially during perimenopause.

She explains how hormone shifts can impact everything from medical testing accuracy to inflammation, fat loss resistance, stress sensitivity, and even unexpected symptoms like canker sores. One key insight is the importance of timing medical screenings, such as breast MRIs, with your menstrual cycle to improve accuracy. Another is the complex relationship between estrogen, histamine, and hormone replacement therapy, and how individual genetics can influence reactions.

Louise also highlights how stress, calorie restriction, and hormonal fluctuations can trigger symptoms that seem unrelated, and offers practical strategies to manage acute issues while still addressing root causes like gut health and hormone balance.

This episode is a reminder that women’s health is highly individualized.

Understanding your unique physiology, tracking patterns, and using targeted strategies can help you feel more in control, improve performance, and support long-term health through every stage of life.

Explore my "All About Gut Health" and other masterclasses here: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/store

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

Learn and 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. Code "LOUISE" saves on all future orders: : https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(3:05) Three important women’s health lessons
(6:15) Missed eligibility for early breast screening
(9:46) Hormones affecting MRI and mammogram accuracy
(13:09) Best timing for breast imaging in cycle
(15:10) Hormone optimization and HRT considerations
(19:01) Estrogen patch reaction case study
(21:58) Estrogen, histamine, and mast cell connection
(27:14) Managing histamine overload and recovery
(35:24) Stress sensitivity during perimenopause explained
(40:00) Hormones, stress, and canker sore triggers
(42:49) Gut health and autoimmune connections
(46:39) L-lysine for acute outbreak management
(51:08) Symptom relief vs root cause approach
(52:19) Upcoming resources and listener updates
(54:15) 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

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

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

Often, the reason we feel tired, stuck, or frustrated in our training, fitness, and health as active women and runners has nothing to do with willpower and everything to do with under-fueling relative to our female body's energy and support needs.

In this powerful conversation, host Louise Valentine, one of the world's leading exercise physiologists and women's integrative health practitioners specializing in active women and recreational runners, sits down with Dr. Megan Hellner to unpack how active women, especially runners over 35, unknowingly fall into Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) and disordered eating patterns. They explain why always eating “clean” or following strict food rules that eliminate nourishing foods can disrupt hormones, damage health, and limit performance.

You will learn how fear of carbs, diet culture, misleading marketing, and social media trends quietly drain our energy and resilience. Dr. Hellner shares why RED-S can affect women of all body sizes, how to recognize early warning signs, and when mental health support matters. Together, they emphasize returning to simple, evidence-based fueling, honoring food preferences to keep a sense of joy and balance in life, and building flexibility around eating.

This episode reminds you that food is not the enemy. When you fuel well and in alignment with your female body's needs, it recovers better, performs stronger, and supports long-term vibrant health. If you want to run, train, and live with confidence through perimenopause and beyond, this conversation offers clarity, relief, and practical direction.

Find a Practical Early Risk RED-S Screening Checklist here: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/blog/a-practical-red-s-early-risk-self-screen-checklist

Learn more about Dr. Megan & colleagues virtual eating disorder clinic: www.AthleatMD.com

Dr. Megan Hellner’s Email: Megan@AthleatMD.com

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 curated best supplement picks & save 20%: 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. Code "LOUISE" saves on all future orders: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(3:07) Introducing Dr. Megan Hellner and AthleatMD
(8:17) Longevity over chasing PRs
(10:08) Why athletes struggle with food relationships
(18:17) Female-specific research and hormone changes
(21:13) Fear of carbs and missing the basics
(25:02) What RED-S really means
(27:46) Why endurance athletes are most at risk
(29:04) RED-S affects all body types
(32:23) RED-S vs. eating disorders
(34:20) Weight restoration and recovery
(41:50) Diet culture and macro traps
(45:

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

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

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

Unfortunately, many of the ways we've been taught to train, eat, and “push through” as females who love to feel, look, and run our best are working against our best health, hormones, and longevity in vibrant active living.

In this episode, Louise speaks directly to driven, active women who want to feel strong, lean, energized, and confident through perimenopause and beyond.

As a multi award-winning women's integrative health practitioner, top trainer, and exercise physiologist she explains why many traditional fitness, running, and nutrition approaches, including fasting, intentional or unintentional underfueling, traditional best practice dietetic recommendations, and high-volume training, can quietly damage our best health, hormones, body composition, bone health, and recovery.

Drawing from her own eye-opening journey and 23 years of coaching female runners, ambitious athletes, and everyday wellness-minded fitness lovers, Louise shares why fueling to support your female physiology, managing stress, and training in hormone-aware ways are essential for long-term health and performance. She breaks down how cortisol, under-eating, fad diets, and outdated male-based training methods contribute to fatigue, injuries, belly fat, performance decline, and frustrating symptoms many women accept as “normal.”

You will learn why perfection is not the goal, how to build sustainable habits, and how small daily choices can protect your best hormones, strength, performance, and longevity.

This episode is a powerful reminder that you deserve to thrive, not just survive, in this phase of life.

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 curated best supplement picks & save 20%: 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. Code "LOUISE" saves on all future orders: : https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(5:05) Building a strong fueling foundation
(7:19) “Adult boundaries” and realistic balance
(8:41) Alcohol, recovery, and fat loss
(11:55) Food, training, and hormone production
(13:55) Rebuilding bone and hormonal health
(16:11) Why group fitness and high-volume running fall short
(17:24) Stress, cortisol, and burnout patterns
(21:50) Simplifying supplements and going back to basics
(24:08) The dangers of outdated training methods
(32:12) Underfueling, hunger hormones, and RED-S
(38:30) Understanding your personal stress tipping point
(40:34) Timing nutrition for hormone support
(43:16) Osteoporosis and advocating for your health
(49:49) How to train and thrive long-term
(53:26) Why fasting is devastating for active women
(1:00:03) 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

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

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

What if the symptoms you have been told are “just part of hormonal changes and perimenopause” are actually a misdiagnosed medical condition that's progressively getting worse without being properly addressed?

In this episode of Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause, Louise Valentine, one of the world’s leading integrative health practitioners and exercise physiologists, sits down with Dr. Ryan Armstrong to break down fibroids, chronic pain, and vascular issues in a way that finally makes sense. Together, they explore why heavy bleeding, chronic fatigue, knee pain, plantar fasciitis, and leg cramping are so common in active women and why they should never be ignored or normalized.

Dr. Ryan explains minimally invasive treatments like uterine fibroid embolization that preserve the uterus while dramatically improving quality of life, often with faster recovery and fewer long-term risks than traditional surgery. Louise adds critical context around hormone balance, nutrition, and strength training, showing how medical care, targeted fitness and lifestyle strategies work best together.

Listeners will walk away with clarity around symptoms to watch for, questions to ask their doctors, and reassurance that there are modern, effective options that do not require extreme or life-altering procedures. This episode is empowering, practical, and especially valuable for women who want to stay active, strong, and pain-free through perimenopause and beyond.

Learn more about Dr. Armstrong’s practice Texas Endovascular at https://texaseva.com/

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 curated best supplement picks & save 20%: 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. Code "LOUISE" saves on all future orders: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro and natural hormone balance for long-term relief
(3:00) Fibroids explained in simple terms
(6:10) Hormones, inflammation, and injury risk
(12:50) Uterine fibroid embolization explained
(18:11) Risks of hysterectomy and why alternatives matter
(20:38) Innovative treatments for knee pain and plantar fasciitis
(23:29) Venous insufficiency, cramping, and varicose veins
(30:20) Heavy bleeding, anemia, and athletic performance
(32:29) Ablation vs embolization for fibroid care
(36:06) 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

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

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