Interview with Dr. Stacy Sims

Interview Questions:

1. You have a background in endurance sports. How did you get into the world of triathlon?
2. One of the messages you’re trying to get across is that women are not little men. what do you mean by that?
3. There is a misconception that the more we train, the more we benefit. What happens to an athlete when there is intense physical activity accompanied by insufficient calories?
4. You mentioned that women shouldn’t care about bulking up from strength training, instead they should care about having a little muscle. Can you talk about the importance of muscle mass for a woman?
5. For women who still have menstrual cycles, what can we expect when it comes to our training and performance during the various hormonal phases?
6. She talks a lot about the importance of protein for women. What are some of the differences in the ways men and women differ in their protein needs?
7. What happens when women try to follow a low-carb diet long-term?
8. He often asks me if I recommend intermittent fasting for runners. Do men and women usually respond differently?
9. It seems that only when women get used to dealing with the menstrual cycle and how it relates to training do we enter the perimenopause phase of life. What are some of the different needs of an athlete going through menopause?
10. Are you going to study a course entitled “Men are not great women”? (Trevor question)

Take the Road Summary

Much of the previous research has only looked at a narrow group of college-age male cyclists. The results were applied to all runners, and this often does not give an accurate picture of how we, particularly women, will respond. Fortunately, people like Dr. Sims are doing research on broader demographics that will help future generations of runners be smarter about how they train and fuel.

A woman’s hormonal cycle affects the effect of exercise, nutritional choices, recovery, fuel, and more. Understanding what hormonal phase you are in can give you insight and allow you to work with your body, not against it.

Muscle is one of the greatest natural resources a woman has, especially as we age (and it’s important for men too). If you want to have strong bones, mobility and sustained independence, you need to lift heavy weights on a regular basis.

Food choices such as low-carb fasting and intermittent fasting affect an athletic woman differently, especially when she is in the premenopausal period of life. Women need to get a regular intake of protein throughout the day and should avoid strenuous exercise in a fasting state if they want to keep cortisol (stress hormone) levels low.