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Leveling Up Midlife - Our Blog.
Our blog is a place where we share helpful insights, practical strategies, and science-based information to support women over 40 on their health journey. From nutrition and strength training to menopause, mindset, and sustainable weight loss, our goal is to provide clear guidance that helps you better understand your body and build healthier habits. Whether you’re looking for education, motivation, or simple tips you can apply to everyday life, our articles are here to help you move forward with confidence.
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Allulose: What Makes This Sweetener So Sweet?
Want to hear about allulose, a low-calorie sweetener that helps you lose weight and doesn’t have a cringy aftertaste with every taste like you just licked the back of an ibuprofen pill? What if I told you that just like the late-night 90’s “Sham-wow” video commercial, this sweetener also had potential health benefits? Let’s discuss the potential benefits of the hottest noncaloric sweetener on the market and some considerations you should also be aware of. Let Me Introduce Y
Jan 20, 2025
Seed Oils: How Bad Are They?
Seed oils are the talk of the town—or at least the talk of the social media health warriors and future Head of the Department of Health and Human Services. Depending on who you follow, they’re either miracle liquids or the dietary bogeyman causing brain fog, inflammation, and making your waistline expand faster than you can say, "Super-size me!" But before you start throwing out your canola oil, let’s see what science actually says. Spoiler alert: it’s not as dramatic as your
Dec 23, 2024
Fat Loss: What’s More Critical? Cardio, Training, or Nutrition?
Fat Loss: where sweaty endeavors and questionable choices like regrettable "30-day challenges" come into play. Let me take you on a secret journey where, suddenly, your body prefers mystery puzzles over straight answers. I have always loved the escape and self-confidence that comes from working out. It allowed me the flexibility to eat anything I wanted and stay relatively healthy most of my life. Perimenopause changed all of that, and I felt like I was no longer in control o
Dec 16, 2024
Your New Year's Resolution Sucks: Here's How to Fix It!
The New Year's Resolution Struggle: You’ve been a lazy sloth, eating anything that wasn’t nailed down to the treat table. You feel like Dr. Evil's Fat Bastard (thank you, Mike Myers), and you’re disgusted with how your body looks. You’re exhausted and possibly a little sweaty from the stress just thinking about what you need to do to pry your arse off the couch. You’ve finally had it! It’s time for a New Year's Resolution. Umm Yay? You want to wear heels again and not feel so
Dec 9, 2024
How to Enjoy the Holidays Without Weight Gain
The Holiday Weight Gain Phenomenon Did you know the average American can gain between 1-8 pounds over the holiday season? The more weight you need to lose going into the Holidays, the more likely you are to gain closer to the 8 lb mark. Fit or Fat: What's Your Holiday Fate? If you are fit and healthy going into the holiday season, you will gain closer to the one-pound mark (on average). Also, studies suggest that if you gain no weight during the Holidays, there is a strong c
Dec 2, 2024
Adaptations: Understanding Their Role in Fat Loss
Adaptations are changes your body undergoes to improve its function and efficiency in response to dietary habits or physical activity. They are the body’s natural ability to respond to and adjust to new demands or environments. Our Caveman Legacy and Metabolism Back in the day—let's call it eleventy billion years ago—cavemen rocked animal skins and spent their time hurling spears at woolly mammoths. Life was a big feast or a waiting game for the next meal. Our bodies learned
Nov 25, 2024
GLP-1: Is Using Ozempic Cheating?
As a nutrition coach and personal trainer, I’m asked on the daily about GLP-1 and Ozempic. It’s crazy to me how a weight loss drug can be as polarizing as the presidential election, but here we are. Based on what I do for a living, you probably think I’m in the “It’s Cheating!!” camp, but it’s complicated (kinda like all my relationships). Understanding Ozempic: What is a GLP-1? First, let’s start with WTH Ozempic is. Ozempic is a class of “drug” called a GLP-1 (glucagon-lik
Nov 18, 2024
My Battle with The Scale
I’ve always had a horrible relationship with the scale. There wasn’t much that I hated more than getting on the scale. I used to put off going to the doctor because the thought of getting on the scale while some 20-year-old childless nurse eyed the muffin top spilling over my skinny jeans was enough to make me unstable. I don’t know when this started because I was never a big kid, but things changed for me somewhere along the way to becoming an adult. I don’t know if it’s be
Nov 10, 2024
Breaking the Motivation Myth: 7 Tips to Really Stay on Track
Hey, motivation seekers... in this article on "Unveiling the Motivation Myth," we're taking a deep and entertaining dive into the world of motivation – or, more precisely, seven myths surrounding it. Join us as we debunk these common misconceptions and offer practical strategies to help you achieve your goals with a smile. The Motivation Myth Many of us turn to motivational phrases like "no pain, no gain" or "go hard or go home," hoping for a quick energy boost. But let's fac
Nov 3, 2024
Strength: Why Women in Menopause Should Flex Their Muscles (Because Who Needs a Cape)?
Strength in menopausal women: Ladies, if you've reached that stage of life where you can blame mood swings on menopause and call it a day when something just isn’t sparking joy, I'm here to let you in on a little secret: strength training is your new best friend. Yes, you heard that right! We're talking about mighty muscles that could lift your spirits higher than your best pair of heels. And before you roll your eyes and say, "I’ve got enough heavy lifting with life, thank
Oct 21, 2024
Bones and Menopause
Are you worried about your bones? Remember when you were a kid and thought you were invincible, like a superhero in pajamas? I had that delusion well into my early adult years. However, if you've been fortunate enough to hit middle age and are nearing menopause, you might feel less like a superhero and more like a creaky old robot. Suddenly, every joint sound like a rusty hinge and your nightly aroma therapy involves the scent of Bengay. Ah, the sweet smell of maturity… This
Oct 14, 2024
Poop 101: What Your Poop is Trying to Tell You
Well, poop! Welcome to the No. 2 comedy show! The secret to healthy poop involves the fabulous trifecta: timing, frequency, and presentation. We're here to dive into the art of poopology—the shapes, the colors, and some top-secret tips to keep your digestion doing the happy dance! Understanding Poopology Signs of a Healthy Bowel Ah, the quest for regularity—a tale as old as time! Being "regular" doesn’t mean you're chained to a once-a-day bathroom schedule. The secret? Your b
Oct 6, 2024
Self Sabotage: Are You Wrecking Your Progress?
Self-sabotage refers to behaviors or thought patterns that prevent an individual from achieving their goals or undermining their success. It often happens when someone consciously or unconsciously acts in ways that hold them back or derail progress. Here Are 13 Key Ways You Are Sabotaging Your Results: 1. Are you avoiding the uncomfortable tasks that will bring you the results you say matter to you because you don’t want to leave your comfort zone? Telling yourself things li
Sep 29, 2024
Weight Loss Mistakes
Are there weight loss mistakes? Absolutely. As a Nutrition Coach, I am sharing the biggest ones I see when working with clients to drop fat for good. Let's face it: embarking on a weight loss journey is a rewarding decision, but it can be fraught with pitfalls that may stall your progress. Below, I've outlined 15 common mistakes people make when trying to lose weight. Recognizing and avoiding these errors can enhance your journey and achieve sustainable success. 15 Weight Los
Sep 22, 2024
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a hotly debated topic. The history of HRT is riddled with controversy and misrepresented information. History of HRT When looking at scientific and medical information regarding women’s health, it became evident that most of the scientific research was focused primarily on white men. In 1993, the Woman’s Health Initiative (WHI) began a series of clinical studies initiated by the National Institute of Health to address significant health is
Sep 16, 2024
Fixing Frozen Shoulder
Frozen Shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) is a condition in which moving the Shoulder becomes painful, and the range of motion becomes limited. Some functional activities that can be affected by a frozen shoulder are brushing your hair or teeth, reaching behind your back, lifting something off a high shelf, or raising your arm into the shirt sleeve to get dressed. 3 Stages of Frozen Shoulder : A frozen shoulder typically occurs when the patient limits movement or is required to
Sep 9, 2024
Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss in Menopause
Weight loss vs. Fat loss: As a Nutrition coach, I love my job. It fills my cup to help 40+ women create a healthy, fit body that will allow them to be confident and have the longevity and quality of life they deserve. However…I have one complaint. I really want women to stop using the scale to determine health and self-worth. Almost every woman I have worked with has an emotional reaction to the number on the scale. They lose a pound and are on cloud nine. They gain two poun
Sep 1, 2024
Cortisol
Cortisol. Everyone remembers this Relacore TV infomercial from the early 2000s, promising the answer to all your stress-induced weight loss woes. Products like Relacore promise unmatched stress-induced belly fat reduction! For just three easy payments. Now, you probably wouldn’t be reading this article if Relacore had been the solution it promised to be. While Relacore has some ingredients like magnesium, ginseng, and magnolia bark, which can help with relaxation, it’s essent
Aug 26, 2024
Sleep: Why it’s Crucial
Nothing is worse than a bad night’s sleep. The tossing and turning, when your brain just won't shut off. You can’t get comfortable…too hot, too cold, or your body hurts. What about waking up every few hours to go to the bathroom? How about when your brain and body feel like it’s 3 am…time to get up!! Ugh! It’s the worst! Ever wonder how that lack of sleep really affects your health and longevity? Is it that big a deal? Does it matter more in menopause? Hint: The answer is ye
Aug 19, 2024
Supplements in Menopause
A supplement is a product intended to add nutritional value to the diet. Supplements are used to complete, extend, or reinforce something needed in the diet. Supplements are not meant to replace but to enhance something you already do. This is valuable in menopause since age and hormone-related changes diminish valuable nutrients and processes within a woman's body in this stage of life. Changes like osteopenia, sarcopenia, and estrogen all begin to decline around menopause.
Aug 12, 2024
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