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

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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