Capacity is not talked about often enough when it comes to heart health, and today on UPLEVEL, Dr. Jenna is diving deep into what your body can actually sustain and how to protect the female heart in real life. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about why your heart doesn’t need you to be calm all the time, it just needs you to recover well, why emotional labor is physical labor, and why the heart isn’t only a pump, it is also a metabolic organ that demands large amounts of energy. Dr. Jenna goes on to explain why chronic self-control is a stressor and shares some examples of that before discussing why patterns over time are what define your heart health. Dr. Jenna challenges us to ask ourselves what support we can give our bodies to lower cardiovascular load. Finally, Dr. Jenna reminds us that heart health isn’t about perfection and encourages us to examine our self-talk. Thanks for listening!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic: how to actually protect your heart.
• Why your heart cares more about variability than perfection.
• The importance of being able to recover from stress.
• Why emotional labor has the same effect as physical labor.
• Seeing the heart as a metabolic organ, not just a pump.
• Why chronic self-control is actually a stressor.
• Dr. Jenna briefly shares her opinion on GLP-1s.
• What truly defines your heart health.
• A challenge: lower your cardiovascular load.
• The power of self-talk in heart health.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

‘The Power of Self-Talk and Letting Go of Perfectionism’

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Even when your labs look normal, and you have healthy habits, chronic stress may still be shaping your heart health. As part of the ongoing Heart Health Month series on UPLEVEL, Dr. Jenna explains what stress is actually doing inside the body and why it matters more than most women realize. She breaks down the physiological effects of stress, from sustained fight-or-flight activation to inflammation and metabolic strain, and explains why midlife women are especially vulnerable as hormones shift. Dr. Jenna challenges the idea that willpower fixes everything and shows how recovery, sleep, boundaries, and small reductions in load can meaningfully reduce your long-term risk. She also addresses common misconceptions about hormone therapy in perimenopause and why you don’t have to wait to get support. Tune in for an honest, science-backed conversation on protecting your heart by working with your biology, not against it!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Chronic stress as a major (but overlooked) heart risk in women.
• Understanding resistance from your body as protection, not laziness or lack of willpower.
• Acute vs. chronic stress, and how the body registers external demands.
• Sustained fight or flight and its impact on inflammation and metabolic health.
• How midlife women face higher stress sensitivity due to physiological changes.
• Why doing everything “right” can still fail under high stress load.
• Why recovery, sleep, and consistency matter more than intensity.
• Decreasing chronic pressure, not just adding more healthy habits.
• The good news: your nervous system is trainable and small shifts add up.
• Why hormone therapy does not have to wait until menopause.
• Simplifying your life to reduce load and protect longevity.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

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In this episode of UPLEVEL, Dr. Jenna continues the Heart Health Month conversation by unpacking why heart health isn’t just about cholesterol — even though cholesterol remains an important marker of cardiovascular risk. She helps listeners navigate the noise surrounding heart health, especially for women after menopause, when biological and hormonal shifts reduce the body’s natural buffering capacity. Dr. Jenna explores why nutrition quality and consistency matter, how lifestyle choices influence cholesterol, and the role medication and hormone therapy can play when guided by informed medical decision-making. Grounded in prevention rather than perfection, this episode emphasizes shared decision-making, informed consent, and the importance of staying engaged with your body for the long game of heart health.

Key Points From This Episode:

• What listeners can expect from today’s episode of UPLEVEL.
• Navigating through the noise around heart health.
• Biological factors that are altered after menopause.
• Why cholesterol matters in relation to cardiovascular risk.
• Normalizing that hormonal shifts reduce buffering.
• Why nutrition quality and consistency matter.
• Other health principles that have a positive effect on your cholesterol.
• Dr. Jenna shares her thoughts on medication and its role in cholesterol.
• Why prevention is not about perfection: the importance of shared decision-making and informed consent.
• The long game: the importance of being engaged with your body and making informed choices over time.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

EP 51 Finding Joy Again. Why Feeling Good Is Part of Healing

UPLEVEL Holistic Health

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Book Your FREE Discovery Call with Dr. Jenna Blasi