Often, the reason we're exhausted, struggling to recover, fat loss resistant, seeing rapid hormone decline, or noticing frustrating changes in our body isn't just "inevitable" perimenopause, but rather it's the stress our body is carrying every day and how it impacts our daily hormonal rhythm.

In this episode, Louise Valentine, one of the world’s leading health, fitness and performance experts, welcomes back Jen for part one of a mini masterclass on adrenal, stress and cortisol regulation, and how everyday habits affect active women over 35. Louise explains the body's stress response, the three stages of HPA axis dysfunction, and why feeling fine doesn't always mean your body is recovering or functioning well. They discuss how running, intense workouts, caffeine, poor sleep, and underfueling can add to your body's overall stress load.

Jen shares her own experience recognizing energy fluctuations and making small changes to her daily routine. The conversation also covers DHEA, optimizing hormone health, and why supplements require professional guidance.

For female runners navigating perimenopause, this episode offers a chance to reassess training, fueling, and recovery habits. The biggest takeaway? Supporting your body isn't always about doing more. More often, it's about learning what our female body needs to recover, build optimal hormones, stay strong, and mitigate expedited perimenopause decline.

RESOURCES + LINKS

Learn & level up with my free nutrition guide & award-winning 1:1 Academy to thrive through perimenopause: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com

Link to podcast episode #124B with our Daily Pause Practice, how & why it works is here.

Check out my FullScript here where you can see curated supplement picks, by topic, to address your concerns & save 25% off! A small portion of EACH sale goes back to support BTW. Thank you!

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount & save 20% off Kion’s science-backed clean products here. Code "LOUISE" saves on all future orders.

Learn, laugh & level up with a Breaking Through Wellness masterclass here.

Track your biomarkers with Function Health & save $25 using code “LVALENTINE11” here. $25 goes back to support BTW with each new sign up! Thank you!

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(2:41) Important precautions about DHEA and supplements
(8:40) Understanding adrenal stress and cortisol regulation
(11:21) Why daily stress check-ins matter
(18:09) The connection between stress and hormone health
(20:07) Why cortisol isn't always the enemy
(21:15) Understanding cortisol testing and DHEA levels
(28:51) Three stages of HPA axis dysfunction
(30:06) Stage one: Feeling tired but wired
(30:27) Stage two: Energy crashes and cortisol fluctuations
(33:42) Stage three: Exhaustion, burnout, and poor recovery
(36:39) Everyday habits that affect your stress response
(39:19) How underfueling impacts active women
(41:52) Why consistent morning fueling matters
(44:27) Morning sunlight, sleep, and cortisol regulation
(45:54) How excessive exercise affects recovery
(50:59) Final takeaways and what's coming in part two
(51:53) 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

Please note if you want to be a podcast guest, there is a fee and interview process. This is safe space and curated Community exclusively for women who love to feel, look and run our best without B.S. noise, endless pills, extreme diets or misleading fads.