Are you injured or nursing a chronic pain? Sadly in menopause there’s far too much of this, but I want you to be encouraged. There’s hope, even if you’re experiencing a serious issue like a joint replacement. After having BOTH hips replaced 18 months apart, I can say I’m almost as strong as I was … Continued

Feel like nothing works to reduce your increasing belly fat? Cardio *done right* can get rid of your menopause belly and visceral fat and the good news is it doesn’t take a ton of time. But it does take EFFORT. Enter SIT: sprint interval training. Here’s how to do SIT: Warm up 5 min (easy … Continued

As you age, you can pretty much do it all, you just need more recovery time between workouts. Motion is lotion, so you’ll always feel better after a little movement. As a fitness expert in my 60’s, this is what I do when I WANT to workout but know I need to take a days … Continued

Being sick takes a lot more time & energy than the time it takes to get & stay fit… I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be dependent on others to take care of me as I age. Who’s with me? If your health needs an overhaul, I’m here to help. I … Continued

Statistics reveal a concerning reality: Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults & breaking a hip can significantly impact quality of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in four older adults falls each year. For those who fall & sustain a hip fracture, the consequences can be dire. … Continued

You’ll look (and feel) better when you lift weights…. BUT, resistance training isn’t just about aesthetics. According to Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, only 6 to 8% of people are meeting the guidelines for resistance training. If you are sedentary, you can expect to experience: Metabolic disorders Alzheimer’s disease Cardiovascular disease Fertility issues Obesity Sleep apnea To … Continued

A powerful marker of longevity is grip strength. Rantanen T, Guralnik JM, Foley D, et al. Midlife Hand Grip Strength as a Predictor of Old Age Disability. JAMA. 1999;281(6):558–560. doi:10.1001/jama.281.6.558 When it comes to accidents, grip strength can directly make the difference between a good and a bad outcome. Having a strong grip gives you a greater chance of catching … Continued

It’s hard to believe you’ll get old… At some point you’ll think: ‘how can I be the same age as old people’? Your motivation to stay exercise might become more than pure aesthetics. When you see your parents become sick or frail, you’ll probably want to stay strong. You’ll probably want to age better and … Continued

Smaller is not better. STRONGER is better! You can build muscle at ANY age, but the sooner the better. And the more muscle you put on at a younger age, the better… But it’s never too late! So load up the bar! A pet peeve of mine is when women kill themselves trying to be … Continued

Aging is a gift but it will come with setbacks… To maintain my health (including a healthy weight) over the years, I’ve found TWO principles most helpful. STOP DIETING – You need to simply become the person that eats more protein, veggies etc MOST of the time & indulge in treats SOME of the time. … Continued

Are your parents still alive? Sadly, I lost both my parents, my Mom in 2013 and my Dad in 2021. Before they passed, I watched their health deteriorate. They were of a generation where ‘working out’ wasn’t really a ‘thing’. They were both smokers and while they had both quit, they suffered the consequences of some … Continued

You workout IN the gym so you’ll be strong and confident to tackle adventures OUTSIDE the gym! I’m scared mountain biking 80% of the time…But I sure feel good when I’m able to manage a hairpin turn or climb a nasty dirt hill. Oh, and if you’re looking for a good way to connect with … Continued

You may not want to hear some of these things (except the last point!), but the fact is, as you go through menopause, your body isn’t BROKEN, it’s just different. It’s what you do MOST of the time that affects your health results. A little exercise OFTEN is better than a lot of exercise infrequently. … Continued

Blew your nutrition? It’s OKAY. The good news is you always get another chance. Don’t starve or punish yourself. Make a healthier choice the VERY NEXT meal or snack. Bump up the protein & fiber to keep you full & energized. Here are 10 snack ideas that contain at least 15g of protein & 5g … Continued

Over eating can be UNRELATED to satiety cues, but this mantra can help if you’re able to listen to your body cues… Start eating BEFORE you get too hungry… Getting too hungry makes it more difficult to make healthy choices. Stop eating BEFORE you’re full because when you’re starving, you can eat too quickly & … Continued

Is it really high protein? Here’s a trick to help determine if protein content is high compared to calories Look at the nutrition label Add a zero to the protein value Compare this value to total calories If the value is equal to or greater than total calories, the food has a decent amount of … Continued

Want an easy trick to figure out if a food is high in fiber? Marketers can be deceptive on food packaging so you can use this trick to determine the facts vs advertising. This is called the ‘Fiber 10:1 Rule’: The larger the difference, the better source of fibre Here are the examples in the … Continued

Ever fall into a vat of ice cream or found your hand at the bottom of a chip bag without even realizing it? Maybe you’re an emotional eater? Try this… Make a plan before emotions are triggered. What ELSE could you do other than eat? If this…Then that… For example: If you get upset with … Continued

You do NOT need to cut back on carbs to achieve your weight loss goals in menopause! But, if you’re looking to increase your protein intake, this recipe is helpful. Plus, it’s pretty tasty! 2 whole eggs 1 cup 2% cottage cheese spice of choice (I used ‘Everything Bagel) Blend, pour onto parchment paper Bake … Continued

Your coach should make your life easier! (But some may feel threatened if you feel empowered to create your own recipes.) Remember your recipe will only be as good as the prompt you provide….So, be SPECIFIC with the nutritional info & calories you need in the recipe. If you need help with personalized nutrition specifics, … Continued

Consistency is KING when it comes to achieving anything, ESPECIALLY with weight loss.  How consistent with nutrition are you really? Here’s a way to track your progress towards your weight loss goal. Put a blue check mark at the end of the day if you hit your nutrition goal. Put a red X if you … Continued

The 15th reason to eat more fiber? Add combat cognitive decline to the list! This study concluded: Higher dietary fiber intake is associated with improved specific components of cognitive function in older adults aged 60 years and older. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.03.022 Why wait until you’re 60+ to increase fiber when there are these additional benefits of fiber: … Continued

You know how important protein is (I hope), but food prepping can be a hassle. Any chance you could protein meal prep in about 5 minutes? Yup. Thanks to a rotisserie chicken (store bought is fine!) and a ziplock bag. I was skeptical, but it really worked for me. The meat literally fell off the … Continued

Is your belly getting bigger despite the exercise you’re doing? Gah! So frustrating! You’re not actually gaining MORE fat, it’s just that it goes there first as estrogen declines – I know this isn’t very comforting news though… You need to know that exercise is not the VEHICLE to fat loss. Nutrition & consistent healthy … Continued

Aging and how time accumulates is a funny thing. Every day you wake up, you may not notice the passage of time… Until you do.  You might notice aches or pains or hit a milestone birthday and wonder, ‘Wow, how did that number get so big?’ I’m with you… You may look in the mirror … Continued

Small hinges swing big doors. In other words, it’s the small things that will change your life over time. This can work in a both positive and negative ways. You don’t need to overhaul your entire life to be on a healthier path. . Consider doing something small. Examples may be something simple like: -doing … Continued

The danger is in thinking you have more time… The average lifespan for women is 82.6 years (Canada, 2021). At 60, you have 22 summers left… 22 Christmas’s 22 birthdays 22 years to see & do it all – if you’re lucky! It may be morbid to look at life this way, but it certainly … Continued

Do you have a passion project? My co-host, Alli Kerr and I do the Girls Talk Healthy Aging podcast as our passion project and as a public service. We’re passionate about bringing you evidence based information to help you age well. Honestly, at first we were excited to just talk with each other, but we’ve … Continued

Menopause can be a downer! But there’s plenty that you can do to take back ownership of what seems like your alien body. It starts with being kind to yourself & acknowledging that it’s going to be OK. Then: 1️Talk to your doctor about whether menopause hormone therapy is right for you 2️Look at your … Continued

If you’re in holiday mode, manage your weight loss expectations… Not every season is a fat loss season, and that’s OKAY! There’s nothing wrong with maintaining your weight. In fact, if you try to ‘diet’ during your holiday, you’ll most likely be unsuccessful and potentially sabotage what could be memory-making times. You’ll come home thinking … Continued

Fat loss takes a LONG time. But a year is going to pass anyways. What if you could lose fat and enjoy yourself along the way? Like regularly having Friday night pizza with the family? And enjoy birthday and other celebrations without feeling deprived? And KNOW that the weight lost will NEVER be ‘found’ again … Continued

Why should you do something scary? Because as you age, it gets easier to sit things out and then you miss out on fun! Novel activities enhance performance of your aging brain which will keep you young. https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.1998.10605603 So, how can you SAFELY do something scary? Here are a few tips: Get support – don’t … Continued

Ever wonder where the years go? Presently, I couldn’t be happier with life, even though it turned out differently than I anticipated. If I were to offer any advice, it’s to ‘put on your own oxygen mask first’, self care is more important than you may give it credit. I’ve always prioritized my health and … Continued

Genetics? There’s both good & bad news… Genetics has only a small impact on longevity, according to a new study involving more than 400 million people: https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.118.301613 Longevity is mostly decided by lifestyle, with less than 10% down to DNA. So it doesn’t matter much if you’ve been dealt a rough hand or a winning … Continued

Don’t wait for motivation, because even if or when you feel motivated, it won’t last. That’s why creating a HABIT is the answer to GET THINGS DONE. Especially when you don’t ‘feel’ like doing the thing. Just create a habit to DO THE THING and rinse & repeat… I know that creating and consistently implementing … Continued

Want more willpower? Do hard things… The anterior mid-cingulate cortex (aMCC) in your brain is activated when you do things that you don’t really want to do… So, the harder things you do, the harder things you CAN do over time. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2019.09.011 It’s like building a muscle. Activation of the aMCC is ELEVATED with more … Continued

Hot flashes? Well, if you need ANOTHER reason to resistance train, here it is… More lean muscle is shown to reduce hot flashes according to this study: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40695-020-00058-9 How do you get more muscle? Resistance training! With declining estrogen levels in the menopause transition, both bone density and muscle mass declines. Resistance training offsets both … Continued

It’s not all bad! I mean not worrying about a period or unwanted pregnancy is a bonus of menopause, right? Here are the things you can do to offset the negatives you may be experiencing as estrogen declines: Eat a high protein, fiber rich diet. Resistance train 2-3 times a week. Keep a consistent sleep … Continued

Starting something new for fitness? It can be scary (even for seasoned fitness veterans). Here are 3 tips to make it easier: 1. Check out the facility, find when it’s not busy & try to go during those times. 2. Go with a plan! 3. Do it scared, after the first few times, it will … Continued

Calorie trackers are inaccurate. They don’t account for EPOCH – or energy burned AFTER exercise – which is the big benefit of resistance training. Your workout should be FUN anyways, not just a source of calorie burning. Your workout should be focused on fun and/or skill or strength development. It’s only a small part of … Continued

Weight loss only occurs in a calorie deficit, but instead of eating less, why not do more? Enter NEAT: non-exercise activity thermogenesis. This includes walking (& all the other active things you do in your day). Simply adding more daily steps can create a calorie deficit while eating more. It’s win-win: -you get to eat … Continued

“Participating in Shawna’s program was a life changing experience. “ @stephanieliner From my perspective, it was a great pleasure to work with Stephanie. She consistently showed up & was ready to learn. She threw away old ideas, for example, she (reluctantly) increased her calorie & carb intake & watched her weight go down. She slowly increased … Continued

Set the bar low. I know this sounds like ridiculous advice from a coach. But, if you make a small promise to yourself & keep it, you’re more likely to continue to make & keep promises to yourself. Starting small & working up to bigger promises is how you build integrity with yourself. It’s how … Continued

Food tracking can be inaccurate. But that’s not the REAL point! The big benefits of food tracking include increasing self accountability & intentionality around eating. Food labels can be up to 20% off – like in this example: the label assumes that the scoop holds 42g of product when in fact, it only holds 30g … Continued

Did you blow your nutrition this weekend? Look, it happens, especially when you don’t have a plan. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit. This can be achieved thru out the week versus just in one day. You can cycle your calories a little so you could have a few less calories … Continued

If you want visible abs, be aware of the sacrifices you may need to make. Be realistic & manage expectations where weight loss goals are concerned… ⭐️20-22% body fat⭐️ ✔️fit appearance & good overall health ✔️livable lifestyle ✔️few cravings due to balanced diet ✔️plans & time needed for meal prep ✔️coaching is sometimes needed to … Continued

Are you choosing clothes from the fat side of the closet? Do you dress in the dark? If you’re not comfortable in your own skin, it’s not too late to do something about it. I had the good fortune to try on all kinds of sweet lil dresses at a local boutique and it reminded … Continued

Food tracking increases awareness & intentionality but can be cumbersome. So here’s an easy option to food track. Use the free app ‘See How You Eat’. You take pics of meals & snacks & it’s organized daily. It’s this easy accountability that creates awareness & intention to your eating. And any habit that you can … Continued