What I Wish I’d Known About Aging Stronger and Better w/ Dr. Vonda Wright

Summary

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Raising Good Humans: "What I Wish I’d Known About Aging Stronger and Better"

Guest: Dr. Vonda Wright (Author of Unbreakable)
Host: Dr. Aliza Pressman
Date: August 22, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode is a practical, science-backed guide for women on how to age stronger and healthier—starting in their 30s and 40s, with critical advice for parents hoping to model and nurture healthy habits in their families. Dr. Pressman and Dr. Wright discuss the often-overlooked importance of bone health, muscle maintenance, the role of estrogen throughout a woman's life, and bust myths about exercise and nutrition, offering actionable strategies that fit real-world parenting and busy lives. Dr. Wright’s new book, Unbreakable, is referenced throughout as a blueprint for lifelong wellness.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Why Bone Health Matters (02:01 - 07:00)

• Bones are “silent” until trouble arises: We tend to ignore bone health until a crisis, like a hip fracture in older age.
• Peak bone mass: Achieved between ages 15-30—teen years are critical for building strong bones.
  • Low bone density is increasingly seen in women in their 20s and 30s.
  • Factors: Sedentary lifestyle, undernutrition, high-level athleticism without proper nutrition.
• Motherhood and bone depletion: Pregnancy and breastfeeding naturally deplete maternal calcium; the body is designed to rebuild, but women often don’t replenish enough, particularly when having children later or in quick succession.

Notable Quote:

“In society, bones are silent… we don't think about them until our Aunt Minnie breaks one and she's in the hospital.” – Dr. Vonda Wright (02:04)

2. Exercise Myths and Essentials for Every Age (07:01 - 12:14)

• Old myths: Weightlifting was taboo for girls and adolescent athletes were discouraged from lifting weights.
• Kids should play, not over-schedule:
  • Play builds strength, coordination, and the foundation for lifelong mobility, more than structured activities.
  • Over-specializing early in a single sport can lead to burnout and injury.
• Movement habits formed in childhood last a lifetime; but coasting on youthful fitness is a myth.

Notable Quote:

“We are not, especially as women, living longer better. We're living longer, but we suffer longer... But we can get in front of this if we just will get in front of this.” – Dr. Vonda Wright (11:30)

3. Habits for Kids, Teens, and Parents (15:28 - 22:28)

• Model healthy habits: Kids imitate what they see; parents’ food and activity choices echo in their own.
• Start movement habits early: Let teens and kids know why processed food is unhealthy; teach them to value movement and protein.
• Integrate movement: Hopscotch, squats with toddlers, walking to the park—these practical, small things add up and don’t require extra time.

Notable Quote:

“Every mother who has growing children has a progressive weight program in her own house... give yourself a bit of credit for the lifting you’re doing raising your people.” – Dr. Vonda Wright (19:26)

4. Practical Daily Movement for Bone and Muscle (23:39 - 29:59)

• Simple, effective routines:
  • Bunny hops with kids, jumping during routines (e.g., brushing teeth), drawing hopscotch outside, using walks for exercise.
  • Impact (jumping/multi-directional movement) stimulates bone formation via “Wolff’s Law.”
• Habits like always taking the stairs, parking far away—all matter (27:00).
• Integrated movement: “On the beach, I'm playing and I'm working. That's what I'm suggesting: you're raising children, you're exercising... it's all the same thing.” (26:40)

5. Steps and Activity Trackers—How Much Is Enough? (28:14 - 29:59)

• Step goal reality:
  • 7,000–8,000 steps (~4 miles) appears optimal; work movement into daily life rather than isolated gym time.
  • Use standing desks, walk on phone calls, and break up sedentary time.

6. The Estrogen Effect & Preparing for Menopause (33:33 - 36:06)

• Menopause is inevitable: “Birth, menopause, taxes and death.”
• Shift the mindset: Aging can be the most productive and fulfilling time, but requires preparation in mindset, nutrition, and activity.
• Literacy empowers actions: Understanding the science of estrogen and its drop in midlife can help women anticipate and actively manage the changes.

Notable Quote:

“Literacy is the key, in my opinion, to not suffering in misery in midlife.” – Dr. Vonda Wright (34:22)

7. Protein—How Much, Why, and How To Get Enough (36:09 - 41:03)

• Why protein matters:
  • Bones are 50% protein; muscles mostly protein.
  • Most women get far less than needed.
• How much?
  • 1 gram per ideal pound of body weight per day (e.g., 130g if aiming for 130 lbs).
  • Aim for 30g per meal. Whey protein isolate is recommended for amino acid content.
  • Vegetarians/vegans can do it, but it’s harder and requires eating a lot—or supplementing carefully.

8. More Than Strength—Why Bone Is a Metabolic Organ (41:12 - 43:12)

• Bones talk to the brain and the rest of the body:
  • Example: Bone-derived osteocalcin influences brain health, glucose metabolism, even testosterone in men.

Notable Quote:

“Bone is not just the strong silent type standing around holding up the muscle. It is a metabolically active endocrine organ…” – Dr. Vonda Wright (41:38)

9. Building and Maintaining Strength: Specific Goals and Progressions (44:21 - 59:50)

• Practice lifting in daily life: Don’t outsource carrying/lifting tasks; use them as training opportunities.
• You can regain strength quickly (within a month of consistency), and “beginner’s gains” are real.
• Weightlifting:
  • “Heavy” is relative—what brings you close to muscle failure (~8 reps) is sufficient.
  • Midlife goal: Strength and power for independence, not just muscle size.
  • Example: Four sets of four reps at a weight that brings you close to failure.
• Pushups:
  • Goal: 11 standard pushups minimum for women in their 50s for health.
  • Triceps/narrow pushups are preferable for joint health with progression from wall pushups to ground.
• Mobility standards:
  • Get up from the floor without hands/knees; deep squat as children do; maintain joint and hip flexibility.
  • Practice regularly to keep and regain abilities.

10. Estrogen, Joint Pain, and Medical Blind Spots (59:57 - 66:06)

• **Joint pain, arthritis, and rapid aging symptoms in midlife are linked to estrogen loss.
• Medical knowledge gaps:
  • Few doctors are trained in the normal course of women’s health post-40.
  • Most medical research excludes women over 40—so self-advocacy is essential.
• Women's collective power:
  • Women must demand better research and health solutions; they control the majority of health decisions and spending.

Notable Quote:

“For the young women listening, I want to galvanize you to not accept that because you are 51% of the entire population… We are the most powerful force for health and goodness in this country. And it starts with educating yourself.” – Dr. Vonda Wright (64:14)

11. Mindset, Movement, and Purpose (66:27 - End)

• Aging can be the best time of life:
  • Mindset matters—pivot from youth worship to embracing potential, productivity, and peace in later decades.
  • Unbreakable is intended as a practical, science-based, empowering manual for every woman.

Notable Quote:

“I am more myself now than I have ever been: more at ease... That’s the kind of person I’m trying to talk to.” – Dr. Vonda Wright (67:44)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On bone health:

  “We reach peak bone mass... between about 15 and 30... If we're sedentary... we're probably not building enough bone.” – Dr. Wright (02:16)

• On movement habits:

  “Playing is a child’s work.” – Dr. Wright (08:53)

• On integrated movement:

  “Everything matters. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it doesn’t have to be separate time.” – Dr. Wright (21:03)

• On aging mindset:

  “If we think [being 25] was the end all and be all of life, we will never be able to have the purpose and the commitment to pivot to the things that are going to truly make the rest of our lives... the best years.” – Dr. Wright (35:46)

• On self-advocacy:

  “Educating yourself is step one. Let’s not depend on a government NIH system... If you want something, we control it with our money.” – Dr. Wright (64:14)

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Actionable Takeaways

• Start young: Teach and model movement, protein intake, and non-sedentary lifestyle from childhood through college.
• Integrate exercise: Make movement part of daily routines—squats with kids, hopping, walking, carrying groceries.
• Prioritize protein: Aim for 1 gram per ideal pound daily.
• Lift weights or practice resistance exercise: Aim for two sessions a week minimum—even if starting with bodyweight.
• Focus on “functional” metrics: Ability to do pushups, get up from the floor, squat deeply—these are bright-line health measures.
• Embrace your power: Educate yourself, demand better research and care, and invest in your own continued wellness.

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For more details and implementation strategies, check out Unbreakable: A Woman's Guide to Aging with Power by Dr. Vonda Wright.

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Transcript

[A]

The following podcast is a Dear Media production. Welcome to Raising good humans. I'm Dr. Eliza Pressman, and today's episode is with Unbreakable author, Dr. Vonda Wright. Unbreakable is a woman's guide to age with Power. And, oh, my goodness, I feel like this is a gift for women in their 30s and 40s, because Dr. Wright talks about how to actually protect your bone health and build stronger muscles and increase your mobility and have lifelong independence. And it's this shift that happens now, but you don't notice that it's happening until you get a little bit older and it's a little late. So this was such a wonderful conversation. It is part of this attempt for everyone to. To sort of pass along, like, what happens during perimenopause and what you can do to age stronger and better and be able to do so while you're doing your everyday tasks, like picking up your kids. So there isn't just more things on your to do list. Except, apparently, so much protein. So if you enjoy this episode, don't.

[B]

Hesitate to write a little review.

[A]

And of course, you can get Dr. Wright's book, a Woman's Guide to Aging with Power. I wanted to talk about bones throughout the lifespan because I only recently started caring about bones. It's like bone density comes out of my mouth a lot. And I. You know, obviously my teenage daughters hear this a lot. But what do we actually need to know that our children need to know that our. That people who just had babies need to know and kind of. I want to get to where, you know, 50s and beyond.

[C]

I love that you're thinking about it now, but the fact that you're only thinking about it now is actually pretty typical. Unless we're in Fashion Week and we're like, oh, look at those bones, or the structure or these clavicles in that dress. Because in society, bones are silent. You know, we don't think about them until our Aunt Minnie breaks one and she's in the hospital, and then she has a 30%, if it's her hip, 30% chance of dying. But the reality is that bone health is a lifelong concern. So we both have a lot of teenagers in our lives, and if we're thinking about bones, those are the critical years. And who would ever think that the teenage years are critical for bone mass? We reach peak bone mass. The most bone we're gonna have between about 15 and 30, depending on who you read. Right? So if we are sedentary, if we are buying into the underfeeding, if we are High level athletes and do not have periods for six to nine months, which was me. I was a dancer. And I was thankful at that time. I'm not thankful now, but I thought, oh, that's no bother. I have to have. We are probably not building enough bone. And I do bone density screens on everybod who comes into my office. And it is not unusual for me to have 20, 22 year olds, 30 year olds with low bone density when compared to a healthy 30 year old bone density. So we must start paying attention in our teenage years. Mothers, are your kids eating high calcium foods? Are they stomping around playing jumping sports? Or are we either such studious people, we're sitting 12 hours a day, or we're such gaming people that is not great for bones. But then as we mature into our 20s, 30s, what people don't realize as we pass from adolescence to a new word, I've seen out there called matrescence, those reproductive years, it is normal for a woman carrying a baby to lose 500 milligrams of calcium from her bones a day as she's building a baby. And then if she chooses to breastfeed, which I need to stop and make a time point. I am all about women who choose to breastfeed. Breastfeeding, because I've been misinterpreted, that I'm against it. I breastfed my child for a year, right. And I would have done it for years, but she was so done with that behavior.

[A]

So me too. And I'm just wondering what that. I'm curious how that does impact bone density.

[C]

Well, to feed a baby, it takes 500 milligrams of calcium. So at every time your baby latches on, you should not only be drinking your water, you should be making sure that you're popping some kind of calcium, whether it's whole food yogurt, whether there are some whole food calcium supplements, not Tums, but whole food sources of calcium. Because our bodies are designed in motherhood to rebuild our bones, but many times we don't because either we've never built enough bone or we're waiting so long to have our children. Now, my own children are having children in their early 30s that they're having them in rapid succession and we never rebuild in between. So bones are critical for women in maturescence. But then once you hit, and I made up this word, the menolescence.

[A]

Oh, I like that.

[C]

Do you like that? It's the biopsychosocial hormonal transition analogous to adolescence. We get our hormones, we lose Our hormones. It's both cataclysmic, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Once we lose the influence of estrogen on our bones, what happens is the normal homeostatic, meaning balanced way that we build bone and resorb bone becomes unbalanced because estrogen, one of the many things it's done. It's critical for controlling bone resorption. And so what happens is we're still building some bone, but we're breaking down more and more. I know. So. So bone health across the lifespan, because what cannot happen is that we notice it so late that we're scrambling and scrambling. Can we please build bone? And we are having to build all kinds of behaviors on top of building bone.

[A]

I'm. I am this person.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Like, I only. And by the way, I danced.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And then I did not do anything after I quit dancing except, like, walks with friends and workouts for feeling like I wanted to look good. But never did it occur to me to think about why this actually matters. And now I do not care how I look. I literally don't care. I work out for one reason and one reason only. It's bone density and, like, heart health.

[C]

I love that. I love that so much.

[A]

But that's, like, a different place in life, and it's because of having frozen shoulder, having, you know, falling and having it be incredibly painful, and just hearing so much about how my bone density now is going to have an impact on my aging. So I want, like, I guess I have a question first about the youngers, because when I was. Because I think exercise rules have changed so much, it's very confusing, which I'm hoping you're going to straighten out for all of us. But when I was younger, especially dancers, weightlifting was absolutely unacceptable because it would bulk you up, and it was very much if you were doing it. It's toning. It's very lightweights with lots of reps. And the other thing that I think is interesting is that jumping.

[C]

Mm.

[A]

Like, I haven't jumped.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

On a hard surface because I thought it was bad for my knees.

[C]

You were a dancer in center since. In center floor.

[A]

Correct. So again, until this year, because I think I heard you say something about how many jumps I should be doing per day. And so I just. Like, these things are very useful. They're so doable.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

So I want to talk about them. But I also remember being told that when you're growing adolescent, you shouldn't lift weights at all because it might mess with growth. Now I don't even know if that's what the rumors are these days, but.

[C]

It'S not research based. Yes. So. Yes. Do not lift weights as a child because you will hurt your growth plants. There is not research to bear that out. But what children need to focus on is playing. Playing is a. You know, I'm telling you, playing is a child's work. Right?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Instead of being so structured, we need to let children play. They will. And in doing so, they will build muscle. The pure volume of activity you do has a direct effect on how many mitochondria, the powerhouses of our cells and metabolism that we develop as a child. It will also very critically increase our neuromuscular coordination, the nerve pathways from our brain to our muscles, our coordination. Right. The awkward kid who grows really fast can become coordinated by playing. I think we should let our children do more playing and less structured work now. I am so. Yes, you must. You're the expert on that, actually. Right. On child development. And yet we are in the sports world so structured right now in playing kids very early in dedicated games that I'll use my own children as an example.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

My children played three or four sports a year. Every season there was a different sport. My husband, who was a pro hockey player, played a different sport every season, growing up.

[A]

Instead of specializing.

[C]

Instead of specializing and still became elite athletes. There is a myth in this country that you have to play a child in the same sport since they're seven, in a structured way, which burns out a kid's brain. It burns out their body. And what happens when I get my children together spontaneously, even. Especially when they were teenagers, but even as adults, they'll start playing something that.

[A]

Is so great, they have a piece.

[C]

Of paper, they'll wad it up and play. Hacky paper thing. Right. But what I see so many times because we've structured children's lives to the point where you can't possibly exercise unless you're in a structured program. You put a bunch of kids on a field right now, and sometimes they just stand there looking at each other, waiting for instruction. And that does not develop good brains. That does not develop good neuromuscular pathways. And in my day job as an orthopedic sports surgeon, this is so important to me because the habits we learn as children become the lifelong standards of mobility. The base that we develop as children becomes what we're working with. Whether we use it to layer on behaviors across our lifespan or honestly, like the 70% of people in our country that coast along on what they've built in their youth. Right. We're coasters in this country. We think that whatever we've done to invest in our youth will carry us to death. And that is a myth, my friends. But if that were true, then we better build it when we're young, right? And so you hear this urgency in my voice, and I don't mean to get so red in the face and so passionate about it, but I am still a practicing surgeon. And every day I'm confronted by the reality of our lifestyles. And we are not, especially as women, living longer. Better. We're living longer. We've won the longevity game. We live six to seven years longer than the men we love, but we suffer longer. But what I love to bring to the front is that we don't have to. And we can get in front of this if we just will get in front of this.

[B]

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[C]

Yes.

[A]

Because then I want to focus on us but with our young people just not prohibiting them by like over scheduling.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

And overstructuring the physical. Even the physical activity like allowing the freedom and the. And the different sports. I think that that is a big thing is specializing so early and just making movement a big part of life. But then in adolescence, I feel like it's easier in childhood. In adolescence as everybody starts to get really focused on. Unless they're. Unless they are athletes.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

But let's say they're not athletes. And so they're focused on other things that are very sedentary. What do they absolutely have to be doing for them to. Yes. Habit form and also build the foundation for a healthier body and bones.

[C]

I think for the parents out there, and I speak from being the mother of a blended family of six children, is that what we teach them as little children will carry through even as we're adolescents and have agency and freedom and a little bit of spending money because if they know in their heart of hearts that that processed food is going to poison them, then they'll think twice. Even if they do choose a bag of Cheetos or, or they'll have that baseline knowledge. And, and I see this in my own children. I'm not making this up. They know what to do and they, those are their standards. So it's not the everyday occurrence of this is how I live to eat ultra processed foods, to sit around. It is the exception. They know that's going to kill them when they do that.

[A]

But they're doing it the same way they would.

[C]

Right. And so we build these habit as little children. And often I have parents come in and they're almost at a loss. Like my kid will only eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets. And I don't say this in any kind of judgmental way. I just ask who buys the groceries.

[B]

Right, Right.

[C]

Or my kid will not get off the couch. Well, my kid was down on the floor foam rolling with me. Because they will do the habits you instill on them. So I don't see say that in a judgmental way. I say, look at the power you have.

[A]

Yeah, no, I agree with you. And also I think it's so cool because it also gives permission to us, especially for the parents who are like, I don't have time right now to do this because of the kids. Is that doing this in front of your kids is actually serving everybody.

[C]

That's right. It saves the whole family, the whole generation. It becomes culture of the family to be mobile and active, not extra, not time away from the family. Right, right.

[A]

It's so important. So, okay, once you are an adult. I've skipped, I've skipped over. I mean, I was just thinking about how do I really beg my daughter when she goes off to college to make sure that she's moving in college. But she said that that's something that like her friends do, you know, like they, they make it a point to socialize in a way that also gets them outside and they're sort of committed to it, which is very nice.

[C]

I love that.

[A]

But what I'm thinking about is when you get into the grind of motherhood, not that it's all grind, it's also incredible. But there's so much. And the last thing that we want to add, especially when you're just feeling already like I'm just too overwhelmed is, is paying attention to your body and paying attention to what your bones need. It just feels like I'll get to it. But as a, you know, as a 51 year old, I just want to like encourage people to get to it sooner rather than later because now I've got to kind of hope to not get worse and like try to get better. But it just feels quite a bit less, feels more daunting. So what should I have been doing in my 30s?

[C]

I think the 30s are the critical time to establish life habits, right? To make the standard of your health a mobile life, an anti inflammatory smart nutrition life a working into lifting things. Listen, my toddler grandson who's 2, almost 3, weighs much more than 40 pounds. So every mother who has growing children has a progressive weight program in her own house. As you're lifting your 7 pound who becomes a 14 pound who becomes a 30 pound toddler. I think women think they aren't lifting, but they are every day. So give yourself a bit of credit for the lifting you're doing raising your people. But the other thing, once your children are sleeping through the night, how about in their nap time? Because if they're sleeping through the night, you're likely sleeping through the night instead of the nap time or one of the play times being a nap for you. I find children sleep really well in a stroller that you're walking through the park. So if all you can get in is a 45 minute walk during which you stop several times and jump up and down 20 times, or play hopscotch, which we can talk about why that's amazing for your bones. Hopscotch as a bone building activity, I love that that works. It doesn't have to be in leotards in a gym because I, I worked full time as a surgeon, I had a brand new baby, there weren't a lot of resources around and everything matters. It doesn't have to be fancy, it doesn't have to be separate time.

[A]

I love the idea that like when we go to the park with our kids, that hopscotch is also so great for kids.

[C]

It's so fun. It's a think thinking, ish game and yet it's so great for your bones. So in your 30s, let's say set the standards and, and frankly have a little grace. Yeah, let's have some grace on ourselves. Nobody's perfect. But we can't get so far behind in our 30s. That 40 arrives, slams us in the face, your estrogen starts to decline and you're making up for lost time.

[A]

Okay, so integrating just, just jumping and walking is like, and lifting up your kids and getting up off the ground. I feel like we do do that a lot in early childhood. Go, you know, from sitting, crisscross, applesauce to standing.

[C]

What kind of fun game would it be? You're sitting on the ground, your toddler, your 20, 30, 40 pound toddler, grab that toddler and do some squats with that toddler, they think it's a game. Yeah, they think it's going to be fun. As if you're throwing up, up in the air. You're just going up and down with them. No, you've just gotten in your 10 or 20 squats and that's going to wake up your muscles. They think it's a game. Yeah, they might do it with you next time. I mean, I think if we, if we just say things out loud, women are going to be like, oh my God, of course that's what I could do.

[A]

No, I think that that is the key and that is why I love what you. All of the things that you do in this new book that everybody's going to get to read very soon, the practical ways that you can integrate these things into your daily life feels just a little less daunting than, you know, setting an hour aside every day to go to a gym and all of the things that, like now I think that I have older kids, I can set aside a little bit more time. It's more like a half an hour, but I can set aside a little bit more time. But in those earlier years, naming exactly the things that you're doing. And even now I'll say I just started like hopping on one leg and then the other leg 20 times each. Because I think I just like to see, and I say this obviously very rarely, but sometimes on social media you get access to physicians and you really do have information that is life changing and helpful. And I think that you're offering that to people.

[C]

Thank you. Thank you.

[A]

But yeah, now I'm just like, oh yeah, I'm gonna just hop right over to the table and hop right back. I mean, it's just so simple.

[C]

How about I'll just lay it out and how about for your 30 year olds or people with this young demographic?

[A]

Yeah, give us some.

[C]

Let's just do four things. Let's pick up the kid and do some squats, some center of the room, hold the kid, no matter what size they are, up and down 10, 20 times, several times a day. They're gonna think it's a fun game. Lift them above your head like you're pressing weights. 25 pound weights, whether it's a squirming kid or dumbbells. Same press that little person when you're outside. Or if you're trying to get your kid to follow you somewhere, hop like a bunny and have them hop to the next thing so it becomes a game and you're getting your jumps in. They're playing a game. They're cooperative, collaborative.

[A]

And why are jumps good so?

[C]

Because the way bones work is our bones don't know whether we're. If they feel no movement, they don't know if we're sitting in a cave dying of starvation, or if we're just sitting in a chair not doing anything. Our bones build according to a principle called wolf's law, which means when our bone perceives impact literally bashing our bones, that biomechanical signal is perceived in the bone. It causes the shifting of fluid, like in a level, you know, if you're building a house, that fluid bubble that is then translated into biochemical. Biomechanical becomes biochemical signals. That says to your bone, not dead yet. We're doing something hard. Better build more bone.

[A]

Okay. Okay, I'm sold.

[C]

Yep.

[A]

Okay, but I interrupted. So bunny hopping.

[C]

Bunny hops? Yeah. Hop somewhere with your kid. Right? Make it a game. Hop up and down while we're brushing our teeth. Because then it's a game. If you do it on one leg, then it's balance and impact. Draw on the sidewalk. I don't see many hopscotch squares on sidewalks around my neighborhood. Draw it out. We used to play it all the time because that's not only hopping, but that's multi directional. Which is actually the best way to build bone is impact in multiple directions, not just up and down. You can do jump roping. There are a lot of ways to jump rope. You can do jumping jacks. Let's get some energy out, kids. Let's do 30 jumping jacks so we can gamify all this impact and work it into the normal day and multitask. We're playing with our children. We're building their brains, we're building our bones. It can all work together.

[A]

I love that because again, it's also like, realistically, we can still engage these things without saying, like, I have to find a time to get a sitter to go to the gym.

[C]

Yeah. We're integrating into life.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And it matters. And in certain parts of our life, we have to integrate. In fact, people often ask me, as a surgeon, how do you do work, Life, balance. I just never been able to do that. I integrate everything. On the beach, I'm playing and I'm working. That's what I'm suggesting. You're raising children, you're exercising. It's all the same thing.

[A]

Yeah. So. And. And one of the things that I remember as a child was it was very. I just remember my mother. Maybe there was like a new Thing where you could measure steps at the time. Yes, yes, yes. And I remember my mother at the mall wanting to get her steps, her steps in.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And I was like. And little tips, like, park in the parking lot. And I'm farther away in the parking lot. And always take the stairs. And I remember my doctoral advisor was like, I never. I always take the stairs. That's my rule. And I always thought those things were so ridiculous because they seemed so minor. And now I'm like, oh my God, those are exactly the things. Exactly the things.

[C]

It's cumulative benefit, right? So even on the bad days when you can't go lift heavy or the structured things, you have done something for your body. You know, I travel a lot. I have a rolly suitcase. I rarely go and sit somewhere for two hours. I know the inside and out of the most common airports. I know I'm not going to miss my plane because I've got two hours, right? And you just get steps in wherever. And you can take phone calls while you're walking.

[A]

Now, how many steps do we really need a day?

[C]

You know this whole step thing, right? First it was 10,000 due to some marketing study in Japan. Now people seem to have settled on seven to 8,000. But if you parse that out, that's about four miles at 50. At 20 minutes a mile, that's still a long time. If you're doing it just. All I'm going to do is walk right now. So I encourage people to work steps into their day, stand as much as they can. If you can take a phone call, pace around and do it. It doesn't have to be seated unless it's a deep, big deal phone call. You know what I mean? People are smart. But for instance, in my own office, I have the typical long doctor's corridor. And thank goodness I am walking that all day, eight hours a day. I don't know how that many steps that is. So that I only have to, when I'm on a treadmill, go a couple miles.

[A]

Right, because you've gotten.

[C]

Because I've gotten my baseline steps in. And when I'm on the treadmill, then I get to work on my heart rate and my speed, not just getting 10,000 or 7,000 steps in.

[A]

Okay, so we need to move.

[C]

We need to move. You need to have a standing desk, even if that means that your computer's on milk crates. It doesn't have to be electronic, better easy. If it is, move your laptop onto the kitchen counter so it's higher and you can work. Take your phone calls, doing wall squats. I have pictures people have sent me when I suggest that the whole boardroom is wall squatting during a conversation. Have walking meetings. Yeah, I mean it sounds crazy, but we can pivot the culture of business. Unless we're sealing the multi zillion dollar deal and you have to do deep thinking, most of it can include mobility which keeps your brain sharper. Anyway.

[A]

I think there used to be a sense that like if you were doing a walking meeting or you were taking a call while walking, you weren't totally focused and you weren't totally working. But I think at this point we know now.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

That a moving body is.

[C]

It's a better thing. Better. That's right.

[B]

And now a quick break. Responsibility.org ask, listen learn Underage Drinking Prevention Programs is a leading resource for parents, educators and kids in grades four through eight. Informed kids make better decisions and mental health matters too. New materials address how underage drinking and the underage cannabis use affect tween mental health and how parents can work with their kids on identifying mental health struggles and ways to appropriately cope with stress and anxiety without turning towards substance use. Resources are digital, they're free, and they're [e-mail] truly, parents really are the number one influence on their kids decisions. I know it can feel like it's peers. Peers do have an influence, but parents are the number one influence. And conversations between parents and kids are not one and done. They should start early and happen often and not in that kind of sit down way that makes it feel like this is a talk really just sprinkled in and really about connection, listening, curiosity and support. Visit asklistenlearn.org mental health to view the materials today. Start a conversation with your kids today to further empower them to say yes.

[A]

To a healthy lifestyle and no to underage drinking and underaged cannabis use.

[B]

So I want to tell you a little bit about K12 powered schools. It's really shocking that the new school year is about to start. So parents, if you are looking for a different kind of fit, there is still time with K12 powered schools. That's K12 powered schools. There's online education options tailored to your child's unique needs, interests and schedules. So they're an accredited tuition free online public school for students in K through 12 and it's designed with an engaging curriculum that supports individual learning styles. K12 has been a leader in online education for over 25 years, helping students gain skills they need to thrive in the Future. And with K12 school can be absolutely anywhere there's Internet access. So helping your students stay consistent no matter what your individual circumstances are. K12 has state certified teachers specially trained in teaching online. K12 even offers social opportunities, extracurricular activities and in person events. So you can join more than 3 million families who've chosen K12 and empower your student to reach their full potential. Now there is still time to enroll for school this year. For those of you who are struggling with the school that you have, go to K12 Humanstoday to find a tuition free K12 powered school near you and enroll now. That's the letter k, the number 12.com humans k12.com humans.

[A]

You mentioned that starting at 40 and sometimes before and sometimes after. But we're losing our estrogen.

[C]

Estrogen.

[A]

And I think estrogen is another thing that I did not think about until a couple of years ago and now I think about it constantly. So I just feel like it's such a gift to, to younger women to start thinking about this now. So what, what do they need to know?

[C]

It is my goal that the millennial women and the Z women will never hit a brick wall like I did or I don't know if you did, but yeah, the whole frozen shoulder. There will be no brick walls. What I want is the minute for the women who decide to have children, even if and when you decide not to, around 30, 35. I want you to begin the journey of what's next. How is my future going to be unbreakable? What do I need to know? Literacy is the key, in my opinion, to not suffering in misery in midlife. Because you cannot prevent menopause, you cannot prevent it currently. What are the sure things in life? Birth, menopause, taxes for most people, and death. Right, sure things. So we might as well get in front of it. Yeah, that means becoming educated on hormones. You know, there, there's a book that changed my life. It's the world's data on estrogen. I read that and then I reread it. Educate yourself. Identify where you're going to get hormones. If you decide to do that, then even before you start feeling perimenopausal symptoms, all the 74 of them that are now described, all not feeling. Let's just summarize it as you don't feel like yourself anymore and the things that always work for you are not working. Okay, well, let's educate ourselves on the action steps. We need to pivot our lifestyle, the first of which, and I'm interested in your thoughts on this is we have got to pivot our mindset from worshiping the youth. That was so great. 25 was great. But if we think that was the end all and be all of life, we will never be able to have the purpose and the commitment to pivot to the things that are going to truly make the rest of our lives. Which at 40 could be 50 or 60 years at this point. The best years. Right. So it truly starts with a mindset change for sure. Then how are we eating? What is the junk we have to give up? How are we truly going to have enough protein? Are we truly gonna have carbs that matter?

[A]

I need to ask about protein too.

[C]

Okay. You wanna do that now?

[A]

Yeah, I'm gonna. Everybody will just keep up. Cause there's. These are all the questions that we all have.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

So my teenagers were listening to me because I'm like, I am. If I should have 1.2. I've heard many things. So is it 1.2 to 1.8 grams of per kg. Is that true?

[C]

So much protein. But who uses kilograms in this country? So I. I convert to pounds. And so the research can be defended. Up to 0.73 to 0.86 grams per pound. Well, who can do that math either? I'm a doctor. I'm gonna tell you, nobody's gonna do that math.

[A]

Yeah. I would have to take out my calculator.

[C]

Yeah. And then we don't absorb everything we eat. So I push protein to 1 gram per ideal pound. That's the goal. Because when I query women. No, it's not. I'm gonna tell you how to do it with very low volumes and very low calories.

[A]

Oh, wow. Because, by the way, this is another hilarious part of my day is my kids hearing me say, like, oh, yes, count your protein. That has another 20 grams of protein. I'm so excited. That's right.

[C]

It's like money. It's money to your body, actually to your bones and your lungs.

[A]

I naturally like my natural day. If I just calculated the way I eat without thinking, yeah, I'd get maybe 30 grams of protein a day.

[C]

And that is not atypical. And many women. Because I asked women, what did you eat yesterday? And, well, you know, had some coffee and then I had a salad and blah, blah, blah. Well, I understand that that is just what we do. We're busy people. But our bones are 50% protein. Our muscle are mostly entirely protein. We do not make all the protein. The amino acids that we need, we must get some from food. So how do we get in 1 gram of protein per ideal pound? Let's just choose. I go for 130. I'm a Muscly person. My body likes that. Well, it sounds like an astronomical amount.

[A]

It really does.

[C]

But listen, a cup of non fat Greek yogurt has 20 grams. If you just put a little whey protein isolated in there, you're up to 30. We want 30 grams per meal.

[A]

Right. So that kind of powdered or whatever.

[C]

Whey protein. Whey protein, it's a powder, lots of brands, comes in a variety of flavors. Just make sure it's a reputable brand. Whey protein isolate has the most amino acid called leucine, which is the branch chain amino acid. Of the 20amino acids, there's nine essential. Leucine is the one that is most powerful in stimulating muscle.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

And we need about 2.5 to 3 grams of that with every meal. And so whey protein does that. So if you just do that, you will have about 30 grams in a cup. It's not a lot.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

If at lunch, for instance, you have a gorgeous salad, just don't drown it in dressing and make salad soup. Don't do that. Most dressings have a hundred kilocalories of fat per tablespoon. So I've taught myself to eat salads without dressing, and they're just as flavorful.

[A]

I cannot do that. I'm not there yet.

[C]

That's okay. You just sprinkle it on, not drown it, but. But then you add protein to it. Every Animal protein is 6 to 8 grams per ounce.

[A]

That is pretty amazing.

[C]

So a chicken breast the size of my hand, which is not that big, is about 45, 50 grams of protein in lunch. Okay, so we're up to. Even if I only ate yogurt for breakfast, that's that. We're getting close to 90.

[A]

That is amazing.

[C]

Because one more meal, we're there, and.

[A]

Then at dinner you grab another protein, another protein.

[C]

What if you're a vegetarian? I have lots of vegans. Vegetarians. Well, if you're very, very strict and don't eat any dairy or any animal products, you can do it. Look at a cow. Cows are all muscle, but what do cows do? They eat all frigging day. So you can do it. It's just that the amount of protein in plant sources, it just takes longer, takes so much more. Even with beans and legumes and that kind of thing, you can do it. It's just you must be eating all day.

[A]

And when does it, when does this pie Protein need happen. Is it because, like, do teenage girls need that much protein? Probably not.

[C]

Well, I don't think it's a bad time to establish the habits across the lifespan.

[A]

So it's not gonna hurt you.

[C]

Yeah, it's not going to hurt you. And why change if we can get teenagers and 30 year olds to eat enough protein? My 17 year old is all about the protein. Poor girl, she, she doesn't have a chance not to know this.

[A]

Right, of course.

[C]

So she's, she's like, oh, I got a lot of protein in this. Then we don't have to change everything.

[A]

And it's in the service we are. This protein is in the service of building better bones.

[C]

Better bones, Building more muscle. Absolutely. Which are the two? You know, the word has gotten out now and I'm so glad. I've been preaching muscle since I'm a muscle scientist. We had a stem cell lab in muscle, but it's finally out. But what I'm adding to the message, yes, muscle is an endocrine organ. It's not just about strength and looking good in the mirror. Bone is not just the strong silent type standing around holding up the muscle. It is a metabolically active endocrine organ such that stronger bones will produce hormones. Name one. Osteocalcin that goes to the brain and stimulates the production of brain derived neurotrophic factor and builds neurons. Yes.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

Number two. It interacts with muscle in glucose metabolism, with the pancreas at insulin secretion. If you're a man, osteocalcin goes to your testicles and helps you make testosterone, to name a few things. So if I were intelligently designing this body, if I wanted a communicator that could talk to everybody, I would choose bone. Because we have bone on the top of our head. We have bone in our pinky toe.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

I mean, it's so critical. Right?

[A]

So are there associations between bone density? This might be going too far, but bone density and Alzheimer's or dementia or any. And brain health later in life.

[C]

You know what, there are studies that show that, that people with osteoporosis have more senescent brain problems, whether it's Alzheimer's or frank dementia. And they're still drawing the pathways to that. There's an association and it's probably not just bone. It's about whole health and the interaction of muscle and bone, which talk to each other all the time. They're from the same mesenchymal stem cell. They're cousins. They're not two separate organs.

[A]

I have never thought about bone. It's so funny. I was actually just at a graduation little event. And no, it wasn't a graduation event. It was the. I'm just smiling. This is for the. This is for one person, but it was for an engagement party for our debate coach of my. My daughter's debate coach, who, by the way, I was like, can they practice while walking? Because that's a lot of sitting. So we had to move a bench over, and it looked like a light bench that you could just go grab. And my friend Jen was across from me, picking up the bench on one side. She's. To say fit is an understatement. She's, like, incredibly strong. And she has always said, every day you need to do something. She lifts one side like it's the lightest nothing in the world. I barely could get it an inch off the ground. I was like. It was so terrible. And I was like. My instinct was, if Jen hadn't said, let's move this bench, I would have been like, tell the young people to do it.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

But the reason why she could lift this bench with no effort whatsoever and walk it across the lawn was because she doesn't say other people should lift the grocery bag or lift the heavy thing. She just does it herself. So I obviously joined. Humiliated. But did it.

[C]

No, you shouldn't do that. As an opportunity. Not a judgment, an opportunity to like, oh, my God. I guess I have a little more lifting to do.

[A]

I have a little more lifting to do. And what it made me realize was, a year from now, I want to go back. Yeah.

[C]

And easily.

[A]

And pick that up. I want to be able to pick that up easily. And with the effortlessness that she had, because I. I was just like, oh, my God.

[C]

And we don't realize that's happening because it. Weakness creeps up on us. It's slow. We can actually get stronger, much faster. It's amazing how fast we can get stronger.

[A]

How fast can we get strong?

[C]

Well, it's called beginner's gains in weightlifting circles, because what we do first is retrain our neuromuscular pathways to fire more muscle bundles. And so when you're starting to lift, you can get much stronger, much faster. Once your neuromuscular pathways are all in tune, then your gains are much slow and steadier. And everyone's going to be different in terms of how fast they get. But I find that people notice changes within a month of consistency in terms of they may not weigh differently, but their clothes will fit differently. Their Brain will work better and muscles.

[A]

Are actually building and muscles are getting.

[C]

Stronger within a month.

[B]

And now for a quick break. Okay, I want to tell you about quince because I love quints. They have so much stuff that I use. Like I bought new sheets for the summer. I thought it would be just so luxurious to have nice new, awesome soft sheets. And I could not believe the pricing. And I got the sateen white sheets. I cannot tell you how luxurious they felt. I also, you know, I got to.

[A]

Get cashmere from there.

[B]

They have amazing cashmere sweaters. They're starting at just $40. Like everything there is so well priced. Because they work directly with top artisans, they cut out the middleman. The pricing is unbelievable. Like my sheets are so luxurious feeling and the cashmere is so soft, you cannot believe the pricing. Quince really does give you luxury without the markup. And because they only work with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes, you don't have to associate lower prices with lower quality. Elevate your fall wardrobe and bedding essentials with quince. Go to quince.com humans for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com humans to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com humans at Great Wolf Lodge, there's an adventure for the whole family. So you and your pack can splash away in the indoor water parks where it's always 84 degrees. There's a giant wave pool, a lazy river. You don't have to do anything but show up. And all the fun and attractions are there.

[A]

They have water slides, like crazy water slides that look like they are from just a video game or something. In addition to the indoor water park that has everything from water slides to wave pools to lazy rivers, water basketball.

[B]

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[A]

But they also have really cute toddler friendly slopes and climbing walls and mini bowling. There is just so much stuff. Everybody will be exhausted.

[B]

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[A]

Now when you say weightlifting, like am I doing weightlifting when I have 10 pound weights?

[C]

It depends, right? If, if 10 pound weights done eight or less times brings you to failure, we're talking biceps. Let's say biceps.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Just because 10 pounds in your legs is nothing. But let's say your biceps curling. And if you do eight reps, the last rep you're like, oh, I can't, then that's heavy enough for you.

[A]

So weightlifting isn't the number of pounds, it's like, when does it get you to muscle failure?

[C]

So weightlifting is so personal that two people of the same size might have vastly different capacities of moving metal. Right. Moving iron. But the way I like to prescribe lifting, it just depends on what our goals are. Our goals, Endurance, where we're gonna lift the lightest possible weight for the most possible times until we fail. So £1 40 times, maybe then you'll fail.

[A]

But does that, is that a health goal?

[C]

No, that's not our goal.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

If we're looking for pure hypertrophy, which is just bulgy muscles, then we lift fewer times, 10 to 15 times, and we'll grow muscle in bulk and in our youth. Maybe that's our goal. My goal in midlife and beyond is to lift for strength and power. Because I want to do what I want to do when I want to do it. I do not want to.

[A]

You want to lift a bench and a grandchildren.

[C]

I want to lift a bench. I want to lift my grandchild. I, in my surgeries have to lift people on the bed. I do shoulder surgery with people sitting up. So not all the beds are electronic. Some people I have to squat below the head of the bed and bend the patient, the 300 pound patient in the bed. I need to be able to do that. That is a squat to come back up. I want to be able to do that. So getting there is just a slow progression. So to do that, I lift and I prescribe for people in an unbreakable. We have early programs like let's get off the couch and do our body weight. All the way up to my last heavy lifting program. I just put it in the book is we are going to failure when failure is four to five lifts. So that means, I think at the time when I was writing I could deadlift 175 pounds.

[A]

Oh my God.

[C]

Well, but I'm a strong woman. I've been doing this a long time. And it's, you know, there are 75 year olds who deadlift more than me. Let's be honest. Right. So for that. That meant at the time of the writing of the book was that I could do that four to five times.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

With good form.

[A]

Because the book said four, four, four, four, four. Right.

[C]

Because the range is three to six for heavy lifting to failure. Meaning at four you can do four, you might be able to squeeze out five, and then you're not doing six.

[A]

Got it.

[C]

And I just want to caveat. I get a lot of comments about this. It can take a year or more to go from nothing to understanding the mechanics to lifting like this. So it's a progression, it's a time. But yes, four, four, four. And the reason I do that, I go back to. I've been a doctor a long time. People need very specific instructions.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

When there's too much wibble wobble, it's just too much.

[A]

So no, it's so much easier.

[C]

You're like, I chose four times four sets. So four, four reps. Four sets of the weights that lead you to. You could squeeze out one more, but you're not doing two, three, four more.

[A]

And how many days a week?

[C]

So a minimum of two. You know, if you can. If you can do half an hour a day for four or five days, that's great. It doesn't take a long time to do that again. We're trying to work it in. I'd rather you live for half an hour a day than say, I can't do this. I don't have two hours any day. Right. I had a friend who's one of the first female chairmen of a surgery department in the country. And I was talking to her about how lean she was getting, how much muscle she's building. And she is one of the most. She's in charge of 88 other surgeons. That's a job to herd those cats. I'm like, how do you do it? And she's like, well, there's a gym upstairs in her office building. And she just goes up and she dressed in her gorgeous suit. She does what she can. Cause she has to fit it in. And she's like, then I just go back and work at my desk. I don't make a parade out of it. I don't tell anybody I'm doing it. I just go fit some stuff in. Sometimes that's the best we can do.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Now if you can do this a couple days a week and you're sort of using weights. Yeah. And then you're traveling. What, like, are resistance bands building muscle at all?

[C]

Yeah. You know There are some very thick resistance bands. It's because we all know hotel gyms are sometimes plus minus something is better than nothing. You can use bands, you could just revert to good old calisthenics.

[A]

So those still, those kinds of things still build muscles.

[C]

They can build muscles. Not in the way that doing heavy weights, but I'd rather you do that than nothing. Okay, but why not practice the whole push up thing, you know, a couple.

[A]

Months ago, tell everyone about this because it was devastating for me.

[C]

Well, again, we are not judging, we're viewing it as an opportunity.

[A]

It's a good goal. Like right now it is a goal.

[C]

So I was on another podcast and being asked what we should do and what the steps standards are. And I said in my other writings, I was talking about how we test ourselves. And the American College of Sports Medicine, which is a standard setting body within the United States has a chart on I don't Remember what page 124 for those of you who are tracking. This is the kind of detail people ask me about on the Internet of how many push ups should a woman at a variety of ages be? And so for a woman in her 50s, the minimum number is 11 real push ups. But here's why. It's not just a show off feat of strength. Push ups are a sign of upper body strength. It is a sign of core strength, it is a sign of mobility.

[A]

And you're supposed to do them with your arms parallel, not to the side preferably because boy, is that easier.

[C]

Yes. So wide push ups with your arms to the side is easier, but it's harmful to shoulders because our shoulders are unstable joints inherently. And so if your rotator cuff is not locked in, you're going to be pushing your arm bone out the front and could be causing this. I get a lot of crossfitters who do. I love CrossFit by the way. Do not send me hate mail, but I get a lot of people who do a lot of wide things but do not care for their shoulders and they come in with blown out shoulders. I'm trying to avoid that. The way to avoid it is bring everything narrow hands as close to the midline as possible, which are triceps pushups. And they're harder, they're really hard. But listen.

[A]

And not on the knees.

[C]

And not on the knees. But if that's where you're starting out, there's a whole push up progression that we've posted. You start with push upping against a wall and then a bar and then down on the ground. On your knees. And then once you can progress through all those things, you will be able to do standard push ups. And you know what happens when you can do that. It is not only a sign of your body strength, but you're gonna feel like a badass.

[A]

Yeah, I'm excited. I'm not there.

[C]

It's okay. Neither was. Neither were millions of women who took up the push up challenge. I didn't even mean to put it out there, but women of themselves said, can I do that? Can I challenge myself to learn that from very, very famous movie stars and wives of presidents to mere mortals like me? We're all trying to prove to ourselves that we're strong enough to move our own bodies.

[A]

It is so it's also just like, okay, this is a tangible goal.

[C]

So basic. Can you get up off the floor without having to get up on all four?

[A]

That is another one. Okay, so to stand challenge that happened. That was that I still have not mastered. I'm trying. These are all the ones I'm trying.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I had everybody in the family, by the way, do it. Not everybody could.

[B]

Interesting.

[A]

So we are working on it, but.

[C]

There are lots of reasons. It has to do with butt, core and hip strength. It has to do with coordination.

[A]

So you have to beat crisscross, applesauce. Stand up without getting.

[C]

Unless you can be sitting, bend your knees, and just roll up into a squat. That's hard.

[A]

No, I can't.

[C]

I mean, there's nothing wrong with putting a knee down, putting a hand down. As long as you can get up in the scope of life, as long as you can get up off the ground. Right? So you have falling and you can't get up. That's disaster. Right? But if we want to know that we are capable of moving our own body, I mean, we grew this. We need to move this. Right? To quote Richard Simmons from so many years ago, he would always say, you grew this, you lose this. Well, I say, you grew this, you move this. But it's not a judgment. It's just, can you get up? And many people cannot. And that is unsafe. It is unsafe.

[A]

I've fallen and I can't get up.

[C]

Was like the very unsafe. Those are the point of these things. They're fun challenges, but it's really a measure of, do I have the strength in myself to take care of myself?

[A]

So, okay, 11 pushups.

[B]

11 pushups is the minimum sort of.

[A]

Number that we should be able to.

[C]

According to the American College of Sports Medicine.

[A]

And it's just a good measure of.

[C]

Sort of it's just a good measure. It's a goal to work to getting up off the ground using no hands and no knees. Another measure to get out to work up to deep squat is another one that, that I put out recently. Can you squat all the way down like a child does?

[A]

It's another one that's so hard.

[C]

Do you have the hip flexibility, the knee flexibility, the ankle flexibility? And why in the strength to go up and down and why is that important? Well, the reason that people, elderly people start shuffling is because they lose joint mobility. So if we can maintain joint mobility.

[A]

So how do we get joint mobility?

[C]

We keep moving our joints, Just keep moving them. It's an active process because joints are constrained by the soft tissue around them.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

There's so much to do. Okay, now how does estrogen impact being able to move your joints and doing all of these things?

[C]

So I love that question. As I went through midlife myself and I started listening in a different way to the women who came in to me with their frozen shoulders, they would say things like, my whole body hurts and I don't know why, or I've never had arthritis. And I would find that they had this progressive arthritis. And so as I started listening and putting it all together and started researching, come to find out. We've known for 70 years that something called the arthritis of menopause existed. We've known for a very long time that we lose muscle mass in midlife and beyond. We've known for a very long time that we lose 20% of our bone density. And as we started putting this all together with the knowledge that estrogen receptors are on every musculoskeletal tissue, muscle, fat, tendon, ligament, vertebral discs, the muscle stem cells, it started to make sense to me. And so I put all of these together under the nomenclature of the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause. And my research group and I published this paper last July and it has been downloaded nearly 400,000 times in one year. We made it open access, so there was no gate on the good research. But number two, what that tells me in a world where the best Nobel prize winning papers are downloaded an average of 10,000 times, is not that this was God's gift to paper, although I would take that. But what it means is the need is so great for women to understand why their body hurts, why their knees are giving out, why their tendons and ligaments are so painful, why they're gaining 30 pounds, that they've not done Anything differently. Why suddenly they're being told they have osteoporosis. It's because estrogen receptors, which are like little baskets on the surface of all our musculoskeletal tissue, no longer have estrogen sitting in them. And then all the wonderful maintenance things that happen downstream do not happen.

[A]

It is so interesting because if I look back on the last three years, maybe the last four years, the most bizarre things have happened, which I, in retrospect, and what you're saying now makes even more sense. But frozen shoulder, again, went to an orthopedic surgeon who said, that's frozen shoulder. It happens to women of a certain age. But he did not connect it to estrogen, to estrogen or perimenopause or anything. And there was nothing to do about it. Then I had. I woke up one day on my 47th birthday, and both of my hands felt like they were bruised out of the clear blue sky. And I went to, again, every doctor, and nobody, not one doctor, said that these were these joint pains or these things were remotely connected.

[C]

But they don't know. And I'm gonna tell you why. And this is a wonderful way to charge up your audience of young women. We are not taught in medical school much at all about the lives of women after 40. Unless we're dealing with pathophysiology, what is the normal life history of a woman who loses her estrogen? We're not taught, number one. Number two, in the particular case of not being taught and being a doctor born without the benefits of ovaries, I. E. 94% of all orthopedic surgeons, unless they have a curious mind, they will never know from their own lived experience what it's like to be suddenly shut off from the lifeblood of estrogen. Right? Wow. They'll never know unless they're curious to learn. There are virtually no papers on this because women were not included. It was not mandatory for women to be included in research studies until 1993. And currently about 1% of all research, medical research, is done in women over 40, let alone musculoskeletal research, which I can count on probably one hand and a half the studies that specifically look at women over 40. So those are the reasons. So for the young women listening, I want to galvanize you to not accept that because you are 51% of the entire population. This is not niche. You are the majority, and frankly, financial people out there. We control the consumer spending in this country. So if you want something, we control it with our money. We control it with our population and our votes, and we control it because we make 80% of all the healthcare decisions in this country for ourselves and everyone we touch. We are the most powerful force for health and goodness in this country. And it starts with educating yourself. It starts with, let's not depend on a government NIH system to fund research. There are lots of of very entrepreneurial, wealthy women in this country. And I have consistently been calling out that women who want to invest with passion should invest in women. Because even in the venture capital space, we have increased investment in companies that are building things for women to the tune of 300% increase.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

It still amounts to only 2% of all venture capital money spent because people invest in what they understand. Understand most VC is men and they do not know where the vagina is, other than why they know where the vagina is. So I'm just saying, ladies, we hold so much power. Let's exercise that to get what we want and need. Because it is my goal for nobody listening who has already gone through, who has not yet gone through this to hit a brick wall like you and I did.

[A]

Totally. It's so unnecessary and it's so exciting to me that women in their 30s and earlier 40s get to hear this and take action so they don't experience that. Ridiculous. It's like you hit a wall. And also it's so mysterious to the very people that you seek information from usually.

[C]

And that's why I called this book Unbreakable. Because we do not have to age in the way our grandmothers, or maybe our, probably our grandmothers, our mothers are aging. We can build this standard, these baselines, and carry them out through our whole lives if we just know what to do.

[A]

Well, for people who want to know more about what to do, that's a perfect segue is to we're going to end. But Unbreakable is literally a guidebook for this. And it's written so practically. Which I so appreciate it because I highlighted the heck out of it.

[C]

Good.

[A]

Just because I was like, I. I feel like there need to be handouts to post all over my house for. For things that you can do in these small ways and in the big ways to make these changes so that we can grow old in a way that is. I mean, you said it before, but it is a mindset shift. And by the way, I am in the most wonderful place I've ever been in.

[C]

Exactly.

[A]

Which I don't think we. That is not the mindset I'm going.

[C]

To tell you for sure. And many of my friends within this space will say same thing. This is the most productive.

[A]

It's amazing.

[C]

Most peaceful, most. I am more myself now than I have ever been. More Eddie. And who would have thought it? And so that's the kind of person that I'm trying to talk to. And I believe that we're smart enough that we deserve the scientific explanation. And so that's in there, too. If you want that it's there. You don't just have to take my word for it. Here's the why.

[A]

Yeah. No, I love that it has the why, but it also has the how.

[C]

Exactly.

[A]

And so clearly laid out. So everybody needs to get it. I think it's gonna be a revolutionary book. I'm very excited for everyone to know.

[C]

I hope we start a movement that never ends.

[A]

I just can't believe this isn't like, in. I mean, it feels like it's in the water to me because I'm so focused on it. But then I cannot believe how much it's not and needs to be. And it is growing. Thanks to you. So I'm very excited for now, a new group of women to benefit. Thank you.

[C]

Well, I'm thankful to be here. Thanks for having me.

[A]

And thank you for doing this work. Truly. It feels like you really are doing this for all of us.

[C]

You're worth it. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.