Reflections: Science-backed Training for Females, Just One Line a Day Journal, Contemplative Reflections

Feb 25
4 min read

My February Reflection...

Books! Books! Books! February has been a delightful walk through my bookshelf. I keep a lot of books. Some I haven't picked up in ages but I keep them for just the right moment and then I thank myself for not giving it away as I need to reference a page or two for my edification or, writing this newsletter for instance.

Growing up my family had many books. We had a whole bookcase filled with books that my grandparents and aunts and uncles had (I grew up in the house my great-grandparents built). It was always fun looking through them.

One such book I picked up to read because I really liked the size of it (i.e. judging it by its cover…). You could tell it was old by the cover and the pages. I started reading it and couldn't put it down. That book was The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maughan. I never heard of him but as it turns out he was a big deal.

Two books on my bookshelf I "found again" this month were Roar by Dr. Stacy Sims - great reference book on food and fitness for female physiology and Thomas Merton's, No Man Is An Island, which is described as a masterful and moving development of the theme that, through God's love, no man is entirely alone. Looking at a notation on the back cover in my grandma's handwriting brought a smile to my face and touched my heart.

Body - Through Menopause and Beyond

After being reminded of Dr. Sims' works, I picked up her second book, Next Level - Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond. Skillfully she explains exactly what our hormones are doing during perimenopause, menopause, and after. Along with proper fueling, she has a specific training protocol for women in this phase of their life. I'm incorporating her protocol into my clients' training as well as my own.

Sims advocates for high-intensity, low-volume, and heavy resistance training to strengthen the nervous system, particularly for women over 35 to combat age-related neuromuscular decline.

Key Components of Dr. Sims' Nervous System Training

Heavy Resistance Training: Focus on compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, rows) with heavy loads and low reps (3-5 sets of 5-10 reps) to stimulate the CNS (Central Nervous System) and maintain fast-twitch muscle fibers.
Sprint Interval Training (SIT): Perform 30 seconds or less of maximal effort (e.g., rowing, biking) followed by 2-3 minutes of rest to allow for ATP recovery.

Why This Approach Matters for the Nervous System

Combat Aging: These methods fight the age-related decline in nerve impulses (neurotransmitters) and loss of fast-twitch muscle fibers.
Hormonal Support: High-intensity, short-duration work is better for the female nervous system, avoiding the high-stress, prolonged cortisol response that lower-intensity, long-duration cardio creates.
Brain Health: Intense training increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), improving cognitive function, mood, and stress resilience.

Challenge for you:

Work up to lifting heavier weights and incorporating "sprints" into your weekly training.

Mind - Write one line a day

I was listening (and watching) one of Ryan Holiday's great video's where he was discussing things he did one year ago up to five years ago and a specific day. The tool he was using is a One line a day A 5-year Memory Book. On a single day there are spaces for one line for five years. I had to get it. What I like is the thought-process of writing just "one thing" each day that was memorable to you. Much of my "one things" are something I learned that day.

Challenge for you:

Whether you are a reluctant journaler or avid writer, this would be a simple great way to capture something important for you each day.

Spirit - No Man Is An Island

I'm continuing with reading things more on the contemplative side and spiritual lightness. This book, No Man is an Island, gave me extra pleasure thinking that my grandma held and read the pages. So many gems in this. Some of the themes in this book reminded me of what Mother Teresa said - we forget that we belong to one another. Merton also reminds us that we are connected to one another and that by loving others we can help fill our purpose.

Challenge for you:

Drawing on a contemplative theme, make time for yourself; create a space that you can quiet your mind without technological noise. Notice what stirs in your heart.

Poem I’m meditating on…

No Man is an Island,

Entire of itself.

Each is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less.

As well as if a promontory were.

As well as if a manor of thine own or of thy friends were.

Each man's death diminishes me,

For I am involved in mankind.

Therefore, send not to know

For whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.