Should I change my workouts as I go through menopause?

Nikkiey's reasoning comes down to stress and recovery. Exercise is a good physical stress, but it's still a stressor. On the overtraining episode she adds a nuance: a hard lifting session spikes cortisol briefly and then it drops back down, which is a healthy response. In her view the problem is chronic cortisol. When you're already stressed from hormonal changes, under-eating and poor sleep, and you stack five or six cardio and strength sessions on top with no real recovery, cortisol never settles. She says that in a menopausal body this signals it to store fat in the midsection and hold on to it.

She's clear that the answer isn't no exercise. It's the right type of exercise with enough recovery and enough food for your body to respond. On Ep. 219 she adds that overtraining while eating very little doesn't speed things up; it slows progress down, sometimes doubling how long results take.

If you've been training harder and harder and the scale won't move, that isn't a willpower problem. Nikkiey's point is that your body has been doing exactly what it's designed to do under those conditions. Change the plan, give it time, and if you have specific hormonal or health concerns, work with your doctor alongside your training.