Women's Health Doctor: The Health Industry Is Failing Women (Here’s Why)

Rich Roll

Apr 27, 2026

Episode description

Dr. Stacy Sims is an exercise physiologist, nutrition scientist, and the researcher behind the mantra "women are not small men." Recorded live with a studio audience, we discuss perimenopause, heavy lifting, fasted training myths, circadian eating, and more. READ MORE👉🏼 http://bit.ly/richroll984
✌🏼🌱 – Rich

This Episode Is Brought To You By…

Airbnb: Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at👉🏼https://www.airbnb.com/host
Squarespace: Use code RichRoll to save 10% off👉🏼https://bit.ly/squarespace2025
WHOOP: The all-new WHOOP 5.0 is here! Get your first month FREE👉🏼https://www.join.whoop.com/Roll
Momentous: High-caliber human performance products for sleep, focus, longevity, and more. For listeners of the show, Momentous is offering up to 35% off your first order👉🏼https://bit.ly/LiveMomentous2025
Prolon: Get 15% OFF plus a FREE bonus gift👉🏼https://www.prolonlife.com/richroll

Check out all of the amazing discounts from our Sponsors👉🏼https://www.richroll.com/sponsors

00:00:00 Intro
00:00:57 Women Are Not Small Men
00:02:10 Historical Bias in Medicine
00:03:55 Fundamental Biological Differences
00:07:09 Perimenopause: Why What Used to Work Doesn’t
00:09:13 Gut Microbiome and Hormonal Shifts
00:10:47 Inflammation, Fat Storage, and Aging
00:13:05 Biggest Myths About Menopause
00:14:25 Nutrition for Women in Midlife
00:18:43 Circadian Rhythm, Sleep, and Age
00:20:09 Fasting: Men vs. Women
00:22:56 Practical Nutrition for Busy Women
00:25:46 Eating More to Lose Weight
00:26:51 Metabolic Flexibility in Women
00:29:39 Sponsor Break
00:33:35 Cardio, Strength, and the “Gray Zone”
00:38:07 Interval Training: How to Do It Right?
00:40:12 Optimizing Exercise for Women
00:43:53 Lifting Heavy: Addressing the Bulking Myth
00:48:11 Strength Training Programming
00:52:47 High-Intensity Workouts Beyond the Gym
00:56:15 Bone Density and Jump Training
00:57:53 Yoga, Pilates, and Complementary Training
01:00:01 Sponsor Break
01:03:05 Weight Management: Focus on Gains, Not Loss
01:05:52 Optimal Training Time and Circadian Rhythm
01:07:02 Interval Training Modalities
01:07:50 Accelerating Women’s Health Research
01:09:35 Supporting Adolescent Girls
01:12:00 Sleep Quality and Solutions
01:13:34 Training with the Menstrual Cycle
01:16:13 Hormonal Contraception and HRT
01:19:39 Sauna and Cold Plunge: Sex Differences
01:25:44 Protein Intake for Women
01:28:56 Fasted Training and Intermittent Fasting
01:32:28 A Day of Eating: Dr. Sims’ Example
01:35:45 Creatine Supplementation for Women
01:44:04 Other Supplements: What to Take and Avoid
01:46:53 Research Gaps and Diversity
01:50:22 Dream Research Project
01:54:28 How Men Can Support Women?
01:56:21 Guidance for Young Female Athletes
01:59:33 Wearables and Data Interpretation
02:01:44 Recognizing Perimenopause and First Steps
02:03:42 Blood Tests and Biomarkers
02:09:28 Peptides: Hype vs. Evidence
02:10:44 Defining “Heavy” in Strength Training
02:11:38 Conclusion and Acknowledgments

LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/rrpitunes
Spotify: http://bit.ly/rrpspotify
Google: http://bit.ly/rrpgooglepods

Meal Planner: http://meals.richroll.com
Voicing Change Book: http://richroll.com/vc
Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/RichRollPodcastClips
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/rollcallemail

CONNECT WITH RICH
✩ Website - http://richroll.com
✩ Rich Roll Podcast - https://richroll.com/all-episodes/
✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/richroll/
✩ Twitter - https://twitter.com/richroll
✩ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/richrollfans
✩ Strava - https://www.strava.com/athletes/14443?oq=rich
✩ Memoir: Finding Ultra - https://www.richroll.com/shop/books/finding-ultra/
✩ Meals - http://meals.richroll.com
✩ Cook - The Plantpower Way - https://www.richroll.com/shop/books/the-plantpower-way-signed/
✩ Italian! - The Plantpower Way: Italia - https://www.richroll.com/shop/books/the-plantpower-way-italia-signed/
✩ Support - https://www.patreon.com/richroll

Thanks To The Team: Jason Camiolo, Dan Drake, Morgan McRae, Blake Curtis, Desmond Loh

* * * * *

NEW TO RICH?
Hi I'm Rich Roll. I'm a vegan ultra-endurance athlete, author, podcaster, public speaker & wellness evangelist. But mainly I'm a dad of four. If you want to know more, visit my website or check out these two the NY Times articles:
http://bit.ly/otillonyt
http://bit.ly/vegansglam

I LOVE MAIL! SEND IT HERE:
2630 Conejo Spectrum St.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320

#richroll #richrollpodcast

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Lift heavy weights to counteract estrogen decline

As estrogen declines, lifting heavy weights provides the necessary neuromuscular stimulus to maintain muscle power, counteracting age-related protein dysfunction.

#estrogen

#muscle

Enhance bone density with multidirectional impact stress exercises

To effectively improve bone density, you need multidirectional impact stress, which can be achieved with simple exercises like a toe raise followed by a hard heel slam.

#bones

#exercise

Escape moderate intensity trap to optimize workouts

Workouts like Orange Theory or F45 often keep you in a 'gray zone' that is not hard enough for adaptation or easy enough for recovery, which can increase cortisol.

#cortisol

#exercise

Utilize HIIT to enhance brain fuel and reduce cognitive decline risk

High-intensity interval training helps women produce lactate, which is a preferred fuel for the brain and may help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

#cognition

#HIIT

Address gut health decline before menopause to prevent obesity

About four years before menopause, a significant drop in gut microbiome diversity can lead to an overgrowth of obesogenic bacteria, increasing fat storage and carbohydrate cravings.

#menopause

#microbiome

Eat within 30 minutes of waking to support circadian rhythm

Women should eat within about 30 minutes of waking to support their circadian rhythm, as morning fasting can disrupt hormones and increase stress.

#circadian

#women

Take 3-5 grams of creatine daily for optimal health benefits

A recent systematic review concluded that women aged 18-60 should take 3-5 grams of creatine daily to optimize brain, heart, and overall health.

#creatine

#women

Focus on long-term trends in wearable data for accurate recovery insights

Wearable algorithms are often based on male data and can misinterpret normal hormonal fluctuations in women as poor recovery, so focus on long-term trends instead of daily scores.

#recovery

#wearables

Use cool water for calming parasympathetic response in women

For women to get a calming parasympathetic response from cold exposure, cool water around 55°F (14-16°C) is more effective than ice-cold water, which can cause a stress response.