As active women, we’re so used to our bodies being considered “other” or “less than” in health and fitness media, we barely notice it. Our bouncing breasts are a problem. Our wide hips are a problem. Our periods, boy oh boy, big problem. And when we hit perimenopause and menopause? Well, until very recently nobody even bothered talking about us…especially exercise physiology researchers, who, as this week’s guest Christine Yu discovered, have largely overlooked athletic and active menopausal women. This week we flip the script and make women’s bodies the norm as we dive in on what we know and the research we need to answer the questions we have. 

Christine Yu is the author of Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes, in which she explains the latest research and celebrates the researchers, athletes, and advocates pushing back against the status quo and proposing better solutions to improve the active and athletic lives of women and girls. Yu is an award-winning journalist whose work focuses on the intersection of sports science and women athletes. Her writing has appeared in Outside, The Washington Post, Runner’s World, and other publications. She’s a lifelong athlete and yoga teacher who loves running, surfing, and skiing. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can learn more about her and her work at christinemyu.com

Resources:

Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes. Pick up a copy here. 

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