Since the dawn of science, researchers have studied men, how men could sleep better, eat healthier, and exercise efficiently. When testing medications, they’d use cells with XY chromosomesand when running trials, they’d use male rats (because female rats’ hormones messed with their data).
Scientists would then release their findings and recommend that everyone follow their advice, but women are not small men. We have our own hormones, cycles, biochemistry, metabolism, and aging processes, all of which impact how our bodies react to this advice. Spoiler alert: Not well.
In 1993, Congress finally ruled that women had to be included in clinical trials. Still, an estimated 75% of medical research is based on men’s bodies, and outdated data continues to plague health guidelines. (Fun fact: BMI was developed when studying Scottish Highland soldiers in the 1800s.)
Luckily, one scientist focuses exclusively on women: Dr. Stacy Sims is a researcher, exercise physiologist, nutrition scientist, and author. Unlike almost every other health expert out there, however, she specializes in the female body. I’ve been devouring her advice like my life depends on it — because in a lot of ways, it does.
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The health claim: Intermittent fasting (also called time-restricted feeding) involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting, often skipping breakfast and limiting food to an 8-hour, 4-hour, or 1-hour window. Theoretically, it gives the body a break from digestion so it can use up stored fat.
Why it doesn’t work for women: While research shows it’s helpful for men and some sedentary women with metabolic disorders, intermittent fasting can be extremely detrimental for active women. (Last year, I unknowingly sabotaged my thyroid by doing fasted workouts.)
In addition to messing with your period, fasting disrupts the production of kisspeptina neuropeptide responsible for hormones, glucose levels, and body composition.
Fasting also puts added stress on the body, and since women already have higher levels of cortisol than men, fasting may worsen anxiety and boost weight gain — the exact opposite of what we’re trying to do.
Do this instead: According to Dr. Sims, women should fuel their bodies soon after waking up, especially before working out. She’s a big fan of protein coffee for those who don’t have an appetite in the morning.
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The health claim: Research (on men) says that submerging your body in cold water reduces inflammation, strengthens your body’s stress response, and boosts recovery after a workout. Now, it’s trendy to take cold showers, fill your bathtub with ice, and swim in freezing lakes and oceans.
Why it doesn’t work for women: Because we have more body fat, which vasodilates to control our core temperature, women are way more sensitive to cold exposure.
As a result, temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit create a stronger stress response in women than in men. Particularly cold water puts women in a sympathetic, shut-down state (basically, fight or flight) without invoking the metabolic benefits.
Do this instead: Expose your body to cool (not cold) water. Temperatures around 55 degrees Fahrenheit will create the same benefits that men experience with lower temperatures.
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The health claim: For decades, fitness experts have told men to lift weights and told women to sweat it out for hours on the elliptical or in a Jazzercise class.
Cardiovascular exercise is any activity that elevates your heart rate and breathing, and women are told it’s the key to staying fit and slim. If we insisted on lifting weights, trainers handed us a set of 2-pound pink dumbbells, so we wouldn’t “bulk up.”
Why it doesn’t work for women: When all we do is cardio, our muscles retain fatty tissue and our bones deteriorate to the consistency of chalk. Long stretches of cardio can also elevate stress levels — which, for most of us, are already too high.
Building muscle is essential for women, especially as we age. Studies show that strong muscles reduce body fat, slow bone loss, strengthen joints, boost mood and energy levels, lower the risk of certain cancers, and may even decrease your risk of dementia.
Do this instead: Start strength training. Incorporate heavier weights into your fitness routine, building muscle through reps, sets, and recovery.
Dr. Sims recommends starting with three sets of eight to 15 repsresting for two minutes in between. (Women need less recovery time than men, which is why we rest for two minutes instead of three.) Over several weeks, work your way up to five sets of five reps with heavy enough weights that the last rep feels like a challenge.
You can also incorporate sprint training, in which you do a high-intensity activity — sprinting, cycling, kettlebell swings, etc. — for 30 seconds or less, as hard as you can go. Rest for two minutes in between and repeat two or three times. That’s it.
Finally, a brisk walk is a great, low-stress way to get your blood pumping.
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The health claim: A calorie is a unit of energy, and dieting is supposedly a simple calculation: If you burn more calories than you consume in a day, you should be able to lose weight, right?
Why it doesn’t work for women: The calories in/calories out model is way too simple, especially when you consider women’s hormones, body fat percentage, and metabolic fluctuations.
According to Dr. Sims, women have a higher percentage of body fat, which means we require more fuel to combat stress. When we cut calories without replacing them with healthier, cleaner food, we dysregulate our thyroids and plummet into starvation mode — ultimately storing more body fat.
Research also shows that the mental effort of counting calories causes stress, burnout, and binge eating.
Do this instead: Food quality is more important than the number of calories. No matter how you cut it and slice it, your body does not metabolize 200 calories of broccoli the same way it metabolizes 200 calories of ice cream.
Make sure you’re getting enough fuel in the form of clean, nutritious food. Eat first thing in the morning, and prioritize protein, fiber, and whole carbs to keep yourself full and energized throughout the day.
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The health claim: For years, nutritionists obsessed over carbs, fats, sugars, vitamins, and minerals. Protein was largely ignored. Recommended protein guidelines have steadily decreasedleading people (especially women) to believe that protein isn’t important unless you’re a bodybuilder.
Currently, public health guidelines recommend .36 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day for women. Women are also told that too much protein might damage their kidneys or get stored as fat.
Why it doesn’t work for women: Protein intake is just as (if not more) important for women than men.
Why? Women have hormone fluctuations that regularly put us in a catabolic statemeaning that during certain phases of our menstrual and maturation cycles, our bodies actively break down muscle.
Eating enough protein ensures that our bodies can rebuild those muscles, especially when we’re working out regularly. It’s also necessary for bone health, nerve conduction, and brain function.
Do this instead: For active women, Dr. Sims recommends eating at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily (more than double the commonly suggested amount). Start early in the morning, and evenly distribute your protein throughout the day, eating meals every three to four hours.
If you’re perimenopausal, menopausal, or in the luteal phase of your period, you may want to up your protein intake even more.
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The health claim: After the health industry demonized fats, it went after carbohydrates.
Now, low-carb diets are touted as a quick, easy way to boost energy and lose weight. Approximately 17% of Americans try to limit carbs, and roughly 13 million Americans follow the Keto dieteliminating carbohydrates almost entirely.
Why it doesn’t work for women: While highly processed carbohydrates aren’t good for anyone, ditching all carbs (even whole grains, starchy vegetables, and fruits) hurts women’s performance and health. Carbs are a quick source of energy for the body, and low energy availability (LEA) is extremely common among active women.
When women eliminate carbohydrates, they can’t maintain blood sugar levels, stabilize their mood, or fight off infections. Carbs also work alongside protein to build muscle, and they communicate with the hypothalamus to tell it, “We have enough food coming in; you don’t need to disrupt endocrine function.”
Do this instead: Fuel your body appropriately for the task at hand. Especially if you’re doing intense workouts, Dr. Sims recommends getting around 40% of your daily energy through whole-food carbohydrates.
Carbs aren’t the enemy. Neither is protein, lifting weights, adequate rest, or eating enough to fuel our bodies. You know what the enemy is? Health standards that blatantly ignore half the population.
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Maria Cassano is a writer, editor, and journalist whose work has appeared on NBC, Bustle, CNN, The Daily Beast, Food & Wine, and Allure, among others.
