BONUS: Body Image, Training, and Nutrition in Middle Age with Sal Di Stefano

Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+

Cynthia Thurlow

Alternative Health, Nutrition, Science, Life Sciences, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2025

⏱️ 80 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today, I am privileged to connect with Sal Di Stefano. Sal is a sought-after fitness and health expert with a straightforward, uncomplicated communication style. He is also a co-host of the immensely popular Mind Pump Podcast. In our discussion, we explore why the scale is an ineffective measure of success in our culture, particularly for women. We dive into the effects of body image and dysfunctional relationships with our bodies, contrasting self-hate patterns with self-love patterns. We look at ways to train differently in middle age with the challenges of perimenopause and menopause, and consider the impact of physiological changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period. We also cover signs of overtraining and intuitive nutrition and address many listeners' questions about reverse dieting, hormetic strategies, and authenticity. I am sure you will love this conversation, and I look forward to having Sal back on the show in 2024. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: The limitations of relying solely on weight as a measure of success in health and wellness Why we should focus on the full scope of fitness and diet rather than a specific number or metric How patterns of self-hatred can lead to unhealthy behaviors How to practice self-care with exercise and a healthy diet Why exercise routines should be founded on factors like sleep, stress, fitness levels, and diet The importance of starting with small, manageable steps toward self-care and weight loss Why strength training is the most effective exercise for women in perimenopause and menopause How high-performing athletes prioritize recovery and rest to prevent burnout and injury Post-pregnancy muscle recruitment patterns and exercises Diet and nutrition for improved mental clarity and physical performance The benefits of strength training for muscle growth and hormone balance Connect with Cynthia Thurlow Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn Check out Cynthia’s website Submit your questions to [email protected] Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community (The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow) Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now! Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book The Midlife Pause supplement line Connect with Sal Di Stefano On ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Mind Pump Podcast

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Everyday Wellness Podcast.
0:03.7	I'm your host, nurse practitioner, Cynthia Thurlow.
0:07.4	This podcast is designed to educate, empower, and inspire you to achieve your health and wellness goals.
0:13.9	My goal and intent is to provide you with the best content and conversations from leaders in the health and wellness industry each week and impact
0:22.1	over a million lives.
0:27.1	This is the start of bonus Mondays, a compilation of the top episodes over the past three years for everyday wellness.
0:40.7	And I have to tell you, when I went through all of this research and data, it was apparent
0:45.1	to me that we have a very eclectic, diverse group of clinicians, science writers, personal
0:53.1	trainers, and experts.
0:55.5	I know you will love this new series.
0:57.5	Every Monday, we're dropping some of the biggest podcasts of the last three years.
1:02.5	These are your favorites, the most downloaded, ones that have resonated with you.
1:07.7	And I love that we're going to be able to share these every Monday so that you can
1:11.5	revisit some of these amazing episodes.
1:17.6	And I had the honor of connecting with Sal D. Stefano. He is one of the most sought after experts
1:24.2	in fitness and health with his effective, grounded, and easy to understand style of
1:28.7	communication. He is also one of the co-host of the massively popular Mind Pump podcast. Today, we
1:36.5	dove deep into why the scale is a poor metric of success in our culture, especially for women,
1:43.7	the impact of body image, dysfunctional
1:46.4	relationships with our bodies, self-hate patterns versus self-love patterns, how to train
1:52.1	differently in middle age in terms of perimenopause and menopause, but also the net impact
1:58.4	of the changes our bodies go through not only in pregnancy, but also in the
	...

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