The Biggest Fitness Myths for Women: What The Scientific Data Shows (Must Listen Episode)
Optimal Protein Podcast with Vanessa Spina
Vanessa Spina
4.5 • 758 Ratings
🗓️ 9 May 2025
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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In this myth-busting solo episode, Vanessa recaps her powerful conversation with Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple — a leading researcher in women’s physiology and strength training — and breaks down the real science behind the most persistent myths in women’s fitness and hormones.
From fasted training to protein timing, lifting heavy, cortisol, menopause, HRT, and creatine — this episode brings clarity, calm, and confidence to your health and fitness journey. If you’ve ever felt confused by fasting and muscle loss claims or overwhelmed by hormone hype, this episode will empower you with evidence-backed insights and practical advice.
🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- If fasted training and intermittent fasting are harmful for women
- The truth about muscle loss and whether protein timing really matters for women
- What the science actually says about cortisol, cardio, and belly fat
- Whether hormone replacement therapy can prevent muscle loss after menopause (the jury is still out and the science is not settled)
- Whether you need to lift “heavy” to build strength and tone
- The surprising limitations of creatine and other popular supplements
- Why insulin spikes from protein or coffee aren’t a problem
- The truth behind hormone testing and so-called “estrogen dominance”
- Whether zone 2 cardio or sprint intervals are best for women over 40
- How to train smarter — without fear, confusion, or gimmicks
- The mindset shift that makes high-protein keto sustainable
This is your no-fluff guide to mastering high-protein keto nutrition — one bite at a time.
•Free high-protein keto guide: The Keto Reset eBook
👤 Connect with Vanessa:
• Instagram: @ketogenicgirl
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Follow @ketogenicgirl for updates on the latest studies and strategies to optimize protein intake and metabolic health.
Follow @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast.
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The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen.
📲 Stay Connected with Vanessa:
Instagram: @ketogenicgirl
⭐️ If You Loved This Episode…
Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps more women discover the truth about protein, strength, and sustainable fat loss!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Optimal Protein Podcast. I'm Vanessa Spina. Hello, my friends. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm your host, Vanessa, and I am so excited for today's episode because today I'm bringing you a very special episode that I have been super excited to share. You know, once in a while, a conversation on this podcast just hits |
| 0:23.0 | differently. It clears the fog. It cuts through the confusion. And it leaves us feeling empowered |
| 0:29.9 | rather than confused and overwhelmed. And that's exactly how I felt after my most recent |
| 0:36.4 | conversation with the brilliant Dr. Lauren |
| 0:39.1 | Kalanzo Semple. |
| 0:40.7 | Now, this was Lauren's second appearance on the show in a very short period of time. |
| 0:45.2 | I don't think I've ever invited, I guess, back on this quickly. |
| 0:49.3 | I've been so inspired by her passion to bring the actual science behind a lot of rampant online myths |
| 0:59.0 | when it comes to women's health and fitness and I knew that I needed to have her back on |
| 1:05.3 | the podcast to talk about all of the big myths out there that she has been really |
| 1:10.2 | passionate about dispelling and letting |
| 1:12.7 | us know what the science actually says in humans. And based on her amazing knowledge of |
| 1:20.8 | female physiology, she really was able to dispel so many important myths. So on today's episode, |
| 1:29.7 | I knew that we needed to distill all of this into one episode that breaks it all down and covers it for you. For anyone |
| 1:37.0 | who either missed Monday's episode, I highly recommend tuning into it, or you can just listen to |
| 1:43.0 | today's recap and we will talk all about the |
| 1:46.0 | top myths and misconceptions that are out there. This is your deep dive myth busting recap. |
| 1:52.6 | Whether you've been hearing things like fasted training is bad for you or dangerous or is |
| 1:57.8 | going to cause your muscle to waste away or things like cortisol will make |
| 2:04.0 | you gain belly fat or if you don't eat protein within 20 minutes of training, you'll lose muscle. |
| 2:10.3 | This episode is for you because at the end of this episode, you will know the truth and what the |
| 2:16.0 | science, where it currently stands on all of these important |
... |
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