High Performance Health

Most of us assume that if we look healthy on the outside, our heart is fine on the inside, but today, preventive cardiology dietitian Michelle Routhenstein explains why that's exactly the assumption that gets women into trouble, especially through perimenopause and beyond. We get into the two numbers your doctor probably isn't checking, ApoB and Lp(a), the first five diet changes Michelle makes with clients to bring down high cholesterol numbers, why stretching may be doing as much for your arteries as it does for your joints, and why blood pressure, not HRV, deserves far more of your attention as you move through this life stage. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ● Why heart disease can silently progress in women who look and feel healthy ● What ApoB and Lp(a) actually measure, and why they matter more than LDL and HDL alone ● The first five diet changes to lower high ApoB or non HDL cholesterol ● Why saturated fat, fiber, and gut health all influence your cholesterol numbers ● Why blood pressure, not HRV, deserves more of your attention in perimenopause ● How menopause hormone therapy really affects your cardiovascular risk ● The minerals your heart needs to keep beating and pumping properly TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Heart Disease Risk in Women: ApoB, Lp(a), and the Tests Your Doctor Isn't Running 10:18 The Hidden Inflammation Driving Your Heart Disease Risk (And How to Test for It) 19:29 The Truth About Saturated Fat and Cholesterol After 40 22:19 The First Five Diet Changes to Lower High ApoB or Non HDL Cholesterol 29:24 Bloating, Gut Health and Thyroid: The Hidden Heart Disease Risks in Perimenopause 39:41 Why Stretching Might Be Protecting Your Arteries, Not Just Your Joints 51:48 Does Menopause Hormone Therapy Actually Protect Your Heart? VALUABLE RESOURCES • Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body — and how to fix it. 👉 https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/ A BIG thank you to our sponsor who makes the show possible: • MitoQ - Support your cells at the source with MitoQ NAD+ Dual Action, designed to boost NAD levels and help your cells actually use them for steady energy and sharper focus 👉 https://www.mitoq.com and use code ANGELA for 10% off your first order. ABOUT THE GUEST Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, is a preventive cardiology dietitian and the founder of Entirely Nourished, a nutrition counseling practice specializing in the prevention and management of heart disease. She holds a master's degree in clinical nutrition from New York University and has spent over a decade helping clients improve markers like ApoB, Lp(a), blood pressure, and inflammation through personalized, science-based nutrition. She sits on the medical advisory board of the National Menopause Foundation and works with clients at every stage, from prevention to recovery after a cardiac event. Website: https://entirelynourished.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heart.health.nutritionist/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellerouthenstein/

Most women think poor sleep is inevitable as they get older. It isn't. It is your stress hormones, your cortisol cycle, and a specific stage of deep sleep called N4, and all three can be addressed. I sit down with Dr. Juliane Hellhammer, a psycho-neuro-endocrinologist specialising in stress and sleep, and what he shares will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about rest and recovery. If you have ever woken at 2am with your mind racing, struggled to feel recovered no matter how much sleep you get, or wondered whether your wearable is actually telling you the truth about your sleep quality, this episode gives you the science and the solutions. Because what if the sleep stage that matters most is the one no one is talking about? WHAT YOU’LL LEARN • Why perimenopausal women wake up at 2am and what is actually driving it • What N4 deep sleep is and why it matters after 40 • What destroys deep sleep quality in perimenopausal women and how to fix it • Can wearables accurately measure deep sleep stages • What poor sleep does to brain fog and fatigue in perimenopause • Why trying too hard to sleep is keeping you awake • What genuinely high quality sleep looks like TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Why Deep Sleep, Stress & Sleep Duration Matter in Perimenopause 07:48 Why Trying Too Hard to Sleep Is Destroying Your Deep Sleep 13:26 What High Quality Sleep Really Looks Like and The Ancient Ingredient That Improves It 23:20 Why You Wake Up at 2–4am in Perimenopause and How to Fix It 27:34 Top 3 Evidence-Based Upgrades for Sleep and Recovery 30:25 How to Use the Sleep Well Supplement for Best Results VALUABLE RESOURCES • Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body and how to fix it. 👉 https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/ ABOUT THE GUEST Dr. Juliane Hellhammer is a psychoneuroendocrinologist, PhD researcher, and Founder and CEO of daacro, a specialist clinical research organisation based in Trier, Germany, focused on stress, sleep, and psychobiology. With decades of experience running clinical trials on how chronic stress and cortisol impact health, she is one of Europe's leading experts on the physiological relationship between stress and sleep disorders. Try Sleep Well Dissolvable Granules: https://www.avogel.co.uk/herbal-remedies/sleep-well/ Website: http://www.daacro.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliane-hellhammer-phd-38865232/