- Yoga, breath work, meditation, and community can meaningfully reduce common perimenopausal symptoms.
- Hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disruption often create a cascade effect — and that cycle can be interrupted.
- There are 77 documented manifestations of perimenopausal symptoms; grip strength loss is one most women never see coming.
- Tracking your symptoms is just as important as tracking your nutrition or your workouts.
- One hormonal panel at one point in time is not enough — you need a baseline and a comparison.
- HRT is not one-size-fits-all; there are gels, creams, pellets, injections, and more worth exploring.
- If a practitioner isn’t listening, you are allowed to walk out and find someone who will.
- Getting health information from social media is not a substitute for individualized care.
- How others respond to your coaching is not a reflection of your worth as a professional.
- Midlife is an invitation to take up space — not shrink.
Breathe, Lift, Expand. Join Dr. Desi Bartlett — 2025 IDEA Fitness Leader of the Year, doctoral researcher, yoga expert, and Hawaii-based wellness force — for a conversation that is equal parts science and soul. Desi shares her groundbreaking research on yoga and perimenopause, walks listeners through a live breath practice for hot flashes, and gets refreshingly real about grip strength, Wonder Woman gloves, and going through three doctors before finding one who actually listened. This episode is a beautiful reminder that midlife is not about shrinking — it’s about expanding into everything you are.
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