High Performance Health

Prof. Tim Spector and I talk about gut health, mood, inflammation and fermented foods in perimenopause, and the three diet changes he recommends to start today. 

Microbiome pioneer, ZOE co-founder and Good Mood Food author Prof. Tim Spector explains why midlife mood changes are not psychosomatic: shifting hormones alter your gut microbes, which changes the inflammation and metabolic signals reaching your brain through the vagus nerve. He shares why serotonin was never the real lever, why inflammation and stable metabolism are, and why people in ZOE’s studies report better mood and energy within two weeks of cha...

Can HRT actually help women in midlife build muscle and reduce visceral fat — or is lifestyle still doing most of the heavy lifting? In this conversation, Dr. Federica Amati explains what her research found, where HRT may be helpful, and why it should be seen as one tool rather than the main driver of body composition.

She also explains why building muscle, eating well, moving regularly and protecting sleep before menopause can create a valuable buffer for later life. And for women already well into menopause, her message is equally important: meaningful change is still possible, but th...

Dr. Alyssa Olenick on why cardio doesn't cause belly fat, what fasted training really does for fat loss, and how women in midlife should balance lifting, cardio and carbs.

Exercise physiologist and women's fitness researcher Dr. Alyssa Olenick breaks down the most common training myths aimed at women in midlife. She explains why the cortisol released during exercise is a fuel signal rather than a fat-storage trigger, why the extra fat burned in a fasted session adds up to grams rather than real fat loss, and why fat oxidation drops as estrogen declines in menopause. She also...

How much protein do you really need to build muscle — and do women in perimenopause or menopause need more? In this conversation, Eric Helms breaks down the evidence behind some of the most common protein recommendations, including the widely quoted 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight, when higher intakes may be useful, and why your starting point matters more than obsessing over a supposedly perfect number.

Eric also explains how protein needs change when you’re dieting and trying to preserve lean mass, why resistance training matters far more than squeezing out the last few percentage points from...

This episode is brought to you by Solaray

Solaray, is an eight-product longevity supplement system created to support cellular energy, muscle health, healthy ageing*.  

👉  Save 30% on Unlimit -Targeted formulas to support cellular energy, muscle health, and healthy ageing* Click the link https://solaray.com/FOSTER and use code FOSTER

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.  If you purchase using this link or discount code I may receive a small commission.

Dr. Kien Vuu and...

If you’re a woman in midlife and short on time, HIIT may be one of the most efficient ways to improve metabolic fitness and target visceral fat. In this conversation, Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan breaks down the exact HIIT protocol her research group uses most often: one minute hard, one minute recovery, repeated for up to 10 rounds.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Dr. Mariza Snyder and I talk HRV, HIIT, belly fat and testosterone in perimenopause, and how to keep performing without burning out.

Why do high-performing women hit a wall in perimenopause? Dr. Mariza Snyder and I recorded this in person in London and swapped seats to interview each other. I share why HIIT can tank HRV and how I bring intensity back with short sprints and box breathing. Mariza explains the first signs she sees, why eating less can backfire for belly fat, how insulin resistance can hide behind a normal fasting glucose, and why testosterone is...

At 59, Leslie Kenny says she has achieved a biological age of 21. In this episode, she takes us inside the simple daily habits she uses to support longevity, brain health, metabolic health and healthy ageing — starting with exactly what goes into her morning coffee.

Leslie shares why she adds collagen, MCTs and raw cacao to her coffee, why she’s shifting towards a bigger lunch and lighter dinner for better sleep, and some of the foods she prioritises for spermidine, protein and omega-3s. She also reveals a simple trick with rice that may increase resistant starch and chan...

Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan explains how muscle quality changes in perimenopause and how HIIT, heavy lifting and protein timing help women over 40 train smarter.

In perimenopause, muscle can shift from a lean "filet" toward a "rib eye," with more fat and connective tissue inside it, and a DEXA or InBody can't detect it. Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan explains why heavier, higher power training recruits the type 2 fibers that fade with age, how 1 minute on, 1 minute off HIIT appears to reduce visceral fat in as little as three weeks, why fat burning is not fat loss, and when about 20g...

Midlife belly fat is often blamed on high cortisol, but the picture may be more complicated. Long-term stress, insulin resistance, low energy availability, intense exercise, and poor recovery can all affect how the body responds to weight-loss efforts in your 40s. Pushing harder with HIIT, fasting, or calorie restriction may not always address the underlying issue. Could improving recovery and blood sugar balance change the way your body responds?

Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/Mi5F3U2gHR8

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Dr. Erin Kinney's new...

If you're over 40 and gaining weight around your middle despite doing everything right, cutting calories may be the wrong place to start. In this episode I break down why protein - not restriction - is the first thing I look at with almost every woman I work with.

We cover what's actually happening to your metabolism in perimenopause, why low protein can quietly drive your cravings, how much you really need, why breakfast is the meal most women get wrong, and the 30g "absorption limit" myth you've probably been told for years.

<...

In this episode, Angela speaks with Eric Helms about what the evidence actually says. Eric explains why progressive overload matters more than simply lifting the heaviest weight possible, how women can build muscle effectively across a wide range of rep ranges, and how to structure resistance training for both long-term health and body composition.

They also unpack training frequency, sets per muscle group, proximity to failure and why the best programme is ultimately one you can recover from and consistently follow.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

She more than doubled her HRV in under a decade, and the behaviour that moved it most was not training, supplements or sleep duration, but going to bed and waking at the same time.

This week I sat down with Global Head of Human Performance at WHOOP and author of Aligned, Dr Kristen Holmes, to unpack why sleep-wake consistency is the foundation of a resilient nervous system in midlife.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

- Why is sleep-wake consistency a stronger predictor of mortality and disease than how long you sleep?

...

Your heart is ageing faster than you think. It stiffens between 35 and 50, and shrinks between 50 and 65. For years this was written off as an unavoidable part of getting older. It isn't.The right type of exercise has been shown to reverse almost 20 years of cardiac ageing, and it takes far less time than you've been told.

If you're exercising more than ever but still feel exhausted, or pouring hours into cardio with nothing to show for it, this episode explains what's really happening in your heart, your mitochondria and your metabolism after 40, and the exact way to...

Naturopathic doctor and author of The Cortisol Cure, Dr. Erin Kinney, explains why cortisol isn't the villain we think it is, but a "fix it" hormone you earn through rest and spend through everything else. She unpacks why decades of overspending leave midlife women with a depleted account, why that stubborn belly fat took years to build via insulin resistance, and why the instinct to push harder with more cardio and fewer calories only drains you further.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

- Why cortisol is your "fix it" hormone, not just a stress villain

...

The 3 Best Supplements for Mitochondria, Energy & Longevity in Menopause

Get my free Longevity Stack Masterclass and Supplement Guide for women to learn how to build a personalised supplement stack: https://academy.angelafosterperformance.com/free-longevity-stack-masterclass

In this episode, Angela explains how mitochondria produce energy, why mitochondrial function can become less efficient with age and hormonal change, and the three advanced supplements she personally uses as part of her longevity strategy: NAD precursors, urolithin A and MitoQ.

You’ll discover how each targets a different aspect of mitochondrial health — energy production, mitochondrial renewal and protection again...

ZOE nutritionist Dr. Federica Amati explains why basal metabolic rate barely changes in perimenopause, but postprandial metabolism does, glucose, fat, insulin, and inflammation stay elevated longer after meals, partly via gut microbiome shifts. She unpacks why "thin" can mask sarcopenic obesity, why calorie labels carry ~20% error, why a nutrient-dense breakfast curbs cravings, and why a 70,000-woman ZOE study saw a 35% symptom drop from diet changes alone.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

- Why basal metabolic rate isn't the problem in perimenopause, but postprandial metabolism is

- What's actually driving new midsection fat storage as...

Get my free Longevity Stack Masterclass and Supplement Guide for women to learn how to build a personalised supplement stack: https://academy.angelafosterperformance.com/free-longevity-stack-masterclass

If I were starting over at 40, five supplements would form my foundation: magnesium (and which forms support brain, sleep and heart), omega-3 dosed to an 8–12% index, vitamin D3 with K2 to steer calcium into bone, not arteries, creatine at 3–5g (more for bone), and glycine for collagen, glutathione and sleep. I cover the doses, why testing beats guessing, and why supplements only come third - after food, strength and slee...

If you're training hard, eating well, and still watching your waist thicken, I want you to hear this: you are not lazy, and your metabolism is not broken. Something else is going on, and once you see it, belly fat stops feeling like a mystery you can't crack.

So I called in four people I trust most on this, Ben Azadi, Dr Sarah Berry, Cynthia Thurlow, and Mary Claire Haver. Together we get into why cortisol parks fat right around your middle, how losing estrogen quietly reroutes fat from your hips to your belly, and why the...

1 in 2 women over 50 will break a bone, and the scariest part is you won't feel it happening. Bone loss is silent, it speeds up in perimenopause and menopause, and by the time there's a warning sign, it's often a fracture. But weaker bones are NOT just an inevitable part of aging.

In this video, Angela Foster breaks down the 3 pillars every woman needs to build stronger bones, protect against fractures, and stay strong and independent for decades with the exact, evidence-based way to put each one into practice.

You'll...

Somewhere in your late 30s and 40s, everything you used to do stops working. The energy drains, the middle thickens, the sleep gets lighter, and your sharpness goes fuzzy. Here is what almost no one tells you: this is not you failing at willpower. Most of the longevity advice you have been handed was built on male data and biohacker experiments, and it was never designed for a woman in midlife.

In this longevity masterclass, I bring together four of the most respected voices in health and longevity, Dr Stacy Sims, Dr Gabrielle Lyon, Liz Earle, and...

You already know your energy crashes in midlife, but did you know it's tied to your mitochondria and estrogen? In this clip, Liz Earle breaks down the surprising at-home and outdoor habits, including a totally free one, that support cellular energy and may help calm inflammation and cortisol. If you're constantly fatigued and looking for science-backed (not gimmicky) ways to support your hormones, this one's for you.

What You'll Learn

Mineralise Your Morning Water — Adding minerals to your morning hydration may help replace electrolytes and trace minerals, particularly if you drink reverse os...

Labs read "normal" but you're gaining midsection weight, foggy and running at 70%? Your thyroid - not just perimenopause - may be the missing variable. Dr. Amie Hornaman explains why TSH alone misses the picture, how elevated reverse T3 "pools" and blocks T3 at the cell even when free T3 looks optimal, and why roughly 98% of women don't thrive on T4-only. She links falling progesterone, rising thyroid-binding globulin, low ferritin and the "thyropause" hitting 80-90% of women over 40.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Why a "normal" TSH can completely miss a thyroid problem - and the five...

For years, I did everything I was told would help me stay lean. I trained hard, ate well, and stayed consistent but after 50, my body stopped responding the way it used to.

In this episode, I'm sharing the 7 changes that helped me get my flat stomach back at 50 and completely changed how I think about training, nutrition, recovery, and metabolism in midlife. I didn't find a magic supplement or a quick fix. Instead, I made evidence-based changes that helped me build lean muscle, improve my metabolic health, recover better, and finally achieve the body composition I was...

Longevity expert Dr Florence Comite joins me to explain why testosterone, not estrogen, drives body composition and ageing in midlife women.

Decline isn't inevitable, it's programmable.

She unpacks why low testosterone is likely behind your belly fat, brain fog and low energy from your 30s on, why only a third of us should fast, and the five biomarkers your doctor probably isn't checking fasting glucose, HbA1c, fasting insulin, cholesterol risk ratio and free testosterone that predict where your health span is headed.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

- Why testosterone (which women...

Lowering ApoB and non-HDL cholesterol starts with improving how your body clears cholesterol. Michelle recommends reducing saturated fat, replacing it with healthy unsaturated fats, gradually increasing soluble fibre, staying well hydrated, and supporting gut health. As oestrogen declines in perimenopause, maintaining nitric oxide production and healthy blood vessels also becomes increasingly important.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Reduce saturated fat intake.

Replace with omega-3-rich and other unsaturated fats.

Increase fibre gradually to avoid bloating.

Prioritise soluble fibre (oats, raspberries, chia seeds).

Stay hydrated to support cholesterol...

Olympic medalist turned health-tech founder Andrew Steele says the problem isn't you: it's that "normal" and "optimal" are two different things. In this episode, he breaks down how DNA, microbiome, and blood testing expose what's really behind your fatigue, brain fog, and bloating. And why one test, one time, will never tell you the full story.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

-       Why small, consistent daily habits move the needle on longevity more than big lifestyle overhauls

-       How the ACTN3 gene explains why "average" training and health advice doesn't work for everyone

-       Wh...

Feeling like your brain just isn't running at 100% anymore? You're not imagining it and it's not a discipline problem.

In this video, I break down the real science behind why focus, memory, and mental sharpness decline in your 40s and beyond and the exact protocol I use to get it back.

You'll learn about a critical brain molecule that starts declining with age, why women are especially affected by it, and the 4 most common mistakes that are quietly keeping your brain performance low (yes, even if you're already "doing everything right").

Then I...

Metabolic flexibility expert Ben Azadi joins me to explain why cortisol, not diet alone, drives stubborn belly fat in midlife women.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Why cortisol, not just diet, is the real driver of stubborn belly and visceral fat in women over 35

What role carbohydrates actually play in lowering cortisol load and supporting recovery

Why the three hours before bed matter more for fat loss than your workout window

How to time fasted workouts around your menstrual cycle for the best hormonal response

Why sleep, steps and...

At a leading longevity clinic, my nervous system testing showed 80% sympathetic dominance, yet my body composition, grip strength (30kg) and hormone panel,  cortisol, testosterone, DHEA, IGF-1, told a different story: strong muscle mass, low visceral fat and balanced anabolic markers. I break down what sympathetic dominance really means, why muscle protects you through perimenopause, and how treatments like Watsu bodywork and breathwork helped my nervous system finally downshift. (485 chars)What you’ll learn:- What my 80% sympathetic dominance score actually means and why "coping well" can still mask a nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight- How my body composition and hor...

Integrative oncologist Dr. Nina Fuller-Shavel joins me to explain why cancer rates are climbing in midlife women, even those who look healthy on paper.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

-       Why cancer rates are rising even in midlife women who look and feel healthy

-       The gut-estrogen connection: how your microbiome affects hormone-driven cancer risk

-       The 3 simple interventions that cut cancer risk by 60% in a landmark trial

-       How strength training lowers inflammation and disease risk

-       Why lifetime estrogen exposure matters more than the estrogen drop in perimenopause

-     ...

If you've been told that perimenopause and menopause inevitably lead to permanent cognitive decline and "brain fog," the neuroscience says otherwise.

In this episode, neurologist and Neuroscience Academy founder Dr. Sarah McKay explains what actually drives cognitive changes during midlife and why temperature regulation, sleep disruption, and constant smartphone distractions matter far more than the catastrophized media narratives.

Why "brain fog" isn't a true clinical term and how different life stages use it to describe general cognitive fatigue

What a recent survey revealed about the surprising age group that actually worries the most...

If you've been told that menopause means muscle loss, weight gain, and declining strength are inevitable, the science says otherwise.

In this episode, world-renowned strength scientist Dr. Eric Helms explains what actually drives body composition changes during perimenopause and menopause and why progressive strength training, good sleep, and consistent nutrition matter far more than chasing the latest social media trends.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Why sleep disruption during perimenopause may be the biggest hidden driver of fat gain, poor recovery, and stalled progress

Why progressive overload not lifting the heaviest weights possible...

In this Bitesize episode, we revisit a key conversation on why resistance training and fat loss need to be treated as two separate goals — and why blending them usually backfires. This short-form cut pulls together the core science on training for muscle/strength versus training for calorie burn, why "lifting to near failure" matters more than the weight on the bar, and a practical progression toward an unassisted pull-up. It also revisits the protein research: why menopausal women are commonly deficient, and how simply increasing protein intake can drive meaningful fat loss and lean mass gains — no calorie-cutting required.

Sarah Kennedy of Calocurb explains why food noise spikes in perimenopause: falling estrogen raises cravings while the hindbrain overrides forebrain willpower under stress or poor sleep. She contrasts natural appetite hormones (GLP-1, GIP, CCK, PYY) with pharmaceutical GLP-1 agonists, which run at roughly 3,000% physiological levels versus the body's natural 300% rise - explaining rebound hunger after stopping injectables. Calocurb, a hops-derived bitter compound, stimulates a 600% natural hormone rise for an 18% average calorie reduction.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Why food noise isn't a willpower problem, and what's actually happening in your hindbrain versus your forebrain when cravings take...

Most of us have heard that we need to exercise more, but today, exercise physiologist Dr Stacy Sims digs into what kind of training actually moves the needle for women — and why longer, slower workouts may be leaving results on the table.

We get into the real difference between high-intensity interval training and sprint interval training, why the Norwegian 4x4 is one of the most efficient tools for building VO2 max, how to structure a full week of training across just three days, and why your wearable's heart rate zones are probably misleading you more than helping yo...

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...

In this episode, Angela is joined by Brad Currier from Timeline to explore why mitochondrial health may be a missing piece of the puzzle for women struggling with energy, recovery and performance in perimenopause. They discuss the role of mitophagy, the process of clearing out damaged mitochondria, and how exercise and Urolithin A work to support cellular renewal.

The conversation also reviews research showing improvements in muscle power, strength, endurance and recovery with Urolithin A supplementation, alongside Angela's personal experience of noticing a decline in energy when she stopped taking it and improvements when she restarted.

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 i...

Why Wearing Sunscreen All Day May Be Doing More Harm Than Good for Women Over 40

In this thought-provoking episode, Angela Foster sits down with renowned beauty expert and author Liz Earle MBE to challenge conventional wisdom about sunscreen and sun exposure. Liz discusses why current public health messaging around universal, all-day SPF use might be too extreme, potentially robbing us of vital Vitamin D and other essential benefits of natural daylight.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Many people assume they still get Vitamin D while wearing sunscreen. However, Liz points out that this only happens because...