The Next Phase
I used to be fun. I used to be driven. I used to be sexy. I used to be...young. What happened?
Dear Millennial moms in your late 30s or 40s -- former forces of nature,
Are you burned out, overwhelmed, and wondering where your energy (and your old self) went? You’re not alone.
The Next Phase is the podcast for overachieving moms navigating perimenopause who are dying to take back their energy, their bodies, and their magic. Here, we will not pummel you with hormone treatment plans or talk about perimenopause as if it's a diagnosis. Instead, we're going to celebrate it. We're going to use it as an excuse to really start taking care of ourselves. As a matter of fact, we're going to find ourselves in our perimenopause era.
Hosted by Stacey Hutson—certified health coach, wellness chef, former co-host of the Mother Plus Podcast, and mom of two—you’ll learn how to: Understand what’s really happening in perimenopause and how to work with your changing body, use nutrition, supplements, and sleep as medicine to restore your energy, get in tune with your cycle and learn practical ways to sync your life with your hormones, and create rituals (with a little woo) that help you slow down, listen inward, and reconnect with yourself.
Each episode blends personal stories, expert insights, and actual doable steps you can take right away.
✨ Subscribe now to The Next Phase and join a community of millennial moms redefining wellness in their 40s. Let’s make perimenopause your most magnetic chapter yet.
The Next Phase
#21: Why Millennial Workouts Are Backfiring in Perimenopause (With Dr. JJ Thomas, DPT)
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Millennial moms were raised on one fitness message:
More cardio.
Eat less.
Push harder.
Sleep when you’re dead.
And now?
We’re herniating discs.
Developing “meno belly.”
Feeling exhausted.
And wondering why the workouts that used to work… don’t anymore.
In this episode of The Next Phase Podcast, I sit down with Dr. JJ Thomas, Doctor of Physical Therapy, to talk about what is actually happening inside our bodies in our late 30s and 40s — and why our old fitness mentality may be working against us.
Dr. JJ has been a physical therapist for 26 years and specializes in helping women build strength for longevity, not just aesthetics. We talk about:
- What anabolic resistance is — and why it starts in our 30s
- Why more cardio + less food can backfire in perimenopause
- The real reason protein matters (and how much you likely need)
- How muscle mass regulates hormones
- Why strength training is more powerful than you think
- Why training patterns, not just muscles, changes everything
- How to think about sleep vs. workouts in midlife
- The difference between looking “in shape” and being structurally in shape
- Why taking care of your fitness is not selfish — it’s capacity-building
If you’ve ever felt like your body is betraying you… this episode will reframe that entirely.
This isn’t about getting skinny.
It’s about building a resilient, functional, hormonally-supported body that can carry you through the second half of your life.
And because “just try harder” is no longer a strategy… I made you something.
My free Cycle Syncing Map walks you through how to eat, train, and plan your energy around your hormones. Especially in perimenopause.
It’s free. It’s practical. And it’ll change how you think about your body.
Get it here: Cycle Syncing Map
Want to learn more from Dr. JJ?
Follow Dr. JJ on Instagram for exercise demos and education:
👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjjphysicaltherapist
(And if you sit at a desk all day long, learn how to do “Twisty Bear.” You’ll thank me.)
Listen to the Dr. JJ Thomas Podcast:
👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-jj-thomas-podcast/id1554499031
Check out the fitness app I do every morning here:
👉 https://playbookapp.io/creators/dr-jj-thomas-primal-physical-therapy