Seriously. In the past couple of years, studies from many medical institutions have repeatedly found that estrogen - among the many other things it does - plays a major role in insulin resistance and diabetes management. If you have diabetes going into peri-menopause, you may find it more difficult to control. If you don't have diabetes, you may have found that since around age 40, your blood tests are coming back with markers of pre-diabetes, seemingly out of nowhere. 

The experts are now saying that protein is not just for muscle growth and maintenance, but the latest studies on women's health report that it can also decrease the risk of cognitive decline as we age, helps to maintain bone density, can help to boost metabolism, and help to regulate hormones. 

I know I look at the more subtle things as evidence that what we're doing is working, but to me, these things aren't subtle - they're the shifts in your body's chemistry, the altering of your body composition, the way your body is getting ready and laying the foundation for whatever you're going to throw at it next. And it's so exciting to see. 

Sore upper back? Work on your pecs.