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This week's issue of Feisty 40+ is brought to you by the Feisty Strong Barbell Club, a 12-week strength program designed for women who want real coaching, expert barbell programming, and a supportive community to help them build true, lasting strength. Learn more here. |
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🦵🏾New Study Shows 40+ Women Susceptible to Knee Injuries
When we talk about knee injuries, we often envision girls and young women blowing out their ACLs on the soccer pitch. And that happens—still far too often. But a new study challenges some assumptions about common knee injuries…and sheds light on why our demographic should prioritize keeping those hinges healthy.
The study was one of the largest MRI-based studies comparing knee injuries between women and men, and included 13,549 consecutive routine knee MRI exams performed between 2019 and 2024 at four outpatient radiology facilities affiliated with Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.
They found that men had more ACL tears than women across all ages, which goes against the usual narrative that women have higher ACL tears. The difference here is that most research looks at sports injuries; this study looked at everyone with knee pain in the general population.
What stood out for the 40+ female population is that women over 40 had significantly more meniscal tears and MCL injuries.
“In younger patients, meniscal and MCL tears were more commonly seen in men, while in older patients, women had more of these types of tears than men, which was unexpected,” first author Ali Ghasemi, MD, said in a statement.
This suggests that as women enter midlife, the types of knee injuries we’re more prone to are the ones that develop slowly from wear-and-tear, not necessarily from big traumatic events. And those injuries (like degenerative meniscus tears and MCL fraying) are the ones that can progress into long-term joint problems like osteoarthritis if not managed early.
“Both men and women should take precautions to avoid high-impact injuries, especially during sports or physical activity and women, especially over 40, should pay attention to joint health and consider incorporating dedicated strength training to help protect their knees as they age,” study co-author Jenifer Pitman, MD, said in a press release.
Also, don’t push through or ignore knee pain. Address it early before it becomes a bigger problem. “If you’re having knee pain, don’t just brush it off or attribute it to old age,” Pitman said in the statement. “We’ve seen higher rates of meniscal tears, in particular, in women 40 years and older.”
Protect Your Knees
There are many ways to protect our 40+ joints—which is indeed the topic of some past podcasts and blogs, like this one—but for this newsletter, we’ll just say that strength is the number one protector of the knee. For 40+ women, that means targeting the muscles that keep knee tracking and load distribution healthy, which is pretty much all the major lower body movers!
Aim to lift 2 to 3 days a week, being sure to strengthen your quads, hamstrings, glutes (medius and maximus), and calves. Key moves include split squats or Bulgarian split squats, step-downs, deadlifts or hip hinges, glute bridges/hip thrusts, and calf raises.
And of course, stay on top of all the lifestyle stuff we talk about here each week: eating plenty of protein, eating enough, prioritizing sleep and recovery, keeping inflammation in check, and investigating hormone therapy if you’re having non-injury related musculoskeletal issues.
This is also a good place to give one of our longtime supporters, Previnex, a shout. Many in this community, including myself, have had a good experience with Previnex’s Joint Health Plus, which, as I say all the time, if it’s going to work for you, you’ll know within their 30-day money back guarantee period. Our discount code is FEISTY40PLUS.
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Join me in Mallorca!
After an awesome trip to Girona last summer, we're excited to be heading to Mallorca!
We're partnering with our friends at The Cyclist's Menu to offer a cycling trip on the Baleric Islands in Spain from May 17-22. This women's-only adventure includes six days of riding and five nights of dining in Mallorca.
Want to come ride beautiful roads and eat good food with Kathryn and I?
Learn more here. |
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👀 What Caught My Eye
White coat hypertension. During this year’s meeting of The Menopause Society meeting one of the presenters raised some collective eyebrows in the room when she noted that “white coat hypertension”—when blood pressure is high (greater than 130/80) in the doctor’s office, but not at home is not benign and can be a risk factor for heart disease. Indeed, a 2019 study reported that people with untreated white coat hypertension had a 36 percent increased risk of heart disease. The researchers advise that people with white coat hypertension be monitored for sustained hypertension.
So, it’s worth discussing with your doctor. Also, experts recommend implementing some calming strategies going into your appointments. If possible, avoid hustling in while chugging a grande latte and then catastrophizing about everything the doctor might find wrong while waiting for them to walk in the door. Try deep breathing and mindfulness meditation and visualizing something that makes you feel calm and collected. It might just help!
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🔥Badass Athlete of the Week Goes To…
Wheels up for mountain bike superstar Bev Anderson, 67, who was recently awarded Masters Mountain Bike Female Athlete of the Year at the 2025 AusCycling Awards.
She won both the women's masters 8 Cross-Country Short Course (XCC) and Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) gold medals at the GWM MTB National Championships in Mt Buller, Australia. And she earned another XCO rainbow jersey (gold medal) at the UCI Masters MTB World Championships held in Cairns, solidifying her position as a world champion.
Way to go, Bev!
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👉Want a chance to be featured? Click here to share your badass story |
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🏋🏻♀️Join the Feisty Strong Barbell Club!
You've been asking for more guidance on lifting heavy and we listened. The Feisty Strong Barbell Club is a 12-week strength program designed for women who want real coaching, expert barbell programming, and a supportive community to help them build true, lasting strength.
You’ll get 3 strength workouts per week, optional HIIT finishers, monthly coaching calls, weekly form reviews, guest experts, and thoughtful guidance from coach and Feisty 40+ favorite Cassi Niemann.
Throughout the program, you’ll learn foundational barbell lifts, build confidence under the bar, and follow a training plan that meets you where you are—no cookie-cutter workouts, no AI, just sustainable, expert-led programming. Perfect for beginners to intermediates with access to a barbell, rack, and bench.
Learn more and sign up here! |
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👩🏻💻 Hit Play Research Round Up
We spend a lot of time scouring the latest research for news you can use to stay strong and feisty forever. Here’s what’s making waves this week:
🥱 73% of women say sleepiness sometimes, often, or always affects their daily activities. When asked about the areas of life that sleepiness affects, they were most likely to identify mood (60%), stress or anxiety levels (53%), and work productivity (42%). Women (36%) were more likely than men (25%) to say that household management is an area of their life affected by sleepiness (can’t say I’m shocked there…). Sleep can be a real challenge in midlife, but if you’re struggling because of menopause symptoms, there are therapies that can help and it’s worth working with a doctor to find the right one for you.
♥️ Hidden fat you can’t see—visceral fat around organs and fat stored in the liver—may quietly damage arteries, even in people who look healthy and have normal BMI, according to a study using MRI data from 33,000+ adults. Even after accounting for cardiovascular risk factors like cholesterol and blood pressure, visceral and liver fat still contribute to artery damage. A DEXA scan can accurately measure visceral fat, in addition to bone density and lean mass.
🫐 People who regularly consume polyphenol-rich foods and drinks, such as tea, coffee, berries, cocoa, nuts, whole grains and olive oil, may have better long-term heart health, according to a study published in BMC Medicine. These foods have come up as dietary superstars numerous times over the years, so toss ‘em in your grocery cart as part of your regular staples.
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🚴♀️ TWO New Bike Mechanic Camps On Sale Now!
After the success of our two bike mechanic camps in Patagonia this fall, we're bringing in two more brand-new camps for 2026.
These 4-day camps are built to help you feel truly confident and capable with your own bike – from understanding how it works to getting hands-on with the tools. Each day combines practical “classroom” learning with focused wrenching sessions on your bike, giving you the confidence to troubleshoot problems, make needed repairs, and understand your bike at a deeper level. You’ll also have time to unwind on with group rides and connect with other feisty women in a supportive, judgment-free space.
Vermont | Madbush Falls
June 10-14, 2026
Tucson
November 12-16, 2026
We also have one spot open for our February Tucson camp (February 12-16, 2026). If you're interested, please email yourfriends@livefeisty.com. |
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What's On My Mind...
Flow. Apropos of nothing in this newsletter, I watched Flow (an award-winning animated adventure film) with my family recently, and the movie hasn’t left me since. In this world of short clips, hot takes, tons of noise, and AI-everything, it was like a spa treatment for my soul to immerse myself in this quiet, thoughtful, evocative, mystical, and captivating film. 10 out of 10, recommend.
Listen to this week's episode of Hit Play Not Pause - Why Now Is the Time to Go Big with Paula Ralph
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Feisty 40+ is written by Selene Yeager. Edited by Maya Smith. Ads by Ella Hnatyshyn
Live Feisty Media Corporation, 2031 Store St #30, Victoria, British Columbia V8T 5L9, Canada
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