Book Review: Next Level by Dr. Stacy Sims, PhD

Why this book matters for women in perimenopause and beyond

I really liked this book.

Not in a casual, “this was interesting” way — but in a “this finally explains what so many women are experiencing” way.

Dr. Stacy Sims’ Next Level picks up where ROAR leaves off and moves directly into the life phase that has been most misunderstood, under-researched, and poorly managed in women’s health: perimenopause and menopause.

This book isn’t about decline.

It’s about recalibration.

And that distinction matters.

Why Next Level Is So Important

For decades, women have been told that midlife changes mean they should:

• eat less

• move more

• slow down

• accept weight gain

• accept fatigue

• accept weaker bodies

Next Level dismantles that narrative with physiology.

Dr. Sims explains that what women experience in their 40s and 50s is not failure — it’s a shift in hormonal signaling that requires a different strategy, not less effort or more restriction.

That alone makes this book essential.

What the Book Gets Especially Right

1. Hormone Change Is a Training Variable, Not a Problem

As estrogen and progesterone fluctuate and decline, women notice:

• changes in body composition

• altered recovery

• disrupted sleep

• shifts in mood and motivation

• increased sensitivity to stress

• new fat deposition patterns

Sims explains why these changes occur and, more importantly, how to adapt training and fueling accordingly.

This book validates what women already know in their bodies — and gives them language and science to back it up.

2. Muscle Becomes the Centerpiece of Health

One of the strongest messages in Next Level is this:

Muscle is not optional in midlife.

Sims clearly lays out how resistance training:

• stabilizes metabolism

• improves insulin sensitivity

• protects bone density

• supports connective tissue

• improves mood and cognition

• buffers stress hormones

This aligns beautifully with what many of us see clinically: women who lift appropriately age better — physically, hormonally, and neurologically.

3. Protein Needs Increase — Not Decrease

This book does an excellent job correcting the chronic under-fueling many women fall into during midlife.

Sims explains why women in perimenopause and menopause require:

• more protein

• better timing of intake

• adequate carbohydrates to support training

• intentional recovery

This is a critical reframe for women who have been stuck in calorie restriction cycles for years.

4. Belly Fat Is Not a Moral Failing

One of the most validating sections addresses abdominal fat changes.

Instead of blaming behavior, Sims explains the hormonal and cortisol-driven physiology behind midlife fat redistribution — and why strength training, not starvation, is the solution.

For many women, this section alone brings relief.

Where the Book Has Limits

Like ROAR, Next Level is written through a performance and exercise lens. While the science is solid, it can feel intense for women whose primary goals are general wellness rather than athletic performance.

From a functional medicine perspective, I would have loved deeper discussion of:

• nervous system regulation

• chronic stress physiology

• cognitive and emotional changes

• gut–hormone–brain interactions

• individualized metabolic differences

  
  

That said, these gaps don’t detract from the book — they simply mark where holistic care can expand and personalize the framework.

My Clinical Takeaway

I see Next Level as a template, not a rigid prescription.

For the average career woman, the real-world application looks like this:

• start slowly

• prioritize form before intensity

• build strength progressively

• increase protein appropriately

• fuel instead of restrict

• respect recovery

• understand that the perimenopausal brain and nervous system need support too

  
  

This book gives women permission to stop fighting their bodies and start working with them — which is exactly where healing and sustainable strength begin.

Bottom Line

Next Level is one of the most honest, empowering, and physiologically sound books written for women navigating midlife.

It replaces confusion with clarity.

Blame with biology.

Restriction with strategy.

For any woman wondering why “what used to work” no longer does — this book delivers answers.

Why I Trust Dr. Sims’ Work

What I truly appreciate about Dr. Stacy Sims is her unwavering focus on female physiology — not as a variation of male biology, but as its own intelligent, adaptive system.

Her work consistently honors the reality that women’s bodies respond differently to training, nutrition, stress, and aging.

She doesn’t pathologize those differences or minimize them.

She studies them, names them, and builds strategies around them.

That matters.

In a health and fitness world still saturated with one-size-fits-all advice, Dr. Sims continues to advocate for women with clarity, scientific rigor, and respect for the complexity of the female body across all life stages.

Her work helps move women out of self-blame and into understanding — which is where real, sustainable change begins.

This commitment to female-specific research and application is why I not only recommend Next Level, but genuinely trust her voice in this space.

For deeper clinical application and nervous-system–based strategies, members can explore additional resources inside the Natural Wayz blog.