Kayla Girgen: Why Women Over 50 Wake at 3AM, Lose Muscle, and Can't Lose Weight | #160

Get Dr. Vonda's insights

Want to understand what's happening in your body — and what to do next?

Each week, Dr. Vonda shares science-backed guidance on strength, bone health, muscle, and longevity — the same way she speaks to her patients.

Clear. Practical. No noise.

Join the newsletter: https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/subscribe?a=YqJKtR&g=Ww3gx3&

Your blood sugar is telling you everything. You just haven't been listening.

In this episode, I sit down with registered dietitian and certified personal trainer Kayla Girgen, one of the first clinicians to bring continuous glucose monitoring to everyday women who do not have diabetes. If you have ever eaten well, exercised hard, and still felt like your body was working against you, this conversation will change the way you see your metabolism forever.

What We Explore:

- How a CGM reveals what food, stress, sleep, and exercise are doing to your blood sugar in real time.

- Why pre-diabetes is one of the most under-treated diagnoses in women's health.

- Why fasting insulin is the number you actually need.

- What your blood sugar crashing at 3am has to do with why you cannot get back to sleep.

- How to eat enough protein without overhauling your entire routine overnight.

- Why rucking is one of the most practical tools for building strength, improving body composition, and boosting bone density.

About Kayla Girgen
KAYLA GIRGEN, RD, LD, CPT, is a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, and founder of Sugar + Strength Academy—an online wellness community helping women balance blood sugar and build strength, one step at a time. She blends real-life tools, such as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), with accessible movement, like rucking, to help clients break free from diet extremes and feel strong—both physically and mentally. Kayla's approach centers on progress over perfection and creating results that work in real life. Her upcoming book Ruck Fit shares how rucking became a catalyst for reclaiming her physical and mental health, proving that fitness doesn't have to be complicated to be life-changing.

Connect with Kayla Girgen:

Website: https://kaylagirgenrd.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaylagirgenrd/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylagirgen/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kaylagirgenrd

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaylagirgenrdld

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kaylagirgenrd

Book - RUCK FIT: Build Strength and Endurance by Walking with Weight

Available here: https://a.co/d/06vLg5nR

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

03:30 How Stress Shows Up on Your Blood Sugar

09:30 Why Pre-Diabetes Is a Five-Alarm Fire

13:00 Glucose Typing: Are You a Compensator or a Spiker

16:25 What to Do If Your Blood Sugar Spikes and Crashes

20:40 How Long Should You Actually Wear a CGM

24:00 How to Calculate Your Daily Protein Goal

29:10 GLP-1s and the Changing Weight Loss Landscape

34:50 Why Eating Too Little Is the Biggest Mistake Midlife Women Make

37:00 Rucking: What It Is and Why It Works for Women

40:00 How Adding Weight Increases Your Training Load by 10 Percent

45:00 The Top Three Priorities for High-Achieving Women Feeling Stuck

51:20 Rapid Fire: CGM, Carnivore, and Habits

Start your Unbreakable journey

Most women are never given a clear plan for how to stay strong as they age.

The Unbreakable Lifestyle is where that changes.

This is the home of Dr. Vonda's method — built from 20+ years of clinical work and designed for real life.

Inside:

- Unbreakable Assessment — know exactly where you stand

- Training plans — build muscle, protect bone, improve performance

- AI Dr. Vonda — get answers and guidance anytime

- Community — women committed to staying strong and engaged

- Exclusive education — what actually works, all in one place

This is not another program.

This is how you build strength — with direction.

Join the Unbreakable Lifestyle: https://www.theunbreakablelifestyle.com/

Build stronger bones

Bone loss starts earlier than you think — and speeds up in midlife.

Dr. Vonda's Unbreakable Bone Health formula supports bone density, strength, and long-term skeletal health with clinically researched ingredients.

Foundational. Not optional.

Shop now: https://shop.drvondawright.com/?utm_s

Read the book

Unbreakable: A Woman's Guide to Aging with Power

A clear, science-backed roadmap to building strength, supporting your body, and taking control of how you age.

Get your copy: https://theunbreakablebook.com?utm_so

About Dr. Vonda Wright

Dr. Vonda Wright is an orthopedic sports surgeon and leading expert in women's health and longevity.

For over 20 years, she has helped women build muscle, strengthen bone, and extend their health span — with science, not guesswork.

Her mission is simple: help women age with power.

Connect with Dr. Vonda

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drvondawright

Substack: https://drvondawright.substack.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drvondawright

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vonda-wright-md-ms-2803374

Website: http://www.drvondawright.com