Hosted by Claire Farrell—health coach, personal trainer, and midlife transformation expert—The Fit Positive Podcast is your go-to space for honest, empowering conversations about strength, sustainable fat loss, and thriving through midlife.
Each week, Claire breaks down the science of what actually works for women in their 40s and 50s when it comes to meals, movement, mindset and everything in between. Whether you're navigating perimenopause, feeling stuck in the all-or-nothing trap, or just want to feel strong and confident again, you're in the right place.
Expect solo episodes, guests, practical strategies, and real talk—always with warmth, compassion, and zero judgment.
This is your reminder that midlife is not the end. It’s the beginning of your strongest chapter yet.
Hosted by Claire Farrell—health coach, personal trainer, and midlife transformation expert—The Fit Positive Podcast is your go-to space for honest, empowering conversations about strength, sustainable fat loss, and thriving through midlife.
Each week, Claire breaks down the science of what actually works for women in their 40s and 50s when it comes to meals, movement, mindset and everything in between. Whether you're navigating perimenopause, feeling stuck in the all-or-nothing trap, or just want to feel strong and confident again, you're in the right place.
Expect solo episodes, guests, practical strategies, and real talk—always with warmth, compassion, and zero judgment.
This is your reminder that midlife is not the end. It’s the beginning of your strongest chapter yet.
In this short, practical episode, I’m sharing the three habits I’m focusing on this week to support my health in midlife — especially as we move into colder, darker days where routines naturally shift.
We talk about:
✨ Adjusting your step goals seasonally so movement stays sustainable
✨ Using tracking as a tool for awareness, not perfection
✨ Why sauna is a midlife superpower for recovery, inflammation, stress, metabolism & longevity
I’ve included the scientific references below, plus details of an event I’m hosting this Sunday where you can explore hot and cold therapy with me in person.
🔥 JOIN US THIS SUNDAY — The Balance Within
If you’d like to learn how to use sauna and cold therapy safely and effectively — for stress, recovery, hormone balance, metabolism and inflammation — come join our in-person event:
👉 Learn more and grab your ticket here:
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-balance-within-hot-cold-for-your-wellbeing-tickets-1968545173606?aff=oddtdtcreator
Sauna Studies Referenced in This Episode
Here are the research papers and summaries I mentioned:
1. Finnish Sauna + Cardiovascular & All-Cause Mortality (men & women) Kunutsor SK, Laukkanen T, Laukkanen JA.
“Sauna bathing reduces the risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in a prospective cohort of middle-aged and older women and men.” BMC Medicine, 2018.
🔗https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1198-0
2. Heat Therapy, Healthspan & Longevity (mixed-gender data) Laukkanen et al.
“Sauna use as a lifestyle practice to extend healthspan.” Experimental Gerontology, 2021.
🔗https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0531556521002916
3. Infrared Sauna, CRP & Inflammation Reduction
Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2018.
Summary of findings (CRP reduction & recovery benefits):
🔗 https://radianceinfrared.com/infrared-sauna-inflammation-recovery
4. Heat Shock Proteins & Muscle Protection
Dr Rhonda Patrick – FoundMyFitness review of sauna science
🔗 https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/sauna
5. Sauna, Brain Health & Stress Resilience (includes women)
SaunaRealm summary of mixed-gender research on:– reduced dementia risk– autonomic nervous system balance– sleep benefits
🔗 https://saunarealm.com/blogs/sauna-realm-blog/the-science-of-sauna-how-heat-therapy-boosts-recovery-immunity-and-longevity
🕒 Episode Timestamps
00:00 — Intro
02:10 — Why you must tweak your habits seasonally in midlife
04:20 — Habit 1: Adjusting step goals for winter
08:00 — Habit 2: Tracking for awareness, not judgement
12:15 — Habit 3: Sauna + recovery for inflammation, metabolism & resilience
21:40 — Key sauna studies explained
26:00 — Invitation to this Sunday’s hot/cold therapy event
28:00 — Final thoughts
⭐ If you’d like more support
✨ Join Fit Positive Empowered (nutrition coaching, live & on-demand workouts, personalised calorie and macro targets, 150+ high-protein recipes, community):
www.fitpositive.ie/empowered