Cold plunges. Intermittent fasting. Daily cardio. Peptides. Supplements.

There’s no shortage of wellness advice right now — especially for women in midlife.

But what’s actually worth your time?

And what might be overhyped?

In this bonus episode of The Iconic Midlife, we’re playing “Overrated or Underrated” with Dr. Chris Asandra, a longevity physician and hormone health expert, and Maria Chase, founder of BURN LA.

It’s a rapid-fire breakdown of some of the most talked-about fitness and wellness trends — where they land, what actually works, and where women may be overcomplicating things.

This is the unfiltered version of the conversation — honest, practical, and a little more revealing.

✨ In This Episode, We Cover:

• Cold plunges: worth it or overhyped?
• Intermittent fasting after 40
• Strength training and muscle building in midlife
• Daily cardio: helpful or too much?
• Recovery days and why they matter
• Detoxes and cleanses
• Supplements and wellness overload
• Peptides and trending longevity tools

🎙️ About the Guests

Dr. Chris Asandra is a longevity physician and hormone health expert specializing in regenerative medicine, metabolic health, and performance optimization.

Maria Chase is the founder of BURN LA, a Los Angeles-based fitness studio focused on strength training and results-driven programming for clients at every stage of life.

Join the Inner Circle: https://the-iconic-midlife-with-roxy-manning.kit.com/3433416614

Want bold guests, unfiltered stories, and iconic midlife insight in your inbox?

Listen & Follow

The Iconic Midlife is where smart, stylish women over 40 come to rebrand midlife on their terms.

New episodes every Tuesday. Bonus game episode drops on Thursdays.

Tap “Follow” so you never miss a moment.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-iconic-midlife-with-roxy-manning/id1817484587

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4FRDzq3AalXaqfpfWq7dlm?si=7e91db12ba1f4bfa

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ff905ad8-332f-430e-a040-ce1ba5047483/the-iconic-midlife-with-roxy-manning

Let’s Connect

Social media: @theiconicmidlife (show) | @redcarpetroxy (host)

• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theiconicmidlife

Free Download: 5 Power Moves Every Midlife Woman Should Be Making​

This high-impact worksheet is your shortcut to owning your next chapter—on your terms.

Grab your free worksheet here​

Need more energy, fewer symptoms, and a better night’s sleep?​

I'm obsessed with Hop Box, a women-founded supplement brand designed for our midlife needs.

Use code ROXY for 10% off sitewide.

​Shop Hop Box now​

If you’ve ever wanted real data on what’s actually happening inside your body, I can’t recommend Function Health enough. It’s one of the most comprehensive ways to track your biomarkers, hormone health, metabolic markers, and long-term wellness—without guesswork or overwhelm. This is about informed choices, not fear.

If you’re curious, you can join here: Function Health

It's different for everybody. And everybody's lifestyle, everybody's workout routine, how much their activity level is so much

more bang for your buck. With resistance training, lifting, way more efficient.

You're burning more calories anyway, right? When you build up the muscle and

you got to eat food to support, you know, the maintenance of that muscle, the recovery of that muscle.

Cold plunges for women.

Overrated. You're putting a lot of stress on your body at once. For a little short term gain you

could just be in a cold shower

and that's enough rest and recovery days. Overrated or underrated?

Underrated. They're so important.

You need them 100%. You need to have that recovery day or you're not going to get the benefits of the workout you just did.

That's where your results really come, your recovery.

The name of this game is overrated or underrated.

So what I will do is I'm going to throw out some popular wellness habits and trends and you have to tell me if you think they're overrated or underrated. And of course, course a little explanation helps too. Number one, cold plunges for women.

Overrated.

I would agree. Overrated. You're putting a lot of stress on your body at once for a little short term gain.

I don't think we, there's a lot of studies coming out now that's showing it's not as beneficial as we thought. I mean you feel good at that instant but.

And shouldn't women don't need to be in that cold. Like you could just be in a cold shower and that's enough.

And actually they're, I think they're showing some stuff that may even impair some muscle growth. Doing it after workout, you're kind of just blunt and everything.

Then heat would probably be better in that case for women.

Yes, definitely.

Intermittent fasting for women over 40. Overrated or underrated?

Overrated. Because you really have to listen to your body. Right. I don't think fasting and not eating a meal and then you're going to work it out.

You don't have any nutrients to build the muscle. I mean you, you gotta like it's different for everybody. Now if you're super obese and not active, maybe it would help you.

But it's different for everybody and everybody's lifestyle, everybody's workout routine, how much their activity level is.

Totally agree with that. I would say overrated. I used to be a religious intermittent faster and I saw huge benefits.

And over the last, I would say five years I've just Intuitively and naturally moved away from it because I don't think it was working the same way for my body. And I just didn't feel the same benefits. Like I do think there's some, some health benefits that happen in that overnight fast.

But you can get that, those benefits without such a long fast if you just eat dinner a little bit earlier. It's not like one size fits all. It kind of depends on you and, and your lifestyle and, and your age. I think it can be.

Be more beneficial at times and less beneficial at times.

So it's kind of like you gotta kind of figure it out individually.

Right.

Daily cardio Overrated or underrated?

I'm gonna say overrated.

Me too. Overrated. Especially for our ages now. I think you need strength training.

You know, running on a treadmill all day I don't think is gonna provide you as much as doing a class like Burn with the resistance training the, you know, those type of activities versus just running every day.

So much more bang for your buck with resistance training. Lifting.

Way more efficient.

Way more efficient.

Yeah.

Lifting, yes. Because you're. Then your muscles are. You're burning more calories anyway, right? When you build up the muscle, correct?

Yes.

Strength training after menopause. Overrated or underrated?

Definitely underrated.

I think.

Underrated. I mean, everyone should be doing it 100.

You got to keep that muscle on like we talked about earlier.

And you got to eat food to support, you know, the maintenance of that muscle, the recovery of that muscle. Like nutrition becomes really important too with weight training. Eating enough lean protein creatine to build the muscle.

I like to supplement amino acids to repair the muscle.

So should we be eating before or after a workout? Like a strength training workout? Is it good to eat both before and after or one or the other?

I used to fast before all my workouts and that worked really well for me. Now I do eat a little bit of something if I'm, you know, like an hour or an hour and a half before a workout.

And I feel like that gives me the support I need for my workout. But it's, it's bioidentical too. Like that might not work the same way for somebody else.

Yep, I'd agree.

Morning workouts versus evening workouts.

I prefer morning. Always have.

I'm a morning person. I prefer morning. But you know, it's going to depend on your lifestyle if you can't at least get the workout in right.

It's better that you work out even than not having done anything.

I prefer to work out in the morning, but. But when I do workouts in the afternoon, I'm always like, wow, that was amazing. I don't know why I just. But I resist it.

What about rest and recovery days? Overrated or underrated?

Probably underrated. They're so important. You need them. Absolutely.

100%. You need to have that recovery day, or you're not going to get the benefits of the workout you just did.

That's where your results really come. Your recovery. That's why sleep is so important. Even, you know, just that recovery. The walk through the park is nice on.

On, you know, a recovery day, if you have to move your body, but it doesn't need to be that extreme.

Detoxes and cleanses. Overrated or underrated?

I would say overrated.

Definitely overrated.

Let your body do its thing. Yeah.

So you're not like, starving and going through that whole kind of cycle of, like, you know, the juice cleanse or, like, the, you know, not having the food, basically, you know.

No.

Correct.

I want to thank you all. This has been so informative. I learned so much. I'm like, Now I have to, like, figure out my whole peptide journey.

I'm like, I'm gonna have to come see you, Chris.

Definitely. Anytime. Roxy, Happy to see you.

Yes. And Maria. I will definitely be coming.

Class.

Oh, yes. I'm so excited. I love that class. It was so. Just gave me so much energy.

You'll have to come and try a build class. Yes, Our heavier lifting class. We're opening the first week of April.

I like that. Okay, I'm gonna do that.

Sure.

Oh, by the way, who keeps up better in your fitness classes, men or women?

I mean, in burn. Women. For sure. For sure. Yeah, for sure. Build will be determined, but I'm. I'm gonna go with men for build. For sure. It's geared more towards men.

I think it's gonna be where they bring it.

Okay, well, game on. Chris, you're gonna have to come work out with us too.

I will look forward to it.

We're opening a. A studio in Newport. We can come to you, Chris.

I can't wait. I'm there.

Love it.