MENOPAUSE
The menopause is inevitable, it can happen at any age but the average age in the UK is 51 and symptoms can last for 1-10 years either side of this.
Peri menopause are the years leading up to the menopause. The menopause is defined as being the day from which you have not had a period for one year and one day. So, you are generally pre or post.
Hormones become out of balance, which affect all sorts of bodily processes including metabolism, mood, sleep cycle, appetite, energy, body temperature and libido.
Every womans experience is unique- some common symptoms are hot flushes, insomnia, brain fog, anxiety, mood swings, weight gain, joint pain, vaginal dryness. So many! Some women cruise through it whilst others are debilitated by it.
Menopause doesn’t have to be the end of your training goals, whether its in the gym, pool or track.
You’re still absolutely capable of incredible things and although it may certainly be harder, diet and exercise will help your symptoms- we just need to find the right balance.
The good news is that as an active woman, you will go through the transition better than a sedentary woman and may suffer less from some of the main symptoms such as insomnia and depression.
Studies show that women with more positive attitudes had better body image and lower levels of depression. And we truly believe that strength training improves confidence, self-empowerment and a positive mindset.
The better your state of health the better your menopause will be.
So why do we encourage strength training.
Everyone, men and women naturally lose muscle and strength with age. If you do nothing to stem that loss then you can expect to lose 8% per decade after your 30th birthday and this then accelerates after you’re 60. So by the time you are 55 you will be 20% weaker. We all want to be independent, agile and able to do basic movements such as climb the stairs or get up out of a chair as we get into our older years.
Now oestrogen is essential for muscle stem function and maintenance and is also the main driver when it comes to muscle mass and strength. With the decline in our oestrogen in perimenopause you can see why suddenly we look in the mirror and see a difference in the way our body looks. That’s because there are changes to our body composition. Our fat cells have migrated from our hip and thigh area up to the middle. This makes us more prone to heart disease, strokes and dementia if too much fat is stored in this area.
There is a tendency for women to lift lighter for high reps. This is good for muscle endurance but at this stage in life you need muscle strength. When we start with someone new to a gym training programme we encourage a phase of this and then continue into a hypertrophy phase before strength training.
Are you experiencing peri menopause symptoms? If so, this membership is for you.