Creatine: can it help my fitness?

Here are my answers to the questions I get asked most about creatine. Can it really help us as active women, especially as we head through the perimenopause and menopause? Read on to find out!

What is creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring substance found in your muscles. Broadly speaking, it helps your body produce energy for high-intensity activities. While your body produces some creatine, supplementing can boost your levels and provide numerous benefits. As women, we have less creatine than men (studies suggest as much as 70-80% less). Also, we know that hormonal changes during he menopause transition can lead to a decrease in muscle mass and overall strength, which in turn affects creatine production (so it’s a kind of vicious circle!).

Will creatine make me bulky?

I know what you're thinking - "but I don't want to get bulky!" Don't worry, creatine doesn’t do that. It's all about enhancing your natural strength and endurance. Full disclosure, some people feel a little bit puffy when they first start to take it (personally, I didn’t experience this), but don’t worry, this is just fluid retention and will pass as your body adjusts.

So, what are the benefits?

• Boosts energy: It fuels your muscles during intense workouts (like HIIT), so you can push harder and longer - super important, especially as we get older as we need a greater training stimulus to achieve results.

• Improves muscle mass & strength: Who doesn’t want to add these things to their armoury? Creatine can help preserve muscle and improve strength which is again, crucial as we head through the menopause transition as both of these would naturally start to decline.

• Supports brain health: Did you know creatine can also benefit your brain? It's been linked to improved mood and cognitive function and can help with hormonal mood swings.

How do I take it?

Just make sure you're using creatine monohydrate, the most effective form. And don't worry about complicated loading phases - a consistent daily dose is usually enough (it’s a tiny little scoop of powder which you mix with water, and you can barely taste it!).

Anything else I need to know?

There is unfortunately no silver bullet when it comes to your fitness and wellbeing. Supplements like creatine are really the icing on the cake and to get full benefit, you should ideally pair it with regular strength and high intensity training, just like you’ll get in my Online Fitness Classes (see what I did there?!). For more info on these, tap below: