Perimenopause: You are in control of how you navigate this next phase
Katie is one of my 1:1 clients and a regular in my Online Classes and she is also a total inspiration to me (she’ll blush at me saying that, but it’s true!).
Katie has navigated an incredibly tough time on her own perimenopause journey which I hope will resonate with some of you who are facing your own challenges. I love working with her, we always have a laugh (very important at this stage in our lives!) and it has been wonderful to see her get her spark back.
I am super proud of her and how hard she has worked. She has kindly agreed that I can share her thoughts on perimenopause with you below. I think they will inspire you, too 💜
“When Jessica Ennis-Hill returned to athletics after the birth of her first child she totally changed how she trained and how she measured success. She has 2 sets of PBs - pre and post natal PBs. She never tried to go back to the body she had or training she did before having a baby. That doesn't mean she didn't achieve optimal fitness, I mean she won an Olympic silver medal!
Since hitting perimenopause that is what I have tried to do and what I would encourage all women to do. Train differently, eat and drink differently, manage stress differently because there is a high chance that what worked in your 20s and 30s won't work in your 40s and beyond.
Your body is different, your mind is different and the chances are that your life is different - for me this was teenage children with big exams and life decisions and terminally ill parents/in-laws as well as juggling a job at a level I had worked so hard to reach and didn't want to give up.
You are in control of how you navigate this next phase and it can be a bloody beautiful place to be but it may take time to work out how to navigate the mental and physical changes that you may experience.
I can honestly say that I am stronger and fitter than I have been since my 30s and I fully intend to be stronger and fitter at 60 than I was at 50, but I have had to do things differently. Things that have helped me:
1. HRT - whatever your views, I would urge every woman to do some research and understand the risks and benefits of not taking HRT as well as those from taking it.
2. Ditch/reduce alcohol, sugar and ultra processed food, increase protein and don't assume carbs are bad.
3. Combatting/managing stress is huge. Stress paralysed me. When I found a way to reduce the amount of stress I found the energy to exercise. Some days it is still really hard and I have to work on this constantly but for me I think managing stress has had a far bigger impact than healthy eating.
4. Move - but move differently to how you moved in you 20s and 30s. For me the game changer has been Carly’s HIIT and Strength 30 min classes. I can do these 3 times a week each and recover quickly and be so much fitter and stronger than I ever thought possible. But I can't run a 10k and recover in less than a week any more. That's OK because when I am 60 I will be bounding up stairs and still able to reach things from the top shelf!
5. Focus on how you feel, not what you weigh. It's a new era of PBs and what you weighed when you were 25 might not be achievable because our bodies change.
6. Trust yourself and your judgement about what works/doesn't work for you. There will be some people still running 10ks and further at my age - I don't need to be one of those people. I have other ways to stay healthy.”
And if you’ve read Katie’s story and are thinking “hmmm, I could give this a try, but I’m not quite sure where to start” then you’ve come to the right place! The waiting list is now OPEN for the next cohort of the Perimenopause Reboot, which will be kicking off in January. I’ll be coaching you through the creation of your very own toolkit for perimenopause, so that you can feel not just “so so” but absolutely great as you head through the menopause transition. Intrigued? Want to find out more? Tap the button below to get more information and to sign up to the waitlist.
