the peri to post menopause transition

out of 33 million women in the uk, 13 million are experiencing the menopause - so why is there such a lack of information, especially to the scale of the population effected?

preparation and perception of the menopause matters and needs to be viewed in a less negative light. let’s plan for the transition and look at our nutrition, movement and have fun - life after the menopause matters!!!

what will we look at?

we need to accept our body is changing and that it may now need something different now - more movement and strength training, more water, less sugar, less alcohol and overall, a better diet.

  • 60% of midlife women report problems with memory during the menopause transition.

    common cognitive complaints include-

    brain fog

    lack of concentration

    lack of sharpness

    forgetfulness

    As we know, estrogen levels decline during the menopause. in the brain, estrogen helps brain cells use glucose for energy. moving to the lower estrogen stage of the menopause can result in up to a 25% drop in energy and activity of the brain. it’s no wonder women can feel like they are going mad!

    estrogen plays a role in metabolism of seratonin (affects the sleep-wake cycle) - less good quality sleep over time can then affect cognitive tasks.

    resistance training has been shown to improve overall brain health & cognitive ability during the menopause.

    let's help our brain by..

    taking steps to promote a good night's rest

    (eg, reducing bluelight before bed - put the mobile down! check duvet tog if experiencing flushes overnight, exercise, particularly in nature= great for sleep)

    try to reduce stress and use self-regulation strategies

    (breathing techniques, yoga, meditation)

    maintain/increase movement and build muscle

    (let's get strong!)

  • A scary fact to start with but heart disease is the no1 cause of death in women under 75 in the uk. the good news is that this rate has actually declined since the 1970s so there is an improvement!

    estrogen receptors are in the cardiovascular (CV) system - so again, as estrogen declines in the menopause, so does CV performance!

    let's take steps to look after our heart..

    improve your diet

    move more & track those movements

    strength train

    manage your stress

    track your bp & cholesterol levels

  • bone mass is at it's peak in our mid 20's in our spine and hip, and our 40's for other bones.

    after this, bone mass declines, and by age 70, it has decreased by 30-40%.

    at menopause, the normal bone turnover cycle is impaired by estrogen deficiency.

    reduce the chances of osteoporosis by..

    strength training

    body vibration

    improving balance

    improving speed and agility

    improving flexibility

    maintaining a healthy weight

    looking at your diet - less caffeine, more fruit and veg, make sure you are getting enough iron

  • our muscle mass starts to decline during aging and the menopausal transition.

    what can we do?

    keep your muscle mass up - strength training - whether that's free weights, machine weights, TRX, resistance bands or bodyweight!!