Women - Resistance training as we age.

As s we head toward menopause our sex hormones start diminishing. We also know that when oestrogen becomes dominant our perimenopausal symptoms can increase in number and intensity. It’s this oestrogen dominance which tends to make us store fat especially on the hips, waist & boobs, with an increase in nasty visceral fat storage (around the organs) to boot.

It is also a known fact that age-related sarcopenia (muscle loss) ‘is responsible for inactive women losing as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass each decade after age 30. Even if you are active, you'll still have some muscle loss.

Ever wondered why men are able to lose weight quicker than us girls? One of the reasons is that men tend to carry more muscle. Muscle is needed to burn off the energy we consume and fat we store. Putting it super simply...More muscle = higher metabolism = more Kcals burnt.

As you lose muscle mass you become weaker you - Sarcopenia will lead to weakness/lack of stregnth, you will lose your mobility, balance and eventually your independence.

Can we reverse the effects of sarcopenia? Good News! Yes, you can! Anything that puts the muscles under load/strain, and encourages a strengthening response will help. We’re talking resistance training - anything from

body weight exercises, weight training, kettlebells,

barbells, dumbbells, machines, resistance bands, medicine balls, to power bags.

All this is my jam, it’s my passion. My female clients are often reluctant to ‘lift’ but even after just a few sessions they feel stronger, more confident & even empowered. They walk taller, have better self esteem and feel great.

Resistance training is also a perfect tool to reduce your risk of suffering from osteoporosis. Activities that put stress on bones can nudge bone-forming cells into action. That stress comes from the tugging and pushing on bone that occur during strength training (as well as weight-bearing aerobic exercises like walking or running). The result is stronger, denser bones.

It is important to find a balance by ensuring you include restorative exercise as well, which is often neglected, and that’s more of the yoga, Pilates, (though both of these can also be extremely challenging), breath work and mindfulness.

If you are new to resistance training or indeed any sort of training there are people like me desperate to help people like you. Don’t just pick the first coach/personal trainer you come across ensure their credentials and interests meet your goals And needs, is qualified to help menopausal women and is also someone you feel you like, trust and can open up to.