Perimenopause Fitness Guide: Strength, Cardio, and More

What if you could prevent bone loss, lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, and boost your mood – all with some simple exercises tailored for perimenopause? 

“The benefits of strength training in general are well documented, but the benefits during perimenopause are second to none.” — Liz, Personal Trainer

Perimenopause. If you’re here, you likely already know what it is. But what does it mean for your fitness? Firstly, if you want to jog your memory for a quick overview of perimenopause itself, read more in our dedicated blog. For now, let’s get straight into why exercise matters for your health in perimenopause and beyond.

The role of oestrogen in weight management

Oestrogen is known to help regulate appetite. One form of oestrogen, estradiol, plays a role in metabolism and body weight. As levels drop, appetite often increases, which can lead to weight gain.

Strength training, or resistance training, involves exercises where your muscles work against a weight or force. This helps maintain or build both muscle strength and bone density.

You can do strength training with free weights like dumbbells and kettlebells, or by using weight machines. But you don’t always need equipment. Exercises that use just your body weight, known as bodyweight training, can also improve strength.

Building versus maintaining muscle: the crucial difference

There is a difference between building size and maintaining or building strength, and that difference is volume. 

Strength training focuses on making your muscles stronger, not necessarily bigger. It’s about improving how much force your muscles can produce, which helps with everyday movements, keeping bones strong and reducing the risk of injury.

As we get older, we start to experience sarcopenia. This is the involuntary loss of muscle mass, strength and function. 

Muscle mass decreases approximately 3-8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline increases further after 60 years. As muscle mass decreases, fat mass tends to increase, altering body composition. Strength training can help counteract these changes.

Stability and bone health - During strength training, stress is also put onto your bones, improving their resilience and density.

Preventing weight gain - This helps regulate our metabolism and reduce the chances of increasing our body fat percentage to dangerous levels, which then increases the risk of getting diabetes or heart disease. 

The more muscle you have, the ‘higher’ your metabolism, so the more calories you can consume before heading into a surplus.

Osteoporosis - From the age of about 35 we start to lose calcium from our bones. Activities that put stress on bones can nudge bone-forming osteocyte cells into action. That stress comes from the tugging and pushing on the bone that occurs during strength training. 

Brain health - Strength training also has its benefits for the brain. Increased cortisol and stress levels during perimenopause can be highly detrimental to our brain performance in everyday life. 

Exercise helps to release our feel-good hormones, endorphins. These help to raise our mood and switch our mentality to “I can” rather than “I can't be bothered”. 

Subsequently, anxiety reduces, cortisol levels tend to go back to equilibrium and all is good in the world again.

1. Cardiovascular exercise

Aerobic activities like walking can improve overall fitness. Aim for 10,000 to 15,000steps per day (2) . 

Swimming and interval training are also great options. Even alternating one-minute bursts of effort with rest for 10 minutes or more on any machine can be effective.

2. Strength training

Working all major muscle groups helps build muscle mass and bone density. It’s worth consulting a trainer for a general plan. Set aside 30 to 45 minutes for a routine of five to six exercises, performing 10 to 12 reps for three to four sets (3). 

To ensure progress, the last few reps of each set should feel challenging. Compound movements like barbell squats and deadlifts are particularly effective as they engage multiple muscle groups and the core.

3. Pelvic floor exercises

Kegels and other bladder training exercises help strengthen pelvic floor muscles. It’s best to consult a physiotherapist or personal trainer for guidance based on your starting point (4).

From improving muscular strength and increasing bone density to reducing stress and anxiety, strength training does it all.

It's becoming more apparent how detrimental perimenopause can be for women whilst trying to maintain great wellbeing. But the good news is, no matter when strength training is started, the benefits can really help. 

It’s important to find exercises you enjoy and to start at a level that feels right for you. A good trainer helps with technique, recommends the right weights and circuits, all while keeping workouts safe, challenging and fun.

Liz (BSc) @lmfitpt is a (perimenopausal-aged) PT, yoga teacher and massage therapist who loves to help people feel powerful through movement, play and safe strength training.

Book your free consultation with Liz: 07457405030.