If you are looking to find out more about all things perimenopause, then you’re in the right place! Anness Brown – RYs Barre teacher extraordinaire – is here to tell you a bit more about what to expect, and most importantly ways in which to ease any symptoms you may be experiencing.
Oh my goodness…there is so much happening in our lives in these mid-life years! Take a typical afternoon; finish that work email, pop chef’s hat on for supper, do school run, check that Mum’s got her next doctor’s appointment in diary, clean the bathroom, book car in for a service, then perimenopause rears its head and says I’m joining in this juggling act too, as if things weren’t pushed to the max! And now, I am suggesting you add in one more thing, exercise! But bear with me…exercise is like a guardian angel; it will ease and help the other things!!
Firstly, let’s just take on board that the menopause isn’t an overnight thing! When I realised that the perimenopause could last up 12 years sometimes… I was a bit shocked! I didn’t really understand the difference between peri and then menopause. In layman’s terms the perimenopause is the period of time when you start experiencing symptoms (more on that coming) and then the menopause happens after you’ve had a full year without a period. The thought of my hormones being out of whack for perhaps a decade gave me a bit of a wake-up call!
There are so many symptoms of the perimenopause, some women can sail through without any which is wonderful, you lucky lucky things!! But for many of us, there will be brain fog, night sweats, insomnia, hot flushes, anxiety, weight gain, mood swings and many many more…the list does go on and on!! For me it is insomnia, anxiety and a bit of brain fog!
How to manage your symptoms
Handling these symptoms is unique to everyone and it’s about finding the right way for you with probably a bit of trial and error! But one way of helping to manage both the physical and emotional symptoms is exercise, or if you don’t like that word, replace exercise with movement (or Barre). And here’s why.
1. Combating stress and anxiety
When you exercise your body releases the hormones serotonin and dopamine these are the happy hormones, this is why after you’ve just done a work-out, in my case it’s either barre or tennis, you get that lovely happy buzz feeling. This is so important in combating stress and anxiety often associated with perimenopause.
2. Declining levels of estrogen
During the perimenopause there are declining levels of oestrogen in your body which can result in a risk of a loss of bone mass. Choose the right exercise and you can use your own body weight to strengthen your bones as well as to help burn fat. Barre is a brilliant exercise for this as it stretches and sculpts muscle whilst burning fat without any cardio strain, it also builds muscle density! Exactly what the forty plus body needs.
3. Manage your weight
Exercise helps manage your weight. This is tricky as it’s well known that it’s harder to manage your weight as your hormonal level changes as you go through the menopause, but exercise will help!
4. Improve posture & strengthen core
Exercise will improve our posture as well as strengthening our core. Lotte Berk, the founder of barre was a great believer in strengthening your core and used the analogy that your core is like a corset keeping you all stable – with a strong one you are able to balance and move with ease and grace. Ok we don’t necessarily need the grace…but it’s nice if we inadvertently get it!
5. Grow your confidence
Last the biggie, you look great! Although this may sound superficial, it really isn’t – because if you get all of the above, you grow in confidence, you feel a bit more you again. You look great because you feel great!!
So, my message to you if you are at this perimenopause stage of life, join me at the barre, or try yoga, Pilates or anything where you move, but do make exercise a priority!