As it’s Menopause awareness month, thought I’d share something about my own Perimenopause journey.
Many people are surprised when I share, I’m on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) - they think I’m too young. Menopause is one day 12 months after your periods have stopped. Its great we have a menopause awareness month. For me the focus could be more on Perimenopause….this is the time before you have 12 months without a period. Perimenopause can last for years!!
After giving birth to our second child, at the age of 40, my body struggled to adjust to the hormone changes. At the age of 41, I started to use HRT. This was not an easy decision for me, I needed something to help manage my symptoms, juggle the demands of family life and returning to a corporate job.
HRT was only one part of the journey.
I had started to journal what happened to my body and behaviours as I progressed through my cycle. Overtime, I could see my symptoms were cyclical. I started to plan in selfcare around my cycle. My selfcare includes a sleep routine, family time, date nights, time alone to do nothing, time with friends out in nature, regular massage, daily yoga, reiki, sound baths. Being disciplined with my time has really helped me to manage Perimenopause symptoms. Prioritising my selfcare is not selfish, it’s an act of care.
Resistance training
One of my symptoms was waking up with an aching body, although I had not really exercised. As part of my research I came across a book called Training for Your Old Lady Body by Elizabeth Davies, and it’s stuck with me in a way most fitness books don’t. It’s not about getting smaller or chasing a “bikini body” — it’s about training for the body you’ll actually need in 20, 30, 40 years’ time. The body that can carry shopping up the stairs, get up off the floor unaided, keep its bone density, keep its heart healthy. Reading it, two facts landed for me:
1) muscle mass naturally declines by somewhere between 3–8% per decade after 30 unless we actively work against it and
2) osteoporosis affects roughly one in three women over 50 worldwide. That’s not a scare tactic, it’s what happens to our bodies without resistance training, and it happens faster through perimenopause and once menopause hits oestrogen drops.
I’m lucky to have a husband that enjoys lifting so much that we have a squat rack in a garage and he’s always on hand to show me techniques. Ramsey has designed a programme sheet for me with compound exercises to help me improve my strength.
I’m still working on making resistance training a regular part of my movement activity. When I do lift, I feel more confident, powerful and notice my body aches less. This may be due to bone density improvements and muscle support reducing the impact on my joints.
Busy mind
Another symptom I had was always feeling like I was on high alert, I was very anxious and would overthink everything planning for the worse. As part of my yoga journey, I came across Restorative Yoga – this practice involves the body being held in different positions whilst being fully supported. This enabled me to feel comfort, trust in the support around me and analyse my mind as an observer. In time, I started to feel less anxious and trust in my own thoughts again. When I don’t practice Restorative yoga, I can notice my energy become more heightened.
This is the part I really want to say out loud for Menopause Awareness Month: HRT is not the whole picture.
HRT has made a real difference for me, and I’m grateful for it. HRT on its own won’t help me manage all my symptoms.
HRT doesn’t build muscle, and it doesn’t single-handedly protect your bones or your heart. That part still requires us to actually move, and specifically to strength train. That’s especially true for so many of us now working desk-based, screen-facing jobs, where an entire working day can go by with barely any real physical movement at all.
HRT won’t reduce my anxiety, unless I support myself with more mindful practices to slow down my brain and help rebalance my nervous system. For me this is restorative yoga, for others it could be something else. If you are feeling lost, overwhelmed with so many choices and not sure how to connect with yourself again, give me a follow-on Instagram suki_chhokar and my journey my inspire you. Together in community women can support each other.
