A Strength Training Guide for Menopausal Women
Over the last 12 years of being a road cyclist, and subsquently a triathlete, I have realised now at my age of 53 that there is a need for a simple training guide for women in menopause. There are so many platforms out there, for women in peri-menopause and menopause, books, research articles and social media content.
Where the heck do you begin?
I thought I would spend some time updating my original manual which I wrote in 2019 for my training plans, and include some of the most recent material that has come out in the last five years. I have summarised a lot of it into a readable guide with photographic explanations, without filters and using my own material.
What can you expect from this guide?
1. 51 pages of exercises, using kettlebells, bands, exercise balls, dumbbells and body weight. Stuff you could do from home, in your garden, with friends!
2. Guidance on how to plan your training and how to get started.
3. Some information on training as a menopausal athlete with two pages of scientific research for you to read, and also references to other publications where menopausal athletes have been studied.
3. Five workouts including “SIT” – with variations to help you put it all together and get started.
No frills, no touch-ups, no filters in my photographic illustrations – it’s just me, as I am. Why? Because strong menopausal women come in all shapes and sizes. Being thin and lean does not mean you have conquered menopause, not does it mean that is what you need to look like. Conquering menopause is the day when you get out of bed and say “OH YES” because you can get your gear on, ride your bike, go hit targets in the gym, kick ass at work and come home of an evening and relax, feeling a sense of achievement, being able to sleep, and then wake up the next day and say “HELL YEAH” and do it all over. It also means that on a day you can CHOOSE to stay home, relax, read, and recover because you’ve committed to your lifestyle and enjoyed your workouts for the preceding days.
It is also OK to have a bit of flab, wrinkles, skin changes (I am getting more freckles by the day), and it is also OK to have a spat, a bad day, an emotional outburst, it is all OK! Why? Because that is the journey, your body is going through a tremendous turn of events so be kinder to yourself, give yourself permission to have a duvet day, a day at the beach, a day on the couch. You deserve it.
Menopausal women suffer their journey differently, some don’t notice much at all. Remember that while your journey may have been a breeze, some women go through real mental health issues and need your support and encouragement.
This is the first guide of many to come. I do not have an Editor-In-Chief, I do not have a designer, all I have is my amazing photographer and friend Yvonne Postma – Photography and the input and ideas from all the amazing women around me.
Coming soon.
