How do I train hard in (Peri) Menopause?

If you're a female athlete, that is to say you exercise regularly and possibly compete in your chosen sport or activity, and you're generally considered fitter than your same gender and age peers ... then you'll want to read this.

When we enter peri menopause and menopause, our body changes, our hormone levels obviously change and that impacts many, if not all, areas of our body.

So how can we maintain our athletic endeavours - and win?

1). Eat adequate protein. The decline in hormones and advancement in age leads to a loss of muscle mass and we need to focus harder on how to build muscle. To build muscle, we need amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. Proteins are: meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, quinoa, tofu, tempeh etc. So eating a good 25g+ protein per meal is really important.

2). Eat complete proteins. Not all proteins are created equally. There is something called a compete protein, which has all 9 of our "essential" amino acids in it. These are: meat, fish, dairy, eggs, quinoa. Other proteins e.g. tofu, nuts, seeds, legumes are incomplete, meaning that although they have some lovely amino acids in them, they don't have all the essential ones, and therefore they need to be combined with things in a meal, to make them complete. This is why "rice and beans" is such a culturally popular dish and peanut butter on wholegrain toast is a great combination.

3). Manage inflammation. As we know, peri and menopause are inflammatory states for the body. And doing rigorous exercise is inflammatory for the body. The combination can be too much at this time of life and so we need to focus more on anti inflammatory living to support our training regimen and our health overall. An anti inflammatory diet is important, think of the Mediterrean diet which is rich in fish, lean meats, veggies, fruits, wholegrains, healthy fats like avocados and olive oil, plus leafy greens and nuts and seeds. Use lots of herbs and spices in your cooking and aim to "eat the rainbow" to increase your intake of antioxidants and anti inflammatory powerhouses.

4). Recover harder. If you took 2 days off before a big event in previous years or decades, then now consider longer. And book out longer afterwards for recovery also. Your body will thank you for it. And consider investing in some tools like foam rollers or an ice bath or epsom salt flakes - to support your recovery further.

I love supporting athletes of all ages to achieve their training and event goals. If you'd like some personalised support, please book an Initial Consultation.