Menopause Matters at the Gym

Menopause Matters at The Gym

There are many women dealing with menopause matters who join us for Bootcamp sessions, and we love to see you here! It is truly something for you to be proud of, joining with others to push your personal limits and give the task all you've got.

Some ladies, though, get really frustrated and beat themselves up, mentally. They chastise themselves for not running fast enough or long enough, or for still having "jigglies" in their upper arms at the end of the four-week session. And while we all tend to be a little hard on ourselves from time to time, some ladies just won't give themselves a break.

In this post, I want to take a look at some menopause matters that people don't often recognize. There are some things that happen to women's bodies as they age that are different, but not necessarily bad. These are things women have conquered throughout the ages.

Let's face it, the longer we are on earth, the older we become. That's not something you can change, even though there are some things we can do to make ourselves appear younger. We have one body, and no matter how often we choose to surgically modify it, that body is wearing out.

That fact alone should help us to understand why we aren't getting the same results we used to get from our workouts. During midlife, as women approach and pass through menopause, matters seem to get worse. Their metabolism slows down at midlife, making it more difficult to lose weight, and easier to gain it.

And when a woman does gain weight during this stage of her life, it tends to go to unexpected parts of her body – like her neck or her belly. This means that weight can creep up without her jeans size going up, too. "Surprise! You're chunky."

Just when she feels depressed enough to take a good stiff shot (or two) of scotch, she discovers that her tolerance for alcohol has declined and she is on the verge of falling asleep before Love Story ends.

So she switches to Bailey's and coffee, looking for a little caffeine pick-me-up, only to spring awake again – and stay that way until 3 am. But that's okay, because the bed is WAY too hot, anyway.

With all these bodily changes and sensitivities rearing their ugly heads, some women are still surprised when other menopause matters spring up. For example, they notice that their tried-and-true weight loss tricks aren't working anymore, so skipping breakfast to shorten the eating cycle just makes them eat a lot more for lunch and dinner. Or if they eat breakfast to jumpstart their metabolism, they discover they just want to keep eating all day long until bedtime.

Ch-ch-changes. You want to be a different woman. Time may change you, but you can't change time. And it's kicking your b-u-t-t butt.

I have a good friend who has been through all of this, and come out the other side a beautiful and happy woman. Her advice to others?

Bootcamps and gym visits should be for you, not for the hot pizza delivery guy.

Physical training is helpful for your bones and coordination and blood flow to all your limbs and your brain. You don't have to work out like Rocky to enjoy a lot of benefits.

You will hurt. But so what? Just don't overdo it, and always follow your doctor's advice.

Stay with it, because physical health will help you to enjoy the rest of your life – and with any luck, that adds up to quite a few more years.

Don't expect to look like Cher, or Linda Evans, or any of those other … strong women. Your skin is going to sag, your face is going to wrinkle, and your eyes are going to fog up.

You can go get some plastic surgery, or you can spend your time and money doing things you love because your menopause matters have only changed your outward appearance – and dealing with them has made you even stronger and more beautiful inside.