Today is the first day of my new fitness experiment.
I’m going down a deep rabbit hole… consuming all the fitness and nutrition knowledge I can about the menopause transition. 🙋♀️Who am I with here?
Based on my findings, I was on a mission to change my workouts.
I replace one of my “steady state” cardio workouts with HIGH INTENSITY exercise. Dr. Stacy Sims—THE resource for menopause transition related fitness and nutrition—refers to these as SIT workouts.
SIT (Sprint Interval Training) is quite similar to HIIT but is specifically cardio based – think running, cycling, swimming, rowing, stair climbing – doing short sprints at maximal effort for 10-20 seconds with 5-10 seconds rest in between.
So today I did a Tabata set on the stair climber; 20 seconds fast/hard (levels 14-15), 10 seconds recovery (levels 7-8) for 8 cycles (4 minutes total). I DIE. It absorbs more than suction. 😫🥵
I was surprised to report that it took me a full 5 minutes to recover my legs and heart rate before tackling the next cycle (I only did 2!). Doing 26 minutes feels very satisfying and an EFFECTIVE workout.
🧐 Why am I doing this?
…to polarize my workouts, one of several fitness strategies to manage the perimenopausal transition and belly fat gain.
One of my clients asked me this morning, “What does “polarize” mean?
Great question! Polarize means extreme opposite; difficult difficult, easy easy
Studies show for women in perimenopause transition, or post menopause, steady state workouts are detrimental to body composition (think going for a steady run for 45 minutes or hanging out at elliptical at casual speed).
Why?
Because our hormone levels decrease, and cortisol levels (stress hormones) increase.
Exercise is stress… we want it to be good stress, but steady state exercise turns out to be bad stress because the intensity is NOT ENOUGH to burn fat AND it raises cortisol levels thus creating more (no useless) stress that we don’t need.
…so the answer is either difficult/difficult or easy/easy.
A strenuous exercise is a SIT workout. Spend less time exercising, but make it burn your muscles so it stimulates the burning of belly fat.
My SIT workout on the stairclimber this morning was just that… HARD AS _UCK
Tuesday my workout is a HIIT on Zoom with Active Moms Club (using weights and incorporating plyometrics) and Wednesday’s workout will be easy—a power walk for active recovery. (This will allow my body to recover and de-stress after 2 high stress workouts).
💥 Many of my clients who are over 40 begin to notice weight gain around the middle even though they insist their nutrition and exercise are pretty much the same.
A likely culprit here ➠ fluctuating and lower hormone levels. As hormones begin to decline, so does our insulin resistance, ability to absorb protein, and burn fat. This is a recipe for gaining belly fat.
Yes, nutrition is critical here, especially the timing of nutrition, AND being more strategic about the types of workouts ➠ these are important to deal with core fat gain, fatigue, and inflammation.
If you’re experiencing perimenopause transition symptoms, know that you’re not alone.
Perimenopause symptoms can begin as early as age 37; 47 is the average age and symptoms can last up to a decade. 😱
My side-effects (sore/painful joints, 5 pound fat gain, fatigue, skin irritation, inflammation, mood swings, feeling defeated) started around 50.5 and seem to be more bearable because I have consciously remove stress every day, make better nutrition choices, and implement more strategic exercise sessions.
…and honestly, taking ownership and empowering myself to understand what’s going on during this transition has been a game-changer.
❤️ It can also be a game-changer for you.
PS If you want to chat about strategies to use for your perimenopausal symptoms, drop me an email, cassandra@activemomsclub.com.
I’m here for you.
