Perimenopause exercise and fatigue

[Mollster1]

I am trying to exercise 4 times a week (but not really achieving it), not doing it at the best time of day as it’s usually after 8pm when the kids are in bed (I can’t do it any other time), and have been doing the Caroline Girvan workouts. I was doing the Iron Programme, really enjoyed it, noticed an improvement in my muscle tone but didn't really lose weight. I have finished that programme and moved on to Fuel. I did the first 2 Fuel workouts, they were hard but doable and I really enjoyed it. I’ve been absolutely exhausted since doing the second one 4 days ago. I read something about high intensity workouts being wrong for perimenopause so wondered if this was too much and if I should go back to Iron or look at something else as I didn't really lose weight with iron. I’m feeling a bit fed up as I’m struggling to lose weight, I keep reaching for the biscuits as I'm so tired and really want to exercise (helps my anxiety) but just exhausted. I'm late 40's and have a good diet and I take a load of supplements (collagen, magnesium, omega 3, multi vitamin, vitamin d) so trying to do all the right things.

If you have fatigue, weight gain and anxiety, it's worth considering HRT especially if your periods are changing or you have sleep issues.

TBH I think exercising at 8pm isn't a great idea and it's also known that doing exercise then can cause sleep issues as your body ought to be winding down.

How old are your kids?
Could you do some exercise early in the day?

Also, exercise only accounts for 20% weight loss and food is 80%.
Is your main goal weight loss or building muscle?

Weight loss really comes down to what you're eating and drinking.
Exercise is great for heart health and building muscle but it won't achieve weight loss on its own.

I'd focus on what you eat and taking gentle exercise like fast walking a couple of times a day (morning or your lunchtime, whatever you can do) and some gentle resistance exercises a couple of times a week.

Thanks for your reply - it's mainly weight loss I'm looking for, I've got a stone to lose. I've always struggled with my weight and when I was younger always had to exercise as well as watch what I eat to achieve any weight loss. I've tried to get up before the kids in the morning to try and exercise then, but I really struggle getting up before 6. During the day when they're at school I'm working so can't do it then unfortunately. I did ask about HRT a while ago at the Drs, they weren't brilliant help at the time so I didn't follow it up but I'll make another appointment and try and get this sorted.

Honestly, if I had to give advice to myself ten years ago when I was in the trenches with young children and two or three stone overweight, and just diagnosed with PCOS and endometriosis, I'd have told myself to listen to my body more and focus on restorative yoga and walking for exercise, and pay more attention to what I was eating and drinking. Sometimes high energy exercise isn't great if you are already stressed and tired. In the last few years (since I was about 47) my hormones settled down a lot more and period stopped altogether at 49 (possibly earlier but I was on hormonal contraception previously), endometriosis under control or showing no symptoms, I've been able to join a gym again and do weights and cardio, some high-intensity and I still do plenty of yoga and walking.

I know not everyone has the same hormonal issues as me but it is quite common at 40 to be in a phase when your body is out of kilter hormonally and under a lot of stress. For me, having done a stressful job with small children for ten years in my 30s I think buggered up my health for a bit. I actually feel so much better and have a lot more energy at 50 in menopause, and I'm not on any HRT at the moment. I do take collagen and glucosamine/cod liver oil every day and then alternate days take magnesium/a multivitamin (so I don't inadvertently take too much of anything). My diet is good though, plenty of protein and fibre and not too many carbs or UPFs and my weight is stable - seem to be maintaining ok after losing weight on mounjaro, I haven't taken it for months now.

I understand about exercise and weight loss, but at the moment I feel you ought to focus on what you eat and cut back on carbs/ refined sugar / processed meals and alcohol if you drink. And the exercise is more for mood, heart health, feeling good.

You can lose weight with exercise but you have to do loads, far more than is usually practical, and many people find they eat more after exercising as it creates hunger!

Going on the 80-20 ratio, maybe start with what you eat and see exercise as not the key to losing weight?

I really agree with @DeftGoldHedgehog bout this 'I know not everyone has the same hormonal issues as me but it is quite common at 40 to be in a phase when your body is out of kilter hormonally and under a lot of stress.'

I've spent my adult life doing ultra long distance sports, suddenly in my 40s they do not agree with me anymore - I need to lift heavy weights. I think it is completely underestimated how important it is to stop doing things which cause your body to feel stressed in this way. Ignore it at your peril.

You are not going to be healthier and happier by fatiguing your body in the way you mentioned.

When you add in extra exercise load, you need to support your body with extra food and rest. No matter what they say about torching calories HIIT is not good for weight loss because you cannot do it for a long time (like walking or cycling). As you have found, you will need to support your body with extra nutrients and rest if you want to make 4 x weekly HIIT work. HIIT is great for improving fitness, but not really for weight loss. People training for marathons often find the same - you need to eat more to have the fuel to support training for it, so they don't lose weight, they often gain it. If they don't train in the right way they are exhausted, irritable, emotional and miserable. But training for a marathon can also be joyful if you don't overstress your body.

The best exercise for weight loss is moderate intensity done for a long duration - a long fast walk twice a day would do it. If you've already found something you enjoy doing for exercise then go back to that - m add in some walking or just extra movement in the day and give it a bit more time, our bodies often need much longer to adapt than we realise. Fitness will make you healthy and enable you to be able to lose weight in a healthy way in the long term, you'll have more energy to be able to do more.

Go back to the thing you enjoyed and take a look at your overall lifestyle, add in fast walking which makes you slightly out of breath. You'll feel so much better overall and you'll be much more able to deal with the stone you want to lose.

Don't keep fatiguing your body like that, it'll start throwing up all kinds of problems at you. An injury will stop you doing any exercise at all. You can't treat your body the same way in your 40s+ the same way you could in your 20s.Take it from someone who used to run competitive ultra-marathons - you have to listen to what your body needs. Exercise is not meant to be a punishment for being a little overweight, use it the right way and it can bring so much energy, vitality and happiness to your life for years to come.

Thanks everyone, this is really helpful and a bit of an eyeopener. It is really helpful to understand other people's experience and realise that this is the way our bodies go in our 40's regardless of how active we were in our 20's and 30's.

@Question7 it must have been really hard for you to adjust after running ultramarathons, it's really helpful to hear that you have changed things around and it has been for the best.

@DeftGoldHedgehog it sounds like you’ve been through such a lot when you had young children – it definitely takes it’s toll on you but with all the other health challenges you had this must have been a really tough time for you.

For me, the main reason for the high intensity exercise is weight loss, and it always has been. But it’s obviously not having the desired effect. I’m also worried about not being fit and the implications of this. You hear people who are relatively young say they can’t run and I find the thought of that quite worrying because of the impact of poor fitness on your body. But what you’re all saying absolutely makes sense. @JinglingSpringbells i really try to get my nutrition right my diet is pretty healthy, I rarely drink alcohol these days and cut out caffeine but I don’t really understand how to work out what my body needs to get the balance right so I’m getting the right amount of protein, carbs etc – this is maybe another reason why I reach for the biscuits when I do so need to do some reading up here.

I don't think you need to analyse too much what you need to eat @Mollster1 .

I'm much older than you and do have to be careful with my food.

For some years now I've pretty much cut out cakes, biscuits, crisps, white carbs, (pasta, rice, flour) and as I'm gluten free (occasional treat is okay) I eat mainly oats and brown rice, but in small amounts.

It may sound very restrictive, but as a family we don't eat/buy biscuits although I do make the occasional 'treat' once a week (my kids are adults so they aren't at home now.)

As a rough guide, my breakfast is Fage Greek yoghurt with berries and seeds, lunch is a salad or homemade soup, and dinner is fish, chicken, I'm now using more beans and making veggie curries or bean based dishes. I don't buy ready meals and 90% is cooked from scratch. I often do easy tray bakes with fish or chicken and throw in red peppers, sweet potatoes, Puy lentils, courgettes etc, and kale.
My treat is 75% dark choc - 1 or 2 squares a day.

@Mollster1 every podcast I listen to and doctors on the Internet (thinking vonda wright, Kelly casperson, Dr rupy food doctor) all stress increase protein in mid life. Ideally one gram per ideal pound of bodyweight. So my ideal bodyweight is 140lbs or ten stone. So I'm supposed to go for 140g of protein. This is highly unachievable if you ask me!

I can just about hit 90 or 100grams if I try. Then aim for 30g of fibre. This also takes some doing. I try to get 20g in breakfast and the rest in dark chocolate and fruit during the day.

I do struggle not to eat crisps at the weekend and there's no way I can stick to two squares of dark choc a day, I usually hit four or five (90% dark from Waitrose) which does include 5g of fibre. So that's a bonus!

In terms of exercise I do body fit by Amy at home or the free Caroline girvans or PMA fitness. All quick and easy to follow. I have 10kg dumbells and a 12kg kettle bell, plus some smaller dumbells and kettlebells. For yoga I do Kassandra.

I exercise between 5 and 6am, this is sometimes a power walk for a three mile loop near the house. I can't exercise after I've eaten or drunk anything so I don't have much choice over the timing. I'm then done in time to shower school run and work.

I am just 50 and three months into HRT . It isn't all plain sailing ( i find progesterone unfriendly to my mood) but the upsides have been a huge improvement in sleep, joint aches and pains and linked to these fatigue.
My doctor advised that no amount of supplements were going to impact the drop in hormones that perimenopause and menopause bring. I have to admit I think she is right.
Also would echo posters suggesting that exercise needs to change as we age so it can be beneficial and energising rather than exhausting. None of us can exercise ourselves back to our twenties I suspect. Rest and self compassion are also as healthy as exercise at times 💐❤️

I have noticed a huge huge difference in switching up my supplements to an 'allin one' approach - I've started taking Naere ona. recommendation from my hairdresser and I noticed a massive change in my energy - when I stopped taking it for a few mornings I really noticed the lack of energy, and I fill up a big bottle with it about 650ml and it keeps me so full and full of energy I don't feel the need to snack!