ADAPTING EXERCISE for (Peri)menopause

By Susie Black - get free updates of new articles here 

In this article series my plan is to offer hints and tips for adapting your Pilates moves to suit common aches and pains. To be clear, this is a series on making long term issues more bearable so you can continue to stay fit - not a series on causes, prevention or treatment.

Today's article is about (Peri)menopause.  As such, it's primarily for women at a challenging moment in their life so if a loved one is going through this you may want to ask their permission before forwarding this blog on.

Perimenopause is the name of the time before a woman's menstruation ultimately finishes and can be fraught with a dizzyingly large degree of physical, mental and emotional symptoms sometimes lasting well beyond the fifties and even into the ninth decade. These are well documented in many websites and support groups so we're not going to address them here. Instead, we're going to look at the main symptoms which impede exercising in general and offer some guidance on making life easier. Most of it will sound like common sense but when your brain feels like insulating foam it can help to have a list.

Please note that if you're experiencing challenges while moving through Perimenopause then your GP should be your first guide. A burgeoning industry has recently developed around Perimenopause coaching but this is a health condition which may very likely require input from a medical professional. Ancillary private services are useful and informative but, as with most highly marketable commodities, hard to review and research.

Perimenopause problems and how to adapt for exercise

I've listed these in the order in which I think they may they impact exercise. Obviously, not everyone will experience every symptom listed here.

Joint pain/stiffness

Pain and stiffness is not usually the first symptom that people will mention but it's the top cause of exercise avoidance. If HRT is not suitable or advised then my recommendation is to journal your menstrual cycle closely and be prepared to plan your activities to suit your personal hormonal ebb and flow. There may be days or weeks where you feel able to attempt more challenging exercises and similar periods where rest is best. Battling through joint pain can increase frustration and fatigue whereas swapping intensity levels to suit your body will provide a more consistent and safer routine. Our Pilates classes have three intensity levels to help manage this effectively and members are welcome to switch as appropriate.

Brain Fog

The BMJ Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry has researched references to brain fog as including forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, dissociative phenomena, cognitive ‘slowness’ and excessive effort, communication difficulties, ‘fuzziness’ or pressure and fatigue. Pilates is a brain-bending activity at the best of times so how do we adapt here?

• Tell me that you may be slow at processing instruction.

• Use the Relaxation Pathway on the website for short meditation speeches instead of forcing yourself to exercise

•  Try a Rejuvenating class or video which supplies slower instruction

  
  

Bleeding

Excessive bleeding is a common symptom which can prevent people from comfortably leaving the house. Online is our friend here. The website has short workouts to full hour on-demand sessions and the online classes provide the same real-time feedback you'd get in an In-Person class. The simple tagging system means you're only ever three clicks away from your mat and you can drop workouts into your favourites folder in advance for when the brain fog takes over.

Hot flushes

Crack open a window, keep a cool drink nearby and accept it. You're exercising. It might not be comfortable but it's okay to sweat. Often night sweats can lead to fatigue, sleeplessness and brain fog which feed back into journaling and changing the intensity levels of exercise to suit the varying hormonal patterns.

Bladder leaks

Hormonal changes weaken the pelvic floor muscles as well as thinning the urethral lining, both of which cause issues with bladder control. The Pelvic Floor Pathway on the Pilates website will help maintain and build pelvic floor strength and the Pelvic Floor Workshop will progress your knowledge further. HRT can help with the thinning of the urethral lining by increasing oestrogen levels.

Allergies

Hormonal fluctuation can increase the body's natural histamine levels. Watch out for emerging skin reactions to latex bands (try Sveltus bands instead as they're primarily fabric based) or seasonal fluctuations in hay fever symptoms. Anti-histamines are available in Scotland through the Pharmacy First scheme so you can minimise the effect of allergic reactions.

Building Knowledge.

There is a plethora of coaches and support systems out there for perimenopause however I'd be inclined to check out an organisation's certification and experience before forking out cash. The NHS is a solid start for information and menopause cafes are also growing fast.

I understand there is a long list of symptoms and I've just scratched the surface so please get in touch if your biggest concern hasn't been met here.