We’re Talkin’ About The Menopause
Why Health Professionals Are Recommending Strength Training During Perimenopause, Menopause, and Beyond.
Menopause isn’t just a moment in time, it’s a transition that every woman will experience, and it can bring with it a whole range of physical and emotional changes.
The good news?
One of the most powerful tools your MD might even be prescribing to navigate this phase with strength, confidence, and vitality is strength training.
What Is Menopause?
Menopause is the natural biological process marking the end of menstrual cycles, defined as 12 consecutive months without a period.
The transition phase leading up to it, perimenopause, can start years earlier, often in your 40s (sometimes late 30s). During this time, estrogen and progesterone levels begin to fluctuate and eventually decline.
What Happens to the Body
These hormonal changes impact nearly every system in the body:
Muscle and bone: Estrogen supports muscle mass and bone density. As levels drop, we start to lose lean muscle (atrophy) and bone mineral density more rapidly, which can increase the risk of injury, frailty, and osteoporosis.
Metabolism: Muscle requires more energy to function, which means with a reduction of muscle, your metabolism can become sluggish. Lower estrogen can also slow metabolic rate, making it easier to gain weight.
Sleep: Night sweats and hot flashes can disrupt rest, while changing hormone levels alter our circadian rhythms and ability to get deep, restorative sleep. Sleep is responsible for recovery and processing, while a lack of sleep can lead to higher risk of injury, poor recovery, and fatigue.
Mental health: Mood swings, anxiety, and brain fog can become more frequent as hormones that influence neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine shift.
In short, your body is working hard to find a new balance, and it needs support.
Why Strength Training Helps
This is where strength training becomes a game-changer. It’s not just about lifting weights, it’s about building resilience from the inside out.
Here’s how it helps:
Preserves Muscle and Bone Health
Strength training signals your body to hold onto muscle and strengthen bones, counteracting the natural losses that come with menopause. Research shows resistance training can significantly reduce the risk of osteoporosis and falls. To help reduce atrophy make sure you are eating 1.6-2g of protein per kilo of body mass! We cannot stress how important this is to building and maintaining muscle.Improves Sleep Quality
Regular strength training helps regulate stress hormones like cortisol and supports more stable circadian rhythms, meaning better, deeper sleep (and fewer 3 a.m. wake-ups).Supports Mental Health
Exercise releases endorphins and promotes neurotransmitter balance, helping ease anxiety, mood swings, and mental fog. There’s a strong link between movement and emotional regulation - and strength training is one of the most empowering ways to reconnect with your body.Enhances Metabolism and Energy
Muscle tissue is metabolically active - meaning it burns calories even at rest. By maintaining or increasing muscle mass, strength training helps stabilize energy levels and supports a healthy body composition.Builds Confidence and Autonomy
Beyond the physical, lifting weights is a powerful act of self-trust. It helps women feel capable, grounded, and in control during a phase that can otherwise feel unpredictable.
The Takeaway
Menopause is not the end my friend, it’s the beginning of a new way of caring for your body and embracing a natural transition. You’re letting go
Prioritizing resistance training, adequate nutrition, proper recovery, and mindful movement can help you move through this transition with vitality and confidence.
At Sweatworking, we’re passionate about helping women of all ages build strength for life - not just the gym.
Whether you’re new to lifting or returning after a break, we’ll meet you where you’re at and build from there.
If you’re navigating perimenopause or menopause and want to feel empowered through it, come lift with us.
To get started book your free consultation HERE.
