Ask the
Want to run further, lift heavier or nail a pull-up? Each month, we put your questions to the Women’s Health Collective panel – seven of the finest fitness brains – to help you make good on your goals
Q I’m perimenopausal. How can I maintain a healthy body composition with exercise?
Amanda Ngonyama says: Many women will experience changes in their body shape during the perimenopause – the years preceding menopause when hormone levels begin to fluctuate and menopausal symptoms begin to emerge. The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation found that lean muscle mass decreases during this life stage, while the rate of fat gain could double in the two years prior to your final period, when you officially reach the menopause. But you’re right to think that exercise could help you control these symptoms.
Some context: as you approach the menopause, and perimenopause begins, your oestrogen levels decline. Oestrogen optimises insulin, which moves glucose out of your bloodstream and regulates blood sugar levels. With less oestrogen, you’ll have excess insulin, so cells in your pancreas that modulate how much insulin is synthesised and secreted will start to resist the insulin typically used for energy. This insulin resistance is what could cause weight gain. Your muscles may also struggle to recover, as they rely on stem cells called satellite cells, which need oestrogen to function optimally.
A hybrid training approach incorporating strength, cardio and yoga is recommended, but how long and how often you do each component matters. Let’s start with weight training. The more muscle you have, the more effective your metabolism will be and the more calories you’ll burn at rest – and muscle growth requires stimulus from heavy lifting. Include bilateral (both sides) and unilateral (single-sided) exercises across twice-weekly sessions to isolate and strengthen individual muscles; this will help protect your joints as the amount of lubricating synovial fluid inside them decreases and cartilage becomes thinner with age.
As for your cardio, this should comprise a HIIT session, no longer than 20 minutes, once a week. This will promote an increase in insulin sensitivity, which could reduce the likelihood of weight gain. Overdoing it will exacerbate hormonal imbalances by increasing cortisol levels, so once a week is sufficient, and any longer than 20 minutes won’t be true HIIT as you won’t maintain your max training effort.
Finally, aim for a 45- to 60- minut
