You’re sleeping badly. You’re tired before the day has started. Your body feels different, your mood is all over the place, and the energy you used to rely on just isn’t there. If that sounds familiar, you’re not imagining it, and you’re not alone.
I’ve been training women for a long time, and the same conversation comes up again and again: hot sweats, and not sleeping properly. Sometimes a client will cancel during the night because she can’t sleep or hasn’t slept. Other times she’ll turn up in the morning washed out and exhausted, because the hot sweats have wrecked her sleep.
Why You Feel So Flat
Menopause brings big hormonal changes, and they can affect almost everything: sleep, mood, body temperature, energy, and where your body stores weight. Hot flushes and night sweats wreck sleep, and poor sleep leaves you feeling washed out the next day. It’s a cycle, and it’s exhausting.
This post isn’t medical advice. If your symptoms are getting in the way of your life, talk to your GP. There are treatment options, and you don’t have to just put up with it.
What the Research Says About Exercise
The International Menopause Society recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week, plus strength training on two or more days. It says regular activity supports bone density and muscle, and can help with sleep and mood. It also says physical activity can ease hot flushes and night sweats, with the biggest benefit coming from a mix of cardio and strength work.
There’s specific evidence for strength training too. In a Swedish study, post-menopausal women did resistance training three times a week for 15 weeks. Their hot flushes dropped by 44 per cent on average, while the group that didn’t train saw no change. It was one fairly small study, but it’s an encouraging result.
Exercise won’t fix everything. But better sleep, a steadier mood, and keeping your muscle and bones strong are all things that help you feel more like yourself.
Why Strength Training Matters Now
Menopause is hard on muscle and bone. As oestrogen drops, women tend to lose muscle faster and bone density falls, which is why the International Menopause Society puts strength training on at least two days a week alongside cardio.
Lifting weights is the most direct way to hold on to muscle and protect your bones. It also helps with the things that make menopause feel so draining: the Society lists better sleep and mood among the benefits, and the Swedish study above found fewer hot flushes in women who lifted. You don’t need to lift heavy on day one. You need to start, and keep going.
Training on the Days You Feel Washed Out
I can usually tell when a client is having a rough time with menopause. You can see it in her face. She looks washed out, tired and exhausted, and she’s not firing at her usual potential.
On those days, the session might be a little lighter. The breaks are longer, so there’s more time to recover between sets, and there’s more time for a chat. That’s fine. It’s typically just a one-off.
The most important thing is consistency and turning up. A shorter, easier session that you actually do is worth far more than the perfect session you skipped.
You Don’t Have to Push Through Alone
If you’re going through menopause and you feel like you’ve lost your energy, training can be one of the things that helps you get it back. If you’re curious about lifting, my post on weight training for bone health is a good next read.
And if you’d like a plan that works with how you’re feeling, not against it, connect with me today.