Why Strength Training Matters In Perimenopause, with Charlotte Hewlett

Ready to feel strong, steady, and unapologetically capable through perimenopause and menopause? We sit down with Charlotte, a Chiang Mai–based fitness and nutrition coach who specialises in midlife women, to unpack what actually changes as hormones shift and how to train smarter without turning your life upside down. No gimmicks, no “train by your phase” templates — just practical strategies that meet you where you are.

We dig into why strength training becomes non-negotiable as oestrogen declines, and how load helps protect muscle and bone health when sarcopenia and osteopenia start to creep in. Charlotte breaks down simple ways to pick the right weight using RIR and RPE, how to keep the training stimulus while swapping movements you hate, and why enjoyment is the secret to consistency. You’ll hear real talk on the hip thrust nemesis, unexpected confidence boosts, and the quiet “grit” that keeps you coming back, even when the music is loud and the excuses pile up.

Recovery takes centre stage. We reframe days off as recovery days, explore what active rest can look like, and explain why sleep, protein intake, and stress management drive progress more than one brutal workout ever will. Expect clear protein targets for midlife, pragmatic guidance on adapting training around fluctuating cycles without rigid rules, and a blueprint for getting started with a coach, a community, or a well-built program. By the end, you’ll have a grounded plan to build a resilient frame, better moods, and the kind of everyday strength that makes life feel easier.

If this conversation helps, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a confidence nudge, and leave a quick review — your feedback helps more women lift well through midlife.

Chapters

• 1:19 Meet Charlotte And The Mission
• 2:38 Why Strength Training Becomes Essential
• 3:53 Personalising Plans And Finding Enjoyment
• 8:11 Confidence, Community, And The Hip Thrust
• 9:25 How To Pick The Right Weights
• 12:15 Cycle Differences And Training Reality
• 16:46 Recovery Days And Active Rest
• 20:16 Intention Over Intensity
• 29:07 Women Vs Men: What Actually Differs
• 32:27 Protein, Sarcopenia, And Bone Health
• 36:50 Starting Strength In Perimenopause
• 40:36 Mood, Confidence, And Long-Term Goals
• 41:37 Closing Thoughts And How To Connect

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:53

Hey everyone, welcome to the podcast. And today I'm joined by Charlotte, who is a fitness and nutrition coach. Uh, and you've got a specialism in perimenopause and menopause. You're based here in Chiang Mai and originally from Oldham. Yes, in Manchester. Okay. This is a northern podcast. Yeah. And uh yeah, you're starting to feel the vague cool of perimenopause, I think. Yeah. Yep. Yeah, kind of early on. Yep. Yeah. And I was I was asking Charl an interesting fact about herself, and we were kind of thinking, and because we're northern, uh, you still like a chip butty. Love a chip butty. Gravy?

SPEAKER_00: 1:33

I wouldn't really put gravy on a chip butty, I would put actually ketchup on a chip butty. But if I was just having the chips, then there'd be gravy on it.

SPEAKER_01: 1:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 1:42

Or curry sauce.

SPEAKER_01: 1:43

Okay. I'm I'm a like chip butty, dip it in gravy.

SPEAKER_00: 1:46

Never tried it. Maybe I'm missing out on something. Very. Maybe that's something I need to try when I go home next.

SPEAKER_01: 1:52

So today we're gonna be talking about training, strength training in perimenopause and menopause, how it's different, what works, some tips. Yeah, so we're just gonna have an explore. Okay. So I have my questions, but let's let's just see what we cover. Sure. Um, so yeah, why is strength training in perimenopause and menopause like really good for women?

SPEAKER_00: 2:18

I mean, generally, as we all know, or most of us will know, strength training in general is just a great tool for us and our bodies. Okay. But it becomes a little bit more important as we shift towards midlife, which is perimenopause, menopause, because especially with women, our estrogen begins to decline. And with that comes a whole load of symptoms and effects, including mood changes, energy changes, sleep changes, but also estrogen is kind of like a protector of our muscles and bone. Okay. And so what we can achieve through strength training is building that muscle mass and building bone density so that we can kind of slow down the decrease in muscle, slow down the decrease in density, or actually, if we start early enough, kind of reverse it.

SPEAKER_02: 3:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 3:27

Um, and strength training, like I think it's I think it's important to be clear that strength training doesn't mean that you're going to the gym and you have to pick up huge heavy weights. Yeah. It can be body weight. It can be it can be movement which puts load and tension on the bones and the muscle. So strength training can look very different from woman to woman.

SPEAKER_01: 3:54

Yeah. Okay. And I should have said that you're my personal train spiral. That's why I'm in Dev. So that's why I know what you're talking, yeah, what you're talking about. And yeah, it's been it's been really helpful for me to have that personalized plan and to talk to you about it and kind of tweak it and see what I enjoy and see what I hate. Don't like being on the on the gym floor.

SPEAKER_00: 4:18

I saw that last week, and I was quite right. We're taking any floor exercises out, but we're still gonna keep the stimulus the same in whatever I give you. So I mean, that's something that I think is fundamental in anyone, not just women, when it comes to exercise. If there is no enjoyment, then that creates resistance. And if there's resistance, it's like less likely to happen. And so I think for me personally, I believe it is my purpose to, when I'm working with a client, is to find what fits. And so if something doesn't fit, is there another way I can create the same stimulus, but in a way that my client will enjoy or will be better suited? Yeah. Or is more accessible?

SPEAKER_01: 5:17

It's kind of good to discern, but that's what I that's what I'm trying to do when I'm you know putting my little notes on my exercises and thinking about how the last month has gone. Between what's my nemesis, hip thrust machine, people say you've learned to love that though a little bit. Let's see. Every time I I see it on my app and I'm like, right, and I sidle up to it, and I'm like, you come on. So that is something that I like to keep in because I know it's really good for me. It does lift my ass. It really toes my ass quite quickly. Um, and just discern in between that is challenging, but I kind of like the challenge. And being on the gym floor, no, I know I'm not gonna do that. The week before my period, no. Bits of other people in my hair. No, I'm just I I see it come off of the app. I thought, I'll have to tell her. I don't need that. I think okay, just don't do it, just do something else. And I just replace it, I just kind of improvise. But uh so I'm really grateful for that. Thank you. That's fine.

SPEAKER_00: 6:30

It's fine, it's my it's my pleasure. Um, but I feel the same as you about the hip thrust. Like, no, I loathe them. If I'm being honest, like just because I work in this industry doesn't mean I like everything. But I do know that sometimes doing things that we don't love because we know they're good for us, yeah, leads to character building. It leads to confidence because it's like this is challenging, but oh, I can do it. And so after it, you feel a little bit more confident. You feel like a little bit of a badass.

SPEAKER_01: 7:12

Yeah, yeah. And that is what the hip thrust is. It's like, oh yeah, well, that was really uncomfortable, but I can feel my ass is nice and shaped. And also, I'm I've kind of made friends with a couple of women in the gym, and sometimes they come past they know, they know the hip thrust is the nemesis for pretty much everyone. And uh they come past me, she came past and she went, Oh, Melanie, put more weight. She got more weight and put it on. I was like, mmm, but I could do it. So it it's fun.

SPEAKER_00: 7:43

Yeah, it's fun. But um I think that's another thing as well. Like with a client that I was I've recently started working with. Um, I was I have different ways of trying to find weights that suit people. So there's lots of different ways, like not to go into too much detail or like terminology, R-IR, reps and reserves. So perform this amount of reps, and the weight should mean that you have two to three reps left in the tank. Yeah. You don't have to do them, but you should be able to do them if you had to. Or RPE, it feels like a five out of 10, 6 out of 10, 7 out of 10. What's RPE? Rate of perceived exertion. Okay. So it's like, how much energy do I feel like I'm putting into this? So, like a 10 out of 10, you are flat out.

SPEAKER_02: 8:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 8:42

Crawling, crawling off the floor and yeah, kind of considering if you push too far and you might be calling it a day. That we never really do. We never really get there. Um, but working, actually, working with some clients, um, there's certain ways that women, actually, it's not all, it's not just women, it's people, kind of are able to find their weight. So, like RIR works for one of my clients, and it really didn't work for another client. Okay. And then I found I I was able to test it, and that's how I found out it didn't work because she was then able to perform nearly triple the amount of reps with the weight that she thought were one to two reps in reserve. Really? Yeah, yeah. So it's and where I'm leading to with this is I think sometimes women underestimate what they can achieve.

SPEAKER_02: 9:38

Ah.

SPEAKER_00: 9:38

And I think that comes from fear.

SPEAKER_02: 9:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 9:44

Like an underlying fear or a subconscious fear. Yeah. Like, oh my god, that that looks heavy. Like this body can't do that. And two, I think it comes from I don't want to get bulky. I don't want a jacked body. But I wish that was the case because I want to really jack the body, but it's hard, hard, hard work.

SPEAKER_01: 10:07

It is. Yeah. So, but that it's really good you pointed that out because that's that's how I felt at the beginning. And it was almost like there was a social conditioning of being in the gym and lifting free weights and doing and lifting the vodka. And then I started doing it, and I feel this, I call it the grit, where like I've lifted something, and then I think, oh, and I start to feel like a little essence of this grit. And I think I can go up two kilos because generally the weights go within two kilos. So I think I'll I'll do a bit more. And then even if it's the last set and I go up a couple of kilos, I get this grit feeling afterwards, and I walk out like, hurrah, hurrah, and I feel freaking great. It's not like an adrenaline high, it's like a strength high, and I really enjoy it. And that those moments keep me going back when frankly I don't want to go, the music's too loud, yeah, there's too many men in the gym.

SPEAKER_00: 11:14

I can find any excuse, there's dust in the air, yeah, anything. Yeah. I thought I've got this many things to do today, and it's just really inconvenient.

SPEAKER_01: 11:22

Yeah, or I could go to the gym in the in the condo, which doesn't have very good equipment, to be honest. And it's this, but if I actually get myself there, it's that grit, the memory of the grit that I go, oh, that feels good. And I just go, come on, don't think about anything else. Yeah. Yeah. So it feels good. Um, so I don't I wanted to ask you this, but I'm looking at the question now thinking, bloody hell, it's obvious. How does training in perimenopause menopause differ to when we're in our 20s?

SPEAKER_00: 11:53

It well, it definitely differs. Um, think about being 20, right? I would love to think about 20.

SPEAKER_01: 12:02

But also I love being the age I am.

SPEAKER_00: 12:04

So yeah. I well, with age comes, I actually think life gets better as you get older. It does, yeah. But in our 20s, our bodies, they just bounce back quicker. We don't need as much sleep, we don't need as much of a warm-up, we don't need to work on different joints in our body, we don't need to really focus on like the fuel that we're putting into our body. Um, and we back then could just hit a hard workout, whatever it may be, without any kind of real qu consequences. Yep. I remember. Yeah. I I know that I remember just even times like just doing life was easier on little sleep. I remember once working an event over four days when I was working in a bar and there was a big event. So it was the Manchester Pride. And I had been working all day, and then I go out after I finished work at 11. I stay out till 6 a.m. Yeah. I go home for an hour's sleep. I wake up after that hour and I get ready, and then I do the pride parade. And then I go home, get changed, and then I go and do a shift till 5 a.m. And I think I was like going for like 36 hours. Even that now, like I'm not training in a gym, but I no, absolutely not. Like our bodies need sleep. Like sleep and recovery are equally as important as the training, if not a little bit more important, actually, the older we get.

SPEAKER_01: 13:46

Yeah. I liked how you put it when I I I've changed my perspective on calling my day off now. I call it recovery day. So instead of a day off when I I don't think about okay, I'm not going to, I've just got trained today. I think about how can I support recovery today. So I might go for like a swim, but like a walk around the swimming pool. So it's just nice. I get some sunshine. I'm still moving, but I'm just really supporting my body. I'm not putting a strain on the muscles and stuff. So that was a really nice shift, actually. Recovery day.

SPEAKER_00: 14:20

Recovery day. And recovery can look whatever it it it wants to you. So like you, it's you like going to the swimming pool.

unknown: 14:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 14:29

Some people like to do gentle stretching. Some people love yoga. Some people like to just go for a long walk. Um, but actually, there's what we would call like active recovery days. So you're still kind of keeping active. And to me, that kind of means that if I'm doing an active recovery day, I still want to hit X amount of steps. The 10,000 step thing is, did you know that that was made up by the Japanese? I did. Yeah. However, I still use it just as a marker, right? Um, and it means that I'm not rotting on the couch watching Netflix the entire day. However, as we get older, a non-active recovery day where you don't really do anything is also okay as we get older.

SPEAKER_02: 15:23

Yeah. It's nice.

SPEAKER_00: 15:24

Yeah. And sometimes not just our bodies, but our brains need it. You know, that switch off, that it's like the nervous system just needs a minute. And it if you don't want to do that, that's fine. But it's okay. It's not a negative to just do that.

SPEAKER_01: 15:44

I do, I do quite enjoy that. The more I get into perimenopause, the more silence, the more just space, the more just just calm, just nothingness that just allows my body, because so much is shifting, to just do its thing. So it's really nice. Yeah. Um another thing I wanted to ask you about is training on our period. I know everyone's different with this, so really what the the message we both have is like do what feels good for your body, never push yourself. But yeah, what's your what's your perspective on this?

SPEAKER_00: 16:23

I have my perspective. It's a topic that kind of can irk me a little bit because go on. There's pretty much misinformation that's put out there. Okay. And when I see these adverts for follow this program that works with your cycle, and it's like it's a pre-planned thing, and it has nothing to do with the person. But I feel like these programs and the people who make them, they're prying on women who feel like they need to work to train based on whatever phase they're in, and train in a way that is provided by somebody else. Like, okay, oh, you're in the luteal phase. Right, you have to train this way. Uh no.

unknown: 17:17

No.

SPEAKER_00: 17:18

Because everybody's different. Every single body is different. So I know, I know that from me and you.

unknown: 17:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 17:24

So I know that when it's when my period starts, I feel like the Hulk. I'm strong. I'm so strong. And I'm so like, I'm like, yes, I can, I can do whatever, like I can lift whatever weight. And like I have that drive, I have that urge, I have that energy. Whereas like the week leading up to it, the thing that in the past has felt okay to lift feels unbelievably heavy. And I'm like, whoa, whoa. So I know with the phases, I know what works for me. And I can feel that in my body. So I know when to pull back and I know when to push those, to, to pulk, push those gears up to, you know, five. Yeah. Like I'm ready to go. Yeah. And that's the key is knowing your body. Yep. Yep. So for you, I know is different.

SPEAKER_01: 18:26

It is, I get about day. I mean, on my period, I don't train partly because I just go so inward that um death becomes anyone that just exists anywhere near me. But I I use it to I know to turn my senses inwards and I contact the void. I literally use it to reset my nervous system um and really just luxuriate in this black light that comes from my womb. Not everyone's into that. You know, I saw you so you look.

SPEAKER_00: 19:02

Well, I don't I I don't know. I don't I don't I don't know if I have one of those, but well, it's just it's it's but it's the same theme, right? We're all different.

SPEAKER_01: 19:11

Yeah, and that's what I like to use my moontime for. And you know, the curtains are shut for a couple of days, I don't really go out, I don't really speak. And it really just I I mean, the not the last period I had, but the two periods before. Um literally my my moontime came, I put a hot water bottle on my womb, lay on the bed, and I got bliss emanating from my womb. Just waves of bliss. It's beautiful, really reset my system. And then last period, I was like spotting for three days. I'd done a liver cleanse. I was like, oh, I felt like too backer. And some stuff was really moving for me. Um, but then yeah, when I come out my period, I'm like a I couldn't lift grass.

SPEAKER_00: 20:04

Oh my goodness. I have to put the weights back and be like so. This is straight after.

SPEAKER_01: 20:10

Yeah, I like have to, I have to ease myself back in. Okay. And then about it's about day six, seven, eight, it kind of varies a little bit with my cycle. I get this like it's like a, it's like the gas goes on. Right. And I go into it's quite a short, fertile ovulation phase now. And I'm like, I'm like, crank the musical, like, come on. And I can I can go up on the weights quite well. And then pre-menstrual, which is from about day 14 nowadays, um, my luteal phase is nice and long. Um, I I just consolidate, but I can feel my strength like waning a bit towards my period.

SPEAKER_00: 20:58

It sounds like you have the you follow the what I would call like the general kind of pattern that you know, if you ask online, okay, what can I expect from this? Oh, this. So it sounds like because the ovulation, a lot of people feel that strength, that that power. And I do, but I also feel that strength and power right in that first week. Yeah. And it's it's interesting to me because I'm surrounded by a lot of women. And actually, within Thai culture, it's so interesting.

SPEAKER_01: 21:31

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_00: 21:32

Because they will not exercise when they're on their period. For like, is it like a cultural? I think I think so. Yeah. And uh, one interesting thing is the gym that I train at is there's handstands, right? So we'll kick up on the wall and handstands. Yeah. Oh no, I'm not doing that. No, I'm not doing that. I'm on my period. And I'm like, what? I'm like, is that gonna come out? If anything, it's gonna go back down. Like, I'm and I'm fascinated by that. I think, you know, culturally, different cultures have different kinds of ways of what do you what the what word would you call it?

SPEAKER_01: 22:11

Like different every every culture has a different like relationship. Yes, uh that's a good way to explain it, yeah. That's what's like called but also moontime, the period being like in Nepal, you still have that practice where they're sent out into huts. Oh my goodness. And women are literally killed by wild dogs. Yeah, you didn't watch smaller boards and they come to No, I think it's because they're just out in this hut in the back of the back of the That's terrifying. Yeah, it's it's not cool at all. And uh I like that you think they could swell the blood though. Maybe they can.

SPEAKER_00: 22:46

That's the first thing that comes to mind. I'm like, animals are like it's like a shark. They sent blood, they're going though, they're going to that person.

SPEAKER_01: 22:55

But in India, it's it's developed into women are not allowed in the temple. But what it started as was women don't need to do anything because they're in moontime. Right. And what it developed into was oh, women are kind of dirty and they're not allowed in the kitchen during moontime. When actually the positive aspect of it was, oh, they're kind of relieved of the normal duties. I mean, actually, yeah, that's probably great for some women.

SPEAKER_00: 23:28

That's really great. I mean, I the thought behind it is questionable. However, yeah, the consequence of that thought is probably enjoyable for the women.

SPEAKER_01: 23:37

Yeah. But not being outcast now and then getting put in huts where they're actually killed by wild animals. Well, yeah. So yeah, that but also in yoga, you don't do inverted poses in yoga because it can, the blood can run back into the fallopian tubes or something sometimes. But not, you know, and Justin never knows that not gonna do it, but that's nose to yeah, everyone's so different, aren't they? And it's all it's all about really attuning to the one's own body. And I think, and especially in perimenopause, the cycle just kind of shifts. Oh yeah. And a lot. Yeah. And so whilst I'm saying, okay, yeah, this is my general pattern, I also have have one day, I think it's day 23 or 24 at the moment. I feel so tired. I can't do anything. I just think, oh wow, this is my dip day. Yep. And I just do nothing.

SPEAKER_00: 24:33

Yeah, and I think it's allowing that as well. Yeah. So let's say yesterday, let's say today that today was your dip day. Yeah. And let's say yesterday you're like, okay, you know, you plan out your day. I'm gonna get up in the morning, I'm gonna do a little bit of work, I'm gonna go to the gym at this time, I'm gonna do this. And then you wake up and you wake up and you're like, oof, nope. I can't, I can't go to the gym. Maybe I can do a little bit of stretching, maybe I can do a little bit of yoga. And I think it is all about that flowing with the body, don't force it. If you force it, it's here's the thing: moving your body with intention is pivotal in making your experience positive and making your relationship with movement positive. So if we train with intention, if we work out with intention, that means that I'm not going to the gym just because I think I should. It means I'm going to the gym because I feel good, my body wants to move, I want to do the exercises today, X, Y, Z, whatever that looks like for any individual. So intention is not something that's often talked about with exercise movement. Like, you know, it's more about what do you like? What don't you like? What's your goal? But intention is so important to anything in life, but it's important to movement and exercise.

SPEAKER_01: 26:04

Okay. What's your approach then? Do you do set an intention before you go to the gym or do you do it every week?

SPEAKER_00: 26:10

Or what's I look at a week. So I like to train five times a week. Sometimes I want to do it six. Um, and for a long time I became an excellent procrastinator. I was fantastic at it. I actually said yesterday, I am a I'm terrible at waiting. My patience is awful, but I'm a fantastic procrastinator. Oh, what are we? It makes no sense. It makes no sense. But I would go in and I would have a program that I follow, but yeah, I would be there two and a half hours later, halfway through, because I'm talking to people. I'm on my phone, I'm doing this, I'm doing that, and I just was not, I and I was like, I don't have an intention. There's no intention by behind what I'm doing. Oh, I see. I'm going in to work out. Do being there for two hours makes me feel like I've done a really solid gym's assured. In actual fact, it wasn't true. And so now I go with intention. I'm like, I want to be out by this time.

unknown: 27:22

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 27:23

And so I'm a lot more focused on what I do with my time. If I let's say I so you'll see when I program for you, I'm like, you do this many reps, rest nine 90 seconds or two minutes. Yep. And so I keep myself accountable for that now. I don't let myself get distracted by conversations and end up resting 10 minutes. One, because the stimulus isn't the same when that happens. And two, it's just wasting time.

SPEAKER_01: 27:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 27:55

Um, and so I've actually restarted doing classes because in classes I can't mess about. I can't just decide I'm gonna do this here and that there. And yeah. Um, and so my intention now is to within a certain time get it done, get out.

SPEAKER_01: 28:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 28:18

I like it. Just because it's my job does not mean that I'm always good at it either.

SPEAKER_01: 28:27

Oh, tell me about it then. Okay. So, how would you say strength training is different for women than men? I mean, obviously we've got a cycle, but yeah. We talked a bit about that, but will there be would there be any other fundamental differences?

SPEAKER_00: 28:45

Yes and no. So women can train just like men. They absolutely can. I've seen women lift weights a lot heavier than men, which I think is awesome. I love saying that. And it kind of gives some men an ego check, which is great. Excellent. Um, the main difference is that we as women we tend to need a little bit more of a warm-up and recovery.

SPEAKER_02: 29:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 29:15

The way our bodies are built. It's a little bit different. So it's how we take care of our body around the training, which is a big difference. Not a big difference, but the difference.

SPEAKER_01: 29:28

Yeah, we need a bit more sleep, we need we need different things.

SPEAKER_00: 29:31

Yeah, and just warming up the body. Like men, if you just look at men in terms of just strength training, muscle, all that stuff, they build muscle way easier than women. I read this thing where it was like they can build up to 60% more muscle than women, which I was like, ah, it's so unfair. So unfair.

SPEAKER_01: 29:59

The thing is, in my 20s, I used to build it dead easy. Like, you know, you talk about that.

SPEAKER_00: 30:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 30:05

Not have much sleep. I used to go to McDonald's as well. I used to like, oh wow. I used to go out till four in the morning, sleep two hours, do the breakfast shift, come home, just sleep, do it all again. Yeah. Two days in a row. Yeah. And still go to the gym in the week and build muscle, and my muscle tone didn't go. Yeah. And I I do one aquaobics class. I used I remember that really worked for me. And then after I'd come out, like, oh great. Like my shape of my arms is back. Yeah. Like now, like, okay. No, I go for months and then I think, ah, good, I can see a difference. I feel a difference pretty much straight away. Yeah. But to actually see a difference in muscle tone, that is taking longer. And if I stop and take a break just for any reason, then it I'm like, oh my God, the first, the first session back, it's like I'm pushing a truck or something. And I've only got four kilos. There's a dumbbell in my hand going. So the perimenopause, I think, really I think there's so much going on that I mean I want to be consistent. Yeah. And I I've got this thing where like it's kind of a balance between being consistent. Yep. Listening to my body, resting when I need to, kind of discerning when I'm procrastinating and like my ass I'm like shadow. And think, well I just I mean I'll go a bit later and then it's as human yesterday. Oh yeah. And then you know it's the traffic and that kind of thing. So yeah we kind of I I drew the difference between men and women and that's what I've I've noticed men don't have this challenge at this time.

SPEAKER_00: 31:58

I think there's a few key things in it. So like post like after our 30s sarcopenia starts to like play a part and that is related to muscle loss. What do penia? Sarcopenia sarcopenia sarcopenia sarcopenia. It's fairly annoying a sarcopenia which is the decline of muscle which is actually we have to work a little bit harder when we start in hitting perimenopause. But also it's also because protein does not absorb and process in our bodies as well as it did before. And we kind of have to eat more which is heart it's hard already like to eat enough protein. Like it's so like satiating I'm terrible at that word satiating um and sometimes you get to a point and you're like I cannot put this much protein in my mouth or my body I'm ah but you need to women need to really ensure that they're hitting their protein so you're looking at between 1.6 to 2.2 kilograms per for like times your body weight okay and so there's there's that sarcopenia um and the decline in estrogen and then we as we're getting older osteopenia osteopenia is when the decline in when there's a a a small decline in bone density which happens with age and then as we get older well it's actually a pre a pre-warning sign to osteoporosis which is like the kind of scarier decline in bone density and this leads to more fractures. Yeah. Hips, wrists uh are one of the uh some of the common ones for women and once we hit like late 40s 50s we begin to lose bone density by like 4.4% each year. Okay. And I I strength training really helps with that. Massively. Yeah. But this is why we have to your big think of it this way. Are you gonna buy a house that is fragile? The walls might fall down or the roof might collapse would you go and spend all your money on that to live in it your body's the same it's just it it's just that you can't we can't see our bones right we can't see the inside of our body but that is the base that is the base of our body if we look after that and we then look after the muscles everything else outside of that kind of that like benefits from that. Yeah. So we're it's all about as we age ensuring that our home has a strong structure.

SPEAKER_01: 35:02

Oh I like that you call it a home. Yeah well it is our home we live in it right it is it is home yeah it is our home yeah okay so yeah just as we wrap up any any tips for women in Perry any particular tips or things you've kind of noticed with the work with women or that really works or just to focus on?

SPEAKER_00: 35:24

I think you know they say it's never too early to start something it's also never too late to start something and if if you're a woman and you are experiencing symptoms of perimenopause I would highly recommend that you somehow get into a gym or and I and a lot of a lot of the things that I I find with women is one they don't know where to start two they feel nervous intimidated scared and three I'm gonna just turn to a bulky man like it that's not the case. And so if I was to tell anyone who wants to start what if they asked me what to do I'd say find a gym do a couple of sessions with a personal trainer if you want to stay with a personal trainer stay with a personal trainer. If you want to do online still start with a personal trainer then go online. And there's so many programs out there these days that are led by women who are so knowledgeable and just excellent at what they do so that you're not only doing it alone, you're doing it within a community as well. Yeah. Find a community take that step you are able like you're so able to do it and you should do it. And think about the future think if you have kids do you want to be able to enjoy your life with your kids as they get older and think about your life. So maybe you want to live till 90 right okay you can stay alive until 90 but you might not be able to live until 90. So if you are live if you're alive until 90 but you need things to help you get off the sofa you need things to help you sit down on the toilet if you need something to take you up the stairs that's not living.

SPEAKER_01: 37:24

I love you say sit down on the toilet because sometimes after that hip thrust leg day I I lowered myself down on the injured myself back up.

SPEAKER_00: 37:35

Yeah but that's that's that's as your muscles are basic you've you've without making it sound terrifying in the gym we we tear our muscles apart the recovery and the building of muscles happens outside. So once you've left the gym they start repairing and for that you need good nutrition sleep recovery rest. Yeah yeah so that is good it's it's dons like you it's the pain um and they will recover.

SPEAKER_01: 38:05

Yeah at least you're getting up off the toilet because you've been to the gym not because you haven't been to the gym that would be concerning yeah exactly okay great thank you so much um I don't think there's anything else I want to ask you because it just feels like we've been able to have a really good conversation about it. And I love your approach that's just attune to your body see what works for you I don't like all that cycle stuff either that's like do this in this phase and this phase and that phase because it doesn't work and especially in peri it's so changeable and part of the wisdom of perimenopause is right they're more listening to the outside attuned to my body what's my true self and all that all that psyche stuff that's going on at the time but for anyone listening like I started strength training and it's taken me a while to be consistent and get used to it and have it as part of my life um but now it is when I haven't got that grit feeling or when I can get off the toilet with ease. Yeah with ease thinking oh I didn't quite go as far as I could have done today and my energy is better and my muscle toad is coming back and I do feel better overall. What about mood?

SPEAKER_00: 39:28

Oh that is um I find for overall mental health mental physical spiritual health everything it it really it really helps me I what does it help me do it helps me feel good confidence yeah yeah I'm getting more confident as well and I didn't think I could lift what I can lift look at that and I can that's so great though this is like one of the reasons I love this job is because like when you have clients who think they can't do something and then they do it and they are so surprised it's like that is the bet the for me that's such a great feeling. Yeah it's a fantastic feel and I'm like it reminds me like why I got into this and it's it's yeah that's a great thing. And like as one of my clients I love hearing that that's fantastic.

SPEAKER_01: 40:29

Yeah and especially when I go up the farmer carry. I love the pharma carry I'm up to I think I'm up to 12 kilos in each arm.

SPEAKER_00: 40:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 40:38

Um sorry we'll get we'll get you to 24. Really? Yeah in each arm yeah in each hand why not why why freaking not why not okay who said she can't well I just need to build up to it that's the way it's not it's not trying to get in 24.

SPEAKER_00: 40:55

No because I'll be slowly slowly.

SPEAKER_01: 40:57

Yeah but I know I'll get there if I if I keep going that's the only thing that's gonna happen now I'm just gonna get better.

SPEAKER_00: 41:03

I think I saw a reel recently about like an 86 year old woman who was deadlifting more weight than me.

SPEAKER_01: 41:11

Wow wow yeah that's our goal there we go that's our goal you finish on that yeah that's a great yeah yeah so anyway if you want to get in touch with Charlotte uh she's on Instagram I'll put the link in the show notes and anything else you want to say?

SPEAKER_00: 41:29

Oh thank you for having me it's been really fun yeah and it's uh it's just nice to have these conversations and there should be more of these conversations. Yeah because we're not we're not men. We're not men and we're 50% of the population and this happens to us for 50% of our lives so this it needs to be a dinner table conversation in my opinion.

SPEAKER_01: 41:54

I think the world's changing now and we're all waking up to the fact that women aren't men.

SPEAKER_00: 41:59

And we're not fragile we're not broken. We have I hate the IRA hormones yeah I have hormones and yeah they're doing stuff like I can't control them. I can help support them but I can't fully control them. So that's it. It's a fact of life like let's work with it instead of against it. Yeah exactly okay thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01: 42:24

Thank you and um yeah we'll see you next time