As women navigate the peri menopausal to post menopausal time period in their lives, many find that their regular approach to running leaves them tired and frustrated.
After the age of 40, many physiological changes begin to take place in a woman’s body. By the time a woman reaches menopause, the ramifications of these changes become far reaching:
changes in estrogen and progesterone lead to significant decreases in bone and muscle mass
insulin sensitivity decreases, resulting in inefficient carbohydrate processing
risk of cardiovascular disease increases
hot flashes and mood swings become common
sleep disturbances become more prevalent
With all these changes, it’s no wonder that our training needs to change as well.
Below you will find tips on how to build a well-rounded running routine to align with your changing body:
Build in more recovery days
Slow down your pace and incorporate walking and rucking into your overall weekly mileage
Keep hard/fast running to a maximum of 20% of your total weekly mileage
Focus on strength training at least 2 times per week
Add in some plyometrics to increase power and strengthen joints
Incorporate protein at each meal/snack
Pair carbohydrates with protein and fiber for better processing
Focus on finding sleep strategies that work for you
The health and fitness industry tends to overlook menopausal women. In fact, many women feel that once they hit menopause, their fitness needs to take a backseat to other pursuits. This couldn’t be further from the truth! With some strategic changes, you can certainly enjoy running through menopause.
Need help with those changes? Send me an email and let’s chat!