The Exercise Every Woman in Perimenopause Needs

If you've been told that more cardio is the answer to perimenopause weight gain, slower metabolism, or changes in your body after 40, this video may completely change how you think about exercise.

Perimenopause strength training is one of the most powerful tools we have for preserving muscle mass, protecting bone density, improving insulin sensitivity, and supporting long-term metabolic health. Yet most women are never taught why it matters or where to start.

One of the biggest myths women hear in perimenopause is that the answer is simply more exercise, more cardio, and more effort. But if you're gaining weight, losing muscle, struggling with energy, or noticing changes in your body despite doing all the "right" things, there may be a reason.

Strength training is not about punishing your body into a smaller size.

It's about building muscle, protecting your bones, improving blood sugar regulation, supporting your metabolism, and giving your body what it needs during this transition.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Free 7 day Ladder Trial:
https://www.joinladder.com/referral?utm_source=ios_app&utm_medium=referral&utm_term=51ea0153-f7da-43b7-b3f3-9f2a5b1df5a6&utm_campaign=share&utm_content=referral_lp&promoCode=summerguestpass30

Owning Your Menopause:
https://www.owningyourmenopause.com/

Empower by Dottir / Stacy Sims:
https://empowerbydottir.com/

Fortify:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fortify-strength-for-women-40/id6743522391

FREE RESOURCE

Free Perimenopause Guide: Why Your body Feels off
https://startwithembr.com/

If this video helped connect some dots for you, subscribe for more evidence-based perimenopause education designed to help you understand what's happening in your body and why it makes sense.

With Coffee and Clarity,

Kimberly

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Kimberly Hoyt is a physician assistant with two decades of clinical experience who helps women navigate perimenopause and menopause with clarity and confidence. Her work focuses on midlife health and education, helping women understand what is happening in their bodies so they feel prepared, informed, supported and empowered. 

Medical Disclaimer: The information shared on this channel is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Kimberly Hoyt, PA-C, and associated content are not a substitute for professional medical care, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewing/Listening to this content does not establish a patient-provider relationship. Always consult your own healthcare provider before making changes to your health plan, starting supplements, or addressing medical concerns.

General Disclaimer: I am not a CPA, attorney, insurance/real estate agent, contractor, lender, or financial advisor. The content in these episodes shall not be construed as tax, legal, financial advice, or other and may be outdated or inaccurate; ...

Transcript

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If someone has told you that in order to feel better in perimenopause you need to move more, and by that they meant more cardio, more steps, longer runs, more spin classes, I want you to hang in there with me for a second Because if you have been doing all that stuff and your body is not responding the way it used to, it's not because you're not working hard enough It's because you may be working in the wrong direction for where your body actually is right now In my last video, I promised you a dedicated video on strength training And I meant it because this is not a nice-to-have anymore. This is foundational So today we are going to get into it But before we do, I want to be upfront with you about something. I am not a personal trainer I'm a PA who understands the physiology of what is happening in your body now, and I am a woman who has had to figure out how to actually start Just like you So I'm not able to hand you a workout plan today What I am going to give you is something I think is actually more useful A clear understanding of why this matters so much right now, what to look for when you're choosing where to start how I personally got started, and a handful of resources that can do the guide part for you Because the last thing any of us need is more guesswork Here's the thing about perimenopause that most women never get told. The rules have changed Not because your body is broken but because the hormonal environment your body has been operating in for decades is shifting And that shift changes what your body actually needs from you as estrogen declines, we lose muscle mass faster than we used to do. This is not just about how we look Muscle is a metabolically active tissue, meaning it burns energy even when you are just sitting there It helps us regulate our blood sugars It supports hormone balance. It is doing important work all day long in the background, and when we start losing it We feel it everywhere There is something called anabolic resistance that happens in perimenopause It means your body has become less proficient at using protein to build and maintain muscle mass So the same amount of effort that used to maintain your muscle is no longer enough this is not a personal failure. This is a physiologic shift that requires different input Let's talk about bone density. This one matters more than most women realize We know that estrogen protects our bones, and so as it declines, bone loss accelerates Women will lose 10% of their bone mass in perimenopause and early menopause So resistance training is one of the most powerful tools we have to slow that process down We're not just talking about looking stronger. We are talking about protecting our skeleton for the next 40 years Another thing that strength training helps with is insulin sensitivity. This is the piece that ties everything together Muscle tissue is one of the primary places your body stores glucose More muscle means better blood sugar regulation Better blood sugar regulation means less cortisol reactivity, which means your body feels more time feeling safe And less time holding on to fat We keep coming back to this idea that your body needs to feel safe to let go now that you know why strength training is important, I wanna talk to you about the fears Because I hear them all the time, and I want to address them honestly before we go any further whether you have never touched a weight before in your life, or maybe years ago you used to lift, but now you feel like you're starting completely from scratch, I want you to know whichever one you are, it's okay. We're all at that same starting line right now And it's okay to have real valid hesitations about starting this journey. Not knowing where to start is the number one reason women don't begin And honestly, that's completely fair. You may not wanna walk into a gym with a bunch of bros and try to figure out which weight, how to use a machine, and feel awkward. There's also so much conflicting information out there and most of it was not designed with a perimenopausal body in mind. So we'll fix that today. Another fear that women have is that if I lift, I'm gonna l- look bulky Let's tackle this one because it comes up every single time Building the kind of muscle that dramatically changes your arms, your silhouette, takes years of very specific, very heavy training combined with eating a significant caloric surplus What we are talking about is building functional strength You will look leaner but feel stronger, move better, and have more energy You will not wake up looking like a bodybuilder, I promise Another fear or maybe barrier that you might have is you don't have access to a gym This really isn't a barrier. I don't go to a gym. My, my workout area is just on the other side of this camera. Some of the most effective strength training work Can be done at home with a set of dumbbells or even just your body weight The resources I'm gonna share with you account for this as well. Another roadblock that you may come up against is feeling like you're starting from scratch. Here's what I want you to hear. If you used to lift and stopped Your body has muscle memory working in your favor Adaptations have been faster than you think when you return to it And if you are truly starting for the very first time, your body is going to respond quickly Because it has been waiting for this signal So now that we've moved through those fears, let me give you a framework of what to actually look for in a strength program Because not all programs are created equal, and in perimenopause especially, some things matter more than others What to look for in a strength training program Before you sign up for anything or download any app, I want you to have a filter A way to evaluate if something is actually going to work for your body right now Or whether it's a generic program that just happens to have pink dumbbells One thing to look for is progressive overload this is the most important concept in strength training and one that most people skip over. What does progressive overload mean? It means you are gradually increasing the challenge over time. So you may start off with just body weight exercises and then slowly build up That might mean heavier weights, more reps, less rest in between sets. This is what creates adaptation If you are doing the same workout with the same weights week after week, your body adjusts and stops changing You want a program that builds on itself Another thing that's helpful is compound movements. These are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once This could be squats with an overhead press or hinges with a row. They give you the most return for your time And in perimenopause, time and recovery matter, so we want every session to count another thing you want to look for is adequate recovery time built in This is one that might surprise you In perimenopause, your body does not recover the way that it used to Two to three sessions per week with real rest days in between is not being lazy That is actually needed for this season More is not better right now. More can actually backfire. Just like me when I was training for a marathon, the more mileage I put on, the less muscle I had, and then the more weight I gained Another thing you want to look for is form guidance and structure. Especially if you are new to lifting, you need to be able to see what a movement should look like and feel like Video demonstrations are not optional. They are part of the program. You need those visual cues and those auditory cues of telling you how to think about the movement so that your body is positioned correctly and you are doing them correctly to avoid injury Another thing you might be looking for in your program is time flexibility A 30 to 45-minute workout that you actually complete beats a two-hour program that you abandon after two sessions because it's just too much Look for something that actually fits into your life and not the life that you wish you had. Look at your schedule. How much time can you devote three times a week to lifting? For me, that's 30 minutes. That's what I got. That's what I'm gonna put in. That's what I look for now I want to get personal and share with you what I have done because the best thing I can offer you here is not just a list of resources. It's honesty about what I have actually started if this is helping you and you want to understand more about what your body actually needs in this season I have a free guide in the description below. It walks through what is happening hormonally throughout your body I want to be really honest with you here because I think it matters. Understanding physiology, that's my lane Programming a strength training routine from scratch is not and I knew that about myself. So I had to go outside and find resources that worked for me Over the years, I've used different workout programs. And again, like I said, I work out here in my basement, and I just have a yoga mat, some dumbbells, a yoga block, some TheraBands or s- um, loops, and that's what I use. I had used Beachbody, or now it's BODi, They have a multitude of different workouts available. But I wanted something that was focused specifically on strength training, And so I recently started a program called Ladder, L-A-D-D-E-R, Ladder. Every week the workouts are fresh and different, so boredom is not a factor Every Sunday night they release the workouts for the week. I can choose how much time I have, Whether I'm working out in the morning or in the evening, but I have a plan. It's just a matter of clicking the video and starting When you first start that program, it asks you a ton of different questions and what you're looking for. It asks you how much time you have available, so you can tailor how much time you're willing to give those workouts. And there's different teams that are focused on different things. So currently, I'm on Team Endure, and it is strength training, and it's progressive strength training, and they're 30-minute workouts. They have six different workouts per week, and they star the priority workouts, and there's usually three or four of those priority workouts that they want you to do each week. But again, it's mix and match. You can do whatever. And maybe you start with one coach and they don't kind of fit your vibe. That's fine. There's lots of other ones that you can choose from. So this is a good resource for me And I love it because I don't have to think about what's next. And this is the part that I think stops a lot of us, that not knowing. So just having something laid out, you can see what your week looks like, and you can decide what days are you gonna work out. If you're gonna do three workouts a week, okay, great. Is it Monday, Wednesday, Friday? Is it Monday, Wednesday, Saturday? You get to pick In the description below, I have a free week trial code that you can use. What's nice is no credit card is required, so you can try it for a full week and see what the app looks like and decide if it's for you. And if it's not, that's okay now, I know me working out in my basement at home doing 30-minute workouts is not for everyone. So let me give you a full picture of what is out there so you can find the right fit for where you are Here's what I want you to walk away with from this section. There is no right answer There is just the right answer for you based on how you learn, what you have access to, and how much guidance you need, the time you have, those things So think of this as a menu, not a prescription For those of us who want to be told exactly what to do without overthinking it, Ladder is a great choice there's fresh programming every week, flexible time commitment. You can work out at home or in the gym, That might be a good option for you. For women who want menopause-specific programming with variety and a community built around it I found Owning Your Menopause. This has live workouts, nutrition support, built entirely around menopause and this season of life There's even a community component, so you're not doing this alone For those who want a structured course and a clear beginning and ending point and the science woven throughout Empower by Dottir with Stacy Sims is a great option. There's multiple program options based on your experience level and what equipment you have access to. It is more of an investment, but it also has more comprehensive and is more science forward So if you are someone who wants to understand the why behind what you're doing, this one is worth it For those of you who want perimenopause specific programming at a low entry point and can self-direct, there's an app called Fortify It is the most affordable option on the list, and it was designed specifically for women in this season This one works best for someone who already has a little comfort with gym movements, weightlifting and just needs the programming without a lot of handholding with Fortify, it shows you a, a, a picture of what the movement is, and if you're not sure how to do it, you can click and find a video that shows you what the movement is. But you're not working out with a video or seeing that being done, so it could be a little harder for someone who's newer to this. Now, for the woman who wants in-person, hands-on guidance, find a personal trainer who specializes in perimenopause and menopausal women And before you hire them, ask them directly if they have experience working with women in this hormonal transition That question alone will tell you a lot about whether they are the right fit for you or not No matter which one of those sound like you, the most important thing is not which resource you choose. It is that you start Here's what I want you to take away from today. Strength training in perimenopause is not about punishing your body into a smaller size It's about giving your body what it actually needs to function well in this season, to build your muscle mass, to protect your bones, to help your energy, to improve your sugar stability and your insulin sensitivity And to boost your moods. It gives you those good endorphins it is about giving your body what it actually needs to function in this season. Remember, your muscle is your metabolism It is your blood sugar regulation. It is your bone protection. It is your armor for the next chapter And it responds when you give it the right signals. You do not have to be an athlete to do this. You don't have to have a gym membership. You do not have to figure it out alone. You just have to start. Pick one resource from today. Try it for one or two weeks And then come back here and tell me in the comments how it's going. If this was helpful, make sure you subscribe because we are going to keep going deeper into what your body actually needs right now And if you missed the video on why your body is storing fat differently in perimenopause, that one is linked right here As always, thanks for watching, and I'll see you in the next one