This can be so, so tough.
And firstly, if this is you, I just want to say that it’s WAY more common than you might realise.
As we go through perimenopause, our hormones aren’t just declining, they’re fluctuating. Sometimes quite dramatically in the background. It’s not a linear process, which is why one week you might feel brilliant and the next week you just feel completely drained.
Let’s just talk a little bit about what’s actually happening in the body first, because I think once we understand that, it all starts to make a lot more sense.
Oestrogen doesn’t just affect our reproductive system
When most people think about oestrogen, they think about periods and fertility.
But actually, it affects so much more than that.
One of the things it does is help regulate serotonin. Serotonin plays a really important role in our mood, our sleep, our wellbeing and even our appetite.
So as oestrogen starts to fluctuate, serotonin signalling can fluctuate too. That’s one of the reasons many women notice that they feel lower in mood, more overwhelmed or just generally not quite like themselves.
Oestrogen also affects dopamine.
You may have heard people talk about getting a “dopamine hit”, but dopamine is also involved in our motivation and our drive.
So if you’ve ever found yourself thinking,
“I know I’ll feel so much better if I just go for a walk…”
…but you simply can’t seem to make yourself do it…
that’s actually a really common experience during perimenopause.
Things that used to feel fairly easy can suddenly require a lot more mental effort.
Progesterone has a role too
Progesterone is often described as our calming hormone.
As progesterone starts to decline, many women notice that their anxiety levels increase. You might find yourself worrying more, feeling more emotional or just generally feeling more on edge.
Again, that’s not to say it’s all hormones, but they absolutely play a role.
Then we add poor sleep into the mix…
As if that wasn’t enough, many women also struggle with their sleep during perimenopause.
Our cortisol levels can spike during the night, which can wake us up or make it difficult to get back to sleep. Then the next day we’re tired, irritable and low on energy.
Poor sleep also affects our hunger hormones.
So the next day, our brain is much more likely to seek out quick sources of energy like sugary foods and much less likely to want us to do something that feels difficult… like exercising.
It’s literally just trying to conserve energy.
So yes, this is harder.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t act on it.
It just means we’re working with a slightly different hormonal environment during this chapter of life.
So what can we do?
The biggest thing is recognising that motivation is always going to come and go.
Whether you’re in perimenopause or not.
That’s why we don’t rely on motivation.
We rely on our routines and our habits because they’re the things that carry us through when motivation disappears.
1. Lower the bar
One of the biggest mistakes I see women make is setting the bar way too high.
They’ll say,
“Right. I’m going to do five workouts this week.”
Instead, I’d much rather you set yourself a range target.
Maybe your non-negotiable minimum is three workouts.
Your ideal is five.
Anywhere in between is a win.
That way you don’t end up in that all-or-nothing mindset where one missed workout suddenly feels like the week’s ruined.
2. Ask yourself one simple question
If you’ve had a rubbish night’s sleep and your stress levels are through the roof, don’t ask yourself whether you can manage a full workout.
Ask yourself,
“What’s the smallest thing I can do today?”
Maybe it’s ten minutes.
A ten-minute power walk.
A ten-minute stretch.
One of the Pilates sessions.
Something is always better than nothing.
And more often than not, once you’ve started, you’ll actually want to keep going.
The thought of doing the workout is usually far worse than actually doing it.
In fact, I always say the only workout you regret is the one you didn’t do.
3. Make healthy choices easier
When we already feel drained, every decision takes energy.
So make life as easy as possible for yourself.
Lay your workout clothes out the night before.
Batch cook when you’re already making dinner.
Prep some protein-rich snacks.
Keep the healthier options where you can actually see them.
Little things like this make a much bigger difference than people realise.
4. Treat your workouts like appointments
We’d never think twice about turning up to the dentist or the hairdresser.
So let’s start showing up for ourselves in exactly the same way.
Get your workouts into the diary at the start of the week.
Treat them like appointments that matter.
Because your health matters too.
One final thing…
Exercise is one of the best things we can do during perimenopause.
Not just for our muscles and our bones, but for our mood too.
It increases our endorphins, supports serotonin and dopamine, helps reduce stress and often leaves us feeling so much better than we did before we started.
We don’t always move because we feel good.
Quite often, we move to feel good.
I think a lot of people get that the wrong way round.
They wait until they’re in the “right headspace” before they exercise.
But the reality is, to get into that headspace, we often have to move first.
Action creates motivation, not the other way around.
And just remember, some weeks you’ll absolutely smash it.
Other weeks life will completely unfold.
That’s okay too.
Success isn’t about disappearing when life gets hard.
It’s about showing up with whatever you’ve got.
If you’ve only got 30% today, and you give that 30%, then that’s 100% in my book.
Please don’t struggle on your own
If you’re finding that your mood is consistently low, your anxiety feels overwhelming or you’re just really not feeling like yourself, please don’t feel like you have to struggle on your own.
Have a chat with your GP or a menopause specialist. There are lots of things that can help, including HRT, alongside lifestyle changes, and you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself.
And if you’re already part of the Squad, don’t forget you’ve got the Perimenopause Hub and an incredibly supportive community of women who are going through exactly the same thing.
Please do talk to us.
You’re definitely not on your own.
If you are looking for a community that truly understands what you are going through, we would love to welcome you into the Squad.
👉 Click here to find out more and Get Started with the Squad today! You will get access to full Q&A sessions, our dedicated Perimenopause Hub, and a wonderfully supportive community of women.
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