Do You Actually Need a “Menopause Workout”… or Is That Just Clever Marketing?

I don't need to tell you, menopause is everywhere now.

You can’t open Instagram without someone telling you what you should be doing. New program. New method. New “this is the missing piece” or "you absolutely should be taking this 'hormone-balancing' supplement".

Do we actually need a menopause workout?
Or is this just a very clever rebrand of stuff that’s always existed?

Here’s what I think.

Yes… but not in the way people are making it sound.

Because it’s not like your body suddenly forgot how to build muscle the minute your oestrogen dropped.

A squat is still a squat.
Lifting something challenging still works.

That hasn’t changed.

What has changed… is you. And how you are feeling about and responding to the changes you're experiencing now. It's a little like going through puberty all over again - and remember the 'shit-show' that felt like back then?

You’ve got a bit more history in your body now. Things pop up. (And at times, pop out, am I right??)

A shoulder that’s a bit grumpy.
A knee that doesn’t love being pushed.
Recovery that’s no longer quite as forgiving as it used to be - or quick.

There was a time you could get away with anything.

Dance until 2pm, sleep for 4 hours, get up and go to class or work, grab a quick bite of something that wasn't mostly protein (probably carb loaded) - and start all over again.  Ahh, those days.....

Now you do one slightly dodgy workout and your body’s like,
“heck NOOOO”

And then there’s the oestrogen piece.

Which, whether we like it or not, does affect muscle, bone, joints… all the fun things. That's just simple physiology - and we have enough evidence-based research out there to confirm it.

So it’s not that you need completely different training.

It’s that you need to be a bit more switched on with how you do it.

And your goals are different too.

You probably still want to feel good in your clothes. Look in the mirror and not immediately change outfits three times.

But there’s also this other layer now.

You want to stay strong.

You want your body to keep up with you.

You don’t want to be that person who stops doing things because everything feels hard or fragile. You definitely don't want to end up in a nursing home.

That stuff matters waaayyyyy more than it used to - when we were in our 20s, or even when we were in our 30s.

And for those of you on GLP-1s…

This is where things get a bit twitchy.

Because yes, they can help with weight loss. But they don’t do anything to hold onto your muscle.

And if you’re not using it… you lose it.

Simple as that.

Which is not what we want.

We want you losing fat, sure… but keeping the muscle that actually makes your body function well - well into your future.

So no… you don’t need some magical menopause workout. Menopause sells - so we are seeing more and more 'branding' out there to lure tired, sometimes desperate midlife women in - and part with their hard-earned savings.

But I'm here to tell you, you do need to train in a way that actually suits where you are now.

Not smashing yourself for the sake of it. Those days are well and truly behind us - thank goodness.
Not doing random workouts and hoping they work.
Not avoiding strength training (or even a gym) because it feels a bit intimidating.

Just solid, consistent strength work that builds you up instead of wearing you down.

That’s it.

Nothing fancy.

Just doing the right things… in a way your body actually responds to now.

And sticking with it long enough to see the payoff.

XO Jane