One of the main things that athletes like Peta discover in the MyMTâą programmes, is how much their training and competing affects both liver and gut health as they are transitioning menopause. I’m also always reminding them that when they aren’t sleeping, they are becoming ‘over-trained’ athletes – every single symptom of which mimics peri-menopause symptoms too. So, it’s not about ‘not’ being the same athlete that they have been for years, but understanding that they must change things up a bit with their training and recovery, especially nutrition.
During our menopause transition, our muscles are changing, our liver and gut are changing and so too, is how we respond to high-intensity exercise, especially in the liver and gut. That’s why I feel so happy for Peta, who after coming onto the MyMTâą Circuit Breaker programme, has gained back her identity as an athlete and coach. Here’s what she shares with you,
“Today I hit my goal weight⊠A loss of 8kg. I’m a 6 foot, 48 year old post-menopausal (I think) athlete. Iâm not overweight but I was starting to get close to the boundary of it. I was in a toxic work environment. I wasnât sleeping. Iâd lost all my mojo and drive to train. Getting out of bed was hard enough … Iâd started to lose the weight before I started Wendyâs course through sheer hard work but it was the wobbly bits on my tummy and hips that distressed me in spite of being an exceptionally healthy eater.
Iâm a triathlete and I am also a run/swim and triathlon coach ⊠Itâs tough when you donât look the part and you canât put any training together, to coach athletes, in your own head, when you canât even coach yourself, even though I mostly did it in a volunteer capacity.
Turns out, after being on Wendy’s programme, I learnt that I was oestrogen dominant. All the reading I had done had told me that my oestrogen levels were dropping in peri-menopause, so I was stuffing myself with oestrogen products but Wendyâs programme told me I was feeding myself stuff that was making it worse – and the stress and lack of sleep and everything plus feeding myself high protein (eggs etc) sports nutrition foods, had turned my body into a cocktail of hormones.
The penny dropped as I went through the MyMTâą programme. ‘Bang’ the last 5kg of belly fat is mostly gone – I fit into all my clothes again. This has happened in about 8 weeks since I started the course after learning about better timing of food and tweaking what I ate. These were the main changes as well as dealing with the insomnia.
My hot flushes have calmed but there are still some triggers there (usually when I have a client in â Iâm an accountant and its always fun when it happens).
But I now dig this biological ageing stuff. Looking at menopause through the lens of ageing as Wendy teaches is mind-blowing. I still stress but I am changing how I react to this stress. I am trying not to let it be ‘flight or fight’ all the time, because this impacts my training as well. Iâm letting things go that donât need to be done and taking time out to do things that I truly like doing. I also realise that these things can change from week to week so I am trying not to control this with routine which just turns the fun stuff into another thing that just has to be done. I know I used to turn my triathlon training into a chore & that was part of the reason I dropped my bundle with that.
I feel lighter, not just on the scales and for the first time in a long time I see an escape from the fatigue and exhaustion and âOh my god surely I havenât got another 40 years of this crapâ.
Thank you Wendy⊠I appreciate the time you took to speak to me before I started the Circuit Breaker course and the way you have put the course together.
Iâm a researcher but I couldnât tie all the different concepts together so I was doing things half right or completely wrong. The way you have done it makes perfect sense and it is so easy to follow.
Iâm actually enjoying putting my life back together and the weight loss is a very tangible result that I see but is only one of many benefits, not only of dealing with menopause but entering later life with health and happiness intact.
OH, I forgot to say, and I am not sure why as it is super relevant AND exciting.. My gut health was absolutely terrible before starting this programme. Bloating and farting and water retention blowing UP like I was pregnant … my food intolerances were growing (no bananas, onion or garlic).. ALL gone.. I now understand how my Gut Health was changing in menopause and your Gut Health Rehab module was amazing. I can eat everything I like again EVEN sour-dough bread .. I’ve not been able to eat anything other than gluten free bread for years! THIS IS AMAZING!!!”
Peta, Western Australia