Our hormones go cycling through the month and guys are pretty static – period.
In females there is a very strong bond between oestrogen and progesterone (two sex steroids). When we start moving into peri menopause, our female body begins to change (again). The relationship between the two hormones shifts too. Progesterone falls due to lack of ovulation.
Progesterone was there to keep oestrogen under control. What then can feel like “all of a sudden” oestrogen has gone wayward. Unpredictable periods being one.
You may even experience intense cortisol effects. Namely STRESS effects. Changes in the brain relating to and not limited to:
Mood
Drive
Motivation
Worry & Anxiety
Fat storage around the middle
At perimenopause your sleep, hunger, cravings, mood, energy can go out of whack. And this is how you know you are having the stress effect of the above. True also of menopause, post menopause and during “pmt” symptom phase when we are reproductive. Mine’s used to be off. the. scale. at times lol
What Happens When Your Sleep, Hunger, Cravings, Mood & Energy When Under That Stress Effect?
How the hell do you stay on a diet?
Calories increase due to cravings and hunger
You will gain weight easily here
Any diet or exercise protocol becomes very difficult maintain and sustain.
I fell into a trap of over exercising and when it came to food practiced restraint. Eventually my metabolism pushed back so hard that I got very tired. I wouldn’t eat the amount I should have (as healthy as it always is) and completely over did the exercise. I had to do a lot to keep up this behaviour.
My behaviour needed some sorting. Covid came along and It was then I pulled the plug on it all – ably assisted by the Govt. restrictions at that time.
Smarter Eating and Exercising
Look, ageing is not a disease. It is those chronic diseases of ageing that affect our long term health and wellness. By minding your weight with a great food and drink relationship, joyful exercise, (yes that can be power lifting as well:)) lowered levels of stress, better sleep, respite and recovery, you will mitigate the risks. Try a recipe like this http://weightminders.club/recipes/dinner/cauliflower-tikka-masala/ try exercise like this https://vimeo.com/user35401329/summerdancefitness?share=copy I hope you enjoy!
2x 14 oz. (400g) cans cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
4x 5 oz. (140g) cod filets
salt & black pepper
lemon wedges, for serving
What You Need To Do
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Place all the ingredients for the sauce into a blender and pulse until well combined, then set aside.
Spread the beans in an even layer into the base of a large oven proof dish. Season the beans with salt and pepper.
Pat the fish filets, dry with a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper, then place the filets on top of the beans. Pour over the parsley sauce, and bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges.
The Pros & Cons Of Working Out With Lighter Weights
I have worked out with lighter weights forever. Apart from the pandemic and just before group fitness opened up again, I did go to the gym and lift heavier. What was surprising was, I could actually lift the heavier weights pretty well. It took me a wee minute to get back into it, but there was a realisation that the lighter weights with lots more reps provided a neat spring board into heavier lifting.
Thing is, as soon as classes opened up again, I was back in them. I talk about personal preferences constantly. Lighter weights with more reps, is me. I feel fit and my body tells me so.
There has not been many times that I have not worked out in my life, but the pandemic was a time when I did slow down. I felt it coming back but still, just took my time until I felt as fit as I did. A couple of years later back on the lighter weights, all good. I did add more yoga into my life for greater flexibility. Again I have had surprising results there too, in so much that, my ability to sustain planks and hovers has increased. More mountain climbers anyone lol?
What are the pros of working out with lighter weights?
For hypertrophy and body composition, it doesn’t seem to matter how much weight a lifter uses, as long as three conditions are met
(1)As long as the load is at least 30% of what you could lift – if you could only do one rep.
(2)The volume of workouts (load x sets x reps x sessions) needs to be around the same as what someone else would do in a gym.
For me personally, e.g. I teach Body Pump (as many of you know) and so the rep effect from Body Pump would probably be equal to what I might do in the gym, if I were lifting heavy weights. I try to make sure that I feel the burn, heat, get breathless and keep moving forward when I feel strong. And so, I am considering the volume of workouts with the 30% RM rule on the first item above.
Two classes per week for me. Results wise, as a post menopausal female, my body composition is roughly the same as it always is. I feel fit and healthy. Which is what weight minding is all about:)) A healthier lifestyle.
(3)You need to go to concentric failure (like you could not do another rep) Body Pump can absolutely do this.
What are the cons of working out with lighter weights
The lighter the load, the greater the effort to get results. But, if you are putting in the reps and listening to your body. You will see results.
Where you have any weaknesses or imbalances in your own chain of movement, it tends to show up when you work faster with higher reps.
If you do not progressively overload your workouts, nothing much is going to happen. Hence the 30% statement above. At some point, you will have to go heavier than 2 water bottles.
Extra Bonuses Working Out With Lighter Weights
I like this weight minding tip. Glycemic control. Muscles take in about 80% of glucose that enters your bloodstream. There it is converted into glycogen and stored in its “locker” until required. That advantage of using light to moderate weights means more reps. More muscle contractions. More glycogen used. The more it needs to be replaced.
Summary
If you are using lighter weights, chances are that you are not really wanting to have massively substantial strength gains. Perhaps like someone who is bench press 80/90% to 1RM.
More importantly, you are probably someone just like me, who wants a carry over into everyday life.
Getting you into fat burning mode, losing fat with this beginners metabolic conditioning workout. The “conditioning” word being key.
People don’t really see the fat burning results they are looking for when the work continually out of “oxygen debt” you’ve probably saw people who go to classes all of the time but never seem to change their composition. What we want is your body to use carbohydrate to act as a “fire lighter” igniting fat burning. Metabolic conditioning can do this for you.
This is a link to the above beginners workout to help ease somebody, not completely new to exercising – wishing to do a little bit more.
We’ll do 5 exercises here together over 3 rounds with 30 seconds on and 10 seconds off.
Do the default option that suits you. So if it is on your knees etc. so be it. We don’t want your metabolism becoming overly stressed.
Remember you are building up your endurance. You may take a bit of time to do this, so be kind to yourself. It took me a while to build my fitness back up after the pandemic. I had to be patient and not get frustrated. I am fit for my age and intend to stay this way.
Recipe Adjustments – Want to make the recipe vegetarian or change the animal protein? Choose another plant based protein or animal protein.
Instructions for Breakfast Frittata:
Put the oil into a non-stick frying pan and over a medium heat and cook the onion until soft. In a bowl , beat the eggs and season with black pepper. Stir the mushrooms and tomatoes into the onions, cut the sausages into bite sized chunks and add to the pan. Pour over the eggs, stir gently, then cook over a low heat for 8-10 minutes until almost set and the sausages are cooked through. Preheat the grill to high. Add the grated cheese to the top of the frittata. Transfer the frittata in the pan to the grill for 3-5 minutes until the top is set. Note: The recipe makes 2 portions, save the second portion for breakfast the following day.
