Summer is here and I'm craving long hours and big miles running through the mountains! But, as I navigate perimenopause, I've noticed shifts in energy, body composition, and mood. Can you relate 🙋♀️?
Even though I'm an endurance junkie 🏃♀️➡️, I've learned I have to cut back on long hours and miles of running in order to feel my best.
But, there is good news: sprint and interval training can be one of your most effective tools for feeling strong, resilient, and energized through perimenopause and beyond.
Benefits of Sprint and Interval Training:
💥 Boosts Metabolism: Short bursts of high-intensity effort rev up your metabolism, helping counteract the natural slowdown that comes with hormonal changes.
💪 Preserves Muscle Mass: As estrogen dips, we're prone to losing lean muscle. Sprint intervals trigger muscle-preserving hormones like growth hormone and testosterone (yes, women have it too!).
🧠 Supports Mood & Brain Health: Quick, intense workouts flood the brain with feel-good endorphins and improve cognitive clarity which helps to mitigate brain fog.
❤️ Improves Heart & Bone Health: Intervals strengthen your heart and support bone density, both of which become more important in perimenopause and beyond.
Short, powerful workouts are time-efficient, hormone-friendly, mood-boosting, and metabolism-supporting. Perfect for this season of change!
How to Start:
👉 1–2 times a week, try the following: 5 - 10 minute warmup at a super easy effort, followed by 20 minutes of alternating 20–30 seconds of all-out effort (run, cycle, swim, etc.) with 1–2 minutes of recovery. It's simple, effective, and accessible to all fitness levels.
Now, I'm not saying to give up the long endurance efforts! They are good for our body, mind + the joy and social connection they can bring are super important.
As females, we inherently have the ability to go at a slower pace for a longer period of time, but we lose the ability for speed and fast movement as we approach menopause.
Focus on training SMARTER not HARDER!
