Movement Snacks: Is "Perimenopause Workout" A Thing?
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Hey Reader, If you've spent any amount of time online, you've probably seen claims about how women should or should not be exercising during perimenopause. Stacey Sims, as an example, says women should not do moderate cardio, but focus on sprinting for their heart health. This is absolutely bananas advice, by the way. She is literally making things up and preying on people's lack of knowledge, combined with the insidiousness of diet culture, to financially profit. It's gross. But that's where a lot of the guidance around perimenopause health/fitness comes from: it's marketing rooted in fear, misinformation, and diet culture standards. Like so many other things, the word "perimenopause" has become a prominent marketing term, used more to sell you things than to actually help you make sense of all the shenanigans happening to you as your hormones go on a rollercoaster for 10 years or so. And yet, there is some value in using that terminology in certain cases that can be helpful. This leads me to my movement snack for the week. Why can calling something a "program for women in midlife" or "workout for perimenopausal women" be helpful? Well, some people need to see themselves in the title or description to understand it's for them. This is the double-edged sword, right? Some folks use this to grift and others use it to help. Often it comes down to listening to what someone says and then seeing what they sell. Here are some examples: ✔️Is the person using this language to create fear or understanding? If the person is doing even 1 of these things, likely they are using perimenopause as a term to grift, not a way to support. As someone who does use this term in my marketing and even built an entire app called Strength in Midlife - A Daily Movement App for Aging Well, my primary concern is helping you keep moving with ease so you can enjoy your life as you age. I want women in midlife -- perimenopause and post menopause, alike -- to know that aging does not automatically mean weakness and fragility. So I teach strength training classes in addition to the yoga I started out with. I remind my students that they are likely capable of lifting something heavier than 3lb hand weights. And that quite honestly, yoga is great but it's simply not enough if you want strong bones and strong muscles as you age. Yes, I sell programs but it's all rooted in that philosophy. I also don't sell untested supplements, teach out of scope, or make promises I cannot keep. And I use the words "perimenopause" and "midlife" so women who identify with those terms can hopefully find my work and see that they are welcome. If you want to get a sense of how I approach strength training, you can check out my latest video on YouTube. It's a quickie and different from the way I teach in live or recorded classes for my online studio MOVE (or my app), but it will give you 5 minutes of strength training using a single weight -- which can be super convenient if you don't have a lot of options currently. Check it out here: If you want an example of what my strength classes look like in MOVE or in my app, respond to this email and I'll send you one! I hope this helps get a sense of how to interpret all of the perimenopause fitness suggestions that might be flooding your inbox or your feed. Please let me know if you see something specific that you're curious about. Happy to chat about it. Happy moving! I'm always looking for suggestions for what to feature in this newsletter or on my YouTube channel. My intention is to make movement more accessible and as someone who moves her body enthusiastically every day, I'm not always connected to what will best support those who struggle with making movement more of a priority. You can respond to this email with your questions or requests. You can also add your voice to the request I made over on my YouTube channel here. Thanks for being a part of my community this year. I am so grateful for you. Warmly, Naomi Want to stay in touch during the week? Here are a 2 easy ways: Follow me on Instagram, where I share movement inspiration 3x a week as acts of resistance, connection, and strength. Follow me on substack, where I write about the intersection of movement, motherhood, and the culture that we are all moving through. Or better yet, subscribe so you have immediate access to regular essays, including my most recent substacks. There are many ways to support my writing on substack, which focuses on women's health and motherhood during perimenopause through an anti-diet and pro-science lens: 😍 Become a free subscriber I also just published a piece on Menobelly over on FitBottomedGirls! You can read it here. |