Running with Perimenopause

It’s only one o’clock in the afternoon and I already feel like I’ve hit the wall and sleep is calling me like a siren song.

 

When I was in my 20’s and in university, I had so much energy I was bouncing off walls—literally. It didn’t matter how little sleep I had at night, I was so hyper people would ask if I was taking uppers. (I wasn’t). The hours I spent dancing, biking and schooling everyday barely put a dent in my energy levels and I could eat almost anything without gaining weight as a result. I ate healthy for the most part, but certainly indulged in a chocolate bar or two if the mood hit me. Even in my 30’s, although my energy levels dipped some, I could still cycle 200 km one day, get on my bike and repeat it all the next. 

But as soon as I turned 45–bam!

 

I turned into a tired, moody, impatient, sweaty, bloaty mess. What the heck happened? Perimenopause is what happened and it snuck like a bandit in the night stealing what feels like the rest of my youth.

 

Most of us know about menopause and it’s often the butt of jokes and comedy sketches. Little did I know, perimenopause is another stop on the seemingly never-ending cycle of a women’s reproductive system and there is no avoiding it.

 

Perimenopause is the lovely time in your mid to late 40’s where your hormones estrogen and progesterone go on a downward spiral for approximately the next 4 years, until you stop having periods altogether and you enter menopause.   If you’re really (un)lucky, perimenopause may happen as early as in your 30’s and last up to 10 years.

 

You may notice anything from irregular periods to different bleeding patterns to missed periods. Symptoms can include hot flashes, night sweats, sleep troubles, memory issues, irregular periods and mood swings. In a nut-shell, you’ll be a hot mess.

 

Running (as well as other forms of exercise) can help reduce the severity of symptoms. Here’s how I found they helped:

Mood swings—if I find myself getting frustrated, angry or upset, the best thing I can do for myself (and everyone else) is go for a run. I put on my headphones loaded with my favourite up-beat, and motivating tunes and head out the door. The physical activity acts as an outlet for my pent-up energy and anxiousness that makes me feel like lashing out at everyone. I can feel myself calm down, my brain clears and I feel myself relaxing. Afterwards I feel a sense of achievement for getting out there.

 

Weight gain (mostly in the mid-section)—once I hit 45 keeping the weight off has definitely been harder. Regular exercise is key to boosting your basal metabolic rate which typically slows as we age. For me running is something that needs little planning, equipment or money, so it’s easy to just put on my running shoes and head out the door. It’s also something I love to do. I’ve found with a little creativeness it can fit into my schedule every day. When Cilla was a toddler I would run to and from her appointments with her nestled in the running stroller. When she started school I would go for my run after dropping her off.

 

Osteoporosis—as we age, our bones become thinner and more brittle.  Our bone mass peaks around the age of 30 and we lose a little every year. My mom has early onset osteoporosis and has to take medication to prevent it from getting worse.  As it is hereditary I am at high risk of developing it myself. I can’t change my gender, bone size, genetics or natural aging process, but by running I can boost bone density and help keep it stable. 

 

Muscle loss—in the same way as our bone mass reduces as we age, we lose muscle mass too, but really only if we stop exercising or if we’ve been sedentary our whole lives. Continuing to run (or even starting to run) is vital to building and preserving our muscle which helps protect our joints and keep us mobile and independent as we age.

 

Insomnia—I have no problem getting to sleep—it’s staying asleep that’s the problem. On average I wake up 3 times in the night and have to get up and walk around. I’ve never been a good sleeper, but it’s definitely been worse since I hit my mid-40’s and it leaves me tired throughout the day.

Running regularly can contribute to more sound and restful sleep and increases time spent in deep sleep, the most physically restorative sleep phase. In addition to improving the quality of sleep, exercise can also help increase the duration of your nightly rest. Being physically active requires you to expend energy, and helps you feel more tired and ready to rest at the end of the day. If I’ve had a good run that morning then I may be lucky enough to only wake up once or twice during the night and I have a greater chance of falling back to sleep with little trouble.

 

Hot flashes—I’ve always been a very cold person and am usually having to put layers on, not take them off, so it was a surprise to find myself suddenly having to do just that in the middle of winter. Hot flashes involve a sudden wave of heat or warmth often accompanied by sweating, reddening of the skin, and rapid heartbeat. They usually last 1 to 5 minutes. Running can reduce hot flashes, and although I get them, they don’t bother that much. Apparently that’s because runners are used to feeling sweaty and hot. The most important thing is to dress in layers so that you can take layers off if you need to. For example, in the winter, wear a tank top, then a long sleeve shirt and then a cardigan. As you feel yourself getting hot, you can take off layers and then put them back on again once you’ve cooled down. Big, bulky sweaters will be your enemy for the next while.

 

Perimenopause can definitely be a drag, but it helps knowing it won’t last forever—once I’ve done battle with my hormones I will enter a new stage of life, one that’s free of the painful, annoying period that I’ve suffered through since I was as a preteen. If I continue running, eating healthy and generally taking care of myself, I will arrive on the other side stronger, more mature and read to kick some major butt!