I am almost 51 & being absolutely battered by the perimenopause.i started running in my 40's in 2018 & absolutely loved it...I got so much from it.i have done C25K several times since then.in 2022 I injured myself...caused by the stupid lack of hormones & had to stop for 18 months.started HRT in March 2023 & in October was back at it which felt great.i got to week 9 run 1 then illness took over...I started again...& again...& again...each time getting to only week 4 or 5 before stopping due to ill health.well I am back at it...just completed run 1 of week 6 & my body is falling me so badly.i am aware that my hormones are messing about & I need more HRT...but its SO soul destroying & disheartening to literally drag myself round these runs with zero buzz at the end.i was just wondering if anyone else on here is in the same situation at all?it's SO SO hard & sad 😔
Here I am again!!!😳: I am almost 51 & being... - Couch to 5K
Here I am again!!!😳
Really sorry to hear about your experiences. I hadn't tried C25K in the past, but I do have experience of a multi-year illness.
Week 6 tends to surprise a lot of folks, especially after the high of Week 5's Run 3.
I can't speak to HRT, but I wonder if you went back to consolidate Week 5 again or even Week 4.
Yes maybe...I.think its just my tragic body that's the problem...until I get my hormones sorted it's not going to improve.i have done this so many times & it's always been something I enjoy.i still always look forward to the next run but end up feeling very negative about the whole situation rather than feel proud of myself for still doing it
Best of luck...
Well done for getting here ! It sounds to be very tricky for you... and hopefully your HRT will get sorted quickly and afford you some relief.
Until then, do please be kind to yourself and take it very steadily...just ease back, slower than slow... and take extra rest days if need be...
This article may be useful to you...
jennis.com/blog/perimenopau...
or this.
run.outsideonline.com/nutri...
Do, after each run, take some time to just reflect and think how well you are doing... and how much you are achieving...
This too, looks useful?
themenopausecharity.org/202....
Hopefully , may be of some help x
Thankyou so much I really appreciate that...I will take a look x
I hear ya 🙌, I'm exactly the same. I'm 52 and peri menopause is also having my life. I'm not a particularly sporty person, but have looked after myself better in the last few years.
I've just started C25K as another means of trying to lose a few pounds as well as getting a bit fitter.
I have tried everything I can think of to lose a bit of weight, but it is just not shifting 🤔.
I've tried walking, I've done hiit work outs, joined the gym, done strength training, adapted my diet, but it still won't budge.
I'm not massively overweight, but still not where I want to be.
I have health problems that all started with bloody menopause l, I'm falling apart and I don't really know what else to do.
Oh my goodness bless you 🤗 SAME HERE!!!it's so awful isn't it!!!I not particularly sporty either but I've always enjoyed running...perimenopause is just causing me so many problems & it feels very much like I am fighting a losing battle!!!I keep wondering if it's worth the bother but then I think that if I WASN'T doing any of this stuff I would probably be alot worse off & much bigger!!!so sorry you are going through the same.if you ever need any moral support or a virtual hug then feel free to pop me a message.lets get through this...somehow!!!😳😬🤦♀️xx
Thank you, @Notsonnifty it's really getting me down too.I have high blood pressure, highish cholesterol, and now I've been told I'm pre diabetic 🙄🤔.
I eat fairly well, and eat little processed foods. l make my own granola and yoghurt, I use a good olive oil from Crete, eat plenty of greens and all veg too be fair. I don't eat a lot of bread, but I try to make my own wholemeal when I can. I have no idea what else to do.
Don't get me wrong, I eat out on occasion and I love chocolate, but I rarely drink, I've even cut back the amount of caffeine I have and have cut out fizzy drinks, not that I was having many 🤷🏼♀️. I really don't know what else to do 🤔 x
I feel you...its so frustrating when you try your best to eat well & live a healthy life & still seem to get absolutely nowhere!!!x
I was the same and in the end I lost the weight with the Fast800. As I never want to count out an almond for a snack again I’ve mostly kept it all off. I also invested in Noom for 6 months and it did work.
Bless you - been there and now out the other side. I found HRT no use at all and in the end just concentrated on my diet, yoga and running. I say running in the loosest sense - some days a jog, some days a stroll but actually being outside in the fresh air for 30 mi utes each day made a real difference to my physically and mentally. Can’t turn back the clock (thank God I do not want puberty again) but a bit like puberty menopause does end. Just keep doing what you can xx
So far HRT didnt help for the first 6 months then i got it tweaked & it was absolutely amazing for the next 5 or 6 months during which I caught every cold going & was constantly ill the whole time.but its only good if your hormines play ball...which they dont!!!then my hormones seem to have nosedived to stupid depths so now it's not working & my next appointment is not until the end of June & I have been waiting for months already.i also have another testosterone blood test coming up & a thyroid function test.all in all if I could have a hysterectomy tomorrow I absolutely would do it...then at least you know what you are dealing with!!!It feels like my body has been stolen & replaced with a sack of potatoes!!!
It sounds as though your care may have been a bit of a muddle if you know there are hormonal issues, you've had HRT and found it helpful, but you are not on it now and really struggling (you've not mentioned any medical reasons for not being on it... and I know it is yet another of the drugs that can be in short supply) Perimenopause and menopause, especially if difficult, can be a time when women realise there's other stuff going on... or if you've always been blessed with a body and mind that works well for you, it can really create awful turmoil making the adjustment to things being otherwise (hopefully in this instance temporarily)
I am wondering if a really good conversation with a GP is in order at this point... and you should be able to self-refer for IAPTS for some NHS funded support with the psychological side of what you are going through. That said, often the best cure/first step in a cure for being sorry for yourself is to be allowed to let it all out and be properly sorry for yourself first (and this is a safe space for that)
Oh I havnt stopped taking it it's just my baseline hormones have dropped alot or that's what it feels like anyway...alot in a short space of time!!!I have a testosterone blood test coming up plus a follow up with my menopause Dr at the end of June.it all got put on hold as I was so run down both my GP & menopause Dr wanted to wait a full 3 months before repeating any tests!!!that has felt like an absolute lifetime!!!I am hoping once all that's been done I can change or increase my HRT & hopefully that will help because last October it was working perfectly & I felt better than I had done in years.but hormones are so unpredictable.i definitely feel like it's not going up & down but just permanently down so that may or may not be helpful.its just such a horrible thing to have to come to terms with.I have been on antidepressants for the past 15 years & struggled with depression the whole of my adult life...very long story but after many failed attempts I have spent the past several months slowly coming off my antidepressants successfully for the first time ever!!!so mentally I am probably in the best place I have ever been which is pretty ironic!!!it's an absolute clusterf@*k is what it is & I honestly can't wait until my hormones have disappeared forever & at least I know what's what!!!
Thankyou very much for your kind words...I have learned to be quite adept at sitting with my feelings & wallow in it all but it's nice to hear that from someone else xx
Hi, I'm not in the same place as you right now but I completely sympathise.
I'm also peri menopausal and have also been up and down and on and off running recently due to injuries. I'm convinced they crop up when my oestrogen is low.
I'm on a fairly high dose now and currently feeling much better. I also do some strength training which seems to help (some just general but also an NHS physio told me I should be doing calf raises for a specific running niggle).
All the lifestyle stuff is also important- a book that I've had out of the library a few times that I've found most useful is Natural Menopause wob.com/en-gb/books/anita-r...
The thing that has helped me the most with feeling joy and lust for life - i.e. getting back the buzz from running, among other things, is using testosterone gel. It's available on the NHS for women with low libido. How easy it is to get hold of depends a bit on where you live and also whether anyone at your GP surgery is comfortable prescribing. In my case my GP was ok to prescribe it, but wanted a specialist to get me started. So I saw a private specialist for a few visits to initiate- but got them to communicate with my GP surgery who issued the prescriptions and did the blood tests.
You can find some info here among the FAQs
menopausesupport.co.uk/?pag...
and here
balance-menopause.com/menop...
I hope you find what works for you, keeping my fingers crossed for both of us that once we're through the really rocky phase, we'll emerge as beautiful butterflies! Or gazelles! 🤞🏼
p.s. also second what Oldfloss has to say about being kind to yourself x
Ah thankyou so much 💓 yes I see a private specialist & have done from the start as it's so difficult to get a GP appointment & I had zero confidence in the system in general to get the help I needed!!!testosterone has been an absolute game changer & really helped.i really feel like my oestrogen is really low & hoping that once it's sorted I am confident that I can claw my way back to enjoying it all again.its the lack of buzz that's really hard to deal with...I am forcing myself to do strength training at home usually on the days in between my runs as I have been reading everywhere for so long that strength training is a non negotiable thing for us midlife women.i don't enjoy it like I used to love running but i see it as as another form of medication that will hopefully help.I would definitely love to emerge from this with the physique of a gazelle 😁 & the athletic prowess aswell please & thankyou very much 😁 thankyou for your kind words...let's continue to do our best 💪x
Hi there. I can totally relate to your frustration here. I’m 53 and in perimenopause still. Trying to get my fitness in check as a putting on weight so easily at the moment but I can’t seem to start. I feel so exhausted and have such painful joints I just can’t find the will to begin. I feel like I’m setting myself up for failure.
So sorry to hear this...isn't so awful isn't it 😞 my advice would be just to start small...small steps & build up very slowly whatever you are doing.i do a half hour strength training thingy every other day...or try to anyway...& even though I really don't like it that much I know its going to help long term.start with 10 minutes then go from there.Are you on HRT?when it works it utterly life changing.here to support you x
Thanks for advice. I will start slowly. I can’t take HRT so am going down the natural route. Fermented foods for estrogren, Epsom salt baths and all that jazz.
It's rubbish, isn't it? Perimenopause can have all sorts of unexpected joys (I've had many of them myself 🙄), and it's only when you get it sorted (thank you HRT) that you realise just how crappy you were feeling. Maybe your HRT regime could be looked at? There are so many varieties that there might be one out there that would suit you better, but of course talk to a professional about that. Otherwise I would say - be kind to yourself. You are trying, and with perseverance it will work out for you. Not easy I know, but hang in there!
Thankyou so much...my HRT definitely needs a rethink!!!as does my mindset...easier said than done but I am determined if nothing else x
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