In my last post I talked about why strength training is so important for women in peri/menopause transition.

Another key to help women improve their health, reduce their cortisol levels, and reduce the fat that seems to suddenly accumulate on our bodies, particularly around our bellies, is high intensity interval training, HIIT.  A subset of HIIT sprint interval training, SIT. I'll refer to interval training and HIIT interchangeably in this post. 

HIIT works your fast twitch muscle fibers. Slow twitch muscle fibers help you with endurance activities, like long walks, hiking, steady state activities. Fast twitch fibers are the ones that keep you strong and powerful. You want both, but if you aren't challenging your fast twitch muscles, they atrophy and you can become weaker and frailer. Both fiber types have mitochondria inside their cells, which are the powerhouses of your muscles that burn calories to make your muscles —and YOU — function. If you aren't exercising to challenge all your fibers, then you can become weaker and your metabolism slows. 

There is a lot of incomplete information about HIIT for menopause weight gain in the media. There are videos are all over social media. The comments are frantic.

• What exactly should I do for a HIIT/SIT workout? 
• How much and how often should I do HIIT / SIT workouts for perimenopause?
• I'm injured / I'm too old / I'm too out of shape / I have bad knees / I'll pee my pants! / etc if do HIIT workouts! 

I'm afraid the HIIT aspect of menopausal fitness training is taking center stage. But there is more to a well-rounded program for women in transition than just the cardio drills. Here's what I'd suggest to start with, and how to progress.

#1 Mobility work
Our fascia, joints and tendons can become compromised by our changing hormones. If your menopausal symptoms include feeling stiffer and achier than usual, or you are experiencing things like plantar fasciitis or frozen shoulder, it would be wise to work on your mobility and range motion first.  Even before strength work, which of course comes before interval work. Here are some examples:

• Somatics
• pilates
• gentle yoga
• ballet warm up routines
• Indian club swings
• dynamic stretching
• hula hoop drills
• foam rolling
• thai chi and qi gong 

Somatics can help you reduce pain as well as lower your stress levels, and improve sleep. All of which are pillars of a wholistic wellness plan. While slow, gentle yoga can help reduce stiffness, excessive stretching can actually make your muscles tighten afterwards and make your tendons weaker if you push too hard. Pilates can be a good option for developing a recruitable core (the girdle muscles around your waist, along your spine, your diaphragm and pelvic floor).

Whether you are conditioned or not, everyone can benefit from improving their range of motion, joint mobility, posture and alignment, so they are able to lift heavy loads and do HIIT (which can be high impact, or not.) You can incorporate your mobility work into your warm up before you do your workouts. 

#2 Strength Work
Strength can improve mobility and reduce pain. but if you can't function well, address your imbalances first. Physical therapy or a personal trainer with corrective exercise training can help you. Somatics and Proactive Postural Restructuring can be helpful. 

If you haven't been in a weight room in awhile, or ever, you can start with lighter weights, develop good form, then move into heavier weights, as I discussed in my last post.

#3 HIIT and/or SIT Exercises 
Which I dive into below. . .

#4 Agility and Equilibrium Training 
Believe it or not, balance and equilibrium are not the same thing. Balance is the ability to stand with equal weight in each leg. Equilibrium is the ability to shift your body weight through space with grace and without falling. Agility is another term for quick foot work. Because when you trip, you need your equilibrium and quick feet to keep you from falling down. (I'll talk more about these skills in a future post). 

Ok, now I'll talk about High Intensity Interval Training! 

What is High Intensity Interval Training, HIIT?
Any exercise is better than no exercise. Different forms provide different results. If you are a woman in transition, and your exercise routine is no longer providing the results you've relied on, here are ways HIIT or SIT could help:

• increases the amount of mitochondria in the cells of your muscles
• improves fat burning
• improves insulin sensitivity 
• reduces visceral fat ( fat deposited within your abdomen around your organs)
• increases muscle mass
• improve power and cardiovascular health

Both HIIT and SIT are meant to be super challenging for your cardiovascular system. Challenging, yes. But it's short bursts, not the long slog of steady state cardio which typically lasts 45-60 minutes. The amount of time devoted to interval training takes less time over all than steady state cardio.

Take a look at this chart to help you rank your efforts. You can also use a heart rate monitor, but they aren't always in sync with your immediate efforts, meaning when you are going like a bat out of hell, your heart rate may spike a moment or two after you take your interval break. Smart watches aren't always an accurate measurement either. I prefer to use the scale below. 

No matter what fitness level you're at, this rate of perceived exertion (RPE) chart is a good way to track your efforts. From an olympic athlete to a couch potato, anyone can use the RPE chart. The athlete and the spud would be working at different intensities compared to each other, but how each feels on the scale is a fine way to measure. 

HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training
HIIT intervals are done at 85-90% your maximal effort, 8-9 on the chart above. Examples of HIIT exercises:
kettle bell swings
running
elliptical 
rowing machine
cycling
climbing hills or stairs  
kickboxing
gliding exercises 
agility drills

How to do a HIIT Routine

• 10 minute warm up for mobility and range of motion (see #1 above)
• 2 minutes of high intensity activity  (8-9 on the RPE scale) 
• 2 minutes recovery at a 5 or less on 1-10 scale.  Need more time to recover? Take it. 
• Repeat 4-5 times
• Cool down and do mobility work

SIT = Sprint Interval Training 
Sprint does not mean you have to go to the track and do sprints. I wouldn’t recommend that, even if you wanted to. Unless you are already a runner, all out sprints can take a toll on achilles tendons, calf and hamstring muscles. No point injuring yourself right out of the gate! :-)

Sprint just means really short, high intensity intervals. You aim for 90-100% of effort, 9-10 on the RPE chart above. 

• Mountain climbers
• Speed jump rope
• Airdyne bike/stationary bike
• Boxing drills
• Skater hops
• Stair running
• Hill running
• Burpees
• Extra credit for impact exercises that move you in different directions. More on that in a future post. . .

How to do SIT Routine

• 10 minute warm up for mobility and range of motion 
• 20-45 seconds of high intensity (9-10 on the RPE scale)
• 2 minutes recovery at a 5 or less on 1-10 scale.  Need more time to recover? Take it. 
• Repeat 4-5 times
• Cool down and do mobility work

How often per week should you do HIIT or SIT sessions?
Perimenopausal women can incorporate 2-3 HIIT sessions and 1 SIT session per week. 
Menopausal women can incorporate 2 SIT sessions and 1 HIIT session per week.
Excess of these amounts can backfire. Excess HIIT/SIT training can overtax you body, hindering recovery, disrupt sleep, all of which we are trying to avoid. 

Interval sessions can be tacked on at the of your strength sessions. 

This is not to say you can't do your longer cardio activities. but you could cut those back and actually do them at a lower intensity.

Blend in some connection and nature with your cardio.
In this time in our lives we can feel stressed and sandwiched between taking care of aging parents and our kids. Work, traffic, social media and the overall state of the world can compound our stress levels.  Finding time for things you enjoy is important. Connecting with friends and nature provide health benefits, so why not blend them into your walks or hikes? These simple tweaks can also help lower cortisol levels. 

Review
To be in optimal shape for your next chapter in life, a well rounded routine includes mobility, strength, high intensity cardio, equilibrium/agility training. If you are just getting started you may need to spend a few weeks at stage 1 before progressing to stage 2 and so on. If you are already active, you can start with mobility and strength work for a few weeks, the start adding in the intervals. Once you are well versed in all stages, every week should include all 4 activity stages. 

I hope this info has been helpful. Let me know if in the comments if you have any questions, or what your favorite interval training activity is. I personally love my vintage Airdyne bike. Kicks my butt every time! Thank goddess it's just for 25 seconds at a time!

PS My friend and Self-Care Strategist Stacy Antos and I have two upcoming events. 
 Let's Talk! Learn Ways to Kick Butt through you Meno-transition!
Tuesday September 9 2025 • 6-7pm at Folkmoot, Room A10. We will be covering more info and answering your questions. 

'Pause and Pour 
Join us the the Crown and Thistle, Waynesville, Monday September 22 6-8pm
Please reserve your seat.  

Welcome! September is Perimenopause Awareness Month,
and I'm starting a new blog series, Menopause Monday. Let's dive in, shall we . . .

​You know what area of research has been neglected in the science world for too long?

Women’s health in general and menopause/perimenopause specifically.

The research dollars are mostly dedicated to men. 

We are NOT small versions of men. 

We are women with a completely different hormonal makeup and when menopause hits, things that may have worked for us prior — lots of cardio and not eating enough — won’t cut it anymore. 

We’ve been told “your symptoms are just the way it goes with menopause," so get use it. 

Uh, no. 

Luckily a lot of women of “a certain age” hitting perimenopause/menopause now, are also doctors and researchers, doing studies to help themselves and the rest of us. 

In addition to being a Somatic Educator, I’m also a Personal Trainer and Behavioral Change Coach with a ton of sub-certifications in everything from pilates to brain health training. Even with all my education, I wan’t happy how my body was changing either. 

Now I'm doing the continuing ed.

I’m putting myself through the paces.

I’m tweaking my diet.

And I want to share what I’m learning and how things are going. 

Let’s kick off Perimenopause Awareness Month with tips on exercise.

Ditch the endless cardio. Time to lift HEAVY! 
Probably at the top of most midlife women’s frustrations is weight gain, particularly around the belly. 

So many women say, "I'm cutting back on my food intake and alcohol, and exercising like a mad woman, and my belly keeps getting bigger. WTH!?" 

As our hormones change, the exercise routines that had worked for us in the past, can now actually increase our cortisol levels. The cortisol levels can result in stored visceral fat around our organs, increasing our mid sections. 

We can all (women and men) benefit from lifting HEAVY. 
No ladies, you won't bulk up, but can change your body composition so you burn the belly fat, and protect your tendons and bones, along with a ton of other health bennies.

Don't start lifting heavy quite yet!
If you haven’t lifted weights in awhile —or ever —be sure to learn HOW to do strength exercises properly first. You'll start with lighter weights at first and do more reps with them. Working with a qualified personal trainer would be very beneficial.  

If you aren't sure what weight to start with, consider what you lift in your daily life. Grocery bags, bags of dog food and garden soil, etc. You are probably stronger than you think! Lifting light weights like 2-3 pounds may be too light to help you get stronger so you can progress. You want to lift an amount that challenges you by 10-12 repetitions, does slowly and with proper form. You may start with 2 sets of reps, with a break in between exercises. 

​You can also start with body weight exercises, if you don't want to invest in weights yet. Body weight exercises can be challenging and require a lot of somatic awareness of where you are in space, how to preform the exercises properly and may be more fatiguing than hand weights so you may only do a few reps to start with. Examples of body weight exercises are push ups, lunges, squats, planks, tricep dips, step ups, and Superman back extensions. There are many ways to modify these exercises so most people can perform them, such as doing push ups on the side of kitchen counter vs on your knees or toes on the floor.

Again, working with a personal trainer can give you feedback on how to do the exercises well, and modifications if needed. 

Preparing to lift heavier weights takes time. I mean months of time, especially if you are starting from scratch.   

Once you have a solid foundation of how to perform strength exercises properly, it may be time to up the amount of weight you lift. At this stage you can lift heavier weights, aiming for an amount that challenges you by 8-10 reps.

After a few months of incrementally increasing the amount of weight you lift in the 8-10 reps range, you can bump up to lift an amount of weigh that challenges you by your fifth repetition, and have to rest by your eighth one. Of course, do all your reps with good form. 

Some women worry they will "bulk up" if they lift weights. First, it's challenging for women to get "bulky" muscles. Being in perimenopause/menopause makes it even harder. Beside that, I'm talking about strength training (getting stronger), which is different from hypertrophy training (building muscle mass). If you want, you can read more how they differ. 

Work with a certified personal trainer. Be sure to find one who will design you a plan, not just have you do a random workout the day you go to the gym. (I'd be happy to help you out! I’ve been certified by the American Council on Exercise since 1997.)

You can do a lot with a home gym set up.
Here are some of my favorite equipment options I use at home: 

• suspension trainer, similar to a TRX, which uses your body weight as your gym
• stairs
• a few pairs of dumbbells (at times, I hold two pairs at once to increase weight without having a ton of different weight options)
• chair
• Swiss ball
• medicine ball
• gliders

Aim for 2-4 days of strength training. Target the major muscle groups (back, chest, arms, hips/butt/legs) with a day off between.

To mix it up, I like to do a set of 3 different exercises to target each area. An example might be 1) incline chest flies, 2) tricep push ups, and 3) stagger arm push ups. (If your strength training knowledge is small right now, just do the basic push ups. You can even start on by doing them at the edge of your kitchen counter!)

The other critical component to any perimenopause/menopause workout plan is interval training. I’ll go into that more in the next post, but I believe it’s best to start off with a foundational strength training program so you get stronger, improve your posture and have healthier joints before doing high intensity exercises. 

Where does Somatics fit into all this? 

• Somatics is great for reducing stress, which is super important for everyone on this planet, and especially for women at this stage of life.
• As we age our interoception and proprioception (our ability to sense our movement patterns and sense where we are in space) can wane, which can impact how we exercise and do things like strength train. Somatics can help you better control your body so you have good form and less likely to get injured. 
• Great compliment to mobility and fascia work, and good for warm up and cool down to workouts. 

What I’m experiencing 
It is just over a month since I refocused my fitness efforts. 

I’ll tell you, I lost about 1 pound on the scale. Even that fluctuates a bit.

I have lost a few inches collectively from my belly, hips, thighs and chest.

I am making positive changes to my body at a time when most women at my age are sliding in the opposite direction.

I aim to have a longer healthspan, not just lifespan. 

As a species we weren't intended to live for decades after menopause. Science, vaccines, nutrition and sanitation has helped humans live longer. But who wants to just be on the planet longer, only to be weak and frail? 

I know there are quicker ways to lose weight, but I don't consider them an option.

Ozempic and way too few calories won’t make me stronger. It will just make me weaker. Those options will rob my bones of calcium, make my joints and tendons more susceptible to injury, distort my posture which will impact my breathing, internal organs and brain health. It's a downward spiral. 

Muscle is my medicine of choice. 

I’d rather take good care of the body I have.

I want to live stronger, not just longer. 

If you'd like any help on your journey, please reach out. I have nearly 30 years of health and fitness training, and perimenopause/menopause is a whole new frontier for us to explore together! I'm excited, are you?! :-)