Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign, which launched this week, is a worthy attempt to encourage more women into sport. It is born out of research revealing that, in the 14-40 age group, two million fewer women than men play sport regularly.
Many women cite embarrassment about they way they look – the old “sweaty isn’t feminine” chestnut – as a reason for avoiding exercise. But while Sport England’s campaign concentrates on addressing this attitude among younger people, there is a pressing need to sell sport to the over-40s, too.
As we enter our fifth decade and beyond, getting red-faced and sweaty might not be a question of lifestyle choice, but hormonal turbulence. Menopause, and its warm-up act perimenopause, are often characterised by hot flushes, which can be anything from mildly disconcerting to debilitating. These power surges are just one of about 50 non-specific “symptoms” that are generally attributed to the menopause.
Nearly every study published on the subject asserts that exercise can help women to feel better at this time, while books on the topic have tasteful images of well-preserved women strolling on beaches or lying serenely on yoga mats. There is no doubt that a brisk 30-minute daily walk and regular yoga sessions are hugely beneficial to women’s health. Yet, as a passionate club runner, I can’t help feeling a bit depressed that the exercise recommended is so very gentle. It is inconceivable to me, having turned 52, to consider that during the vigorous and vital years leading up to the cessation of menstrual periods, women should be any less sporty than before.
The word menopause is, of course, freighted with negative connotations. Menopausal women are all too often the butt of jokes, or seen as pitiful creatures who need medical and psychiatric help to get the through this cruel disintegration of their sexual attractiveness and general usefulness.
In reality, we need to cut through all the chatter about mood swings, inevitable weight gain and “brain fuzz” and focus on the fact that our bodies are as strong and capable as ever and that we are not going to let ourselves be beaten by sometimes feeling a little hot as our ovaries readjust.
Numerous studies, including one by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, have found that regular, sustained aerobic exercise can help to relieve menopausal symptoms. Ellie Brown, a running coach and teacher trainer for Body Control Pilates students, agrees. She incorporates yoga and strength training into her own fitness regime and has designed an exercise programme for women going through the menopause.
“We need, as perimenopausal/menopausal women, a mix of strength, flexibility and aerobic exercise. It is not enough to pop to a yoga class once a week; we need to run, swim, cycle, jump about and move.”
Quite often, though, the first steps to jumping about and moving seem like giant leaps. Women, bogged down by domestic and career demands, may regard exercise as a luxury they cannot afford, involving gym memberships and unforgiving Lycra. Some may have gained a bit of weight while sitting at desks or eating children’s leftovers.
The weight, we are told, is a natural byproduct of midlife, but we feel too self-conscious to jiggle about in our PE kit. The spare tyre becomes a fact of life and we feel defeated before we have even started. So we need help to overcome the psychological barriers to exercise. We need useful information and positive messages about menopause – most importantly, that it is not an illness, but a natural stage of life.
Brown is hoping to provide that help by organising Thrive Alive!, a day of workshops, talks and exercise classes designed to help women in their 40s and beyond “power through the menopause”. Along with nutritionist Lorraine Nicolle and mindfulness instructor Kelly Robson, she will host the event, which centres on 20 tried and tested tactics, using diet, exercise and mindfulness, to improve mid-life hormonal balance, health and happiness. Part of the package is the exercise programme for menopause, which incorporates the weight-training, cardiovascular and flexibility sessions that we all need to stay well and remain vigorous.
Keeping your body moving in myriad ways is not about looks, size eight jeans, or looking 10 years younger, it is about enjoying the age you are, Brown says. “It is as much about camaraderie and connecting with like-minded women who want to make these middle years the best of their lives.”
She is right about the camaraderie. When I joined a running club at the age of 44 to ward off incipient midlife low spirits, I was delighted to puff around the same running track as women of my age, who ran at speeds I could only dream of. They were great role models and became loyal friends. The same women, now over 50, are still winning trophies. I will never be as fast as them, but I follow in their trainer tracks.
A couple of weeks ago, I was proud to be part of a team of six to win a major county cross-country championship – and delighted to see that three of us had already celebrated our 50th birthdays.
“Now that’s a headline I’d like to see,” chuckled Brown when I told her this. “Three perimenopausal women win Kent county championship.”
Thrive Alive! takes place Saturday 24 January at Devonport House Hotel, King William Walk, Greenwich, London SE10 9JW. More info at greenwichpilates.co.uk
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