Hi Everyone:

Since my periods became erratic, have noticed a decrease in my fitness level -- mostly, I just did not have the motivation to exercise. I formerly ran about 5 mi every alternate day -- did yoga, weights, pilates on non running days. One day a week did nothing, maybe a walk. But felt great & did all that with ease for many years (with various schedules, routines etc).

Now, 9 mos later (ha! like a pregnancy), I feel I have lost muscle strength, even mass (hard to gauge that though -- might just be sagging skin in my calf muscles is due to the skin sagging prob we all have) -- & am down to maybe 5 mi running per week -- no yoga, maybe 2 days of upper body weights per week -- & I am not at all sure it is bc I am weaker really -- but just do not get that euphoria from exercise either & since I do not get that psychological reinforcement, I just let it go...

So am struggling back into exercise routine -- today did half hour of stat bike, weights & felt great. But I know I was stronger 2 years ago -- and wonder if I lost my level fitness due a rather inactive winter & not much more active Spring. Maybe it is not meno at all -- but meno certainly contributed to my disinterest in physical activity.

I just know something isn't there for me mentally that was there before -- and right now am in the midst of a phantom period experience -- I am not taking an legit HT -- just soy & 10 mg of DHEA (which is a hormone really, isn't it ?) -- calc, multivitamin & D3. I just began the DHEA but the results seem mixed.

Anyone else struggling with exercise, or anything else similar?? Some of these concerns were posted on another forum, but this problem seems to be the Big One for me -- and it is starting to depress me... WV

You bet!!! I'm 50, an avid recreational cyclist, and underwent a sudden drop in athletic performance this year. I also think I've lost muscle mass, though like you I haven't been absolutely sure; I just seem to remember that last year my legs looked more chiseled and felt firmer by the end of summer, and this year they don't seem to be responding to exercise like they used to. There is a thread in the "How Menopause Has Affected My Life" forum called "Menopause & Running" -- maybe you've found that one already -- where you'll meet some of us who are struggling with exercise, and some women who have been in this kind of situation and assure us it's not permanent (I'm not in that category yet!)

As of a couple of months ago this was absolutely the Big One for me too, for a couple of reasons. One reason is that my other peri symptoms have been pretty tolerable and are responding well to dietary supplements. Another reason is that all of my other peri symptoms appear over and over on lists -- in books on menopause, medical web sites, and the list of 34 symptoms on this web site -- but "loss of athletic performance" doesn't appear on any of those lists, so I was completely not expecting it! Talk about being blindsided! The menopause books are pretty much targeted at women who don't do enough (or any) exercise, which is after all a very important audience, but they give no ink to the problems of women who already exercise a lot. They say that loss of muscle mass is common in middle age but they attribute it to lack of exercise. I also looked at some books on fitness for women, and they tend to address menopause (if they bother to mention it at all) also by telling us that most women should get more exercise... well, thanks a bunch! Thank goodness for these message boards.

So I spent a bunch of time being depressed and angry because those books don't address MY problem I also decided to cut back on intense cycling, be less self-competitive, and pretty much quit riding with other people because it was making me so frustrated. I'm enjoying riding at more of a "smell the roses" pace, which is after all why I love cycling in the first place. I'm making more time to do yoga. I'm addressing the peri mood swings through diet and supplements, and the happier I feel the more tolerant I become of my physical limitations. The latest development is that I learned I'm slightly anemic (and maybe this is related to peri since one of my symptoms has been heavy bleeding), which could explain a lot. I started magnesium/calcium supplements a couple of months ago, and magnesium is supposed to be a factor in athletic performance, but I haven't really tested myself yet so I don't know whether that will make a difference. It takes at least a few weeks for anemia to respond to iron supplements, so I'm going to wait a while before I start pushing myself again.

So far so good... each of us is one big experiment, aren't we, and there's always something else to try.

Val

I've been struggling with this since this whole thing started a couple of years ago.I too was a little low on iron.I had to switch to gentle yoga when my symptoms were really bad.I've lost a couple of friends because we used to work out together[run/walk]but I just can't keep up.It really does a number on my self esteem and confidence in my health!It doesn't help that my husband is an extreme athlete and is a couple of years older.He bought me a new bike this summer which I love but just can do it on the good days.When I feel good I feel like a bird being released from it's cage and probably over do it.One step forward two back I want to so much fight this middle age spread that's creeping up on me but I can only do what I can and hope my strength returns one day.Bring on the testestrone!!

An update:

I also posted a comment over at the Running topic you mentioned. I was comforted by the comments I read there -- I stopped running for awhile to care for my mom & grandma, both who were sick. I did not stop entirely, but I recall just walking alot & biking too. I was stressed & rather apathetic about running, both emotions probably peri related.

So far this week I have done 8 miles (since Sat) & am feeling great, doing weights on alt days. My muscles seem be regaining their strength & in fact, they felt very strong. Also, this summer I was not a great sleeper -- perhaps that is the cause of my stamina decrease too. I am a very healthy eater -- and my weight is good, not OW. I have been bloating alot bc have phantom periods about every 2 weeks (except when I have a real one, which happened today after 10 weeks of no periods) & I think that makes me feel sluggish & heavy. I have felt much more my old self today, having a "real" period -- as though some toxin is being removed from me, something that was really dragging me down...

Heavy bleeding can take it out of you though & being even slightly anemic would make a person tired. I believe I read that athletes tend to lose blood due to muscle repair & thus can get anemia. Then there is the bleeding issue, so I hope you are eating lots of iron rich foods too since vitamins have their limits (I do not have much faith in vitamins, but that is just MHO).

I think we just do what we feel & know that we will not just collapse into a pile of mush if we slow down a bit...WV

Ditto everything you said. Up until about 3-4 months ago I was still able to work out and work out with intensity even though I was struggling with all the other meno symptoms. I finally read up on cytomel and convinced my doctor that I needed to add that to my tool chest (already taking E,T & P) Well.. it's been over a month and I feel no different. I went to an endocrinologist yesterday and he said my Vit D was low and that I would get more bang for my buck by taking Vit D than the cytomel. I picked up some of that today and started taking it. (1000mg) Other than the low energy and general apathy I feel great.

Oh, yes, I'm having that problem, too. I have been a religious exerciser for nearly 8 years, and this year seem to have lost my "mojo". I had an injury and a lot of stress, and I, too, got depressed about not being able to do as much exercise as I used to due to the injury. But, I went to the doc and got good advice on what I should and shouldn't do, and I am learning to not be so hard on myself. I still exercise, but I try to remember that even if I'm not going at it hard every day, even doing a little is better than doing nothing. I am two years post-meno and am hoping that if I don't beat myself up over this, eventually my "mojo" will come back. Just try to take good care of yourself (although I'm with the other person in these posts who agrees that our inability to sleep well anymore is rough), eat right, and do some kind of activity every day, even if it's not at the level you're used to. Good luck!

Hello to all,

I had to jump in here. I'm 58 and have lost count of the years post--went through meno at age 51, so that must be seven years now, though peri symptoms started 10 years ago. Had all the weight issues along with all the other symptoms; in peri my weight skyrocketed suddenly to the heaviest I've ever been. Now, seven years later, things have calmed down, and not only do I get through 4 miles in an hour every day, but I'm actually doing a slow JOG for two or three minutes at a time before slowing again to a fast walk (don't want to push it). I NEVER jogged in my life, not ever! I always dreamed of running and I admired those who did, but when I tried, I got exhausted and winded after less than a minute. I could not understand how someone could keep it up for longer. How on earth could they run for FOUR hours?? But after almost three years of working on it, I'm getting there. I think the secret is working slowly up to it, even if it takes a long time. Don't give yourself a deadline, just try to push yourself a little every day. The thing that made me wonder if I could jog was when I'd go out with my two dogs, and in order to keep up with them trotting easily along, I had to start slowly running. Hmmm.....could I do it for a whole minute?

The great thing about this is that my weight is still dropping, and I can eat a LOT. Before I started the running/walking program, I battled with my weight constantly. Couldn't eat this or that, but now it doesn't matter as long as I do my hour of exercise.

My daughter ran successfully in the Chicago Marathon years ago, and I used to daydream that I could do that one day, too (hah--an old lady in a marathon??!! What a joke!) Well, never say never. We can do anything we put our minds to, no matter how old we are.

Csugar, Thank for this post because I am hoping to get back into working out again someday and was actually wondering if I ever would. I packed on the pounds and have NEVER been this fat in my life and I just cant get that motivation to get back to working out . I get so mad at myself and I keep saying I got to do I got to do and I dont . Grrrr Then I say maybe when my life is back to normal I will feel like it ,hopefully I will be like you . This is such he!! .

I have had a great week -- I am more like my old self in that I am running again & feeling strong. I am not back to my former "mojo" as was earlier described -- but close. And I wonder which supplement I have been taking has been doing it for me. I think the main supplement is "just doing it" -- & not giving up. I have been doing exercise an hour a day ea time for the past few wks-- and not pushing it. I was getting sedentary, esp this past spring/summer when the fatigue first hit, and at first it was not that bad, yet I let myself give into it & the days turned into wks of "not doing" then one day realized I had not run for about 6 wks & what exercise I did do during that time was not nearly what I did formerly (I was only doing maybe 45 min walks at a moderate pace, maybe some weights once a wk)-- and even elite athletes lose stamina if they go for a few wks without doing their sport & I am just average -- & older & in peri -- I did not need to become so lazy, my body was not so forgiving nor so eager to recover.

My hot flashes have never been very many or severe -- & when they began, they were the "only" symptom. I thought I would get off easy -- but then when my cycles begin to get longer (6wks or more), I noticed fatigue rearing its ugly head too & weepiness -- and I just lacked motivation. To be honest, since I hit 40 had, on occasion, PMS like this -- but my periods were still very reg & their arrival would end those symptoms & they did not happen every month but a few times a yr. But now it seemed to happen like that every 2-3 wks -- & no period, but feeling like I might have one --"phantom periods" I think they are called. Then 2-3 wks of feeling just OK -- then maybe great a few days -- then not so great, then I might have a period (then would feel great ...etc).

LMP was Sept 16 & am feeling good right now -- don't know why, but from the symptoms it seems I might be ovulating, which is discouraging bc means I am not post meno. I am hoping for some of that post meno zest, but this does not seem to be it. Will I have a period in 2 weeks? 3? 4? Who knows??

I will be 52 on Mon -- this has been going on nearly a yr & it was not bad at first -- but I know I do not want another 6 mos of this stuff & made Dr appt for next mos to discuss options. I may not use BHRT, but if my ovulating right now is why I am feeling so good, perhaps need to think about some kind of help for myself.

I have a good F who stopped her exercise routine (she ran marathons etc) bc she felt actually sick...she is doing better, but like me -- it isn't consistent well being & she is mourning the loss of her stamina. I tell her it is like being pregnant & we must know that the baby we are birthing will be new selves -- and they will be different -- and until then, we need to be gentle on ourselves....

Of course, next wk I may post here with a different tale to tell...but this wk has been a big improvement over the previous one....WV

VW, please please... what supplements are you taking? I'm not working out daily as I was, but still manage at least 2x a week for an hour and then just general walking the rest of the week. I still find myself having to push through lifting weights and to be able to do high impact aerobics is really tough, somedays not even possible.

I'm taking vitamin D, E and just started taking sublingual B12 along with BHRT & T3 meds.... I would love to have my 'mojo' back...

[quote name='CarolH' date='Oct 16 2009, 06:07 PM' post='314369']
VW, please please... what supplements are you taking? I'm taking vitamin D, E and just started taking sublingual B12 along with BHRT & T3 meds.... I would love to have my 'mojo' back...


Hi Carol:

Sometimes I just think that I allowed myself too much slack time & lost some of my strength that way....and bc I was in peri, my decrease was exacerbated by the hormonal fluctuations. I should have kept myself going -- I would go a couple of weeks not doing much sometimes -- and then wonder why I wasn't as strong as formerly.

As for supplements, no HT for me -- Calc & D3 (both 1000 mg per day). I also take the B-12 powder THAT