Next Level- Three Things I Didn’t Know
You know the saying, “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second best time is now.” I really wish I had taken menopause more seriously, in the years leading up to, and when I was going through it. I never had hot flashes or mood swings, or any other symptoms. All that happened is that I gradually stopped having my periods, and who would complain about that? I used to joke that menopause was the best thing that ever happened to me. Yes, of course it was- except for those PLUMMETING ESTROGEN LEVELS. In Next Level, Stacy Sims explains that estrogen promotes muscle growth and strength, regulates inflammation, controls body temperature, and is critical for maintaining bone density, among other important functions. She says we need to change up our training to make up for the loss of estrogen we experience after menopause- and she specifies that “The typical one-dimensional stress that you put on your bones by running and lifting isn’t going to cut it.” ACK! Now I think that a number of problems I’m having (the most obvious being a loss of bone density) are caused by menopause. If I could go back, I would have started doing these thing in my 40s. But now I’m 56 and ready to plant that tree! The book covers supplements, nutrition, hormone therapy, sleep, but the main focus is exercise. There are three key components of training post-menopause- and they may not be what you think. First up… running. Sims is all for running, but says that it’s important to incorporate high-intensity sprint interval sessions into your training. When you do SIT (sprint interval training) your body pumps out human growth hormone and testosterone, which increases lean muscle. SIT also decreases cortisol, and less cortisol means less stimulus for putting on body fat. SIT also triggers an anti-inflammatory response. Long endurance exercise can actually increase cortisol, so it needs to be balanced with short, strong high-intensity training. Of course, it doesn’t have to be running. Sims says it may be easier to incorporate sprints on a bike, or even kettlebell workouts. She gives several examples, including tabatas and hill repeats. Next up- strength training. Sims says “If you do nothing else, do this: lift heavy sh*t!” She says light lifting and even moderate lifting- in the 10-12 repetition range (which is what I’ve been doing)- aren’t effective enough. Heavy lifting- six reps or less with as much weight as possible- will replace the muscle and strength building stimulus that you lose as estrogen declines. Again, she explains how to do it safely and gives a warmup routine, as well as examples of “heavy lifting staples”- squats, deadlifts, and bench press. Those first two I was vaguely aware of- I’ve definitely heard the hype around HIIT and knew that there were reasons for heavy lifting- but the third was new to me. Plyometrics! Okay, plyometrics aren’t new. But I didn’t know that (according to Sims) they’re essential for keeping your bones and muscles strong. What’s fascinating to me is that plyometrics actually trigger epigenetic changes. That means when you jump, hop, or bound, certain genes are turned on that stimulate cells to improve power and the composition of the muscle. Studies have also shown that jumping just 10 to 20 times a day significantly improved bone density in the hips. And no- running isn’t as effective (boo!) It’s too similar to the normal stress of walking. Jumping in different directions sends messages to the bones that they need to remodel to get stronger and handle the stress. So obviously, tomorrow I’ll be sprinting, followed by 20 minutes of plyometrics, and then doing a heavy lifting session. JUST KIDDING- I would probably end up in the hospital. But I will be transitioning into these activities SLOWLY. After reading this book, I understand how important these activities are, and I definitely need some help. If you’re in your 40s I would beg you to get this book and start preparing yourself. If you’re post-menopausal like me, it’s not too late! Please check out this book- we’ll get strong together. I’m joining My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida for their Fit Five Friday linkup- thanks ladies! Do you do heavy lifting or plyometrics? If you’re post-menopausal, have you experienced bone or muscle loss, or weight gain?