How to Build Muscle in Menopause (and Why It’s Harder) 💪🌿 “Mary, I’m lifting weights, I’m trying so hard, and I still feel weaker than I did five years ago. Why is it so hard to build muscle now?” I hear this question all the time, and I want to start by saying this: you’re not lazy, and you’re not imagining it. 💛 Building muscle really does get harder in perimenopause and menopause. Your body is going through one of the biggest hormonal shifts of your life, and the way your muscles respond to food, movement and rest changes right along with it. I know this one personally too. When I went through perimenopause, I felt my strength and stamina slipping away, and the things that used to work for me just stopped working. It was frustrating, and honestly a little scary. Here’s the good news I want you to hold onto: your muscles can still grow and get stronger at any age. Research has shown women in their 60s, 70s and even 80s gaining real strength with the right approach. ...
4 reasons losing weight feels harder in perimenopause and menopause Mary Canales, MHS · Functional Nutrition Practitioner · Level 1 Ayurveda Practitioner If you're eating less than you used to and the scale still won't move, you're not imagining it. It's also not a willpower problem. I went through this myself. In perimenopause I gained weight, stopped sleeping well, and had joint pain I couldn't explain. I had spent 25 years working in women's health, and I still didn't recognize my own body. What finally helped wasn't another diet. It was understanding what had changed, then adjusting how I ate, slept, moved and handled stress. These are the four reasons I see most often, in my own experience and in the women I talk with, along with what actually helps. 🌿 1. Your hormones changed how your body handles carbs Estrogen helps your body respond to insulin, the hormone that moves sugar out of your blood and into your cells. As estrogen drops, ma...