Tracking
How to track your hormones, and what you can't
You cannot watch your hormone levels day to day the way you watch steps, especially in perimenopause. Here is what you can actually track, which tests help and which do not, and how to build a record that means something to you and your doctor.
How to track perimenopause symptoms: what to log
There is no single blood test for perimenopause, so your own record is the best evidence you have. Here is exactly what to log, how often, how long before a pattern appears, and how to read it.
Hormones
Does exercise balance hormones? What it really does
Exercise cannot stop estrogen from falling in perimenopause, but it changes a lot of what you feel, from insulin and cortisol to mood, sleep, and muscle. Here is what it actually does to your hormones, what it does not, and how much is too much.
MHT (HRT) and endurance training: what runners wonder
Can you train hard on MHT (HRT)? Does hormone therapy change endurance performance, strength, or anti-doping rules? A clear, non-medical guide for runners and endurance athletes, the first months on a regimen, and what to track.
Estrogen and running performance
Estrogen quietly shapes how you recover, regulate heat, and adapt to training. Here is how it affects running across the cycle and through menopause, with a phase-by-phase guide and what to actually do about it.
Recovery
Why injuries increase in perimenopause
Niggles that never used to happen, tendons that flare on the same training you have always done, and injuries that take twice as long to settle. Here is what falling estrogen does to tendon, bone, and muscle, and how to change your training so you stay running.
Why running feels harder during perimenopause
If your usual runs suddenly feel harder in your 40s, you are not imagining it. Here is what shifting estrogen does to running, a framework for bad days, a sample adapted week, and how to train with it instead of against it.
Training
Recovery time between hard workouts for women over 40
Most women over 40 need 48 to 72 hours between hard sessions, and perimenopause makes that window less predictable. Here is how long each kind of session takes to absorb, how to space a training week, and the signs you are not recovered.
Heart rate zones in perimenopause: ditch 220 minus age
The 220 minus age formula was never built for women and overestimates max heart rate for most of us. Here is a better way to set heart rate zones in perimenopause, and why your heart rate drifts more than it used to.
Plyometrics for bone density: jump training after 40
Bone responds to impact, and short bursts of jumping are one of the most efficient ways to load it. How much to do, how to start safely in perimenopause and menopause, and when to hold back.
How often should women over 40 lift weights?
Two sessions a week is the evidence-backed floor for women over 40, and three suits many lifters. Here is how to choose, how to fit lifting around running, and what changes through perimenopause.
Does exercise help perimenopause symptoms?
A clear, sourced look at which perimenopause symptoms exercise genuinely helps (mood, sleep, bone, muscle, body composition) and which it does not reliably fix, plus the kind of training that works and where it fits alongside medical care.
Zone 2 training for women over 40
Zone 2 is the easy aerobic running that builds your engine without wrecking recovery. Here is how to find your zone three ways, why it matters more after 40, a sample week, and the gray-zone trap to avoid.
Strength
Nutrition
Iron and ferritin: why female runners feel flat
Low iron stores are one of the most common and most missed reasons a woman runner feels heavy, breathless, and slow. Here is what ferritin is, why running and perimenopausal bleeding drain it, which tests to ask for, and how to fix it properly.
How much protein do women over 40 need?
Protein needs rise for active women over 40, especially through perimenopause and menopause. Here is a practical target, how to distribute it, what a day actually looks like, and the mistakes that hold runners back.
Creatine for women over 40: what runners should know
Creatine is one of the most studied supplements, and the case for women over 40 is strong. Here is what it does, how to dose it, what to expect week by week, and the myths about bloating and bulking.