SOMA Living April 2025

HEALTH & WELLNESS

training becomes a powerful tool for building mental resilience. The act of pushing your physical limits translates to a sense of empowerment, helping you navigate the complexities of this phase with greater confidence. And let’s not forget bone health. As estrogen levels plummet, so does your protection against osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercises, especially strength training, are crucial for maintaining bone density, safeguarding against fractures and frailty. Now, simply lifting weights isn’t enough. We’re talking about progressive overload – a strategic approach to building strength over time. Your body adapts; it’s a survival mechanism. This is why using only 5 lbs weights often gets you nowhere when it comes to building muscle. To keep progressing, you must consistently challenge it. That means gradually increasing the weight, reps, sets, or difficulty of your exercises. In a culture often fixated on cardio and restrictive diets, strength training deserves its rightful place in the perimenopausal toolkit. It’s an investment in long-term health, empowering women to embrace this life stage with strength, vitality, and confidence.

Photo by Erica Reade

We’ve been unpacking the realities of perimenopause, and it’s time to drill down on the one strategy that truly shifts the game: strength training. Forget the fleeting promises of fad diets and miracle creams. This is about building a foundation of resilience, both physical and mental, as your body navigates hormonal upheaval. Perimenopause isn’t just about hot flashes; it’s a physiological shift that erodes muscle mass and increases fat storage. This decline isn’t just cosmetic; it impacts your functionality, your energy levels, and your overall quality of life. Strength training steps in as the counterpunch, stimulating muscle protein synthesis and reigniting your metabolism. But it’s more than just physical. The mental and emotional toll of perimenopause is real. Mood swings, anxiety, sleepless nights – these are common battles. Strength

Callie is a licensed registered dietitian nutritionist specializing in women’s health and wellbeing, holds a masters of public health from NYU and is a certified personal trainer. She has served on the board of the Greater New York Dietetics Association and has been featured in Huffington Post, USNews, TheThirty, Insider, Healthline, Elite Daily and the Hormonally Yours Podcast. Follow Callie on Instagram, Linkedin and TikTok

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