"I'd always been into fitness and had for some years been a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. You'd think that having those skills in my back pocket would allow me an easier transition after my menopause journey started. WRONG!"
-Rachael
What happened to me was that not only was my body changing, gaining, hurting and un-bloody cooperative, it was different. Did I wake up one morning and change physically? In reality, no, but in my head I was very different.
This was not a slow progression into menopause as you now know, but an instantaneous change. So my normal day to day energizer bunny attitude towards fitness became Jabba the Hutt.
I felt sluggish, fat, uncoordinated and joint pain like you wouldn't believe. I felt demoralized and had to decide what was important - my pride or my salvation? It was time to find a starting platform, and yes... all over again.
I tell you this because I don't want you feeling like I couldn't possibly understand based on my background. I had to start all over again, boy did my ego hurt! So starting a fitness journey is very personal and important.
First step is finding something you like to do and go for it slowly. If you jump in committing to 6 days a week right out the gate you will fail. Be kind to yourself and try for 2-3 days a week.
For me it started with the pool, I walked it because everything hurt. Eventually 3 days became 4 then 5 and so on. I finally graduated from the pool to riding the bike. I got the Peloton bike and it helped me keep focus, feel encouraged and allow me to pick the music and instructors I liked that kept me motivated. I'm going to be honest here, it took me months on the bike to find my mojo and start to get back in the gym. But listen, I made it back in. If I can, I know you can too!
The goal here is to find something you like, nurture it and build on that until you find strength to move onto the next challenge. Each day you exercise is a WIN, every new challenge is a building block to building your very own mojo pyramid. As you know pyramids stand tall and last for centuries. You need to start by building a solid foundation and that takes time, patience and determination.
Don't worry if you have a wobbly day, we all do. It's how you recover from that that matters! You are stronger than you know, braver than you give yourself credit for and a warrior! Remember we are all in this together, and I am here to guide you if you need help.
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