Training Blog

Have you ever stopped to think about how you breathe? Do you take quick, shallow breaths, or slower, deeper ones? The way we breathe has a profound impact on our stress levels and overall well-being.

In today's fast-paced world, many of us rush through our days, trying to accomplish everything on our to-do lists. This can keep our nervous system locked in the sympathetic nervous system (SNS)—our body's "fight or flight" response, designed for survival. While the SNS is crucial in moments of danger, spending too much time in this state can prevent our bodies from relaxing, digesting properly, sleep and recovering after exercise.

On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) helps us feel calm and at ease. It supports essential functions like digestion, repair, and reproduction. One of the best ways to signal to your body that it’s safe to transition into the PNS is through diaphragmatic breathing—a simple yet powerful tool to reduce stress and promote relaxation.

The Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing include:

• Lowering cortisol levels, which helps reduce stress
• Decreasing blood pressure and heart rate
• Enhancing core muscle stability
• Improve your sleep
• Improving overall well-being

How to Practice Diaphragmatic Breathing

1. Place your hands on your abdomen, imagining a balloon in your belly.
2. Breathe in through your nose into your belly to the count of 3, “inflate the balloon” as your hands move away from each other.
3. Hold the breath for three counts.
4. Exhale slowly for four counts, deflating the balloon.

Start with 1–2 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing several times a day. You can set reminders on your phone or practice while waiting at traffic lights. With regular practice, you’ll find that you can extend your breathing count and experience a greater sense of calm.

Taking a moment to breathe deeply can help you reset, refocus, and feel better—so why not give it a try? I often do it before bedtime to help me wind down from the day.

PROTEIN - are you getting enough?

Last month I listened to 2 podcasts on protein. One was saying we eat too much of it, the other was saying we don’t eat enough. Confusing? Digging deeper, the first one was talking about the general population with no differentiation between gender, age or stage in life. The other was specifically referring to women over 40. 

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN TO GET ENOUGH PROTEIN AS THEY GET OLDER?

Estrogen is not just a sex hormone, it has many other roles in our bodies. One is to help build muscle and maintain bone density. Once we head into perimenopause and our estrogen levels fluctuate and eventually bottom out in post menopause, we need to look too our diet and exercise to full the gap left by estrogen. 

KEY BENEFITS of protein for menopausal women are:

• The amino acids in protein, when paired with exercise stimulates the building of muscle. Which in my book is the number 1 thing we can do to keep us strong, mobile, active and slow the aging process. 

• Levels out blood sugar, therefore avoiding the 3pm energy slump and mood swings

• Reduces brain fog.

• Keeps us fuller for longer so we don’t reach for those “empty” calories.

HOW MUCH DO WE NEED?  

A rough rule of thumb is 1.8 to 2.3g/kg/ day. E.g., If you weigh 65kg you need 120-150g of protein/day. The more active you are, aim for the higher end of the range. 

GOOD SROUCES OF PROTEIN

The highest sources of protein are from animals, but there are also many plants that are good sources as this infographic shows.

Aim to get as much as you can from real food. 

Image 1: Amount of protein per 100g of food

IMPORTANCE OF TIMING

To get the best benefit eat protein across the day. Don’t leave it all to your evening meal, have some for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you do a boot camp or other vigorous exercise have some protein within an hour to maximise the muscle development your exercise has stimulated. With gentler movement such as yoga and walking, you can wait until you next meal or snack.

So are you getting enough? If you would like to know please do get in touch with Jane.

Why Menopausal Women Need to Lift Heavy Weights. 

About 6 years ago, I started lifting a few weights for the first time, but not that heavy. As someone who prefers getting my exercise outside, I hadn’t spent much time in a gym and I had not thought about using weights to stay strong.  

BUT..now that I have hit menopause my body has developed its own agenda. Last week I did my biannual Body audit. It shows how much muscle mass, body fat and visceral fat you have. Compare to the last one, I have lost muscle mass and gained body fat without changing anything I do. I put it down to my declining estrogen levels. 

Over the next 8 weeks I am going to do a focus strength training programme 3 times per week. Then follow it up with another Body Audit to see what has changed. Watch this space!!

But why do we need to lift weights as part of our exercise?

According to Dr Stacy Sims, Exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist ( Read more ) research shows that some of the key benefits to counter effects of peri and post menopause are;

1. It stimulates building lean muscle mass 
2. It reduces visceral fat & total body fat 
3. It increases your power & strength.
4. It ramps up your metabolic rate. i.e you burn more calories when at rest 
5. It builds bone density; we lose this faster once we hit menopause. (upto 50% by your 80^th birthday)
6. It helps reduce hot flushes
7. It improves joint stability and strength
8. It improves your cardiovascular, blood pressure and general health.

Some of you might read this and think, “this is not for me, I don’t want to bulk up.” But don’t worry. It is harder for women to build muscle due to our lower levels of testosterone to start with, then throw in declining hormones, means you would have to spend hours and hours at the gym to become a female Hulk. This is all about getting some muscle definition and strength.

If you are interested in trying strength training please get in touch and we can get you started with the right moves. It's very important to work your way into big lifts to avoid injury and have correct technique. When you can perform the exercises with full range of motion without weight, you're ready to start slowly adding weight.  If you have pelvic floor issues speak to a Pelvic floor expert before starting. 

October is Menopause Awareness Month. I am passionate about this time in a woman’s life. Firstly, because I am in what you call perimenopause right now and I want to understand what is happening to me and what I can do to help me through this phase that can last for 10 years. Secondly, through my work I want to help women navigate this transition with ease so they can thrive as they move into the next chapter of their lives. 

Coming into it I didn’t know a lot about menopause or what to expect. My mother and older sister hadn’t talked about it and nor does society in general. Over the last couple of years, I have been researching it and speaking to friends and my clients about their experiences. One thing I have learnt is that no 2 women have the same experience because we are all so wonderfully unique and there are many influencing factors. 

However, there are some things common to us all.

It is not a disease or illness, it is normal, a natural transition to a new part of our life.

It is a time of recalibration for our bodies and brain

It is temporary, you will get through this but it can take 10 years.

There are many symptoms that affect us all differently

I feel that our attitude and beliefs and those of society affect how we as women approach menopause.

A quick google search of “Menopause” and the images that pop up are of women looking in distressed, uncomfortable and sad. The perception is that it is something to fear and not going to be a good time. Why can’t those images include smiling, vibrant women ready to embrace a new chapter in their life?

What are your attitudes and beliefs about menopause? Do you fear it? Do you see it as the end of something? Do you see it as a time of struggle? Or do you see this as the beginning of the best part of your life? A time to spread you wings and fly? 

So, what is going on? Perimenopause is a sequence of events leading to menopause (Cessation of periods.). During this time, the levels of our sex hormones fluctuate, especially progesterone and estrogen and settle into a new natural post reproductive rhythm. We still need progesterone and estrogen but not in the large amounts we have when ovulating. Our body and brain are recalibrating to this new rhythm and this takes time. It is these fluctuating hormones that cause us to have our own private summers, broken sleep, sore joints, discovering that our favourite jeans don’t fit anymore, mood swings, heavier periods, brain fog and more.

This is one of the reasons why you can go from being happy to wanting to kill someone in less than a minute, forget when you parked your car or suddenly feel like it is 40C (which can be useful in a Christchurch winter). This can be scary and confusing for women but don’t worry you are not going crazy or getting early Alzheimer’s, it is your fluctuating hormones.  Think of it instead as a 2^nd puberty, the other book end on our reproductive years. If you are around teenagers, you will be familiar with the impact changing hormones are having on them (and you!). Like puberty these symptoms are not permanent, they will pass as your body and brain finds its new equilibrium. Unfortunately, if you are experiencing some of these symptoms, it is not a lot of fun and can have a big impact on your daily life. The good news is there are lifestyle changes you can make to help reduce them.  

With that in mind, is this a good time to ask yourself what needs to change? Use it to address some of those things you could change and deep down know that you should.

What is your vision, 5, 10, 20 years from now? 

What are you doing? What do you feel? 

This is your window of opportunity to make small changes so they don’t become big health problems later in life and you get to enjoy all those fabulous years ahead of you. 

I have chosen to embrace it. After I started experiences night sweats and tingling in my hands, I have made some lifestyle changes that will help me have a smoother transition through perimenopause. Though the mood swings are still there – my poor family!   I am excited about living the years ahead of me as a strong, healthy and vibrant woman. 

Step through that window and fly, like a beautiful butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.

If you would like some guidance or just want to chat about menopause please do reach out.

Jane Williams

Phone: 021 2727 003

Email: jane@advancedfitness.co.nz

References: Dr Lara Briden, Hormone Repair Manual, 2021 Edition