73: 5 Perimenopause Myths That Are Holding Women Back

Your body is changing and that can be confusing, frustrating, and honestly scary. What we refuse to accept is the story that perimenopause and menopause automatically mean weight gain, weakness, low energy, and a slow slide into “this is just my life now.” We take that head-on with evidence-based coaching perspective and real-world clarity, especially for women who have been sold extremes, guilt, or quick fixes.

We walk through five stubborn myths that keep women stuck: the idea that your metabolism is broken, that you cannot build muscle anymore, that you should stop lifting heavy and just do more cardio, that weight gain is inevitable, and that feeling exhausted or uncomfortable is simply your new normal. Along the way we connect the dots between hormone shifts, appetite regulation, stress load, sleep quality, recovery needs, daily activity levels, and lean muscle mass so you can see what is actually happening without blaming yourself.

Then we get practical. We talk about why resistance training is a cornerstone for menopause fitness and healthy aging, supporting muscle mass, bone density, insulin sensitivity, function, and independence. We also highlight the “smarter basics” that matter even more now: adequate protein, consistent strength training, daily movement, stress management, recovery, and sleep. The goal is not to become 25 again. The goal is to feel the best you can in this season, with a plan that fits your life.

If someone you love is in her late 30s and beyond and has been fed myths or told to just toughen up, share this with her. Subscribe for more evidence-based health and fitness, leave a review, and send us a message with the myth you want us to tackle next.

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Transcript

Welcome And Why This Matters

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to Live Transformed, the podcast from Transformed Health Initiative, where evidence-based truth meets real life transformation. Lead yourself, integrate health, value what matters, engage in the process. This is how you live transformed. And now here's your host, Adam Kelly.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

What's going on, everybody? Welcome back to the Live Transform Podcast. I hope you are having a beautiful, amazing day. Regardless of what day or time of day you're listening to, this it is a great day to be alive, right? So today's episode is a little bit different because I'm speaking directly to a group of women that I've become increasingly passionate about helping over the years. Okay. Definitely where my practice has moved towards just by chance, not by design. But when you see a need and you see a group of people that really need help and someone that is going to stand in the gap for them, teach them, show them what is correct, what's real versus what is nonsense and what is just, you know, a way to get you to buy some supplement or book or program. That is what my goal is here today. And we are talking about women navigating perimenopause and menopause, okay? And before we get started, I want to make something very clear. This is not going to be an episode about pretending that the challenges aren't real, because they are. Hormone changes are real. Changes in recovery are real. Changes in sleep can be real. Changes in body composition can be real. And if you're a woman experiencing some of these things right now, I don't want you to feel dismissed. But I also don't want you to feel defeated. Because somewhere along the way, many women have been given the impression that perimenopause is the beginning of an inevitable decline. That from this point forward, gaining weight is unavoidable, losing strength is unavoidable. Feeling tired is unavoidable. Feeling uncomfortable in your own body is unavoidable. And while there are certainly changes that happen during this stage of life, I don't believe that the evidence supports the idea that women are destined to stop making progress. In fact, some of the strongest, healthiest, most capable women I've worked with have been in their 40s and 50s and beyond. And I'm talking 60s, 70s, okay? So today I want to talk about five myths that I believe are holding many women back from becoming healthier, stronger, and more confident during this stage of life. It's not to sell you anything, it's not to tell you everything you've heard is wrong, just to provide some honest practical help amongst all the noise. So

Myth 1 Metabolism Is Broken

SPEAKER_01 2:44

myth number one is my metabolism is broken. This is probably the most common statement that I hear. My metabolism is broken. And honestly, I understand why women feel that way. Energy may feel different. Those experiences are real, but broken, that's usually not the right word. What we know from current evidence is that several things tend to happen during this stage of life. Hormone shifts can influence appetite regulation. Recovery can become more important. Sleep quality may decline. Stress often increases because many women are simultaneously managing careers and aging parents and relationships and children and so on and so forth. Physical activity levels often, or sorry, physical activity levels often decrease without people even realizing it. And lean muscle mass can gradually decline even if it's unintentionally maintained. All of those things can affect body composition, okay? But that's very different than saying your metabolism is broken. Because broken implies that you can do nothing about it. But that's simply not true. Your body may require a different strategy than it did at 25, but your body is still capable of adapting, okay? Myth

Myth 2 You Cannot Build Muscle

SPEAKER_01 4:22

number two, I can't build muscle anymore. This one is incredibly important because many women have been told, either directly or indirectly, that building muscle is something that only younger women can do. But the evidence says otherwise. Can women in perimenopause and postmenopause postmenopause build muscle? Absolutely. Can they gain strength? Absolutely. Can they improve function and confidence and body composition? Absolutely. Now, does that mean that progress happens overnight? No, and it rarely does at any age. But one of the most empowering things I see in practice is when women realize that she is stronger than she thought. Maybe she's lifting weights she never imagined lifting. Maybe she's carrying groceries more easily. Maybe she's getting off the floor without assistance. Maybe she's moving through life with more confidence. Those things matter. Muscle is not reserved for the young. Strength is not reserved for the young. Capability is not reserved for the young. And honestly, I wish more women knew that.

Myth 3 Stop Lifting Heavy

SPEAKER_01 5:30

Myth number three. I should stop lifting heavy and do more cardio. Oh, here goes the cardio word. Now, before anyone misunderstands me, understand cardio is valuable. Walking is valuable, cardiovascular fitness matters, health heart, heart health matters, movement matters. But resistance training becomes more important with age, not less important. Why? Because resistance training helps support many of the things women are concerned about during this stage of life. Things like muscle mass, bone density, strength, insulin sensitivity, physical function, independence. In other words, the ability to continue living life on your terms. Now, I'm not suggesting every woman needs to train like a competitive power lifter. That's not the point, unless that's what you're into. The point is that strength training remains one of the most powerful tools available for supporting long-term health. The goal isn't to stop lifting, the goal is to lift intelligently, consistently, in a way that actually supports your body. All

Myth 4 Weight Gain Is Inevitable

SPEAKER_01 6:37

right. Now, myth number four we have is weight gain is inevitable. This is where nuance matters. Can hormone changes influence body composition? Absolutely. Can body fat distribution change? Absolutely. Can fat loss become more challenging for some women? Yes. But inevitable and unavoidable are not the same thing. The reality is that women can still improve body composition during perimenopause and beyond. They can still lose body fat, they can still gain strength, they can still improve fitness, they can still become healthier. What often changes is the strategy. If your body feels tight, worn down, or just off more often than it should, that's not something you just have to live with. A lot of people are doing the workouts, trying to eat better, staying active, but they're still dealing with constant tension, nagging aches, low energy, and their body's just not responding the way it should. That's the gap. At THI, we bridge the gap between training and recovery, combining strength training, nutrition, and targeted body work to improve how your body actually functions. You don't just look better, but you actually feel better, move better, and perform better in your everyday life. If that's the piece you've been missing, we're here when you're ready. Alright, back to the episode. Many women are trying to use the same methods that they used 20 years ago when they're in high school or college or after. Extreme dieting, excessive cardio, all or nothing approaches. And then they become frustrated when those approaches stop working. Often the answer isn't doing more, it's doing the right things consistently. Adequate protein, strength training, daily movement, stress management, recovery, sleep. Those basics become even more important. Not because women are broken, but because their bodies deserve a smarter approach. And now

Myth 5 This Is Your New Normal

SPEAKER_01 8:39

we have myth number five. This is just how I have to feel now. This might be one of the most important myths to bust of all. Because it's the one that steals hope. I've met women who generally believe that feeling exhausted, stiff, weak, uncomfortable, and disconnected from their body was simply their new reality. And to be clear, some symptoms are very real. Some challenges are very real. I'm not minimizing that. But feeling helpless is not the same thing as being helpless. And I think that distinction is worth making here because there are still things that you can influence. You can improve your strength, you can improve your fitness, you can improve your movement, you can improve your sleep habits, you can improve your nutrition, you can improve your stress management, you can improve your recovery, you can improve your overall quality of life. Maybe not perfectly, maybe not overnight, but meaningfully. And sometimes that's all we need, meaningful progress, right? One of the things I've observed over and over again is that women often underestimate what's still possible. They come in convinced that they're too old, they're convinced that they're too far gone, convinced their best years are behind them. And then they start moving consistently, they start getting stronger, they start eating better, they start sleeping better, they start recovering better, and little by little they begin reconnecting with what their body is still capable of doing. Not because they're trying to become twenty-five again, but because they're learning how to thrive in the season they're in. And I think that I think that is a much healthier goal. Would you agree?

Perimenopause Is A Transition

SPEAKER_01 10:30

If there's one thing I hope that you take away from this episode is this perimenopause is a transition, it is not a sentence. Your body is changing, your potential is not disappearing. You may need a different strategy than you did 10 or 20 years ago. You may need more recovery, you may need more patience, you may need more consistency, but your ability to improve is still very much alive and it's something worth remembering.

Share It And Choose Better Guidance

SPEAKER_01 10:58

All right, guys, this is a short one for you today. So I appreciate you for spending some time with me today. If this has not applied to you, if this would apply to someone that you know, go ahead and send it to them, tag them in it, share it with them, let them listen to it, because I promise you she has most likely either been told some of these myths, she's seen some of these myths talk about on social media or on the internet, or she's come to just believe these myths because of the way she feels versus what is actually real and what is actually provable. Okay. So even if this doesn't apply to you, my fellows, if you manage to make it this long to this episode, share it with the women that you love, especially if they're in that, you know, late 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and above. It's not too late. It's totally possible. It may look different, but you can do this, okay? And if you have to, if you want to, if you feel it'd be beneficial, find you a coach, find you a trainer who understands how the woman's body functions, how hormones function, how a woman changes through the different stages of life, and what is actually true versus untrue. Okay. I can tell you this, working in gyms for years, I've seen it all. And I've heard so many, I've had so many female clients start with me and say, Oh, I had this young male trainer, and you know, I told him that um I'm my doctor thinks I'm in menopause or in perimenopause, or I'm actually postmenopause, and he just told me that, oh, I've just got to toughen up, I just need to get in better shape, then I'll feel better, then my energy will be better. I don't have any excuses. I'm just making excuses, and it's just mind-blowing that people still treat other people like that. About, especially about something that little guy, if you went and just did a little bit of research and studied this out, it would only take you about 30 seconds to see that everything that she's saying is valid. Okay. Everything that she's feeling is valid. Now, she may not understand why she's going through it. She may not understand that there are some things within her control that she can do to make her situation better with intentionality and with purpose. But we cannot just act like what she's experiencing and going through doesn't matter just because you're a 20-year-old male who has all the time in the day to work out and get good sleep and eat right and all that. That's not her situation. That's not her reality. And we have to understand this, especially as male trainers who work with female clients of different age groups. This is very important for us to understand because, you know, perimenopause can start earlier than we think it, than we usually think that it can. And it's actually occurring earlier and earlier, just like puberty is occurring earlier and earlier as our society continues, you know, call it too much processed food, call it too little activity, call it whatever you want to call it. That is the fact that these things are happening sooner. And women need to be more aware of not only what they're going to experience, but what is not actually true. Because when your body's going through changes, again, fellas, we don't really understand this, but secondhand, I can tell you when your body's going through changes as a woman, it's very confusing and it's kind of scary because again, you've heard all the noise, you've you've you've seen all the rumors, all the social media posts, you know, your doctor saying this, this expert saying that. And a lot of women end up getting trapped in that place and they say, you know what? Well, I guess I should just kind of do my best and hope for the best, which usually equates to not really doing anything. Okay. And this is a terrible place to be.

How To Get Help Now

SPEAKER_01 14:54

So if you are in this situation and you're not sure where to get started, you're not sure what this needs to look like, I would love to help you. Even if you're not working with me, I would love to have a conversation, try to point you in the right direction, maybe send you some resources, have a conversation about it, let you see what I see in my practice every day because I work with women in this age group literally every five days a week because my sixth day, it just happens to be all males, but five days a week, almost I would say at least 95% of my clientele are women, and probably 80 to 85 percent of that 90 to 95 percent are between the ages of 38 and 65. Okay. So there are people, there are male trainers and coaches out here that may not understand from a you know firsthand experience, but they can understand because of their education and their experience in the field and the people they've worked with and you know, the women that they are tied to in their lives. There are some of us out here that can understand, okay? You don't have to only go find a female trainer. Although there's nothing wrong with that, if that's what makes you more comfortable, if that's what makes you happy, then absolutely that's what I encourage. But there are some of us out here who actually care and understand and want to help you feel your best no matter what your situation may be. Feel the best that you can be within that season, okay? Not necessarily feel better than you did when you're 25 or in high school. I hate when people make that lie about health and fitness. You're never gonna feel like you did in high school or in your early 20s again, but you can feel the best that you can in this season. It doesn't have to be worse than it needs to be. It doesn't have to be more uncomfortable than it needs to be, it doesn't have to be harder than it needs to be, but it will require intentionality from from you, it will require structure from you, it will require discipline from you, but it's totally possible and more importantly, it is totally worth it. All right. So if this episode encourages you, share with another woman who may need to hear it. And again, fellas, share with a woman in your life because she will benefit. So until next time, do something good for yourself, something good for your health, something good for those you care about, and whatever you do, make sure you win on purpose and live transformed. Talk with you next time.

Closing Disclaimer

SPEAKER_01 17:30

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. We share general health and fitness information and professional experience, not individualized medical advice. This content does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your health routine.