Menopausal Fitness Myths

There is perhaps no topic in fitness where more misconceptions abound than the topic of menopause.  Seemingly every week, 100 new podcast episodes are published featuring health experts and influencers discussing what pre, peri, and postmenopausal women need to either focus on our avoid to increase muscle, enhance strength, and reduce body fat.  Many (perhaps most) of these pundits have good intentions.  A small percentage could be classified as “menopause grifters.”  To be clear, raising “awareness” and being advocates of health and fitness for women in this demographic is incredibly important.  However, there is a significant difference between being an advocate and actually sharing evidence-based information.  Even prominent physicians and PhDs are culprits of sharing well-intended but erroneous information.   

Thankfully, we now have a significant amount of high-quality research being performed on these important (and historically, under-researched topics).   Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, a scientist at the prestigious McMaster University Human Performance Lab and a member of the Exercise Research Metabolism Group, is perhaps the world’s leading researcher on this topic. 

Her recent research concludes: 

Myth: Peri-Menopausal women lose muscle mass due to low estrogen.   

Reality: Muscle mass declines as we age, but menopause is not the culprit.  Additionally, estrogen-based hormone therapy does not prevent muscle loss.   

We’ll dive more into these myths and Dr. Colenso-Semple’s research in upcoming podcast episodes and Fit Tips.