{"id":117871,"date":"2022-12-12T16:17:17","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T16:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stories.qvcuk.com\/?p=117871"},"modified":"2022-12-12T16:18:26","modified_gmt":"2022-12-12T16:18:26","slug":"dr-josephine-perry-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.qvcuk.com\/menopause-your-way\/guest-author\/dr-josephine-perry-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Josephine Perry on managing menopause in sport"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a triathlete in my mid-40s, even the word perimenopause feels daunting. Fear of entering this unknown period; of losing control of a body I have finally learnt to love, watching fitness drain away and facing a myriad of symptoms that will make performance harder does not appeal. And yet as a sport psychologist I see many female athletes handle this period admirably, with many seeing it as just another challenge they need to take on.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t a case of head on confrontation or mentally toughing it out. There are some physical symptoms that can impact sports performance. Dr. Juliet McGrattan, founder of the Run Through the Menopause course says the most frequent issues her sporting clients mention are their \u201cchanging body composition with weight gain and increased fat storage around the tummy, a lack of motivation and drive, low energy levels,\u00a0 aching muscles and joints and slower recovery.\u201d We can\u2019t hide from these.<\/p>\n

When medic and swimmer Dr. Catherine Munro hit perimenopause she searched for medical papers on maintaining sporting performance. There were none. All she found were warnings that she should expect to see a decline in performance through loss of power, risk of osteoporosis and sleep issues harming recovery. As a result it would be easy to stop trying – and around a third of women do reduce the amount of exercise they do (Research report: Menopause, Me and Physical Activity – Women In Sport<\/a>) – but as sport can help with some of the changes, you shouldn\u2019t have to stop.<\/p>\n

So, here are five ways to help you as an athlete stick with your sport through menopause:<\/p>\n

Know your personal benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Menopause can give us a feeling of loss or make us feel we lack of control but with some reminders about what sport gives us we can make it into more of an opportunity. As a doctor, going through menopause in the pandemic it was essential for Munro to swim – she needed it to relieve stress and feel well. \u201cWhen I was working being able to switch off and just plough up and down the pool enabled me to deal with the many tough things one experiences working in A&E.<\/p>\n

Open water, being in nature, the boost from the cold were also vital to physical and mental health.\u201d Her swimming wasn\u2019t just for leisure – she won the England masters open water 5km championships in 2019 and got silver in the 3k two years later – so it gives Munro a real sense of achievement.<\/p>\n

Acceptance <\/strong><\/p>\n

It does get harder to perform at a high-level during perimenopause and acceptance helps us handle this. In 2019 when Jo Moseley was 54 she embarked on a 162 mile coast to coast paddleboard. She found the perimenopause made her challenge harder. \u201cI had anxiety, a lack of sleep, was prone to injury (two frozen shoulders and plantar fasciitis), headaches and generally feeling sad and low.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moseley found acceptance was key. \u201cMy approach was \u2018do what you can with what you have\u2019. I just had to be kind to myself. I had to put myself on The Priority List and do what I could around the injuries and caring responsibilities. This was a big attitude step change but I found having a support system and a big goal helped keep me focused.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adaptation<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is tempting to bury your head in the sand and hope you are one of the 20% of women who don\u2019t notice any menopause symptoms, but as the odds of this are not stacked in your favour, and the symptoms on average last around four years, we need the self-awareness of what is happening to be able to handle it effectively and adapt. Munro found that while HRT helped her overcome a number of her symptoms she couldn\u2019t just stick to her 15-20,000 metres a week of swimming, she needed to adapt too.<\/p>\n

The four adaptations it is suggested perimenopausal athletes make:<\/p>\n