Peri-Menopause: The Plot Twist None of Us Asked For

Not slowing down, simply shifting gears and learning a new rhythm with my body. Growth still happens here.

Honestly, when I was in my twenties, I thought menopause was this distant thing for “older women”, without any real idea what it was about. I was clueless. It felt light years away and I was too busy living life, figuring out adulthood, and thinking SPF was optional. Wild times!

Fast forward to my thirties, juggling life and motherhood, and the quiet whisper started: one day, it is coming. Cute. Thanks. Like pregnancy and motherhood are not enough to deal with already!

Perimenopause just creeps in. Not loudly, just vibes quietly in the background like a software update you did not approve. It comes with subtle shifts that make you question whether you are tired or if your hormones have decided to act like toddlers in Tesco. Spoiler, it is usually the hormones.

What is extra fun is that during perimenopause, hormone levels can rise and fall unpredictably. One day you feel on top of the world, the next you are having a tantrum because you could not lift a weight you were able to lift last week… this is real! Like, girl, what is going on?

Also, can we talk about the number of menopause symptoms? Every time I look, new symptoms are being added to the list, to the point you begin to question your monthly cycle patterns even if it's a day or two off.

Even as a nutrition coach, I didn't know when it would hit. And while it has not flipped my life upside down, I can honestly say nutrition and strength training have carried me hard through this phase. Muscle is not just for aesthetics, it is armour. Protein is not optional, it is life. And yes, I am still figuring things out, because what worked before will not always work as efficiently as it did. Menopause did not send a manual. Rude!

Some days I feel powerful, energised, capable of anything. Other days I am staring in the mirror like, “Why is my face looking so aged? I really need to add peptides to my routine and maybe some microneedling.” Then you start researching all these things to find the most effective methods to help! I even questioned life and its purpose, and you find these deep soul thoughts and reflections tend to happen a lot. What is that about, or is that just evolution?!

I was in denial at first. I lift, I eat well, I sleep well. I felt invincible. So hitting early peri-menopause felt unfair. But the truth is we do not choose the timing. What we do choose is how we support our bodies through it.

Hormones may run the show, but we are not powerless. Strength, nutrition, sleep, community, self-awareness, rest, and humour carry us. This is not losing ourselves, it is levelling up in a very real, very grown way.

If you are here too, confused, frustrated, or Googling weird symptoms like it is your part-time job, you are not alone. We are learning together, one protein-packed meal and glute session at a time.

Menopause is not the end of youth, it is the start of a new chapter. And I plan to be the strongest, calmest, most fuelled version of me in it, with the mission to grow glutes and thick thighs!