Menopause Thread Continued.....

[TinaT]

So all of you who still workout in the early morning has given me hope. Maybe this is temporary and I'll be able to go back to my once normal routine. I just need to wake up each day and work around whatever my body is doing for that day.

Getting my exercise in needs to be a daily thing again.

[Footballnut]

I am not even close to a morning person and it has been much worse since menopause. I did manage a few years ago to get myself into a morning workout routine, because like so many other people, I just wont get it done if I don't. After work and getting dinner together, I am spent and I go to bed at 9 p.m. now, since I get up at 4:45 a.m. I need the rest. That being said, I am way out of my routine lately. Between Summer trips and house guests, I just can't get them in right now. I have decided that has to change. I have house guests again this week, but I have to get my routine back so that I can be human again. I find that even though I have to drag myself into the workout room in the mornings, I feel so much better afterward. My day is just better all around. Anyway, my grandson is almost 2 and he gets up really early, so I just can't bring myself to even try to establish a new routine until he is gone. Would much rather get those snuggles in with him while I can. They leave to go home Saturday

[athompson10]

I am dragging in the mornings since my menopause started in earnest. I used to be able to wake up and mess around for maybe 15 minutes, then start my workout. These days I am in much better shape if I give myself an hour or so to get going. In that hour I have a cup of black coffee and some fruit, and take the time to digest and get myself focused before I start exercising.

[cherimac]

I don't do first thing a.m workouts anymore. I used to but now need to wake up, eat, and get my kids going on school. I hit my workouts around 10 a.m. since I have that luxury. I do walk my dog first thing in the a.m. but it's not strenuous. Just gets the blood flowing and wakes us both up.

I have hot flashes and brain fog both, haha. I used to not get the brain fog thing at all until I started having it. Baffling, isn't it?

[Pratima]

I'm 42 and most likely perimenopausal, but it's tough to know. I had breast cancer a couple of years ago and have been on tamoxifen, which is an estrogen blocker. I get various side effects such as hot flashes, tiredness, achiness, face breaking out, etc. due to all the hormonal stuff going on.

All that said, I'm getting up earlier than ever and working out harder than ever. I trained for and successfully finished my first and second half marathon last year and am getting ready for two more in the next year.

I live in metro Phoenix, where the summer LOWS are in the high 80s, so if I want to be outside, it has to be at or before the crack of dawn. I did early morning runs through the summer.

I work full-time, have two young children, and a husband who works overnights, so I'm on my own every week for a few days at a time. I do get tired, and I do need more days off than I used to, but I know that if I don't work out, I'll feel worse.

[mtngoat]

Originally Posted by Pratima

I'm 42 and most likely perimenopausal, but it's tough to know. I had breast cancer a couple of years ago and have been on tamoxifen, which is an estrogen blocker. I get various side effects such as hot flashes, tiredness, achiness, face breaking out, etc. due to all the hormonal stuff going on.

All that said, I'm getting up earlier than ever and working out harder than ever. I trained for and successfully finished my first and second half marathon last year and am getting ready for two more in the next year.

I live in metro Phoenix, where the summer LOWS are in the high 80s, so if I want to be outside, it has to be at or before the crack of dawn. I did early morning runs through the summer.

I work full-time, have two young children, and a husband who works overnights, so I'm on my own every week for a few days at a time. I do get tired, and I do need more days off than I used to, but I know that if I don't work out, I'll feel worse.

Wow - that's really impressive! Congratulations.

I worked out first thing in the morning for a while (on an empty stomach) and had great results. Life's too short, though.

The main impact of menopause on my fitness/workouts has been what seems to be a constant stream of injuries. Other than that, my strength and cardio fitness seem to be the same as ever. I've been working out consistently for more than 35 years, usually at an advanced level. It sure makes me wonder if my working out so hard for so long has been counterproductive. (I attribute at least some of the injuries to that fact that I ate very little between the ages of 12 and 29 - bone producing years.)

I am, out of necessity, scaling down my workouts. No more high impact (sob!!!). This was how I kept sane, so I'm scared!

Lots of Margaret Richard. As I heal, I will bring back in Cathe's weight workouts. Thinking of doing another round of STS, since I got so strong my previous rotations.

Question: Did anyone experience brain fog that eventually cleared up? I really liked being able to think!

[Pratima]

Originally Posted by mtngoat

Wow - that's really impressive! Congratulations.

I worked out first thing in the morning for a while (on an empty stomach) and had great results. Life's too short, though.

Thank you, though I consider it more of a necessity for sanity than an achievement!

I used to do the same--work out first thing in the morning, empty stomach. Now I MUST have my morning banana! Seriously--at least, for cardio workouts. And I had injury issues the past couple of years, so I hired a running coach. She put together a plan for me so I build up gradually.

[FirmDancer]

I'm now 59. I am a HUGE morning person. Like I can wake up at 3:30 am, sit on the deck and count the stars while drinking coffee, and then start piddling around the house. I have tons of energy and am mentally alert, but weirdly, I can no longer "workout" in the morning. I do try to get 20 minutes of sustained movement, but I can only handle something like CS other gentle calisthenics, or a stroll outdoors. Getting my heart rate into an "aerobic" zone just exhausts me for the rest of the day.

[maitai]

Originally Posted by cherimac

i have hot flashes and brain fog both, haha. I used to not get the brain fog thing at all until i started having it. Baffling, isn't it?

lol!

[Jane P.]

My problem is that I don't sleep well a lot of time. When that happens I miss my workouts. I'm not really a morning person, but I've always worked out in the AM. If I miss my AM workout, I can occasionally do a PM workout, but most of the time, if it's not done in the morning it doesn't get done. My down time is late afternoon, regardless of whether I've slept well or not, eaten well or not. It's just not a good time for me to do anything. Also ever since I discovered Morning Joe during my bouts of insomnia (it comes on at 4am here) I've found it harder to do my AM workouts.