On meeting Kate, we could see our goals were aligned in terms of looking at healthy routines that stick and aren’t just a sticking plaster but also the importance of finding joy in the menopause. Not to mention, both Kate and Jackie were successful city working women. So what changed?
We chat to Kate about her journey and why she chose to do it her way.
Your previous career was very much in the corporate world; can you tell us a little more about it?
I enjoyed being in the world of HR for 25 years, with the latter years as a Global HR Director for a busy company with over 1000 employees. I got to travel to exciting places like New York, Miami, Mexico City and loved my job. I was passionate about the development of our employees and particularly loved unlocking their potential.
What do you think gave you the push to leave the corporate world behind? Was it a personal drive or were you influenced by seeing changes in your peers too?
There were a combination of factors at play that all came together at the right time. I’ve always promised myself that if I ever got the ‘Sunday night dread’ when it came to my working life, then I would make a change. Life is too short. So, when I found myself at 50, realising I’d fallen out of love with HR, I was at a career crossroads.
This coincided with peri menopause, and needing to make changes to how I exercised, ate, rested, and managed stress in order to feel my best both physically and mentally. I was also starting to observe an unhappy narrative playing out around me with my peers; that midlife is a downward spiral and there’s nothing you can do about it. I felt I could make a positive difference to this narrative; that I could bring my passion for exercise and positive outlook together and help peri and post menopausal women live the life they choose!
So how did you become a personal trainer?
It was a huge leap from HR to Personal Trainer but I took the attitude of ‘what's the best that can happen?' and enrolled on a course to reach Level 3 Fitness Instructor, which was a mix of online learning and in the gym hands-on practical's. It was a LOT of work and at times very much out of my comfort zone but I did it and am still very proud of myself!
Tell us about resistance training and why it’s so important for both the body & mind?
It’s particularly important for our bodies in midlife as we can start to lose as much as 3-5% of muscle mass per decade after the age of 30, called sarcopenia. This rate can accelerate with naturally declining testosterone. And once we hit peri menopause and
our oestrogen starts to decline, the key hormone for protecting and maintaining our bone density, our bones start to break down faster than they repair. Unsurprisingly we then become susceptible to osteoporosis with 1 in 2 women facing a hip fracture over the age of 50. This is alongside the negative impact on our strength, power, balance, and aerobic capacity. But the good news is that resistance training can help enormously!
This is a type of exercise where we strengthen our bones by moving them against some form of resistance, such as lifting weights, your own body weight (e.g. press ups and squats) or by using resistance bands. The bones are then prompted to renew themselves and maintaining or improving their strength whilst you’re also rebuilding that declining muscle mass.
Resistance training can also be hugely helpful in producing serotonin and endorphins which being both anti depression bio chemicals, can have a positive impact on our mental wellbeing. My clients surprise themselves when they see the huge impact resistance training has on their self-esteem, mindset, energy levels, and renewed ability to deal with the challenges life throws their way. Some studies have also shown it can help with some of the vasomotor symptoms of menopause too such as night sweats and migraines.
We are bombarded by advice to take on various routines and quite frankly who has the time! Tell us how would we fit this type of training in?
It can definitely feel overwhelming at times trying to do everything we’re told is good for us. So I would recommend considering what your non-negotiables are.
Top of the list as a peri/post menopausal woman for me, is 30 minutes of resistance training three times a week. If that’s not possible with your lifestyle, try breaking that time down into 10-minute slots, and doing it more frequently. Go heavy with the weights (I have posts on what I mean by this on my Instagram page).
Try incorporating small ‘exercise snacks’ into your day such as a wall sit when brushing your teeth; that adds up to 28minutes of resistance training a week right there! Or squats when waiting for the kettle to boil, or some press-ups against the kitchen worktop. Or maybe it’s stopping on your dog walk and doing some tricep dips off the park bench. All these minutes add up and do count.
Once you start to feel stronger in your everyday activities you may find it comes easier to prioritise your workouts.
Have you seen a great change in both your body & skin as you have entered into your menopausal years?
My skin has become incredibly dry and itchy since peri menopause. I need to moisturise twice a day to keep that at bay. And my face has been more prone to adult acne, much to my shock! That’s why I was so pleased to find Made of More!
My body feels a lot more prone to injury than it ever used to, even though I know exactly what I’m doing with exercise technique. I put this down to declining oestrogen as it’s a hormone that helps keep joints, ligaments, and muscles healthy. When estrogen levels drop, it can lead to increased inflammation, stiffness, and pain. That said, my body looks leaner, stronger and healthier than it has at any other time of my life, and that feels amazing!
A favourite question of ours – what does living your best life look like?!
Finding moments of JOY every day
Feeling true gratitude for everything I have
Having balance across my different priorities
Energy
Passion
Love
Travel
Movement
Nature
You can find out more about Kate’s 1:1 classes and retreats by visiting her Instagram and Website.
