Catherine’s Story
A keen exerciser and jogscotland coach, Catherine’s mental and physical health were significantly impacted by her menopause experience, which left her bedbound and unable to exercise. Catherine shares how the support of her friends and gym buddies, alongside HRT (hormone replacement therapy), helped her back to regular exercise, supporting her health and wellbeing and allowing her to feel like herself again. She also took part in our Moving Through Menopause research.
“Exercise is fundamental to my life. I threw discus for East of Scotland as a teenager, rowed my way through university and have done a lot of running. I started the most amazing group gym classes just after my 40th birthday and by 44 I was the fittest I’ve ever been. I realised how much I absolutely love heavy weights (and how amazing they make you feel) and I lost count of all my run and barbell personal bests.
“However, my hormones fell off a cliff during lockdown. I was up and down for 18 months, eventually ending up bedbound for nearly four months. I couldn’t contemplate exercise. I had horrible mental health issues, digestive issues, insomnia, and dry skin, hair etc. I began HRT privately which has been life changing, but because my symptoms were picked up far too late it took me a year to feel like myself again.
“The thought of my friends at my gym classes broke my heart. I was lucky and had a personal trainer (who I’d met at my gym classes) come to my house, to keep me ticking over at this time, rather than stop exercising altogether. I didn’t do very much but mentally it was a lifeline. I’m very determined and I’m now back to four gym classes a week, doing strength training and HIIT (high intensity interval training). It was all I wanted and focused on during my bedbound days.”
Despite experiencing some very tough times, Catherine knew being physically active would help improve her wellbeing, and give her opportunities to socialise again. So she found opportunities to stay involved even when she wasn’t able to take part.
“I organised a social jogscotland group once a month for my gym classes – when I couldn’t contemplate running I still managed to coach the Couch to 5K (twice!) with different groups. It was fantastic for me to be out and the group all said they’d never have done it without me organising and encouraging.”
I feel so supported by all the coaches and my peers – it’s been a total lifesaver for me and a massive part of my happiness during this time.
Now, Catherine modifies activity levels to suit her needs during workouts and is using her own experiences to help others learn more about exercising during menopause. She said: “My group gym classes have been the best thing I’ve ever done – it’s seven years this week since I started there, so I was obviously very established socially in the group when this happened to me. I feel so supported by all the coaches and my peers – it’s been a total lifesaver for me and a massive part of my happiness during this time. No one cares if I turn up and do a little bit or modify exercises. I’m used to squats and lunges with a 45kg barbell, but might just do unweighted, for example.”
For Catherine, raising awareness of the impact of the menopause, and how to help manage symptoms through methods include exercise, is essential, “so women can take ownership for their own choices when the time comes”. She said: “I have been quite open about my menopause experience, and as a result there have been a lot of positives. Everyone in my gym group is talking about menopause, the coaches have been super kind and helpful, and we’ve had an expert in to talk to those interested in menopause, HRT and exercise.
“I absolutely love the recent jogscotland campaign around menopause. One of the key things is that people feel welcome and included, so they are comfortable turning up to a group and doing what they can. Movement - any movement - is so important. I also love to see women trying some kind of group weights class. Don’t worry about doing the full session, just do what you can and pace yourself. Consistency is key, and if you stick at it for six months, you’ll feel a big difference. This effect will then snowball.”
Catherine is also calling on the NHS to take new steps to support women experiencing menopause. She said: “I’d love to see women aged 40 get a letter from the NHS with accurate and up to date information on menopause, outlining the symptoms, that you will likely find exercising and lifting weights helpful, as well as the importance of protein and signposting sources of accurate information. GPs need mandatory menopause training – it would save the NHS time and money.”
Most of all, Catherine wants other women experiencing similar symptoms to know they can get through it, and things will improve. She said: “Try and get out for a 10-minute walk and if you bump into someone you know for a quick chat or a smile, even better. This can make the biggest difference to your day.
“There will be ups and downs – life is not linear. But if your symptoms are awful, please hang in there and know it will get better.”
