Strength training

What to do

Two or three sessions a week, twenty minutes each. Bodyweight squats, wall push-ups, and resistance bands all count — you do not need a gym or a barbell. Work the large muscles: legs, back, chest.

Same two days each week, right after you drop your bag at home.

On a hard day: Ten squats holding the kitchen counter.

What it takes

20 minutes · no equipment

Worth following along with Sydney Cummings (a channel on YouTube — not ours, and nothing is paid for)

What this is based on

A 2025 University of Exeter study confirmed resistance training improves physical function and metabolic health through the menopausal transition. Insulin sensitivity falls 20–30% in this period, and muscle is the tissue that takes up glucose without needing insulin.

Well established · University of Exeter, 2025

Or instead of this

These do a similar job. Pick the one that fits your life — doing all of them is not better.

• Gentle mobility

What this is for

• Weight changes
• Low energy
• Joint pain
• Mood swings

Also worth knowing about

• Creatine monohydrate

  Not just for gym bros. It fuels brain cells the same way it fuels muscle.

• A walk after eating

  Ten minutes after your largest meal does more for blood sugar than an hour at another time.

• Protein at breakfast

  The meal most women under-eat protein at, and the one where it changes the rest of the day.

• Morning light

  Free, takes ten minutes, and sets both your mood and that night’s sleep.