Perimenopause: The Decade No One Warned You About

Perimenopause can start as early as your late 30s and last up to a decade before your final period. The symptoms are notoriously unpredictable: cycles that shorten then lengthen, sleep that fractures for no obvious reason, anxiety that arrives without an invitation.

The first move is data. Track your cycle, sleep, energy, and training tolerance for three months. Patterns emerge quickly and they give your doctor and coach something to work with beyond vague complaints.

Training in perimenopause should lean heavier on strength and shorter on long, grinding cardio. Cortisol is already elevated — adding 90-minute fasted runs rarely helps. Lift heavy, walk daily, and sprint occasionally.

Nutritionally, the appetite-suppressing effect of estrogen weakens, which is why many women feel hungrier and gain weight around the midsection. The answer isn't to eat less; it's to eat more protein and fiber, and to be honest about alcohol, which becomes meaningfully harder to metabolize in this window.