Do you remember when getting up from the floor was effortless? When you could garden for hours without your knees complaining? When you didn’t make that involuntary “oof” sound every time you stood up from a chair?
If those days feel like a distant memory, you’re not alone.
One of the most frustrating paradoxes of perimenopause is what I call the “energy-movement loop”: You need to move to gain energy, but you don’t have enough energy to start moving.
Add in the new aches and pains that seem to appear overnight in your 40s, the competing priorities that take up your time, and it’s no wonder so many women find themselves caught in a downward spiral of doing less and less activity and having less and less energy.
But here’s what you might not realise: this difficult phase is temporary – if you approach it the right way.
The Perimenopause Energy Paradox Explained
“I know I should exercise, but I’m exhausted before I even begin,” my client Rachel told me during our first consultation. “And now my knees hurt when I try to do squats, my shoulder aches when I reach overhead… it feels like my body is giving up on me.”
This echoes what I hear from so many women entering perimenopause. But what’s actually happening here?
As oestrogen fluctuates and gradually declines, a few things happen at once:
- Muscle recovery slows down, making you feel sorer for longer after activity
- Joint lubrication changes, leading to stiffness and discomfort
- Energy regulation systems become less efficient, creating the classic perimenopause fatigue
- Sleep quality often decreases, which compromises recovery even more
- Stress response becomes more sensitive, making everyday challenges feel more draining
The result? A body that seems to resist the very movement it needs most.
Why “Just Push Through It” Is Terrible Advice
If you’ve shared your struggles with friends or even some fitness professionals, you might have heard responses like:
“No pain, no gain!”
“You just need to push harder!”
“Everyone feels that way at first!”
This well-intentioned but misguided advice is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what’s happening in the perimenopausal body.
Pushing through pain doesn’t build resilience during this transition – it often deepens the energy deficit and reinforces the belief that movement has to hurt to be effective.
The Breakthrough Approach: The Minimum Effective Dose
What actually works is finding what I call your “minimum effective dose” – the smallest amount of the right kind of movement that triggers positive adaptation without overwhelming your recovery systems.
My client Lisa discovered this after multiple failed attempts to restart her fitness journey:
“I kept trying to jump back into hour-long workouts and would end up in pain, exhausted, and quitting after a week. When Sally suggested I start with just 15 minutes of gentle strength work twice a week, I thought it wouldn’t be enough. But for the first time in years, I stuck with it. Three months later, I’m doing 30-minute sessions and have more energy than I’ve had since my 30s.”
The Energy Investment Principle
Think of movement during perimenopause as an energy investment rather than an energy expenditure.
Yes, it takes energy to exercise. But the right kind and amount of movement – particularly strength training – pays dividends in the form of:
- Improved mitochondrial function (your cellular energy factories)
- Enhanced insulin sensitivity (better energy regulation)
- Optimised hormone response (including those that regulate mood and sleep)
- Strengthened joint structures (reducing those frustrating aches and pains)
The key is making small, consistent deposits into your energy bank rather than trying to make one massive withdrawal from an already overdrawn account.
Breaking Through: Your 4-Week Starter Plan
If you’re currently caught in the energy-movement paradox, here’s a gentle but effective way to break through:
Week 1: Movement Snacks
- Commit to three 5-minute “movement snacks” throughout your day
- Focus on gentle mobility work for your stiffest areas
- No intensity, just movement that feels good
Week 2: Foundation Building
- Continue your movement snacks
- Add two 10-minute strength sessions focusing on form rather than effort
- Prioritise basic movements like modified squats, wall push-ups, and gentle hip hinges
Week 3: Consistency Building
- Combine your movement into two 15-minute sessions
- Begin adding very light resistance where appropriate
- Focus on how you feel after each session rather than during
Week 4: The Breakthrough
- Maintain two weekly sessions, potentially extending to 20 minutes if energy allows
- Notice improvements in everyday movements
- Begin connecting the dots between consistent movement and improved energy
This gradual approach honours where your body is right now while creating the conditions for positive change.
When You Keep Trying and Failing
“I’ve tried getting back into exercise so many times,” my client Megan shared. “I get motivated, do too much, feel terrible, and quit. Then I feel guilty and the cycle repeats.”
If this sounds familiar, please know that the problem isn’t your willpower or commitment – it’s your approach.
The cycle of trying and failing often comes from:
- Setting unrealistic expectations based on what you used to do (we’re all guilty of falling into the comparison trap)
- Following programs not designed for perimenopausal bodies
- Lacking the right support system to help you navigate the transition
- Misinterpreting your body’s feedback about what it needs
Breaking this cycle requires a fundamentally different approach – one that starts with acceptance of where you are now and builds forward with patience and consistency.
The Strength Training Advantage
While any movement is beneficial, strength training offers unique advantages for women navigating perimenopause:
- It can be precisely dosed and progressively adjusted
- It directly addresses the muscle loss that accelerates during perimenopause
- It strengthens joints while improving their function
- It creates metabolic resilience that helps stabilise energy
- It can be effectively done in short sessions
Even better, the results from strength training tend to transfer directly to everyday activities – making gardening, climbing stairs, and playing with grandchildren easier and more enjoyable (and even if you’re not at the stage of worrying about those things yet, where’s the harm in being able to live life to the fullest without worrying about your body keeping up?)
Finding Your Path Forward
If you’re ready to break through the energy-movement paradox but aren’t sure where to start, I offer two pathways designed specifically for women in perimenopause:
My 1:1 coaching program provides personalised guidance, accountability, and support as you rebuild your relationship with movement. We’ll start exactly where you are – aches, pains, and energy fluctuations included – and create a sustainable path forward that honours your unique body and circumstances.
For women who prefer a more self-guided approach, my Strength Essentials program offers accessible, progressive workouts designed specifically for perimenopausal bodies. You’ll learn proper form, appropriate progression, and how to interpret your body’s feedback as you build strength and energy.
Both options take the guesswork out of movement during perimenopause, so you can focus on consistency rather than constantly wondering if you’re doing the “right” thing.
The Most Important Step
The most important thing to remember is that breaking through the energy-movement paradox doesn’t require a heroic effort or perfect execution.
It simply requires taking the first small step, then another, and another – each one building on the last.
Your body wants to feel better. It wants to move with ease and joy. Sometimes it just needs a gentle, consistent approach to remember how.
Where will you start?
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