u/Due-Pear-6619

I am going to start with weight training again, after a decade long hiatus. I am a 43 year old woman in fairly good shape. I cycle to and from work, and I walk in general between 12k and 15k steps at work.

Although my cardiovascular health is good, I am far from strong😭 But I want to be!

I found this 3 days per week, full body program, and I wonder if it is good, or if I should look elsewhere.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/8-week-beginner-workout-for-women

Thanks

I wanted to copy paste the routine but it was formatting nightmare lol😭

I noticed that my vellus hairs are growing a lot in my face. And I didn’t have lots to begin with (East African roots). however now I see peach fuzz which I find cute. BUT, I also just noticed in the sun today, that my arm hairs have been going bezerk.

don’t k know if this is hormones or if this is all the supplements I have been taking for the last six months, which are spirulina or chlorella, vitamin D + K2, fish oil. OR if it is my skincare products that contain niacinamide for example, which is a B vitamin

thanks

I am going to start with weight training again, after a decade long hiatus. I am a 43 year old woman in fairly good shape. I cycle to and from work, and I walk in general between 12k and 15k steps at work.

Although my cardiovascular health is good, I am far from strong😭 But I want to be!

I found this 3 days per week, full body program, and I wonder if it is good, or if I should look elsewhere.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/8-week-beginner-workout-for-women

Thanks

Brukade handla frekvent på iHerb innan de la till import- och tullavgifter för varor köpta utanför EU, vilket var för drygt 10-12 år sen?🤔

Funderade på att handla där igen för att det säljs produkter på sajten som inte finns i Europa, men jag undrar om det är värt all extra kostnad.

Finns det swedditörer här som brukar handla på iHerb, och som kanske gjort det länge? Är det värt det för er? Ska ni fortsätta med det även när de nu lägger till den där extra avgiften på 150kr(?) ?

Skulle helst vilja köpa varor från EU, men såhär får det kanske bli då och då.

I have been reading up on pregnenolone, and since it seems to be a precursor to many a good things, I wonder if it is worth trying out. I am 43, soon turning 44, I have been perimenopausal for a couple of years but I still have very mild symptoms. I use bioidentical progesterone cream and it had really helped with my anxiousness, as well has restored my sleep again.

Would adding pregnenolone be like adding gasoline to a fire, or could it be something that helps? Any success stories? Any warnings against taking it?

thanks

I used to work out regularly up until ten years ago due to illness. All is well now but I feel overwhelmed honestly. Things have changed a lot since my fitness days, but I would like to get into it again (no app tho, just pen and paper).

I have been rowing in the gym now for the last few weeks but I would like to add a weight lifting routine for every other day of the week, or for at least 3 times a week. I am a 43 year old woman, in somewhat good shape, but I need to lose at least 25-30 lbs.

My whole hip area and core is kind of weak, so I need to adress that. My lateral hip muscles are weak. I am honestly not so interested in working on my shoulders and upper back, I feel like my rowing targets that area pretty well. But I would love to work on my legs, hips, core, and lower back.

But what would be advisable when it comes to how to split my routine? Whole body every other day, or would that be too little recovery time? Or should I do front one day, and back the next? I have googled so many plans and programs today, but I don’t know which one to choose.

43F here. Just started working out again after a long time. My left hip is very tight due to a decade of sitting wrong and just leaning to the left in general. My left leg is slightly rotated internally and my left knee is a bit knocked. I need to open up my left side more as well as strengthen my glutes on that side! Since this is about at least 14 years of a bad habit, it will take lots of time to correct and adjust, but I am willing to do it.😤

Any suggestions for opening up hips?

Thanks

Hallå!

Fick den geniala idén häromdagen när jag var och badade i havet att jag borde gå en kurs i havssim, eller open water swim (?). Älskar verkligen havet och ligger helst i så länge som det går innan man tappar känseln i fingertopparna.

Men är det nån som gått en sån grundkurs? Hur var det? Var det jobbigt? Krävande? Kallt? Det finns en grundkurs i början av augusti som jag kanske ska hoppa på.

Jag är en ”bra” simmare, är trygg i vatten, kan dock inte crawla sådär jättebra. Jag brukar träna några dagar i veckan, men jag vill helst bara simma i våtdräkt och leka säl.🦭

Vill som sagt inte tävla i nåt triathlon eller simlopp, utan vill mest ha kul.

Edit:

brukar simma väldigt mycket i havet när det är sommar, men aldrig en kvart åt gången. Är ändå en van och trygg simmare i grunden, lärde mig simma som nioåring och har simmat mellan närliggande öar både i Sverige och utomlands. Dock är strömmen läskig tycker jag, och man vet inte hur svag man är som mänska förrn man en gång har fastnat i en ström och har svårt att ta sig ur. Därav varför jag vill gå en kurs

I want to build my butt, especially my gluteus medius and minimus, both for aesthetic reasons but also for functional reasons (weak!).

I recently started going to the gym again after a long hiatus (10 years due to health reasons) and I want to focus on my hips, as they are kind of weak honestly. I don’t want to do Bret Contreras stuff because it is hard to find free resources of his programs.

I started winging it at the gym two days ago, doing the exercises I used to do back in the day: squats, goblin squats, hip thrusts, and donkey kicks (both back and to the side). But I would like a solid program to follow. There are SO many online, and when I have searched on Reddit for recommendations, I kinda feel overwhelmed.

Do any of you’s recommend a beginners’ program from which I can build a solid ground? and butt?

I am in perimenopause right now, and I am not on HRT, as my symptoms are very mild. However, I use a wild yam cream twice a day, and it is really good. I sleep so much better now, and I don’t have that anxiety that stems from lower progesterone levels in the body.

I saw that a supplement store in ny country (Sweden) sells wild yam powder, and capsules and there are mixed reviews.

I would love to hear from women who are either perimenopausal or menopausal, who use wild yam powder or capsules every day, as a way to get progesterone in the body. If it works well for you, I might try the capsules or powder over the summer and see if I, too, get good results.

ETA: I can’t do other perimenopausal supplements like borage oil, and red clover. I get crazy ass nightmares that are terrifying, as well as a brutal headache.

Thanks

Hello!

I use LRP Anthelios UvMune 400 Hydrating Cream SPF50 every day. I work outside about two hours a day, sometimes more. I find that the sunscreen really does wonders for my skin, and I use about two fingers each time.

However, I have noticed that the skin on the top of my cheek bones, and below my eyes, gets a bit sensitive after a days work. Not sunburnt though!

Is there an additional sunscreen I can use for this part? Wearing a hat or cap will be too dang sweaty in this heat, so I would rather just put on more sunscreen. Perhaps a sun stick? or just more sunscreen in that area after a while? I don’t really sweat in my face while I am outside working (just walking around honestly).

For reference, the UV index is a 6 on a sunny and hot fay. I live in Sweden. I am of mixed European and African descent, and I am a 4 or 5 on the Fitzpatrick scale.

Thanks.

Hello, gals!

Looking for ways to strengthen weaker side of body. Not looking for medical advice. Just types of exercises to do to balance strength between left and right side of my body.

I have read that it is very common and normal that one side is more dominant strength wise. But is there a way to strengthen the not dominant side?

I do what I love in the gym, and now I have been at it on the rowing machine. I heckin love it and what it does to my body and cardio. I love sweating a lot and getting my pulse up during a workout. I also do bodyweight exercises for my core.

But I am also open for other things. Would kettlebell workouts be good? Or perhaps something else that forces my whole body to engage?

Thanks

I think I am getting a slight systemic effect from my 1mg/g estriol vaginal cream. And I think I would like to continue having this tiny oestrogen boost in my system. I have now used it daily for two weeks but this Sunday I am supposed to start using it only twice a week.

But is there any side effect from continuing with the cream on a daily basis? Not only on the vulva, but also inside the vagina. I don’t have a partner, so sex is off the table. I still have my period but I won’t be using it during that, since I use pads and it would be a bit too messy for my taste.

domo arigato

Hello!

I (43F) just started working out again after a long hiatus. For now I just to cardio, but I plan on adding stuff later on. I do about 15 minutes rowing, 3 minutes SkiErg, and 25 minutes elliptical trainer. My technique for rowing is getting better but I still don’t know what the heck I am doing lol. My s/m is about 33-38, but I don’t know if that is good/ok or not. I like to get my pulse up and sweat on, and I feel good both during and after that session. But are there some diagrams I can look at for recommended intensity and time, depending on what I want to achieve? Right now I just want to achieve cardiovascular training and strengthen muscles as much as possible. I will move on to strength training eventually but right now I really love cardio lol.

thanks

I have some old ”mechanic” issues with my left hip and core. This is because my lift side of my hip is slightly elevated, my hips are not neutral and aligned. Which I believe to be due to tight and weak muscles. I know the cause of this, and it is years of bad posture when I sit down and i sort of lean/slouch to the left side. Don’t ask me why, though. I don’t know why myself

So my right side of hip is always the dominant one. I have gone to chiropractors in the past (not my thing anymore), and after a few adjustments, my legs were always equally long.

So I am guessing I have to really strengthen my gluteus medius and minimus, as well as my core. Because my weak left hip causes my left knee to collapse inwards. And I notice some slight inner knee ache on my left knee when I am training on the elliptical machine.

What can I do to balance out my sides? My right is strong, and I feel like I am not really connected to the left side of my body. My left side always just tags along with whatever the right side is doing.😂

I have met physiotherapists, naprapaths, and personal trainers in the past, but with age (40s) I want to try to fix it in the gym. which is what they have all said anyway.😆

thanks

43F here who has woken up around 2-3AM every night since two years back. I thought it was tied to just regular old sleeplessness and didn‘t think it could be a lack of progesterone.

I live in a country where it’s impossible to get HRT unless you are postmenopausal, so I will have to wing it for a couple of more years. I have tried supplements, and it didn’t work (borage, red clover, etc.). But I have started vaginal estriol cream to prevent vaginal atrophy. And I bought a wild yam progesterone cream with 20mg USP progesterone per “dose“, that you can use once or twice per day. I know that wild yam creams are not generally believed to help, but I have had the best couple of nights of sleep in years since I started using that cream.

I had also been generally anxious for years and I just thought it was life being life that caused the anxiety. But I actually feel calmer in general too! It’s like I am wrapped in a warm and cozy blanket and wearing my snuggliest wool socks lol.

But since I am “self medicating”, I have no idea how one is supposed to feel when using wild yam cream, USP progesterone. I know that the amount of progesterone is super small, but it does actually help me! I feel much calmer in general, which I haven’t felt in years either.

I eat well, I work out, I take all recommended supplements for perimenopause. I am just trying to have the smoothest transition ever. I will try to contact a private OBGYN clinic and consult them regarding HRT.

Thanks

So I can’t do any weight lifting at all. I had a severe burnout ten years ago for several years that I have almost bounced back from, but I am still not 100% well in many ways. One of those ways is working out. I used to do lots of HIIT and weight lifting before, but now I can only do cardio.

I work out about 3-5 days a week, depending on my work schedule. I do an hour of a mix of rowing, ski erg, and elliptical. I try to get my pulse up but also tire my muscles. Every one is always talking about weight lifting for a transformed body, but I really can’t do that. 😭

Just looking for inspiration and other people’s experiences with only doing cardio. I am 43 and a woman, and in good health in general, minus the previous burnout. I want to lose about 20-30 lbs, and my diet is good and healthy.

I am a woman’s shoe size EU40/UK7/US9, and I feel like my feet don’t really fit the stairs. I would love to be able to dig down my heels on each step, but if I do that my toes get crushed by the oncoming step.😂 How do y’all girls do it?

Also, my balance is the worst, I feel like I am wobbling like an ogre when using the machine, my core on my left side is just weak, as is my glutes and legs on the left side, so I stick out my butt while stepping, which leads to only the back of my thighs working, nothing else. What do? Just start with like 3 minutes and super slow, and focus on technique only?

Edit: I will start doing Youtube pilates at home a few days a week when I am not working out at the gym, so the issue with my weak and imbalanced core will be dealt with.🙂‍↕️

Thanks

I am 43 years of age, in good health and with minimal or hardly any perimenopausal symptoms. I haven’t had sex in a decade and I haven’t masturbated in like eight years. Not asexual, it has just not been a thing I do (good for people who do it though!).

Anyway, I *just* realised that I am indeed 43 and that it might be a good idea to start with topical vaginal estrogen cream for dryness and combating vaginal atrophy. Since I haven’t been entering my vagina in a gazillion years, I noticed that my vaginal canal seems to have become shorter since last time I had sex and/or masturbated, and a bit looser too. :/

Me being a control freak and a fan of preventative care in general, started googling vaginal atrophy and pelvic floor therapy STAT!😂 And within a few hours, I had downloaded Kegel apps, bought Kegel balls, as well as a vibrating dildo for massaging the vaginal canal and increasing blood flow there. I don’t plan on having sex soon (no partner), but I would like to have it in the future, and I’ll be damned if my kitty cat atrophies before that.😭 I will say that I did try to do some Kegel exercises yesterday, and yes my vaginal muscles are not at all as strong as they were ten years ago.😔 It really is ”you use it, or lose it”.

I have found hopeful Reddit posts of women who were able to reverse vaginal atrophy and strengthen the whole area by doing daily exercises, hormone creams, and increasing blood flow to the area. And I am hoping that I too will be able to do it.

My question is: will my vaginal canal be able to become a bit longer again, as it were ten years ago? Is there a way for it to return to its original length? I get that it probably be as it was when I was in ny 20s and 30s, but I would like it to be fit at least. 😂 thanks