The 40+ fitness market is burgeoning! We’ve rounded up the best apps for perimenopause and online offerings designed to help women thrive through midlife and beyond
Words: Joanna Ebsworth | Images: Shutterstock and various brands
Owning Your Menopause
Menopause fitness coach Kate Rowe-Ham has launched an app aimed at supporting menopausal women to get fit, empowered and strong. Inspired by Kate’s own battles, experiences and symptoms of menopause – and her recognition of the lack of support and education for women in this demographic – the app gives women the tools they need to thrive through midlife, providing a safe, non-judgemental community of like-minded women learning to thrive through menopause holistically, along with effective and efficient live and on-demand workouts to reshape what fitness means to women going into this life stage.
Based around five key pillars to help you feel strong in body and mind: movement, nutrition, community, mindfulness and support, Own Your Menopause (OYM) members benefit from live sessions covering strength, HIIT, Pilates, Yoga, Breathwork and Mindfulness seven days a week, 365 days a year (also on demand), plus a four-week beginners guide to lifting weight, a daily text offering support and motivation, community chats, accountability check-ins, monthly sleep clinics and live Q&As and menopause GP-led webinars. Find out more at owningyourmenopause.com.
Breaking Ballet
Lawyer-turned-ballet teacher Sarah Aspinall is on a mission to dispel the myth that ballet is only for people of a certain age with her uplifting ballet-based workouts created specifically for women in midlife.
Designed to help busy women sculpt toned, strong bodies at home without equipment, each workout fuses the best ballet-inspired movements with bodyweight, cardio and stretching, to help you develop self-awareness, strength, grace, longevity and confidence. In joining the holistic BBackstage membership platform, you’ll receive daily 15- to 20-minute workouts, a monthly challenge to boost motivation, an easy-to-follow meal plan, educational training and access to a supportive community of other women around the world to futureproof your body and wellbeing.
Everything is carefully crafted to break down any mindset, time, ability or age barriers you might have, while leaving you feeling empowered, energised and open to the changes happening to your body, mind and hormones. Best of all, you don’t need any dance or ballet experience. Find out more at breakingballet.com.
Caroline’s Circuits
Instagram sensation Caroline’s Circuits (@carolinescircuits) is an online strength and fitness platform designed especially for women over 40 experiencing symptoms of perimenopause, menopause and post menopause.
Founded by Caroline Idiens, a ‘strength in midlife’ expert and qualified PT of more than 20 years, the platform runs four live 30-minute classes each week on a Monday (full-body), Tuesday (upper-body), Wednesday (lower-body) and Friday (HIIT with strength training), with recordings made available immediately afterwards.
Suitable for all fitness levels and ages, members can train with or without resistance equipment to increase bone density and muscle mass, aid weight management, boost mood and reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. To make her workouts even more accessible, Caroline has recently launched the In Ten Series, 10-minute strength training sessions that can be done alone or stacked together, to help those who are time poor and struggling with motivation.
Use the code picknmix20 for a 20 per cent discount on your membership to the main platform and the In Ten Series. For more info visit carolinescircuits.com.
The Female Curve
In response to community demand, women’s fitness and nutrition platform The Female Curve has launched a new perimenopause programme to help women entering this life stage better manage their symptoms, rebalance hormones and achieve life-changing health and fitness results.
The programme takes a personalised approach using cutting-edge scientific research – applied in a nurturing and easy-to-follow way – and requires a minimum 12-week commitment. Services include 1-1 online coaching from The Curve’s team of highly qualified fitness and nutrition experts, and a personalised plan tailored to the user’s unique needs and goals.
Several lifestyle changes are then initiated to offset the effects of the hormonal changes, including a resistance training plan to decrease muscle deterioration and improve bone density, and a specific diet to support that. You also receive guidance on improving sleep hygiene and quality, advice on macronutrient tracking and supplements, and ongoing support from your coach, including weekly check-in calls, to help monitor your progress and help you stay on track. For more info visit thefemalecurve.com.
Why you should weightlift for perimenopause
It’s So Simple
It’s So Simple is the brainchild of 44-year-old Rachael Sacerdoti, a qualified PT and wellness coach who developed osteopenia in one hip from low bone density in her 20s due to forced early menopause. Following her own body transformation where she lost 30kg and gained a great bone density percentage, Rachel created her popular 12-week programme (minimum sign-up is for 12 weeks), which focuses on a combination of mindset, the right exercise and well-thought-out nutrition for long-lasting, habit-changing results to reverse the signs of menopausal weight gain and muscle loss. Find out more at itssosimple.co.uk.
The Training Club
Menopause expert and fitness instructor Meera Bhogal created The Training Club after a perimenopause-related injury forced her to swap her beloved running for resistance training and Ashtanga yoga – with life-changing results. Membership provides access to 11 live exercise sessions held on Zoom each week, including resistance training, HIIT, core work and yoga, with recordings made available afterwards. Meera also runs regular wellness retreats and motivational events, and her website features a host of nutritionally analysed tasty recipes you can build into a healthy meal plan. For more info visit meerasmadefromscratch.co.uk/events/the-training-club/.
Silver Sessions
Fitness industry legend Dean Hodgkin has teamed up with global wellness community app TRUCONNECT to create a series of workouts called Silver Sessions that can shave years off your age. Featuring a broad range of fitness disciplines, from yoga and cardio to circuit training, strength training and more, the bespoke workouts provide a balanced mix to help improve strength, flexibility, balance and self-esteem. At 58, Dean notes that it’s never too late for anyone to embark on a new exercise regime to enjoy a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and falls. Find out more at truconnect.fit.
