Women “need to disentangle performance goals from body image”, especially as they age, ultra-trail runner and coach Cathy Duffy says. Photo / Getty Images
The impacts of ageing and perimenopause shouldn’t stop women from exercising - but it should change how you exercise.
That’s according to Cathy Duffy, an ultra-trail runner and coach with Mile 27 in Australia.
A health worker specialising in exercise for over 20 years, Duffy has been a lifelong runner.
Speaking to Francesca Rudkin and Louise Ayrey on the NZ Herald’s health and wellbeing podcast, The Little Things, Duffy said she was running for around 10 years, sometimes five times a week, without any injuries.
“I reached that point in my life... where the hormones start to shift and there’s different stresses on your body. And I started to get my first few niggles and then injuries. So that then led me to learn about, well, what’s now happening with my body?”
That made her realise she need to start incorporating strength into her workout, and provide her body with a strong foundation.
For Duffy, that’s involved going to gym and using weights, working on that foundation as well as improving her bones and muscles.
“There’s a different focal point for the types of things I’m doing in the gym, but strength is very important in terms of your longevity in the sport.
“‘Cause our body makes us do what we need to do and we need to look after it and make it as strong as possible.”
For many people who have grown used to their body and how it operates over the decades, hormone changes and the stresses of getting older can be difficult to adapt to.
Duffy has adapted by developing a motto, focusing on function over face value.
“I pride how my body functions much higher than how it’s actually looking.
“That’s what I continually tell myself is, how do I wanna function when I’m 80? And if I can’t do some of those things now I need to really address those things.”
That is particularly key for people who do repetitive exercises, such as running, so building that core strength is necessary to maintain longevity.
Duffy said women need to keep in mind that menopause is a “head to toe condition”, impacting everything from the brain - including motivation and mental health - to the metabolic and how women absorb glucose and manage weight.
Talking to a sports dietician friend, Duffy learnt a phrase she wants all women to know: “You need to disentangle performance goals from body image”.
She said if you look in the mirror and see a bit of extra weight around the belly that wasn’t there a few years ago, you need to put that to one side and focus on performance goals.
“So my performance goals at the moment are, there’s a race I’m targeting, so I need to train sensibly, I need to have good recovery, I need to have quality nutrition, I need to do my strength, I need to get sleep in.
“If I’m doing all the things to maximise my performance, the irony of all of that is your body will end up the best that it can be. So focusing on your performance goals and doing everything you need to in that space and the right things for your body optimises the physicality of your body that comes later.”
Duffy said fixating on belly weight and trying to mitigate the impacts - such as restricting your calorie intake - can actually exacerbate the impacts of menopause.
That’s why she believes the focus should be on what you want to achieve for yourself right now.
“My body will be what my body will be. And I am so proud of what my body allows me to do. And yes, I am a 52-year-old woman who’s got decades and decades worth of societal pressures on me to look a certain way. And I’m not saying it’s easy, but I’m constantly reminding myself that it’s okay where I’m at because I’m doing as a 52-year-old far more than what some 20-year-olds can do, and I’m proud of that.”
Listen to the full episode of The Little Things for more insights in adapting your exercise for perimenopause and beyond from Cathy Duffy.
The Little Things is available on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. The series is hosted by broadcaster Francesca Rudkin and health researcher Louise Ayrey. New episodes are available every Saturday.
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