Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method
January 26, 2023
Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method
How do you navigate the menopause transition and enjoy your running?
We designed the Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method as a way of helping midlife females manage the menopause transition whilst enjoying their running.
If you’re finding that your usual way of eating and training isn’t giving you the results you desire, and that the menopause is getting in the way of you enjoying your running, in this episode we share a snap-shot of our method with you.
We truly believe that you can’t be a good runner without being a healthy woman and in our experience midlife health changes and symptoms can be a limiting factor if not managed effectively.
We don’t want women to suffer the experiences we had going through peri menopause and post menopause – so that was our driving force.
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SHOW NOTES
Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method
(02:22)
What led us to developing the Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method.
We noticed that there were some common problems, frustrations and challenges that the women who work with us were experiencing.
Women tell us that peri-menopausal symptoms get in the way of them enjoying their running and indeed can affect their running performance too.
Typically, they notice a change in body composition. They may gain weight or notice there is a change in body composition i.e., more fat and less muscle – they feel flabby.
They may also be noticing more aches, pains and niggly injuries. They feel tired all the time and their sleep may be affected by night sweats and hot flushes. They may also be having erratic periods.
Every woman has a different experience, but when you are used to feeling good, these changes can have a negative impact and can lead to losing your running mojo. Unfortunately for some women this phase can be prolonged and extend into the post menopause phase of life.
Often women want to make the necessary health and lifestyle changes but don’t know in what order to make those changes.
(06:30)
The lifestyle challenges facing mid-life women and how it may impact them in resolving menopausal symptoms with nutrition and lifestyle changes.
Many women are juggling a busy family life with children, elderly parents, their partner, their work, a social life as well as trying to be fit and healthy too … and if you are a runner you’re trying to fit in training and perhaps some races too.
Women were telling us that they wanted to find a way of managing their menopause so they could be a healthy weight, combat low energy, choose the best food for their life stage and their running but do it all in a very easy way to fit in with their busy lives.
(10:00)
An overview of the Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method
There SIX modules organised in specific steps. We’ve pulled on all our experience of working with clients and our personal learning and research to create a METHOD which is straightforward and simple to apply.
Everything we share with you in the podcast is about developing great health and supporting you in your running performance … what we are aiming to do with HWHR is distil all our advice into a simple and easy to implement process.
The frustration for us is that there is a lot of generic educational menopausal advice out there in the world. Some of it is very helpful from a foundational nutritional view-point. Some of it falls into the “magic bullet” zone … which we do not advocate.
We truly believe women need a holistic and personalised approach to managing health in mid-life.
The style of the programme involves us guiding you through the steps in a group setting PLUS we include 3 x 1:1 sessions so we are able to offer some personalised nutrition advice too.
The six modules which our method is based on ARE: STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS – SHAPING UP – HORMONE RESET – ENERGY FOR EVERYTHING – EATING FOR RUNING RESULTS – MAINTAIN and FINE TUNE.
(13:11)
Module 1: STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS
We believe success begins with being programme ready!
We start with helping you get fully prepared and in the zone to become a Healthy Woman Healthy Runner. It’s important to know where you are starting and what you want to achieve during our time together.
We’ll take you through a simple Self-Assessment and Goal Setting Process to help you become really clear on why you choose to be a Healthy Woman Healthy Runner and what you wish to feel, be and do by the end of the programme.
We’ll also be guiding you through our Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Lifestyle Audit so you are able to easily choose which lifestyle areas to upgrade to support your health. With all your preparations in place you’ll be set up for success.
(15:31)
Module 2: SHAPING UP
We help support you in understanding your ideal healthy body composition and we will quickly and effectively support you in getting the NUTRITION BASICS in place and we’ll be helping you to DESIGN YOUR HEALTHY WOMAN HEALTHY RUNNER PERSONALISED NUTRITION BLUE-PRINT – you’ll learn what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat – so that you are
· optimising macronutrients,
· balancing blood sugar,
· assessing your food intake to meet your energy requirements,
· learning how to adapt your plans for different routines and for socialising.
This module includes a 1:1 session so we can support you in personalizing your nutrition plan. All of this is based on what a mid-life woman requires for optimal health i.e., what you need at this stage of life is different from requirement of a younger woman.
By the end of this module, you’ll be feeling more energised and noticing some positive changes in your body shape.
Module 3: HORMONE RESET
We’ll Guide you through a 14-day Hormone Reset Food Plan designed to support your liver and digestive system and promote balancing of female sex hormones.
Our simple and delicious food plan supports you in eliminating toxins, excess hormones and triggering resistant weight loss. We’ll help you to easily add phytoestrogenic foods to your daily food plan to support hormonal balance and help you to minimise peri menopausal and menopausal symptoms.
“Our aim is for you to feel light in mind and body and for your energy levels to soar”.
(19:29)
Module 4: ENERGY FOR EVERYTHING
We need high energy for family life, for work, for socialising and for running. You’ll have already put nutrition practices into place to help promote high levels of energy, however there may be other reasons for fluctuating energy levels, so we’ll help you work out what is draining your energy and then help you put into place Restorative Rituals to support your sleep, rest and minimise stress and have enough energy to run!
(20:33)
Module 5: EATING FOR RUNNING RESULTS
Great running is probably what is your big motivator, however it’s vital that you have all the other nutrition and lifestyle pieces in place so that you can gain the most benefits from performance specific nutrition.
It’s time to introduce athlete plate balance specific to your training days alongside nutrient timing pre, during and post training and racing. We’ll coach you through designing eating plans for the different types of training days you have.
The aim of this module is to “Optimise your running results using nutrition as your secret tool to give you the edge! Whatever it is you are aiming for we help tailor a food plan to support you. E.g. PB? Distance? Speed?
(22:55)
Module 6: MAINTAIN AND FINE TUNE
We round up ensuring you have everything in place to set you up for long-term success as a Healthy Woman Healthy Runner. In this phase we are focusing on helping you finetune and maintain everything you have been learning about ad practicing. We want you to Be a Healthy Woman Healthy Runner for LIFE.
(24:02)
How do we make the method easy to implement
When we developed the HWHR Method we had the busy woman in mind, that is why it is a step-by-step approach we take over 90 days…so you have plenty of time to incorporate the simple changes into your busy daily life. Each step will build on the previous one to keep it manageable for you.
Each module focusses first on WHAT to do and WHEN to do it – we do the thinking for you, so you have a simple step by step approach – then we concentrate on the HOW to do it with tips and practical support.
We DO like to explain WHY we are suggesting the steps, however we keep the explanations concise and to the point to maximise time efficiency.
Many of our clients have listened to our podcast for many episodes so they already know the WHY and they come to the HWHR Method to get support on implementation and personalisation.
There are many programmes available to work through on your own, some of which are very good, but we realise that some women need more. They need the contact, interaction and accountability to stay on track.
With the Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Programme we are there to support you and encourage you throughout. There are Live Q&A sessions and small group training sessions to help keep you engaged plus 1:1 Sessions to give your personalised support. If you are part of the Healthy Woman Healthy Runner programme you will never feel that you are “on your own”.
(26:13)
Join us for four next Free Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Training or get on the Wait list for the next Healthy Woman Healthy Runner programme
(28:52)
Final Thoughts see below
Female Factors
Many women experience changes in body composition during the menopause transition (MT). On average, women gain approximately 5 to 7 pounds (or 2 to 3 kg) over the course of the menopause transition.
The menopause transition happens in phases. The peri menopause being the first phase which typically occurs between the ages of 45- 55. The menopause is a point in time 12 months after a woman’s last period. Following this point it is considered that a woman is post-menopausal.
Changes in body composition during the menopause transition may include loss of muscle mass, increases in fat mass and weight gain. Weight gain may be modest for some women however changes in shape and tone may feel frustrating. For women who are overweight prior to menopause transition, this additional weight gain can add significantly to their health burden.
A study of 1246 women (as part of SWAN cohort – Study of Womens Health Across the Nation) monitored body composition changes across the menopause transition. The baseline age of women at the start of the study was 47.1 years with final menstrual period being at an average age of 52.2 years (2).
The study noted approximately 2 years before the final menstrual period there was an accelerated increase in fat mass and proportion of fat mass or a decrease in lean mass and proportion of lean mass (2).
Gains of both fat and lean compartments decelerated at approximately 1.5 years after the final menstrual period. Deceleration meaning slowing down of gains not loss of fat or lean mass.
However they also noted that changes in measurements of weight and BMI differed from body composition: accelerations took place about 1 year before final menstrual period and decelerations in gains about 3 years after the final menstrual period (2).
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method
OUR Final Thoughts
When women approach the menopause transition … their usual way of eating and exercising seems to stop working! Everyday healthy eating and regular running is no longer enough to maximise running performance, to minimise injury and maintain a good body composition.
Women of “our age” require to be more strategic, focusing on balancing hormonal health with targeted nutrition, lifestyle and fine tuning their exercise plans.
We imagine you’ll know the theory. Are we right?
It’s the putting it into practice which is the tricky part of being a Healthy Woman Healthy Runner.
The “magic” in how we deliver our Healthy Woman Healthy Runner METHOD is that we make it light for you and our METHOD includes a combination of 1:1 coaching and group sessions plus mini videos and resources … so we have everything covered.
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