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Some days the plan is simple; move my body. Today I got on the treadmill, then do some core work. No big production, no pressure. Just showing up. That’s what today’s video is.
I started with an incline walk on the treadmill while holding light dumbbells. To get warmed up, sweat and clear my head, since I was limited on time. Then I went home and got straight into a core session. Nothing fancy. If you’re short on time, you can do either half on its own and still count it as a win.
Strength and core work matter more as we get older, and they don’t have to be intense to be effective. Consistency beats intensity every time.
Affordable finds worth sharing
I picked up a couple of budget-friendly things and wanted to show you what I found:
Workout shorts: I found 2 workout tees for $5 each. I love this brand for workout shirts. They are comfortable, stay in place and wash up well.
Ankle weights: Danskin 5lb leg weights. I couldn’t find them online anywhere. I linked the closest match I could find. They are an easy way to add a little challenge to core moves without buying more equipment.
You don’t need to spend a lot to rebuild your routine. Start with what’s affordable and what you’ll actually use.
A quick unboxing
I also opened a Tubby Todd order on camera. I’m officially part of the Tubby Todd Squad! They gifted some new items and they were impressive. If you want to check them out, shop Tubby Todd here and get 10% off.
A note on Clear Days
The Clear Days series has come to an end. Thank you for watching, for sharing your own foggy days, and for showing up for this. I’m working on a new video that will help if you don’t know where to start.
Watch the full video above, and if you’d like to keep building with me, get the Starter Guide.
I avoided the supplement conversation for a long time.
Partly because I didn’t want QRC to feel like I’m just pushing products on you. And partly because I genuinely didn’t know what I trusted yet.
But here’s what changed. I started paying closer attention to what was I needed. Then looked for products that claimed to actually make a difference.
So this is what I’ve found. Not a clinical breakdown. Just what I’ve looked into, what made sense to me, and what I think is worth knowing.
FIRST WHY SUPPLEMENTS FEEL SO CONFUSING IN PERIMENOPAUSE
Your body is changing in ways that sneak up on you. You’re not sick.
Nothing is broken. But estrogen is fluctuating, cortisol is running higher than it used to, and your recovery just doesn’t look the same as it did at 35.
So you google “perimenopause supplements” or something like that and you get 89 different articles and a lot of products claiming to “fix” everything.
What I’ve looked for was simple: science-backed, designed specifically for women in this stage and not trying to sell me a “cure”.
What I’ve Been Paying Attention To
Perelel was one of the first brands I actually stopped scrolling past. They’re doctor-formulated, the ingredients are transparent, and they’re not making wild claims. What I appreciate is that their approach is stage-specific; they’re not handing you a generic women’s multivitamin and calling it done. For women in perimenopause specifically, that matters.
I’m an affiliate and I only share things I’d genuinely use and would tell a friend about.
It tastes great which surprised me because I’ve have some in the past that was just nasty. Plus, it’s filling, is non GMO, and has creatine. This pack lasted me for about 3 weeks and I had 1 smoothie everyday. It’s a great way to feed your body with protein which we need even more right now. It feeds and support muscles.
I haven’t finished the Perimenopause Pack. It’s a one month supply so more on that later when I’ve finished it. If you want to take what I’m taking you can get 15% off using Kristie15 on their site, Perelelhealth.com
Nothing will fix everything. But if you’re looking for a starting point that isn’t random, this is worth looking at. It’s became a part of my daily routine and can feel the difference.
What I’d Tell You Before You Buy Anything
Start with sleep and energy. If you’re not sleeping and you’re running on empty, that’s where perimenopause is hitting hardest for most of us. Look for supplements that actually address those two things specifically not just that lists 30 ingredients and hopes something works.
And don’t let perfect be the enemy of starting. One thing, tried consistently, tells you more than five things taken randomly.
One More Thing
If you’re newer here and you’re trying to figure out where to even begin with movement and perimenopause; I put together a free guide. It’s not a program. It’s not a challenge. It’s just a real starting point, designed for the body you’re in right now.
On Sunday, I dropped a YouTube video and started talking about my latest perimenopause symptom. I had no intention on bringing it up. But before I knew it, it came right out of my mouth.
Excessive peeing…that’s the latest symptom to appear in this wonderful journey of midlife. 🙃
Originally, I thought it was me. Or that maybe I was drinking more liquids. I slowed down on the liquids and determined that I hadn’t lost it. I was definitely going more than usual.
In true Kristie fashion; I took to the net to find out if excessive peeing and perimenopause are related. And the answer was, “yep!” It’s more to it but basically the lining of the bladder is thinner due to hormones. Also, found out there are three things that exasperate it.
Caffeine
Alcohol
Carbonation
So, if you’re experiencing excessive peeing in perimenopause. You might was to consider cutting these out. We’ll talk more about that on another day.
If you haven’t started the Restart Series than you might want to go there after this. It’s an 8 week series with tips and routines to help you navigate perimenopause and get back into fitness. This week is Week 7. It’s almost over.
Last week, I mentioned in a video that I was gifted a Perimenopause Support Pack and Protein Pack from Perelel. I’ve been using both products for a week. So far it’s been going great. I go into full detail in the video below. Plus, you can get 15% off your purchase of you use the code: Kristie15 at checkout at Perelel Health .
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
If you’ve only caught the preview clips so far, here’s what’s actually happened.
Two Thursdays ago, I started something I hadn’t done before on on my YouTube Channel: an 8-week restart, filmed in real time, in my actual living room, before my son and husband are even awake (most of the time). Not a challenge. Not a transformation series. Just eight weeks of showing up for a body that’s going through something nobody handed me a manual for.
Week 1: The Restart
The first episode wasn’t about a workout plan. It was about naming the thing underneath it that the exhaustion a lot of us feel isn’t a discipline problem. Something in the body changed, and nobody told us the plan needed to change with it.
We kept the movement small on purpose. A 15-minute low-impact reset. Nothing that spikes you when you’re already running on empty. The point of Week 1 wasn’t intensity. It was proof that showing up, even in a small way, still counts.
Week 2: Feeding the Muscle You’re Trying to Build
By Week 2, I was doing the strength work and still felt soft and tired, and it took me a minute to realize why. I was building muscle and not feeding it.
So Episode 2 wasn’t a diet video; it was the other half of the equation. During perimenopause, your body holds onto muscle differently than it used to, and it needs more support to do it. Not a scary stat. Just context for why this feels harder than it did at 30.
What actually changed for me wasn’t a system. It was small things like adding almonds to whatever I was already making instead of building a separate meal, keeping one thing pre-made in the fridge so there’s no decision left to make at the end of a long day. The reframe underneath all of it: this isn’t about eating perfectly. It’s about giving the muscle you’re already building something to work with.
The workout that paired with it; 20-minute full-body strength session with dumbbells or bodyweight only was the “feed the muscle” follow-through.
Where We Are Now
Two weeks in, the pattern is already familiar to anyone who’s tried to rebuild something while life keeps happening around it: show up small, notice what your body actually needs, adjust, keep going. Not a straight line. Just consistent.
If you’re standing at the very beginning of this; the “I don’t even know where to start” part; that’s exactly what the Midlife Rebuild Starter Guide is for. Ni pressure, no plan to fail, just a gentle way back into movement for the body you actually have right now.
Week 3 airs this Thursday and we’re talking about the 10 minutes you actually have, not the hour you don’t.
Watch the series so far:
Episode 1: The Restart
Episode 2: Feeding the Muscle You’re Trying to Build
There’s a version of fitness advice that says: push through. Show up no matter what. No excuses.
And then there’s the reality of being a woman in perimenopause. Where some days, “pushing through” is the worst thing you can do for your body.
Here’s the thing nobody tells you: tired and overtrained are not the same thing. One is a signal to keep going. The other is a signal to stop. Learning the difference might be the most useful thing you do for your fitness this year.
Why This Matters More After 40
During perimenopause, your cortisol levels, your body’s primary stress hormone, are already running higher than they used to. Add a hard workout on top of that, and you’re not building strength. You’re adding stress to an already stressed system.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work out. It means you need to be smarter about when to push and when to pull back. And that starts with knowing what you’re actually feeling.
Signs You’re Overtrained (Stop. Rest. Today.)
These are signals your body is asking for more than a good night’s sleep:
Joint pain. Not muscle soreness, actual joint pain.
You wake up exhausted after 7+ hours of sleep. Rest isn’t restoring you.
Your mood has crashed. Feeling irritated with low motivation and feeling emotionally fragile.
You’re dreading workouts you used to enjoy. Not just “don’t feel like it,” but actual dread
Headache when you wake up. Your nervous system is overtaxed
If you’re checking two or more of these, today is a rest day. No negotiation.
Signs It’s Safe to Keep Going (Modified, If Needed)
These are not reasons to skip. These are the normal friction of a real fitness routine:
Low motivation and you just don’t feel like it.
Normal muscle soreness. The kind that eases once you start moving.
You slept okay but feel a little sluggish.
You’re stressed but not depleted.
You haven’t moved in two or more days.
These are go-slowly signals. A 20-minute walk counts. A modified version of your planned workout counts. Showing up in a smaller way still counts.
The Rule Worth Keeping
Pain is a stop signal. Discomfort is a go-slowly signal. Low motivation is not a signal; it’s noise.
Print that out if you need to. Save it on your phone. It will save you from both overtraining and from talking yourself out of workouts that would actually help.
What Helps When You’re Genuinely Depleted
Prioritize sleep over the workout. A consistent wake time regulates your system more than any workout.
Gentle movement only: a slow walk, stretching, or the 5-minute wind-down from the rest protocol.
Check what’s depleting you outside of exercise. Stress, under-eating, poor sleep all count as load on your system
Want the full rest and recovery protocol built for the perimenopausal body? It’s inside the Quiet Rebuild Starter Kit; including exactly when to rest, when to push, and how to do a 5-minute wind-down after every workout.
If you’re ready for a full structured plan that works with your hormones instead of against them, the 7-Day Midlife Reset Guide walks you through exactly what to do — day by day, with the rest days built in. It’s $27, or $47 with the lots of extras.
Because consistency isn’t about pushing harder. It’s about showing up smarter.
Build in silence. Show up for yourself. — Quiet Rebuild Club · quietrebuildclub.com
There’s a particular kind of exhausted that hits in your 40s that nobody really prepares you for. It’s not the tired-from-a-bad-night’s-sleep kind. It’s the woke-up-already-drained, hot-at-2am, body-feels-different-than-it-did-two-years-ago kind. The kind where you want to move your body but every workout you try feels like it was designed for someone ten years younger and three hormone cycles behind you.
I know that feeling because I’ve been in it. Just last night, I woke up five times from hot flashes. I know what the internet tells you to do: more cardio, sweat it out, push harder. I tried that and didn’t see results anymore.
But here’s what nobody told me… that advice was actually working against me because of perimenopause. The research is clear, and once I understood it, everything about how I approach my workouts changed.
The answer isn’t more cardio. Although, I still do cardio. But the real sauce is strength training. It doesn’t have to be complicated, heavy, or long.
Why Strength Training Is the Most Important Thing You Can Do During Perimenopause
Estrogen decline begins years before your last period, often in your late 30s or early 40s. Your body loses its natural muscle-preservation support system. Estrogen plays a direct role in maintaining muscle mass and bone density. When it drops, both drop with it, often faster than you’d expect.
This is why so many women in perimenopause notice weight redistribution (especially around the midsection), reduced energy, and a sense that their body composition is changing even when nothing in their diet or routine has. It’s not a willpower problem. It’s hormonal physiology.
Strength training directly addresses this. Lifting even light weights signals your body to preserve and build lean muscle, which:
• Increases your resting metabolic rate (so your body burns more calories at rest) • Supports bone density at a time when it’s most at risk • Improves insulin sensitivity, which reduces fat storage around the belly • Regulates mood and sleep through the release of endorphins and growth hormone • Reduces the severity of perimenopause symptoms over time
The research isn’t subtle on this. A 2022 study published in Menopause: The Journal of The Menopause Society found that resistance training significantly improved body composition, muscle strength, and quality of life in perimenopausal women without requiring high intensity.
Low impact does not mean low effort. It means smart effort.
What My Workouts Look Like on a Hard Hormone Day
I’ll be honest with you. There are days where a 45-minute workout is just not happening. Hot flash at 3am, my son needs things before I’ve had coffee, the general weight of everything and some days the most I can commit to is increments of 15 minutes and three moves.
Those days, this is what I do.
Three moves. Weights in hand. Done in under 20 minutes including rest. And every single one of them is directly relevant to what your body needs during perimenopause.
The 3 Moves
Dead Bug with Weights The dead bug is one of those exercises that looks gentle and absolutely is not. It’s a deep core stability exercise that protects your lower back, strengthens your transverse abdominis (the deep stabilizing muscle that wraps around your spine), and challenges coordination in a way that keeps your nervous system engaged. During perimenopause, core strength is more important than most people realize. Hormonal shifts affect ligament laxity and joint stability. your core is what compensates for that. A strong core also supports better posture, reduces back pain, and helps regulate intra-abdominal pressure. How to do it: Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees, shins parallel to the floor. Hold a light weight in each hand and extend your arms straight up toward the ceiling. Slowly lower your right arm back toward the floor while simultaneously extending your left leg straight out — hovering both just above the ground. Return to center. Then lower your left arm and right leg. That’s one rep. Go slow. The slower you go, the harder it works. Keep your lower back pressed into the mat throughout. Equipment: Light dumbbells, 3–8 lbs depending on where you are. Amazon — Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Dumbbells or CAP Barbell Neoprene Dumbbell Set
Alternating Reverse Lunge with Weights The reverse lunge is a single-leg movement, which means it trains balance, hip stability, and unilateral (one-sided) strength simultaneously. For perimenopausal women, this is crucial — single-leg movements help prevent the muscle imbalances that can lead to knee and hip problems as we age. The reverse lunge is also significantly more joint-friendly than a forward lunge. The movement pattern reduces shear force on the knee, making it accessible even on days when your joints feel sore or inflamed (which, thanks to estrogen’s anti-inflammatory role declining, is more common in perimenopause than most people expect). Lower body strength is your metabolic engine. The more muscle you have in your legs and glutes, the higher your resting metabolic rate — and the more effectively your body manages blood sugar and weight. How to do it: Stand tall holding a weight in each hand at your sides. Step your right foot back and lower your right knee toward the floor, keeping your front shin as vertical as possible and your chest up. Press through your left heel to return to standing, then bring your right foot back to meet your left. Alternate sides with each rep. Equipment: Medium dumbbells, 8–15 lbs. Start lighter than you think you need to. Amazon — Yes4All Vinyl Coated Dumbbells or Yes4All Adjustable Dumbbells
Bent-Over Row with Weights Upper body pulling movements are criminally underrepresented in most women’s fitness content, and it costs us. The bent-over row strengthens your upper back, rear deltoids, and biceps — the muscles responsible for posture, shoulder stability, and counteracting the forward rounding that happens when we’re hunched over phones, kids, and desk work all day. During perimenopause, back health becomes even more critical as bone density in the spine begins to decline. Strengthening the muscles that support the spine directly helps protect it. Strong upper back muscles also help prevent the postural changes that become more common as estrogen drops. How to do it: Hinge forward at the hips with a soft bend in your knees, keeping your back flat and your core engaged. Let the weights hang in front of you. Drive your elbows back and up, squeezing your shoulder blades together as you pull the weights toward your lower ribcage. Lower with control. That’s one rep. Don’t rush this one. The lowering phase (the eccentric) is where a significant portion of the muscle-building stimulus happens. Equipment: Medium dumbbells, 10–20 lbs depending on your current strength. Amazon Basics Rubber Encased Hex Dumbbells or Bowflex SelectTech 552
A Sample Workout for a Hard Hormone Day This is the actual workout. No warm-up theatrics, no 47-step routine. Just movement. Do 3 rounds: • Dead Bug with Weights — 8 reps (4 each side) • Up Downs — 10 reps (5 each side) • Bent-Over Row — 10 reps • Rest 60 seconds between rounds Total time: 15–20 minutes. On a good energy day, add a fourth round or increase your weights slightly. On a low energy day, two rounds still counts. You still showed up.
What to Expect When You Start Strength Training in Perimenopause The first two to three weeks, your body is learning the movements. Don’t expect to feel dramatically different immediately. What you will notice fairly quickly is better sleep quality (strength training improves deep sleep stages), reduced anxiety, and a general sense of having done something good for yourself. Over six to eight weeks, you’ll start to notice changes in how your body feels — more stability, less joint soreness, more energy on non-workout days. The hormonal benefits compound over months, not days. Consistency is the whole game here. You don’t need to lift heavy. You don’t need to train five days a week. You need to show up consistently with weights in your hands and give your body the signal it needs: build muscle, preserve bone, stay strong.
One More Thing If you’re navigating perimenopause and trying to figure out where to start, I put together a 7-Day Gentle Reset specifically for women 40+. It’s built around the same principles as this post… low impact, strength-focused, designed around how your body actually works right now.
The Quiet Rebuild Starter Guide is your entry point into the full QRC method. Real workouts, real mom life, no pressure. Download the free Quiet Rebuild Starter Guide here: Get the Starter Guide
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and trust.
