{"id":419647,"date":"2025-09-12T23:23:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T23:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/419647\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T23:23:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T23:23:14","slug":"east-londons-amanda-when-perimenopause-smacked-me-in-the-face-i-fought-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/419647\/","title":{"rendered":"East London\u2019s Amanda: \u201cWhen perimenopause smacked me in the face, I fought back\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Amanda (49) has always embraced fitness, from Boxfit and martial arts to gardening in her East London home. But since experiencing perimenopause, her relationship with movement has shifted in unexpected ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerimenopause really smacked me in the face,\u201d recalls Amanda. \u201cIt was quite upsetting.\u201d <\/p>\n

She first noticed something was wrong after a long walk left her knees badly inflamed. \u201cI assumed it was just bad shoes,\u201d Amanda says, \u201cbut the pain and swelling kept getting worse.\u201d <\/p>\n

Despite repeated trips to the doctor, Amanda was given explanations for everything but perimenopause. Alongside the joint pain, she was also dealing with night sweats, brain fog and irritability, but hadn\u2019t connected the dots.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hardest part was not being able to do the community boxing fitness I loved,\u201d she explains. \u201cI could barely walk, strapping up my knees just to get by.\u201d <\/p>\n

By chance, a nurse caring for Amanda\u2019s father referred her to a gynaecologist, and that was when she began to understand the connection between falling oestrogen levels and bone health.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to learn how to support my body differently,\u201d she says. \u201cEven short bursts of weight-bearing exercise \u2013 a few minutes a day, even just jumping on the spot \u2013 can really help your bones. The idea of losing my mobility terrified me. I don\u2019t feel right if I\u2019m not moving, and the thought of being incapacitated was a real wake-up call.\u201d<\/p>\n

After two years of searching for answers, Amanda is now on HRT and has built a routine that works for her. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long road, but I\u2019ve realised that movement \u2013 in any form \u2013 is non-negotiable for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amanda describes the conflict between social norms that encourage women to downplay their experiences, and the undeniable reality of how transformative those experiences actually are.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen are told by society not to make perimenopause a big deal,\u201d she reflects. \u201cBut it is a big deal when so much is changing in your body\u201d.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s now navigating movement differently. \u201cI like a challenge, but it is hard,\u201d she admits, \u201cIt\u2019s come out of nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe physical impact has been noticeable,\u201d Amanda explains. \u201cSince being perimenopausal, I feel my body seizing up if I don\u2019t move. We just don\u2019t get a break as women.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI have started walking a lot more, often with my daughter and father,\u201d she says. \u201cI also enjoy strength training, Pilates and stretching in my garden. It\u2019s about what my body is able to do now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amanda is also back at her community boxing classes, where the mix of movement and music keeps her energised. <\/p>\n

\u201cMusic helps me find joy in movement,\u201d says Amanda. \u201cThat\u2019s how I got into Boxfit. My instructors\u2019 playlists \u2013 from soulful house to drum and bass \u2013 keep me bopping along.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy daughter and I even love to pop some music on and have a dance before bed \u2013 sometimes it becomes a silent disco-style workout,\u201d she adds. <\/p>\n

Amanda is not alone in her passion for combining music with movement. As part of recent This Girl Can research, almost one in four (22%) of Black women on lower incomes say classes with music from their culture would make them feel more welcome in physical activity settings. <\/p>\n

Amanda believes movement should be accessible and personal. <\/p>\n

\u201cMovement is possible for women of any age, from any background,\u201d she says. \u201cAs long as you find what works for you.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many small ways you can incorporate moving into your everyday life. It doesn\u2019t have to be intimidating or serious. For some women, it will look like gardening or a walk to the shops,\u201c Amanda continues.<\/p>\n

For Amanda, exercise is more than just physical. <\/p>\n

\u201cExercise feels like I\u2019ve caught a breath of fresh air,\u201d she says. \u201cIt supports my mind, body, and soul.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have had a good workout, you feel reset, you think differently, you\u2019re re-energised,\u201d she concludes.<\/p>\n

Amanda appears in This Girl Can\u2019s new campaign \u2013 We Like the Way You Move \u2013 which re-writes the narrative of what getting active should look like and who it\u2019s for, celebrating women like Amanda as they move through life in their own way.<\/p>\n

The wider campaign is working to ensure all women feel they belong in the world of sport and physical activity. This comes after research finding women from underrepresented backgrounds are less likely to be active. In particular women from lower social economic backgrounds and those who, additionally, are South Asian Muslim, Black, 55-74 years old, pregnant or with a child under one-year-old. <\/p>\n

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