Perimenopause, Hormone Testing and Strength Training at 50

Nikkiey: Real quick, the only ask I could ever have of you guys is to help spread the word so we can help more women lose body fat, build muscle, reach their goals, and feel insanely confident. And the only way we can do that is if you rate, review, and share this podcast. So the single thing I ask you to do is leave a review. It will take you 10 seconds, and it will mean the absolute world to me and may change the world of someone else.

Janet: I noticed that there were women that had physiques, muscles. It was appealing to me, and I started researching. I started asking questions. I started trying to figure out what is different about their diet, about their daily habits, about their food intake, about their mindset that was different than mine.

Nikkiey: What's going on, everybody? Welcome to The WarriorBabe Show. Today I am super excited, as I have a guest on this podcast that I found through social media. I'm just super stoked to have her on today and have her share her story with you all and get y'all inspired with some things that she's got to... I feel like I just picked up her accent there for a second. I love it. Welcome to Alabama.

Anyway, today we have Janet on. She is a nationally certified group fitness instructor and an experienced registered yoga instructor. She has a background in education and is passionate about inspiring women to stay active and informed as they age. So I'm super excited for her to share all the things with you guys today. She combines the expertise she had in teaching with fitness to help others thrive in every stage of life. So welcome, Janet. I'm super excited to have you today.

Janet: Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here, Nikkiey.

Nikkiey: Awesome. I totally found you. Do you know how I found you? I found you through the hashtags on Instagram.

Janet: Did you really? So they work?

Nikkiey: They work. It was hashtag the fit over 40 or something like that.

Janet: Oh my gosh, I love it. It worked. That's great. That is one of the hashtags I actually put on every single one of my posts, since that's obviously one of the demographics that I'm wanting to see my work and what I post. So that's great. I'm glad it works.

Nikkiey: Yep, it works. Awesome. So to kick it off, I love doing podcasts and getting to meet some awesome people, and I just want to get to know you and your story. The audience wants to get to know who you are too. So why don't you take us back to your early days? Growing up, what role did health and fitness play in your life?

Janet: Okay. Well, in the elementary school years, I was super active. I ran track. I was not really introduced to being fit or athletic or staying active by my parents, but it was just something that I found that felt good. Always outside, riding bikes, being part of teams, sports, that kind of thing. And having an older brother that I had to keep up with and defend myself from, outside and wrestling, just always active.

Then I started to hit those prepubescent, middle school years, and I became more interested in what people thought about me rather than how I personally felt about things. So I didn't want to sweat. I didn't want to ruin my makeup. I didn't want to be seen as being part of the track team if that wasn't the cool thing to do. The middle school years were the years that I kind of got out of being physically active. I wore a lot of makeup. I put a lot of time into getting dressed, my hair, trying to choose those friends that would make me more well-liked.

It was really a sad time, just because I was so consumed with what everyone else thought rather than doing the things that I personally had an interest in or wanted to do for myself. And I know a lot of girls struggle with that, especially through those middle school years. My heart really goes out to those preteen girls that are struggling with the same exact thing that I was.

Going into high school, I was five foot ten. Actually, in middle school, I was five foot ten. I stuck out. I was very self-conscious, so I was trying to do everything I could to blend in. Two of the things I was interested in were modeling and pageants. Well, both of those things really focus on looks, aesthetics. And to be successful at those two things, I knew that I needed to look a certain way. Honestly, what that meant was thin. I needed to be thin. It became so important to do whatever it took to have the look that I needed to be successful at those things.

So this was the beginning stages of my struggle with an eating disorder, of wanting to limit the food that I put into my body for fear of what it would do, how it would affect my being successful in those two areas, and also just wanting to be thin for guys to like me. It became an obsession.

My mom meant well and was an amazing mother, very involved. But she too felt like in order for me to be successful at these things and to fit in, I needed to weigh a certain amount. So I had a scale, and she would weigh me or I would weigh myself every day, and we would write down the weight. I still remember the index card where we had it. Being five foot ten and knowing what my five-foot friends weighed, it became even more of a struggle to want to look a certain way and to be accepted.

This led me into running, which I love. I enjoy running. But I ran specifically to burn calories. Honestly, it was an escape from myself, from the challenges that I was facing but refusing to truly face. I would stuff my feelings down. So I got into running 5Ks and 10Ks and half marathons and marathons, which is very hard to do when you're not fueling your body properly.

At this time, I also became a vegetarian, because I thought this would also help in my endeavor to look a certain way.

Nikkiey: Wow.

Janet: So lots of things coming together in a negative way that could be positive things. Running can be a wonderful, positive exercise and a fabulous addition to someone's fitness regime. But instead it was: run as much as I could, eat as little as I could, weigh myself every day, don't eat meat. Lots and lots of restrictions.

Nikkiey: Well, first and foremost, I want to honor you in sharing that story, because I know it can be challenging to relive any of those emotions that may have just resurfaced, and also to share it on a platform that hundreds of thousands of women are listening to right now. So I want to honor you in that. Thank you for sharing and being vulnerable.

At the same time, you are going to resonate with so many women that have been in your shoes and understand what you felt growing up, where you have this exterior physical goal that you're striving for. The stories and the narratives you grew up around are a part of you. So you thought that you had to eat less and you had to run, and you had to turn vegan and not eat meat, and you had to do all these things to get to an exterior physical goal.

But then I see you on Instagram nowadays, and you look great. You're sharing your workouts. You're inspiring women. So those stories and narratives are a part of you, and then you transitioned into where you are now with fitness and the relationship you have now. I would love for you to share the challenges you went through with creating a new narrative for yourself. You had this ideology around food and the scale, and now what does that look like for you? How did you rewrite those things for yourself?

Janet: That's a wonderful way to set that up, because I feel like that was a totally different person than who I am today. I'm incredibly grateful for that, and for the recovery that I was able to go through as far as turning the page and having a much healthier relationship with food.

For me, I was gradually introduced to strength training. I noticed that there were women that had physiques, muscles, that were appealing to me. And I started researching. I started asking questions. I started trying to figure out what is different about their diet, about their daily habits, about their food intake, about their mindset that was different than mine. Well, honestly, everything.

Truly it was my love of learning and my desire to get out of the hole that I dug myself into. And my faith truly helped me move on from such a difficult place. And finding role models, finding female role models and mentors that could help me with that.

I was a school teacher. I taught second grade for seven years. I have three children, and after I had my three children, I decided that I wanted to continue to use my background in education and my love and passion for teaching, but to use that in the fitness world. How could I use what I had been through, my story and my passion, to help others that are struggling with those exact same things that I had struggled through, and that I'd been able to see the other side of, thankfully? So for me, it was finding those mentors and then doing the research and spending the time figuring out what I needed to change in my life.

Nikkiey: I respect that a lot. Having a curious mind is a really important thing to be able to navigate, when people know something has to change. They know that where they're at right now, maybe they don't know it yet, but something feels off. Maybe that was where you were. I'm going to ask you to bring us to some of those challenges specifically, but back to the curious mind. People can stay in their own ways. People can stay with their beliefs. They can stay with the narratives, with the limiting stories, with the concepts they think are the one straight line, the way. But what I love hearing is that you learned, you asked questions, you figured it out. You followed mentors who had the goal you were really striving for.

I can resonate with that so much, because similarly, my journey started out with looking on Instagram and following people that had the physique and the body that I wanted, but I didn't have that. And I'm like, how did they get that? So you mentioned there were specific things they were doing that you weren't doing. What specifically was different that you had to be open and curious about to change?

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Janet: Well, I was convinced that the way to lose body fat was cardio. I had bought into that lie, like so many women do and have. For me, it was realizing that that is not the truth. And also realizing that I can use food to fuel my body. That's the other thing. Food is not the enemy, and food is not going to make me fat. It is fuel for our bodies. So how am I going to fuel my body to be able to lift the weights and strength train to build these muscles? It was learning all these different things coming from different directions around the same time.

I ended up having to have my gallbladder removed, because I had lost so much body fat that it ended up causing gallstones.

Nikkiey: And this was when you were eating less?

Janet: When I was struggling with an eating disorder. I didn't have any muscle mass. I was super thin. I was not having a period or cycle.

Nikkiey: Wow.

Janet: And I was also put on birth control at that time just to regulate, which we can talk about. So now I'm put on these hormones that are supposed to be regulating my body, but at the same time, I know something has to change. And it was several years later, when I was wanting to have children, that I was unable to. Because if your body is not functioning properly, whether that's because you don't have enough body fat or because your hormones are all out of whack from what you've tried to do to be healthy, that affects things.

And for me, my thyroid was underactive, which was definitely not helped by everything I'd been trying to do to actually improve my health. So for me, it was getting my hormones and my thyroid regulated, and focusing on trying to be stronger rather than thinner.

When I began to eat, I also started to eat meat again. Personally, my body thrives when I eat red meat, chicken, fish. Not to say that if you're vegan you can't live a healthy lifestyle. But for me, it really made a difference with my body when I reintroduced that into my diet.

Nikkiey: Quick break. If you're finding this episode helpful so far, it would mean a lot if you could hit pause for just a second, leave a quick rating or review, or share it with someone who could benefit from it. Your support helps more women discover these tools to build muscle, lose fat and feel confident. Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me.

So talk to us about the mindset shift that you had to make. You had this eating disorder, and you had all these complications going on, with your period stopping and having to go on birth control, and then your thyroid was all out of whack. You were almost beating down your body, essentially. What was the mindset shift? Because I know there are a lot of women listening that can resonate with your story in terms of having an eating disorder and not eating enough, yet they have this goal of wanting to build more muscle, to build a strong physique, to be healthy, to have longevity and all the benefits that come from strength training. Change has to happen of one's own accord first. So what were some of the things that you mentally had to walk yourself through, from being afraid of food and having this perspective on food, to where you are now and how much you're eating now? What were some things you had to positively reinforce to yourself, that you were telling yourself, that this is okay?

Janet: Well, the first thing I had to do was get rid of the scale. I still do not have a scale in my home, and I have not since this change in my mindset. I know that that is something I can become obsessive about, so I'm just not going to allow that to happen.

So I got rid of the scale, and I became more focused on using food to fuel my body, doing the research that I needed to do. How much protein do I need to have per day? Figuring that out. And yes, it did start out with: this is how I want to look, so this is what I need to do. But then it became, oh my goodness, I feel so much better. I have so much more energy. I can actually think and make a complete sentence and not lose track of what I was doing. So going and getting my hormones tested, and making sure I'm eating the amount of protein and carbohydrates to fuel my body.

That was the mindset switch: anything I put in my mouth is going to fuel my body, so how do I want to do that? For me, it was also allowing myself to have snacks. I had put so many rules in place. I could have three meals a day. I couldn't eat past six o'clock. It was trying to relieve myself of these restrictions and truly enjoy my life. If I go to a birthday party, or it's my birthday, I'm going to have cake. I love cake. And that was a very difficult mindset switch to make.

So for me, instead of saying "I can't eat this," I now say "I'm going to eat this because I know it's going to make me feel this way. It's going to help me with this." It really honestly went from a negative mindset to a positive mindset.

Nikkiey: Amen to that. That's some good insight there. It's really important for the listeners to play that back, because there are a lot of people stuck in that negative mindset. It is a negative mindset holding them back, but it's also the limiting beliefs and the stories they keep telling themselves over and over again. And it's the definition of insanity, because they keep getting the same results. I think that's Einstein's quote: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity.

So you had to figure out how to make a change. You started researching and learning and fueling your body, and telling yourself that this is okay, I do this and I choose to do this. I think that's a beautiful shift that you've made. Be so proud of yourself, from where you were then to where you are now. Can I ask how old you are?

Janet: I just turned 50.

Nikkiey: No. Didn't expect that.

Janet: I have never posted that, and I have never said that. So congratulations, you just got some information. But you know what? I am truly proud of it.

Nikkiey: You freaking should be. Girl, I was expecting 40s. Below 45, maybe 44, is where I was putting you. I love it. That's awesome.

Janet: Thank you for asking.

Nikkiey: So with that being said, for people who are only listening on audio, go to YouTube and check out what Janet looks like. I'm also going to put your Instagram handle beneath this, because you do not look like you're 50 years old. You are beautiful.

Janet: Thank you.

Nikkiey: You're welcome. Now that makes me spiral a little bit more, in a really good way, because you're not in menopause yet. You're in perimenopause, right?

Janet: That's correct. Yes.

Nikkiey: God bless. That's amazing. You're right around this age, but it seems like you may be a late bloomer that way. That's incredible. So let's shift gears to that. There are tons of misconceptions about perimenopause, and I want to bring out the truth. That's what I love to do. So what have you heard in your space, from people you talk to or work with? What are some myths you would like to address to help women better understand this transition from normalcy? I hate to say that, but it's a transition when we go through it.

Janet: Absolutely.

Nikkiey: So what are some myths you want to debunk with me here?

Janet: Well, first of all, I'm very thankful that it has come about later for me than it does for many women. I know my mom actually started in her early 30s.

Nikkiey: Chills, because that's where I am.

Janet: Right. A lot of times that can be hereditary. So it was something I kind of had my eye on, knowing it could come about at any time. For me, I started noticing that foggy brain, just forgetting things. I noticed it wasn't quite as easy for me to put on muscle.

And there's a funny story. I ordered a salad with avocados, and when I got home, there weren't any on it.

Nikkiey: No way.

Janet: That's really not that big of a deal. But my reaction to the fact that there were no avocados on this salad, it was like, who is that human that just screamed? I'm a very calm person normally, but I just went nuts. I just want some avocado. Little things like that you notice: wait a minute, that didn't seem like me. A little more snappy. So those to me were the signs that something's happening.

So I went to my OBGYN and had the regular panel run that they would typically run for females at this age, in your mid-40s. And I was told that everything was perfectly fine, and to have a great day. And I thought, no, that is not the truth. I'm starting to have a harder time going to sleep. I'm having a harder time staying asleep. I feel like I need 10 hours of sleep, yet I can't possibly get that.

So again: research, reading books, podcasts, anything I could get my hands on. And I started to realize, wait a minute, I need more in-depth blood work. I need someone that's going to sit down with me and help me read through this and decipher where my estrogen or progesterone or testosterone are. They had not even tested my testosterone.

So I went back, probably about a year later, and had a full blood panel taken that showed me my testosterone had pretty much tanked, which is very common for women my age. And testosterone is not something they typically test in women. Hence why I noticed it was harder for me to put on muscle or keep muscle.

What was recommended for me was a hormone cream, the testosterone cream, and that has made a huge difference. And if women are worried: first of all, the first myth women have to get over is that if you lift weights, you're going to be bulky and look like a male bodybuilder. We all know that that's a lie. But also, with using testosterone, whether it's the cream or the pellets or whatever it is that you and your doctor feel is best for you, they're trying to get your hormone levels to the optimal level. And the optimal level for you could be very different than it is for me. So for me, it was figuring out what is the optimal level of testosterone for me.

Then we know that progesterone helps with sleep. That was a huge thing for me. So I now take a low dose of progesterone, because mine was low. And as we also know, estrogen is one of those hormones that tends to drop as well.

So it's knowing what our hormones are as females, from the age that you are to the age that I am and beyond, and getting your levels checked early, which I did not do. Then you can see, okay, this is where my estrogen and progesterone typically are. Well, three years from now, have they dropped? Are they the same? So I would definitely recommend that women, even in their 30s, who are starting to notice any kind of change or difference have their hormones tested.

Nikkiey: I'm happy that you brought this up, because I just got done recording another podcast about an hour and a half ago, and that guest brought up HRT too. It's been a very common topic out there on social media. We started this discussion off with myths, and a lot of things circulate on social media, and everyone's got their own opinions about it. Specifically HRT. I personally agree with it, and I'm happy you brought this up. But for everyone listening, you want to make sure you have the right provider that's going to help you with the right dosage. That guest was just talking about how she tried it, it didn't work for her, and she is open to trying it again.

So I think it's becoming aware of what's going on individually with our bodies, and knowing that there are resources and tools available to help with the things that may be affected internally by our hormones. You noticed some signs or shifts happening with your body that prompted you to take a closer look at your hormone health. Now, with your experience with HRT, how has it affected those symptoms you were experiencing before? Are they getting better? How are you feeling? Are there any particular changes you're noticing since starting it? You mentioned sleep.

Janet: Yeah. I can definitely tell that I can now get eight hours of solid, uninterrupted sleep.

Nikkiey: That's amazing.

Janet: It really is. That's a game changer. When you're able to get the sleep that you need, you have so much more energy to accomplish what you need to throughout the day, and you have more energy for your workouts in general.

I did want to mention also, when I first made the switch from teaching school to teaching fitness classes and becoming a yoga teacher, I was first just teaching cardio classes. But then I made the switch and realized how amazing strength training is for women, and now every single one of the classes I teach has strength training in it.

Nikkiey: When you follow your Instagram, everything you're posting is full-body workouts.

Janet: Yes. So for me, that was a game changer. So when we're talking about having your hormones tested, testosterone in particular, but even estrogen and progesterone, one thing I noticed when I started HRT was that I was able to build back the muscle that, over maybe the last five or so years, I had started to see decline. Even though I was doing the same intensity of workout, not the exact same exercises, where I should not be losing muscle mass. And I noticed that I was then able to regain the muscle mass that I had lost because of the nosedive of testosterone.

I have quite a few friends that are on it. You mentioned that your last guest was talking about how HRT really didn't work for them. But I know there are shots, creams, gels, pills, pellets. I have several friends that are on the pellets and they swear by those. That was not really something I wanted to do, because when you have pellets inserted, you can't really adjust it for about three months. And the other thing is you have to lay off exercise, because you've had an incision with the pellets inserted. With the classes I'm teaching and the workouts I'm doing, I couldn't have that time off every three months. But it is all about figuring out what's going to work for you.

For me, the estrogen was just a mood lifter. I can tell a difference in my face, like the dryness of my skin is not quite as bad. I can tell a difference with my hair growth. So for me, it has been a game changer.

Nikkiey: That's incredible. That's awesome to hear that your experience has been so positive. I firmly believe I will always try to navigate any deficiencies in the body with nutrition and working out, moving your body. But when sex hormones have plummeted, and if they continue to stay plummeted it could severely impact your longevity, it's another tool you can add to your tool belt to support your journey moving forward. Nutrition won't be able to entirely fix components like that. You do need to consider other avenues out there.

And I always tell women: try this stuff and be an advocate for yourself. That's what I'm talking about in this podcast. Just be an advocate. If it's not right, speak up. You don't necessarily have to do whatever the doctors are telling you to do. You know what I mean? So how do you approach those conversations with women about HRT, especially with the mixed opinions about it out there?

Janet: Well, a lot of women approach me asking questions. Typically, they see the workouts I do online, or in person where I teach fitness classes, or they see me on the weight room floor. I'm on the weight room floor at least three days a week, trying to get my heaviest lifting in.

Nikkiey: Yeah.

Janet: And then they'll ask me, okay, tell me about your diet. That's usually the first question. And I love that, because just like you said, our diet is the most important thing as far as what's really going to make a difference in our mood, in our emotions, physically. So anything you can help with your food or your nutrients, that's where I start when someone asks me questions like that.

Then if they're saying, okay, I haven't been able to get a good night's sleep in the last six months, or I've noticed I'm starting to put on a little extra body fat, but I'm eating the exact same things, I'm getting in the protein that I need, the macros, and I'm doing the strength training that I need, but something's different. That's usually the key: something's different. So then I start asking some questions about what they've noticed has changed. Usually it's sleep patterns. Usually it's moods. Moods are a big thing. It's almost like you're about to start your period, year-round, every day.

Nikkiey: It really gives you something to look forward to.

Janet: I know. But it's like eight times a day, instead of three days a month.

Nikkiey: My luteal phase this last cycle was hell. So I do not want to experience that.

Janet: Yes, that's the word. It's your luteal phase year-round.

Nikkiey: So no, thank you. But honestly, it makes sense to me, because so many women say, I feel like I'm going crazy, and they can't figure out what it is.

Janet: And I had a friend that went to her OBGYN and was told the same thing, that everything is fine. They did the basic blood work.

Nikkiey: Yeah.

Janet: And that's kind of the running theme I've noticed. So on that, I would say really do the research and dig deeper. Ask your doctor or your health care provider, what are some other options, if I know things are not what they should be?

Nikkiey: Amen to that. Thank you for saying that. Because I always tell women, when doctors say, oh, this is just the way it is now, do not accept that.

Janet: Yes.

Nikkiey: Continue to advocate for yourself and look for other resources.

Janet: Absolutely.

Nikkiey: I was about to jump to a topic really quick, but I had to finish my sentence there. You work at Lifetime, right? You're an instructor at Lifetime?

Janet: I do. I work at Lifetime in Vestavia Hills.

Nikkiey: So I go to Lifetime, and I just recently got into the classes. Are all Lifetime chains the same? Do you do GTX?

Janet: Yes, we have GTX. We have Alpha. We have Ultra. And then for group fitness, have you taken any of the Strike classes?

Nikkiey: No, I've just been doing GTX for probably the last eight weeks. I jumped in on them. I want to run and get back into it, just for cardiovascular health. But I've been enjoying it. I go specifically for zone four days and really crush it.

Janet: Yeah. I love Lifetime and the things they have there.

Nikkiey: I do Warrior Sculpt too.

Janet: Oh, I love Warrior Sculpt. You do get a little bit of yoga in with Warrior Sculpt.

Nikkiey: Yeah, you do. I love the fast pace. The first day I went, I was like, I'm going to die.

Janet: Was it heated?

Nikkiey: Yeah. I love it. Anyway, this has been great, Janet. It's been nice getting to know you a little more and hearing your personal story and your thoughts and perspectives. I know it's going to really resonate with the listeners. The way I want to close this down is: what message or advice would you leave women who may be starting or rethinking things? We're coming up on the holidays. I think your episode is going to air next week or the week after, so it's the holiday season, and a new year's coming up. What piece of advice would you leave women who are starting or rethinking and want to get back into their fitness journeys?

Janet: Well, the first thing I would say is it truly is never too late. And the person you need to do it for is yourself. Even taking an hour a few days a week, whether it's at home or going to the gym and being part of a group fitness or small group class, is a true game changer. That will make a bigger impact than you can possibly imagine. Just taking that one hour a day for yourself.

Whether we're wives or mothers or grandmothers, we as women tend to take care of everyone else around us, and then we realize we don't have anything left for ourselves. So I would just want to say that whether you're in your 20s or your 40s or about to turn 50 or whatever age you are, it's not too late. And it truly is one of the most amazing gifts you can give yourself, to take that time to spend on you, so that you can in return give to others.

Nikkiey: Mic drop. That's so good. Such a powerful message to leave everybody on. One last thing I want to ask you: where can everybody find you? Definitely check out your workouts, because they're fun.

Janet: That's right. My Instagram is Janet Smith Fitness. And if you would like to find me live and in person, that would be Lifetime Vestavia Hills. And thank you so much for reaching out to me and taking the time to find me through hashtags, and asking me questions about my story. I really hope it's able to resonate with women of all ages.

Nikkiey: Heck yeah. I know this is going to resonate with a lot of people. It was a pleasure to have you on here. Thank you for sharing. I know a bit of it was vulnerable, but you did a great job.

Janet: Thank you.

Nikkiey: And thank you for letting me in on a secret that you've never told anybody yet.

Janet: You're welcome.

Nikkiey: All right, Janet. Thank you so much for being here, and we'll see you soon.

Janet: All right. Thanks, Nikkiey. Bye.

Nikkiey: Hey, really quick before you go, I have one small favor to ask. If this episode brought you value or sparked something in you, take just a moment to hit that review button. Your rating and review make all the difference, helping more women discover the tools they need to transform their fitness and their confidence. It takes less than a minute, but it can change the path of someone else's journey. Thank you so much for leaving that review. I appreciate you so much. Bye.