The Real Risk Isn’t the Number on the Scale

What Aging, Menopause, and Metabolic Health Trends Are Really About

Menopause is a bit of a ‘buzz word’ in the health and fitness space at the moment (as is aging…). It feels like every influencer and their dog is selling the supplement, workout plan, or gym equipment that is going to reverse all change.

Ok. Maybe I’m exaggerating. A bit.

I’m honestly delighted that menopause has become something that is more spoken of – increasingly acknowledged in mainstream media, health, and fitness. And it’s so very necessary! For millennia, women’s health has been looked at from the lens of how they differ from men. They have been excluded from many health studies because the changes in their hormone levels “throw off the test results”. And they have been ignored, spoken down to, and their symptoms and experiences dismissed or diminished.

And the fact that more and more people are speaking to the difference between normal aging, and lifestyle mediated change is exciting. To the point I sometimes get goosebumps. 

And yet, I still find myself wincing when I see certain aging and menopause content online. It’s often presented in such prescriptive, black-and-white language. It suggests you can get stronger and healthier, yet subtly implies that you are failing as a human if you can’t “just do these simple few things”. It promotes strength and lean muscle mass, quietly shaming the person who has slowly gained those 12kgs over the last decade.

It makes it seem so normal to be obsessed with health metrics, and counting everything – when realistically, who actually has the time between the school run, extracurriculars, making dinner, and everything else to follow these ‘ideal’ protocols?

So over the next couple weeks we’re going to look at a few things and trends that impact metabolic health and wellbeing. The kind that, if your algorithm is anything like mine, you see constantly online. We’re going to demystify the issues and empower you to make small choices that support your body and your life: the key ways age and hormone shifts impact things, what’s being encouraged, what actually makes scientific and practical sense, and a few simple ways to start incorporating micro changes into your life.

In this series: GLP-1s, body composition, and muscle. Bone health. And the fitness trends – like weighted vests and jump training – that are polarising healthcare professionals online.

Let’s be clear about what this series is NOT. I’m not taking a deep dive into what menopause is. Or even holistic management of menopause. (Not to say we won’t be revisiting that soon…😉) We’re not going to get detailed about hormonal changes and how they impact cardiovascular health, brain function, emotions, and relationships. We ARE going to look at a few simple things that can make a really big difference to the way your metabolism works, to your strength, and to aging more resiliently.

I’m choosing these specific topics because as a physio I think they are really important for health now, and quality of life long into your future. And because I’ve just had far too many conversations with patients and friends lately who are either overwhelmed by the info out there, or are really just being trapped inside a tiny echo chamber.

So to wrap up this post, let’s jump into the quick framework that we’ll be looking at this from.

Your body changes with age. Except when it doesn’t. And you get to direct it.

Ageing changes your body composition by default. Throughout midlife, women, and to a lesser extent men, experience shifts in hormones that impact every system in their body. Our sex hormones are intimately connected to most functions in our bodies. Central to this series is metabolism, muscle, and bone. And in midlife this often coincides with shifts in life-stage that mean our lives start to look very different to our 20s and early 30s. Work responsibility has increased. Family can feel all consuming. And finding the time and will-power to use the little time left at the end of the day for health and fitness…is often just unappealing.

That combination has a meaningful impact on important systems in our body. The question is whether you let that happen passively or manage it intentionally.

I recently came across Thi Nguyen, author of The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else’s Game, who writes about scoring systems and values. About how many metrics exist to serve someone else’s very specific functions. They start to shape how we and society see success, and even health. And sometimes we rely on metrics simply because they are easy to measure. We might think of success as bank balance rather than health. Or even insulin-sensitivity to show ‘health’ rather than happiness as a key metric of wellbeing…because who can measure happiness accurately anyway?!

But one point that struck me is simple. You can choose to use insulin-sensitivity as your primary metric, but do it intentionally. Only YOU get to decide that chasing a life with great glucose control is more important than chasing a life that is fulfilling and happy. Neither is wrong. In fact I’d argue strongly for both! But YOU get to choose what matters to you.

That lens…in midlife health

Let’s take that lens and look at health in midlife. So often it collapses back to one single metric. The number on the scale. We let it tell us how well we’re doing. Even what our value is. But with health, the real risk isn’t the number on the scale – it’s what’s hiding behind it.

Behind it is metabolic function, muscle strength and mass, bone health. And connectedness and community. And being able to live the life you choose now and for years to come. (Hot take… I actually don’t think that the number on the scale matters much at all!)

Over the next few weeks we’re going to look at GLP-1s, declining bone density, and sarcopenia (the loss of muscle). And I’m going to challenge you to understand why these are important for health. But then to also choose if and why they are important to you. And ultimately what you want your health to serve in your life.

I’m hoping to make you think. And I’m hoping that you finish the series feeling more positive about choosing things that help you thrive. Next week we’re looking at GLP-1s – subscribe below if you want to follow along.

🤍 Carmen