When it comes to your productivity and getting things done, one of the biggest sources of sabotage is not email, social media, or poor systems.
It’s pain.
When we’re in physical pain, our energetic resources are directed toward getting us out of pain. That becomes the sole focus.
So dealing with perimenopausal joint pain can become yet another factor to overcome when you’re a woman in midlife.
I’ve been experimenting with natural ways to alleviate joint pain. Here are 3 strategies that have been working for me.
3 Natural Ways to Alleviate Perimenopausal Joint Pain
(1) Lift Weights
This may seem counter-intuitive. When your joints hurt, you’re likely not thinking about weightlifting as your first recourse. In fact, many women who experience joint pain stop working out entirely.
But avoiding movement altogether can lead to weight gain and sluggishness. It’s also not an option for women with ADHD, who need the dopamine boost from a workout to help our brains plug in.
For women in this stage of life, strength training is essential.
You likely already know that strength training builds muscles. It also builds bone density and supports joint stability. Both are crucial in this phase of life when women tend to lose muscle and bone density.
Strength training can maintain joint flexibility and reduce stiffness, which also helps with joint pain.
Here’s what’s important:
Not all “strength training” is the same.
I’m sorry to tell you that your 20-pound dumbbells just aren’t going to cut it for this purpose.
Not all strength training has the same impact on your body. In mid-life, your 20-pound dumbbells aren’t going to cut it.
You might think you’re playing it safe with low weights and high repetitions, but this fails to create the metabolic and hormonal environment needed during perimenopause.
To counteract the declining muscle mass and bone density — and to alleviate joint pain — your body needs the cycle of stress and adaptation. It needs to be challenged by load and resistance in different ways.
Light weights provide insufficient mechanical tension for bone density stimulation and muscle gain.
I’ve found my body responds best when I push heavier weights — and the science supports this.
Weightlifting, especially the “big” lifts — compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and lunges — don’t just stimulate muscle growth. They also work your connective tissue and joints, stimulate greater bone density, and enhance neuromuscular coordination.
The increased muscle mass you develop from weightlifting also boosts your metabolism, making it easier to maintain your weight.
Heavy weightlifting also releases more endorphins. These “feel-good” chemicals seem to override the pain sensations.
A successful heavy lift also gives you an adrenaline and dopamine boost, which helps counter the pain.
You’ll also get a confidence boost from completing heavy lifts. It may not be quantifiable, but don’t overlook the importance of that in a phase of life when your body otherwise seems to be letting you down.
To be honest, it doesn’t always feel great at the start. But once I get past the first few sets, my joints start to feel better — and they feel good for the rest of the day.
(2) Get In the Right Zone
Although I’ve been wearing an Apple Watch for years, I didn’t always pay attention to my heart rate during workouts.
I’ve always gone by how I feel.
But, sometimes, the metrics do matter — especially when you combine them with how your body feels.
This helps you see patterns.
I track my heart rate during my workouts and note how I feel during the workout and for the rest of the day.
I’ve noticed that, for me, sustained activity in Zones 2 and 3 is the sweet spot for alleviating joint pain.
Zone 1 is like the dead zone. It tends to maintain the status quo.
Hitting Zones 4 and 5 can lead to a temporary high that masks pain, but too much time in those zones without recovery can result in a crash that makes pain worse later.
You might be familiar with advice to do “steady state cardio” that gets you into Zone 2.
But I’ve found that it’s not just about getting or staying in the zone — how you get there matters.
When I’m lifting heavy, my heart rate naturally gets to Zone 2 to 3 because of the effort I exert. But that’s not a sustained heart rate, and not every day can be a heavy lifting day.
While most people get into Zones 2 to 3 through “cardio” activities like running or machines, I’ve found that performing circuits of strength-based movements for a set amount of time at this heart rate has the best effects for my body.
Repeating the same circuit of movements several times in a row helps me find a rhythm and get in flow during the workout. The positive effects of the endorphins and the metabolism boost last for the rest of the day.
This is where lighter weights can play a role. A circuit of 3–4 different movements done continuously without rest, and using moderate weights can help me sustain a rhythm for a solid 30 minutes.
(3) Focus on Stability
The urge to stretch tight joints is natural; it’s long been my go-to strategy. But I’ve noticed lately that too much passive muscle stretching just intensifies the pain.
Don’t get me wrong—mobility is important, especially as we get older.
But we don’t just want passive mobility — we want stability.
Instead of passive “stretching” of muscles I focus on dynamic movements that can expand my range of motion, or passive holds that stress the connective tissue and joints.
Instead of sitting in a chair, I’ll sit on yoga blocks to work on my squat depth.
I use resistance bands to help me find deeper retraction in my shoulders.
I also incorporate balance work and unilateral work to address weaknesses and compensation patterns.
In my yoga classes, I use long holds that force the body to work in the range of motion.
Experiment With What Works For Your Body
It’s hard to believe that doctors and scientists still don’t really understand what happens in women’s bodies as we age. This is an evolving field, which means that nobody has all the answers.
Run some experiments and see what works for you. I’d love to hear what’s working in your body.
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