The Foundation, alongside clinical and holistic experts, has created a wellness programme that supports the body and the mind – giving women the knowledge and skills to support them through the transition.
The programme is targeted at women aged 40 plus that are experiencing one of the three stages of menopause – perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause.
Some symptoms of menopause can have a negative impact on women, ranging from weight gain, fatigue and low mood to sugar cravings, aching joints, insomnia, and hot flashes.
During the transition period from peri through to post-menopause, women experience significant changes in the way they feel emotionally and physical impacts on the way they move. With hormonal changes comes a risk of injury to joints, tendons and ligaments from higher impact sports and exercise that we may have done in the past.
From research we know that changes to the type of exercise and the way we exercise are helpful to maintain bone, muscle health and reduce the risk of injury. We also know that nutritional requirements change for women during this period.
Post menopause women are at much higher risk of getting osteoporosis and heart disease. However, engaging good nutritional habits before and during menopause and even just making some minor changes can have a significant positive impact on our health.
What Can You Expect from the Programme?
You will embark on an exciting 10 session journey spanning the course of 10 weeks that will expose you to a completely different way of thinking about menopause with tried and tested methods and lifestyle techniques from local experts. You will:
- Become more aware of menopause and how this feels for you with self-help guides to help eliminate some of the negative impacts and give you back control, journaling your thoughts and understanding your trigger points.
- Gain knowledge about the menopause, causes of hormonal imbalances and learning how to alleviate menopausal symptoms. You’ll also become informed about the options for HRT, risks and benefits and when to speak to your doctor.
- Take part and complete a climbing development course, supported by ROKT Foundation climbing Instructors, to build confidence, self-esteem and discover a new menopause friendly way to improve your fitness.
- Learn about how small changes to your nutrition can have a huge impact on your wellbeing, with the opportunity to try some simple, homemade dishes that you can replicate easily at home for you and your family.
- Discover ways to improve your core, flexibility, movement and breathing, all of which can translate to everyday life.
The programme concentrates on self-help techniques that you can continue after the course and share with others, ensuring that what you learn becomes a lifestyle change and choice, creating a legacy from the programme.
Throughout the Programme You Will Be Guided By:
Dr Ailsa Care, a GP for more than 20 years and has guided and treated many ladies through what can seem a daunting transition. Whilst clinically qualified, Ailsa is also an expert in functional medicine and understanding environmental impacts on our health, striving to find the root cause of a problem, not just treating the condition.
Jana Shirley, originally a dancer, Jana fell in love with the recovery techniques for lower back pain through Pilates. Now Jana works to support others with chronic pain and discomfort. Jana specialises in the discomfort menopause can have on the body and how improved movement and core strength can help combat this.
Dr Ailsa and Jana have a wealth of knowledge on good nutritional choices for ladies transitioning through menopause.
This element of the programme will be supported by Lidia Shinwell, Chair of ROKT Foundation and Italian restauranteur and hotelier. Lidia will show you how to focus on the benefits of Mediterranean influences in our diet which have a hugely positive impact during menopause.
The programme will be running throughout 2024. The 10 week programmes will be announced throughout the year. Maximum attendees on the programme are 16 to ensure we can really focus on individual needs. However the course will be running throughout the year so if you miss this cohort, we can get you onto a further one.
