Journal
Practical writing on movement, nutrition, sleep and rest through midlife and perimenopause, from Chrissy Sundt. Every piece opens with a straight answer to the question it is named after, so you can take what you need without reading to the end.
The method rests on five pillars, and the writing follows them: mindful movement, sleep, nourishment, rest and illumination, and connection. Nothing here is medical advice, and none of it asks you to train as though your body has not changed.
Start with whichever pillar matters most to you right now, whether that is movement, nourishment, sleep or rest. Each piece answers the question in its title first, so you get the point straight away and can read on for the detail. New pieces are added regularly.
Mindful Movement
· Essay
Training Your Inner Athlete in Perimenopause
Every woman has an athlete inside her, and perimenopause is the perfect moment to start training her well.
How to Stay Consistent With a Home Workout Routine in Midlife
Staying consistent with a home workout routine in midlife is less about willpower and more about designing a routine built for how your week, and your body, really work.
When Should You Start Jump Training in Menopause?
Jump training isn't about your menopause stage or your age, it's about whether your balance, strength and control are ready for it yet.
What Workout Replaces Oestrogen's Benefits in Perimenopause?
No workout replaces oestrogen, but the training that matches perimenopause is strength and power work, not more cardio.
How Much Muscle Loss Is Normal After Menopause?
There's no single number for how much muscle loss is normal after menopause, but the pace of change does shift, and training can influence what happens next.
Does Walking Strengthen Bones, or Just Maintain Them?
Walking keeps bone maintained, but asking it to adapt further takes a different, more varied kind of load than steady steps provide.
Sleep
Does Barre Help You Sleep Better in Midlife?
Barre won't knock you out like a sedative, but the right session, at the right time of day, can genuinely help you settle into sleep.
What to Eat Before Bed for Better Sleep in Perimenopause
What and when you eat in the evening changes more in perimenopause than most women realise, and a few small shifts can make bedtime easier.
Why Am I So Tired to Work Out in Perimenopause?
The exhaustion that makes you cancel workouts in perimenopause almost always starts at night, not in the gym.
How to Wind Down After a Late Night Workout in Midlife
How to leave a late workout without taking the wired, overheated feeling to bed with you.
Best Pyjamas for Hot Sleepers: A UK Guide for Warm Nights
A practical, UK-specific guide to choosing pyjamas that actually help hot sleepers fall and stay asleep, not just look cooler on the label.
Why Do I Keep Waking Up at 3am in Perimenopause?
Waking at 3am in perimenopause is common, not a malfunction. Here's what's driving it and what to do in the moment it happens.
Nourishment
Is a DEXA Scan Worth It for Body Composition in Your 40s?
A DEXA scan can give you real numbers on fat, muscle and bone in your 40s, but it is a data point, not a verdict, and there are cheaper ways to track what matters.
The Best Non-Alcoholic Drinks for Women in Midlife
What to drink instead of wine when you still want the evening to feel like something, from morning routines to dinner out.
How to Stop Sugar Cravings in Perimenopause (Without Cutting Out Sugar)
Sugar cravings tend to get louder in perimenopause, and the fix is steadier meals rather than more willpower or an outright ban on sugar.
The Easiest Foods to Digest Before Bed in Perimenopause
The easiest foods to digest before bed in perimenopause are small, warm and low in fat and fibre, and timing matters as much as the food itself.
Best Foods for Skin and Joints That Feel Dry in Your 40s
The fats, fluid and protein habits that help skin and joints feel less dry in your 40s, from oily fish to drinking with meals instead of relying on thirst.
How Much Water Should I Drink in Perimenopause?
Perimenopause changes how your body signals thirst and loses fluid, so here's a practical, non-prescriptive way to think about how much water you actually need.
Rest & Illumination
How to Build a Calming Evening Routine in Your 40s
A calming evening routine in your 40s isn't about willpower or a longer list of rules, it's about consistent cues that help your nervous system recognise the day is done.
Does Morning Sunlight Help With Perimenopause Sleep?
Morning sunlight is one of the simplest, most repeatable habits for steadying an unpredictable sleep-wake rhythm in perimenopause, especially when paired with the rest of a wind-down routine.
How to Build an Evening Wind-Down Routine for Better Sleep in Midlife
A practical look at building an evening wind-down routine that helps you fall asleep in midlife, and how to tell when it needs adjusting.
Gentle Movement for Low Energy Days in Perimenopause
A practical look at what gentle movement looks like on the low energy days perimenopause brings, and how to tell it apart from a day that needs real rest.
How to Tell If You're Burnt Out or Just in Perimenopause
A practical look at the signs that separate ordinary burnout from perimenopause fatigue, and why most women in midlife are dealing with some of both.
Why Do I Wake Up Drenched in Sweat at 3am? A Perimenopause Explanation
The physiology behind 3am night sweats in perimenopause, why the timing isn't random, and what actually helps before and after it happens.
Connection
How to Reconnect With Your Partner in Midlife
Why connection with a long-term partner quietly fades in midlife, and small, realistic ways to start finding your way back to each other.
Why Do I Feel Resentful of Everyone Needing Me in Midlife?
Resentment in midlife is rarely about the people who need you - it's about a load that stopped balancing, and here's where to start redistributing it.
How to Advocate for Yourself When a Doctor Dismisses Your Midlife Symptoms
A practical guide to getting your midlife symptoms taken seriously, from preparing for the appointment to knowing when it's time to see someone else.
The Best Podcasts for Midlife Women Who Want to Feel Less Alone
A look at the podcasts worth your time in midlife, and why the right ones work best as a bridge to real connection rather than a substitute for it.
How to Feel Like Yourself Again in Your 40s
A look at why feeling like yourself again in your 40s so often comes back to connection, and where to start rebuilding it.
How to Stay Consistent with Exercise When Your Brain Feels Foggy
Foggy days need a smaller session and a human on the other end of the plan, not a clearer tomorrow.
Essays
· Essay
Training Your Inner Athlete in Perimenopause
Every woman has an athlete inside her, and perimenopause is the perfect moment to start training her well.
· Essay
YOUR MUSCLES ARE TALKING. AND YOUR WHOLE BODY IS LISTENING.
Your muscles aren’t simply carrying out instructions from your brain, they’re participating in a much bigger conversation throughout your body.
· Essay
STRONG DOESN’T HAVE ONE LOOK.
Our muscles don't know if we're in a gym or at the Barre — strength takes more than one shape.
· Essay
What If We Learned to Train Intuitively?
On retreat, she remembered that intuition deserves as much attention as protein targets, step counts and progressive overload.
· Essay
I Think I’ve Forgotten to Dance
I think I've forgotten to dance, and Barre's music and choreography might be quietly bringing that joy back.
· Essay
We Need to Rattle the Bones and Get Breathless
Midlife women don't need to stop doing hard things — we need short, purposeful breathlessness and bone-rattling impact, wisely applied.