Menopause Blogs

The Dr Ben Blog

Blogs by Dr Ben

May 2025.

Dr Ben writes a new Blog at the start of every month for our Man Shed section.

Put Your Best Foot Forward and Explore Some ‘Collaborative Exercise’

It's baking hot in my garden today, so I’ve taken refuge inside my cool Man Shed to enjoy an iced drink from my thermos. I normally tune into the cricket on my radio, but it’s the London Marathon that’s providing the entertainment as I grab a well-earned rest-break from the weeding and lawn-mowing.

As regular followers of this column will know, my Man Shed tends to get a bit messy sometimes. Today, I see I’m surrounded by discarded pairs of old running trainers that I’ve worn out in previous triathlons I’ve taken part in.

The radio race reports and all the crumpled footwear littered about the place have reminded me that throughout the month of May many of us will be pounding the streets in training for a marathon, a 5k, 10k or half marathon.

I expect you might be taking part in an event yourself as jogging has become increasingly popular across the UK and, indeed, all over the world. An estimated 8 million Brits now don their jogging shoes at least once a week.

For us men, sometimes a goal, like running a marathon, can prove helpful to encourage us to get off the sofa and invest in our fitness. However, sometimes this sort of training can become a bit obsessive or intrusive and may also have a negative impact on your relationship with your partner.

So, it’s wise to remember that if you want to get fit within the parameters of your relationship, you don’t have to do a whole marathon to gain the benefits of exercise.

Brisk walking after meals is one of the best forms of exercise you can take. That applies to both of you in your relationship. So-called ‘Collaborative Exercise’ has great value. It’s also important to be aware that during perimenopause and menopause, your partner needs loadbearing exercise to maintain bone strength and muscle mass.

So why not start a new Collaborative Exercise regime with something as simple as taking a brisk walk together after meals? It’s also a great way to burn up any excess carbs you have just eaten.

Other benefits include that you will also both enjoy an endorphin boost, a great feel-good factor. You can take in the fresh air, and also have time to talk to each other. Plus, Collaborative Exercise is a great way to boost your mental health.

If you are tempted to put your feet up – don’t!

During perimenopause, cardiovascular risk becomes more of an issue. Therefore, it’s important to maintain good fitness in order to offset this risk. We want to keep our weight in a safe range and so staying active as part of your daily routine is important. Obviously, this applies to both of you.

Actually, it’s not all just about activity. You also have to fuel yourself adequately as well. However, as the evenings get lighter, it’s well worth getting out and making the most of the season. It’s a wonderful opportunity for you both to enjoy nature and the great outdoors.

You don’t have to run (or walk) a full marathon distance of 26.2 miles to reap these benefits. Even just 20 minutes a day with your partner delivers great benefits for mental health and physical wellbeing.
Sometimes I come across menopause patients who believe that, at this time of change, it’s perfectly OK to ease up completely on taking any exercise at all. My response is always the same – in fact with both genders of my patients, including those who are not of an age where they are affected by perimenopause or menopause at all. I like to use the ‘dog analogy’.

There is well-established data confirming that people who remain active live longer and develop less heart disease and less chronic illness. For example, in older age, if a pet dog dies, the elderly person usually dies within six months due to a lack of exercise. So, it’s very important to stay active. We are talking ‘use it or lose it’ here as a health item.

These sentiments and advice are especially important if your partner is approaching menopause or is in the menopausal stage. So, if you are tempted to put your feet up – don’t! Put your walking shoes on them instead and get out and about. If you want to run a marathon, that’s fine but just make sure you train properly first, and enjoy it.

Building Collaborative Exercise into your routine is far better for your overall health. That’s one way perimenopausal women can reap the benefits in this time of change in their body, composition and health.

You might not get a sparkly gold medal hung around your neck, but actually there are great rewards to be gained in terms of health benefits, improved mental health, and over time, reduced risk of bone loss, weight gain and heart attack.

If you’ve got a question for Our Man in The Man Shed Dr Ben Sinclair, you can email him on [email protected]

Welcome to The Man Shed and I’m delighted to be your man in it!

My name is Dr Ben Sinclair (please just call me ‘Dr Ben’, everyone does), and I’ve been a GP for nearly 20 years. Bear with me a sec while I shift these spare paint tins and get my laptop set up…

If you’ve got a question for Our Man in The Man Shed, Dr Ben Sinclair, you can email him on:
[email protected].

Dr Ben's Blog Posts

» Go back to the Blog Index