To celebrate the launch of the Peri & Menopause Program to Fluidform at Home, Fluidform founder Kirsten King sat down with author and journalist, Paula Joye to chat about the program, open up about changes we experience through Perimenopause and Menopause and how movement is medicine.
P: Kee, this is so exciting for women going through Peri and Menopause. A dedicated Fluidform at Home program just for us. I like to think of it just for me, but it’s for us. Tell me, what motivated you to do such a specific program?
KK: Well, FFAH was initially created to give people access to great Pilates, no matter where you were. So obviously, keeping in line with those values. First and foremost, I saw within our studios ladies starting to come in, and menopause started to be something that I was seeing daily.
PJ: How does it manifest itself? What do you see in your clients?
KK: We have very intimate relationships with our clients at Fluidform, and we get to know them really well. So little things as simple as they’re body changing, you know, all of a sudden there’s a thickness through their waist that I’m noticing that they haven’t noticed, or they walk in and they’re just, “what’s going on? Like, what is this?” And it’s like that. It happens very quickly.
PJ: It happened to me. Yeah, it’s like when you breastfeed, your milk comes in, you wake up and go, why is there a house on my chest? And it’s actually just your milk, but it’s the same. It’s like you wake up and suddenly, out of nowhere.
KK: And it’s uncomfortable, It makes you feel nervous and anxious, and it’s an out of body experience, and it’s a very visual experience, which I think is the worst part of it for females. Back of your arms, top of your knees, back of your legs. All of a sudden, the skin just changes.
PJ: Oh, my God. The skin is frightening. You look down at your legs, you’re like, hold on a second. What old woman has walked into my bathroom and taken over my body? It’s crazy. And it happens overnight.
KK: Yeah, it does. And I guess those little, little signs that either a client expresses, like, “what is this? How’s that happened?” I wasn’t like this. Like you said, they’re walking out with their socks on and forgetting their shoes. And they’re coming in and not knowing where their car keys are, but they’re in their pocket. Brain fog!
PJ: I think what you said before was really interesting. It’s physical. And I think that if you are somebody that’s always been fit and loves your exercise, it can be incredibly challenging to suddenly have your body kind of betray you in that way. It’s confronting.
KK: It’s confronting. And as females, we have those moments many times in our lives that, you know, men don’t actually get to experience. Starts with our bodies changing during adolescence, then we have babies, our bodies change. Some people’s bodies change for the better postnatally. Some people never return to where they were.
PJ: And then again, during this significant time, time of menopause, and perimenopause, it changes again. And you also don’t know how long for some. I mean, I have friends that it’s been like a ten year journey. Some people cruise through it, some people sort of really get it for two short, sharp years of sort of, you know, hell.
So I think everyone is different. And I’ve really found that talking about it is one of the most helpful things because it helps you pin together what’s going on with you. And for me, at any time in my life, whether it’s been, you know, exactly anymore, I think moving is just one of the very best things you can do, even when you don’t feel like it, because the fatigue with perian menopause is crazy. And really, the thing that gives you the most energy, I’ve always found, is exercise and movement. So it’s such an exciting program.
So how does it differ from Pilates? Or from what you were doing when you were 18? Is it more fundamental? Are you adding weight? What are some of the things people can expect?
KK: Yeah, so we, it’s very much targeted to that change in the female’s body during that time. So it’s a specific, fundamental movement because it’s just going back to targeting and isolating our muscles that are going to help you feel good again, help you see a difference.
And if you feel good and you start to see something, then obviously you feel better and you keep going on that journey, and it contributes to better emotional stability and mental health. So really trying to target those areas using body weight and extra weight, because as we know, the muscle makeup changes during this time. And actually just leading into perimenopause, the muscle makeup starts to change.
So using plyometrics, so some jumping movement patterns, some skipping. And I know that you say skipping to a lot of females who have had children, and they’re like, oh, my God, I can’t skip. You know, there’s all that.
PJ: I will be weeing my pants!
KK: Yeah, there’s all of that that goes with it. So we obviously have a lot of pelvic floor work because that’s super important in this period in your life as well. And everything has been created to be supportive. So little moments build you up to bigger moments of change within your body. So, you know, smaller reps, but multiple times through with a challenge.
PJ: I love that you’re actually targeting the things that are sort of upsetting in the body changing. I love that the program is actually like, we can fix your arms. We can make you feel better about your knees. We can. We can help you not wet your pants. But I think that that is, that.
KK: You can be in charge of your body for longer. And help you feel like yourself again. And it really, really is possible.
PJ: I mean, I am already so excited about just doing those exercises on repetition and just seeing a change that I know will happen by just doing them. I’ll tell you what they are like. You have to listen to what she says and do it exactly the way she says, because until I did it, the way she said, I didn’t get it. Then I got it. You really feel it.
Okay. So there’s a meal plan with this program. Yes. What do you think are the biggest changes you need to make in your eating and your habits when this happens?
KK: It was really interesting because we’ve used a specific nutritionist who specializes in female nutrition, and it is all about when you eat, not necessarily what you’re eating.
It’s the when and how you eat. So I feel like as females, all of a sudden, we feel uncomfortable. Maybe our clothes feel a little tight, and naturally we think, oh, my God, I have to cut everything out, or, oh, my God, I cannot eat.
And, you know, it’s that horrible relationship that we can have with food. And that’s actually exactly what you shouldn’t be doing during this time because it’s in our hormone imbalance, and the food and your cortisol levels really contribute to hormone imbalance.
And you’re often at times, ravenous, your appetite increases, and that really confuses women as well. Like, hang on a minute. They never used to eat. No, I was, you know, could have this and this and this, and now all I want is all the things. And you’re tired, and you’re tired for a quick fix. Which is the worst thing that you can have. So people quite often refer to a sweet tooth, which is just craving sugar because they’re tired and they’re not eating properly.
So really looking at the meal plan as a way of changing, making sure that you’re eating before you work out, not waking up and having a coffee, because we’re trying to build that muscle mass back in the body.
We’re trying to balance out that hormone imbalance that we have. So really looking into when you’re eating and in smaller amounts, more regularly and trying to stop that really late night, large eating habits, you’re sort of bringing everything back into that earlier part of the day. But it’s more just, you know, balance, like anything in life. I see it with my clients. They start to stop eating. I’m not exercising as much anymore. I’ve gained weight. And that actually just contributes to all of what’s happening during that time.
PJ: Yes. And also a lot of if you’re me and going through, you know, menopause and perimenopause, you were Gen X and we were brought up on drop dress size in a week, which we all know is a lie. And it’s hard to change that mentality in your head. You know, it’s taken me years to work out that, you know, moderate, steady eating is the best way.
Plus regular exercise.
KK: Regular exercise. Don’t flog your body. Look after it. And that’s, I guess, something with this program as well. It’s about, you know, you usually at this stage in your life have nurtured everyone else. Your children, your partner. And it’s now time to do some nurturing of yourself and really focus on giving everything back, because there are a lot of injuries that can happen during this time. Your frozen shoulder, everything starts to degenerate. Your knees, your joints.
PJ: Oh, everything. I get out of bed and it’s like someone’s playing the drums. Like that, you know?
But I discovered FFAH during COVID as I think so many people did. And it was such a lifeline for me then, and I’ve gone back to it. Even though I’ve been in the studio and everything like that, I often find myself coming back to it [Fluidform at Home] or using this supplement to being in the studio. And I think that this is so exciting that there is a dedicated program for women in this period.
If you haven’t done pilates before and if you haven’t done Fluidform before, can I tell you, do not be frightened, because Kee is the most incredible. I can do an online class and not look at the screen because your voice just tells me what to do. So it is. It’s like the most safe, fantastic program.
And I’m just so excited that you’ve done it. I’m so excited to get started.
KK: I’m super excited as well because I think there’s not enough support, like, everything with female health and wellbeing, particularly in the movement sector, there is not a lot of advice and help there. And I feel like if we can give people access to something that is fantastic and supportive and nurturing and effective, we’re doing a really great job.
Help women feel happy, which is what all we want. I just want all women to feel happy all the time, feel all the good things and feel happy all the time. Happy and strong.
