Hot flushes are one of the most common and disruptive symptoms of perimenopause. Around 75–80% of women experience them, ranging from mild warmth and flushing to intense heat that interrupts sleep, work, and everyday life. The evidence for exercise - particularly strength training - as a meaningful intervention, and the research here is more compelling than most people realise.

When fitness comes up in midlife, the conversation tends to land on energy, sleep, and how the body feels week to week. Bone density rarely enters the picture, partly because you can't feel it changing and partly because most of us associate it with something that happens much later in life. But the decline starts earlier than most women realise, and the research on what you can do about it is encouraging.