Aching shoulders in women over 40

Inside my online workout and wellbeing subscription I teach two Fitness Pilates style workouts each week. Fitness Pilates uses the original teachings, principals and exercises of Joseph Pilates which are delivered in a modern and functional way. It is designed to improve posture, back and core strength and mental cognition whilst enhancing mobility, flexibility and balance.

The things I hear most often after every Fitness Pilates workout is:

💬 I feel much looser now
💬 I can’t believe how stiff my shoulders were
💬 I didn’t realise how much I needed that

And my favourite:

💬 “That’s unstuck me” (I actually often hear ‘that was brutal but has unstuck me’ but I’ll gloss over that one 😝)

Estrogen is responsible for maintaining the structure and function of the muscle, tendon and ligament tissue. When it declines the tendons feel it. Yet our posture and lack of movement or hydration can worsen the aches and stiffness that heighten the barrier to exercise.

We live in a predominantly forward-facing world which is impacting our posture and alignment. This not only causes stiffness and aches and pains through our back and shoulders but weakens our glutes which, over time, can affect our pelvic, hip and knee health and breath function.

The connective tissue (fascia) that surrounds the muscles also dries out, resulting in it seizing up, preventing fluidity of movement and causing stiffness and pain (fascia pain is commonly mistaken for muscle or joint pain). Whilst some might need some deeper work on their fascia, everyone should start with the basics and drink more water and MOVE WELL and regularly.

It is vital that we strengthen our back and shoulder muscles to counteract modern day living and because muscle aches and stiffness is one of the most common barriers many women have to exercise.

And if you’ve gone through breast cancer treatment, one of the biggest impacts is to the shoulders. 40% of women still experience shoulder pain 12 months after surgery so for me focusing on  shoulder strength and mobility along with truck flexibility has to be non-negotiable.

If you need to be unstuck then try my Shoulder Workout with a Broom Handle 🧹 (you can use a mop, golf umbrella, detachable vacuum cleaner pipe or even a towel for these exercises) and if you love this one then come and join me inside my online workout and wellbeing world, created to support women 40+ or going through and following breast cancer.

No fads, no fuss, just fun purposeful fitness and simple lifestyle strategies without the faff!