Perimenopause, strength, and body composition
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Dr. Jolene Brighten says ADHD in women often surfaces in perimenopause, when falling estrogen stops masking lifelong symptoms. Estrogen supports dopamine and acetylcholine, so its decline during the luteal phase and perimenopause worsens executive function, mood, and focus, explaining why many women are diagnosed only in their 30s and 40s.
Hypermobile joints move past normal range because ligaments are too loose, so strength training, not stretching, is the primary fix. Dr. Stephanie Estima recommends training within 80% of available range of motion, using slow eccentrics and isometric holds, plus adequate protein and vitamin C to support connective tissue repair.
Grief is not just an emotion, it is a measurable physiological event: a 21-times spike in heart attack risk in the first 24 hours after a loss, elevated cortisol for months, and a brain that keeps treating the dead as still out there somewhere.
Biomechanist Katy Bowman argues movement is a nutrient the body requires daily, not a scheduled workout, and that modern convenience saves movement rather than time. She maps a movement pyramid from floor-sitting to sprinting, links bone strength to changing direction, and traces midlife foot pain to decades of repeated gait patterns.
