Calibration: Knowing When to Push and When to Pause
September always feels like a second beginning to the year for me. The energy shifts, schedules find their rhythm again, and something in the air asks us to show up with a little more dedication than the summer allowed. I use this time to recommit to the intentions I set for myself at the beginning of the year.
And I love a good sweater-boot combination and a chai latte. Hello Fall!
This month, we’re exploring calibration: the practice of paying attention to what’s happening within us and adjusting accordingly. Not always pushing harder, and not always backing away, but learning to notice what we need and what is actually serving us.
I recently received a message from our community that I want to answer because I think many of you are wondering the same thing:
Is intense cardio and HIIT beneficial or harmful for hormonal and cortisol health during perimenopause and menopause?
The honest answer is: it can be both, depending on how we use it. The difference comes down to how much, how often, and how well you recover.
HIIT, done smartly, can be genuinely beneficial for women at this stage of life. Research in peri- and postmenopausal women shows that high-intensity training can support cardiovascular fitness, metabolic health, glucose regulation, and healthy body composition, while broader research also points to benefits for cognitive function. Short bursts of high-intensity work are some of the best tools we have for maintaining muscle and keeping our metabolism responsive as hormones shift.
But intensity is still a form of stress on the body - and stress is information.
During perimenopause and menopause, cortisol can become less regulated. Consistently pushing through high-intensity workouts without adequate recovery can disrupt sleep, increase inflammation, and worsen symptoms. This isn’t a reason to avoid intensity. It’s a reason to be strategic about it.
For most women in this transition, one to two HIIT sessions per week, balanced with strength training, moderate movement, and genuine recovery, is a smart approach.
This is exactly why the classes I design are built around smart intensity rather than relentless output. You work hard when it serves you. You recover when it matters. Both are essential.
That is calibration.
With love and gratitude,
Elease