Denise Yeats - Coach, Personal Trainer, Event Producer

The water isn't just good for your head. Turns out it might be quietly building your strength too. 🌊

New research has properly caught my attention this week:

🏊‍♀️ A study of nearly 400 athletes found aquatic training gave real, measurable gains in power, speed and agility, with way less impact on the joints than land training.

🏊‍♀️ A second study of nearly 600 postmenopausal women found aquatic resistance training (not just gentle aqua aerobics) improved strength, flexibility, agility and even bone density.

The key word is resistance. Drag, paddles, real load in the water, not just moving through it.

I've always known swimming does something for me beyond the physical. It's nice to see the evidence catching up with what those of us doing our lengths at dawn already felt in our bones.

This isn't a swap-out for your strength sessions, they are crucial, think of it as an addition. And as ever, chat to your GP about anything bone health related.

Link to my Substack article is here: https://deniseyeats.substack.com/p/another-reason-to-love-the-water

Have you ever had a blood test come back saying "prediabetic" or "insulin resistant" and thought, but I eat well, I'm active, how did this happen? 🤔

You're not alone, and it's not necessarily a reflection of you doing something wrong. Declining oestrogen through perimenopause and menopause genuinely affects how your body responds to insulin, independent of weight or diet. The good news: resistance training and HIIT are two of the most evidence-backed ways to help.

New piece on my Substack this week breaking down the hormone connection and the training approach that actually helps, link to the article here: https://deniseyeats.substack.com/p/the-blood-sugar-shift-no-one-explains

*This is not medical advice, always follow up any results with your GP to support your individual circumstances and condition.

Waking up drenched at 3am in the past few weeks? 🥵 If you're in perimenopause or menopause, you'll know exactly how much worse hot flushes feel in this kind of heat, and you're not imagining it. The UK is heading for its warmest summer on record.

Here's something I was interested to read: a Swedish study found that 15 weeks of resistance training cut moderate to severe hot flush frequency by 44% in postmenopausal women, and the benefits were still holding two years later. Not cardio or diet changes. Lifting weights, twice or three times a week.

I've broken down the study, why it might work, and what the actual training programme looked like, on my Substack this week take a look here: https://deniseyeats.substack.com/p/why-lifting-may-help-with-the-heat

I had hayfever badly as a child, streaming, wheezy summers with an inhaler always in my bag. It eased off in my thirties and I forgot about it.

Now, in my fifties, it's back, but it doesn't make sense the way it used to. Some days I'm fine when the pollen count is high. Other days I'm wheezy for no reason. Foods do the same, fine for months, then suddenly not.

A couple of clients have described exactly the same thing to me lately, so I went digging into why, and it turns out oestrogen and histamine are properly linked. That link shifts through perimenopause, which is why the reactions feel completely random even though there's a real pattern underneath.

It's not just hayfever either, it can show up as food reactions, skin flushing, or feeling wheezy and wiped out on training days for no clear reason. If that's you, it's not just "getting older."

I'm not a doctor, I just went looking because it was affecting me and the women I coach. Full piece, with the research behind it, is on my Substack here: https://deniseyeats.substack.com/p/the-histamine-puzzle-why-your-body

Has anyone else noticed their hayfever, or food reactions, behaving strangely since perimenopause? 👇

The Histamine Puzzle: Why Your Body Might Be Reacting Differently Than It Used To I had hayfever badly as a child, and asthma too.

"I know I should eat more carbs... but what if I gain weight?" 😬

A client said this to me last week.

It's not uncommon. Smart, switched-on women. Training hard. Still apologising for carbs like they're the enemy.

Then summer hits ✅
Appetite drops ✅
And carbs are the first thing to slowly disappear ✅

However, a smaller appetite doesn't equate to a smaller need.

New on my Substack 👇
What carbs actually do for your body and why it's not just pasta & chips (hello lentils, oats, sweet potato 🍠)

Fuel, not fear.
Link to the Substack article is here: https://deniseyeats.substack.com/p/fuel-not-fear-why-cutting-carbs-isnt

What a treat today was. 🚤☀️
Earlier this year I was named one of the F:Entrepreneur iAlso100 top inspiring female entrepreneurs, and today the iAlso100 team, supported by Starling, brought together many of this year's Female Founders for an afternoon on the Thames.
Life as a solo entrepreneur can be brilliant, but it can also have it's challenges, and if I'm honest, the announcement at the beginning of the year landed at a strange time for me. My bike accident shortly after knocked my confidence as much as it had my body, and it was tricky to feel able to celebrate properly.
🎉So today felt like a chance to catch up on that celebration. Spending time with a boatful of women building extraordinary things, swapping stories and cheering each other on, was exactly the kind of connection and recognition I needed. Grateful to iAlso100 and Starling for making it happen, and to every Female Founder on board today for the inspiration.

🔥 It is getting HOT out there and with so many events underway at this time of year it is even more important to stay safe and hydrated!
💧 We use the water in our bodies to get rid of the heat we produce and to cool us down while we’re exercising. It’s an amazingly efficient process when it is working well....

🖐 But as we enter peri and menopause and our hormones are in flux, all sorts of things start to happen..

👉Thirst sensation flattens - so we should be more conscious of drinking during the day and especially when exercising.

👉Thermoregulation control and oestrogen loss means we start sweating a lot sooner than we normally would (there is usually a response that tells us we are getting hot first).

👉We have a high predisposition to becoming dehydrated which can be exacerbated if we are having hot flushes or sweats.

👉With less water in your blood, the blood is more viscous, so your heart has to work harder. Your heart rate goes up. Your power goes down. Your core temperature rises. All of that leads to fatigue and reduced performance.

💦 So get smart about your hydration - if we have a higher body water then our temperature control is better as our body can move heat around a lot more, which can help mitigate those hot symptoms.

👉For a full blog post on this, take a look here: https://www.deniseyeats.co.uk/blogposts/beating-the-heat-a-guide-to-hydration-and-cooling-for-women-in-menopause

Let me tell you about the time a pile of weeds beat me.
About twelve years ago I was meant to be supervising a community garden makeover in East London, camera in hand. Of course I couldn't resist getting stuck in, and I spent six hours hauling out thick, established weeds. I went home rather pleased with myself. Two days after that, every laugh and every twist had me wincing. I'd strained the muscles between my ribs.
I was fit. I trained, yet the garden still caught me out.
I see it all the time now. People come to me wanting to be strong for life, not for a race or a medal, just for the everyday business of lifting, kneeling, carrying and getting back up off the floor. Gardening asks all of that of us, and it gives so much back.
That is the heart of Green Care for You, a lovely free two-week programme from Carers UK and Thrive, helping unpaid carers find calm and connection through gardening and nature. You don't even need a garden to take part, and you can sign up any time over the next couple of weeks.
I've written all about how to garden without paying for it later, and I have a simple cue sheet of the exercises for anyone who would like it. Just give me a shout.
Read the article here: https://deniseyeats.substack.com/p/train-for-the-garden-not-just-the

Sign up to Green Care for You: https://uk.emma-live.com/greencareforyou

A slightly different post from me today.
How many of us have quietly set down a part of ourselves somewhere along the way, the part that sang, or danced, or did something purely for the feeling of it?
I'm starting a new series called The Feeling of Strong, and the way in is music. I'm looking at the songs that still do something to us when we hear them.
It begins with More Than Words by Extreme, a song I loved at 22, and the singing lessons I nervously signed up for at 47. I nearly didn't knock on the door. Where that small, terrifying decision eventually led still surprises me.
Find the song that just came to mind as you read this. Put it on properly. Then let me know what it was ? 🎶
Read the full piece here 👉 https://deniseyeats.substack.com/p/the-feeling-of-strong-more-than-words

I am so incredibly proud of my lovely friend Shirley McGill who has received the British Empire Medal for her speech and drama work, inspiring so many young people. I know how hard she has worked over the past 30+ years, but makes it seem effortless as she is so passionate about what she does.
In true Scottish style she is being incredibly humble about it, so I am posting it here, because after all I do love to champion strong women, and here is one of the best! Congratulations Shirley, this is SO well deserved! xx

Aberdonian Shirley McGill receives BEM after more than 30 years inspiring young people through speech and drama. Read more: https://ebx.sh/VBg5Fd