How I Healed My Menopause Symptoms
by Sahra Esmonde-White, Co-founder of Essentrics
For many years, I kept my experience with sudden menopause at 41 to myself, partly because I was in denial, and I was ashamed to be so young and healthy and going through something that I only expected to happen when I was much older. Now, thanks to groundbreaking research and long-overdue conversations about menopause, particularly its surprising impact on musculoskeletal health, and the multitude of mysterious symptoms women experience, I have a better understanding of my own story. I’m sharing my journey in the hopes it will help others.
How it all began:
Nine years ago, feeling vibrant and healthy, I set off on a long-awaited trip to Italy with my mother. Shortly after we landed, something felt off. We were exploring the Amalfi coast; on the outside I looked fine, but on the inside, I was struggling. On day one, I developed a migraine, which is uncommon for me, and continued to struggle with it for the remainder of our 2-week holiday. I began having trouble sleeping, and would wake up drenched in sweat, not to mention the constant hot flushes during the day. These sudden symptoms took my once non-existent anxiety through the roof. I thought I had developed a sudden autoimmune condition, or that I had cancer. I will never forget that trip and the contrast between the breathtaking beauty of Italy and the joy of traveling with my mom, against the backdrop of intense fear for my health.
My mom and I traveling in the Amalfi coast – coffee and cooking classes!
I’ve experienced nearly every symptom firsthand— stiffness, mysterious connective tissue issues, arthritic-like pain, heart palpitations, and an ever-growing list of baffling ailments. I searched for answers—bouncing from doctors to naturopaths, desperate to understand what was happening to my body. But time and time again, I hit a wall. No one had the answers, and musculoskeletal issues weren’t discussed – it was as though they didn’t exist. Yet, today, research tells a different story—70% of women experience these symptoms during menopause, and for 25% of them, the pain is severe.(1)
Back then, even medical professionals weren’t properly educated on menopause, leaving countless women feeling dismissed, hopeless, and lost in their own bodies. This is still the case today. For years, I had no idea what was happening to my body—until I learned it was all linked to one powerful hormone: estrogen. Understanding this changed everything, and now, I’m ready to help others connect the dots.
The study that changed everything:
The lightbulb moment for me came a year ago when a student in my Essentrics class casually mentioned that regularly attending my workouts was keeping her menopausal stiffness at bay. Suddenly, everything clicked. I, too, had felt this—but like most women, I hadn’t made the connection. I had no idea that joint pain, stiffness, and connective tissue discomfort were all deeply linked to shifting estrogen levels.
Just as I began digging into my own symptoms, a groundbreaking study on The Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause was released in July 2024, confirming what so many of us had unknowingly experienced. These symptoms are real. They are directly tied to menopause.
How to free yourself from common menopausal symptoms:
The key to eliminating your musculoskeletal symptoms is simple: dynamic range of motion exercises. A workout like Essentrics makes the lubrication of your joints and hydration of your fascia a priority, but it is not passive stretching, it is dynamic, and it includes strength. The simultaneously stretching and strengthening of your full body erases that feeling of stiffness.
For me, Essentrics is my stand-alone workout, which gives me both flexibility and strength. Although it’s equipment-free, it is still a weight bearing workout that improves muscle mass and bone health. I was happy to see that my DEXA scan was great this year – after 9-years of menopause, a predominantly plant-based diet and no hormone replacement therapy. I know many women who cannot lift weights and need alternatives to stay healthy and moving. If you are doing strength training with weights, you may want to consider adding-on a technique like Essentrics to help rebalance your joints, care for your fascia and feel light and free in your body.
Your body doesn’t have to feel like it’s aging:
I invite you to join me in an Essentrics workout and feel the difference for yourself. My personal experience with joint and muscle pain has given me a deep understanding of just how powerful this technique is. Essentrics continues to reset and rebalance my body, helping me feel like myself again.
And now, it all makes sense. Over the years, we’ve received tens of thousands of testimonials from women claiming to have “aged backwards” with Essentrics. Without realizing it, they’ve been naturally regulating their menopause symptoms, keeping their bodies youthful, mobile, and vibrant.
This isn’t just another fitness program. This is the Women’s Workout.
References:
(1) Vonda J. Wright, Jonathan D. Schwartzman, Rafael Itinoche & Jocelyn Wittstein (2024). The Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13697137.2024.2380363
Learn more about Essentrics Mobility & Menopause
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