Back pain, joint pain, mood swings, poor sleep, brain fog: Perimenopause was no joke for Alison C.

“The weirdest part of it is that I will wake up one day, look in the mirror and notice something completely different about myself. My face looks so different some days, and my clothes don’t feel the same, and for crying out loud my hiking boots don’t fit the same and now give me blisters,” said the now 52-year-old.

Luckily, she was already following Dr. Stacy Sims on Instagram, as her CrossFit coach had introduced Alison to Dr. Sims back in 2013.

“As I went through perimenopause, I continued to read her stuff,” said Alison, who also took some of Dr. Sims’ courses along the way.

At the time, Alison had moved to a new city in British Columbia and was no longer doing CrossFit, but still rock climbing and mountaineering.

“I was still at the gym, but I was floundering, doing my own thing,” she said.

Needless to say, when Alison found out Dr. Sims was partnering with Annie Thorisdottir and Katrin Davidsdottir to launch Empower, “the timing was perfect” for her, she explained.

One Year Into Empower

One year into Empower and Alison feels like she has gotten her groove back. All of her strength numbers are up considerably, and more importantly, her joint pain has decreased considerably.

Alison is a massage therapist, which can be “hard on the body,” she explained, as it means she’s constantly leaning over a table, which contributed to the chronic back pain she experienced in the past, pain that has all but disappeared since she began following Empower’s Flight program.

As for her strength numbers, Alison used to be nervous to deadlift heavy prior to Empower due to her back pain, so she never deadlifted more than 140 pounds.

Today, she is deadlifting 165 pounds with confidence. Further, her back squat has increased from 125 pounds last September to 140 pounds today, and her bench press has increased from 65 pounds to 80 pounds one year into Empower.

But where Alison feels like she has possibly reaped the biggest physical benefit is from the plyometric training included in the Flight program.

“It has had the biggest effect, I think. I cross-country ski, and last ski season, after doing Empower since July of last year, I found I could bounce up the hills so much better. I think it helps me not fatigue as fast,” she said.

Ultimately, Alison says she’s simply more excited to hit the gym and workout now than she has been in a long time.

“I’m way more motivated to stay on track. I love the pieces of the puzzle, starting with mobility, the warm-up, the strength work and then the conditioning and accessory movements. They all fit me and it just feels really good for my body,” she said.

“I went looking for a program that supported women and offered real training. Empower fits the bill and I am loving it.”

Alison’s Message

Alison is adamant, if you’re a woman going through perimenopause–or if you have hit menopause or are in postmenopause—there’s no better program out there than Empower.

“It works. I mean, strength training helps everyone, but for women specifically, it makes me feel more robust. I can tackle my physical and mental tasks throughout the day without questioning myself,” Alison said.

“It gives me the confidence back that I had lost,” she added.

“Alison’s journey proves that the right training doesn’t just build muscle—it restores confidence, energy, and joy in movement.”