YOU may know DJ and radio host Jo Whiley for her signature husky voice – but now you’ll certainly remember her for her killer abs.
The BBC Radio 2 star, 59, flaunted her incredible six-pack and toned arms – and shared her secret weapon for looking sensational and managing the menopause.
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Jo sizzles in red bikini on the latest cover of Women’s Health UK, discussing how losing close friends impacted her health habits and the crippling anxiety she used to get before getting on stage.
She’s previously opened up about struggling with the menopause, telling Mail Online in 2021 that the resulting brain fog made her feel “like a liability on the radio”.
Her super-toned physique offered plenty of clues on what she’s being doing to tackle her symptoms.
The mum-of-three told Women’s Health that turning to strength training had “saved” her.
Jo says: “I did go through a period of time when I felt like I was just a bit weak, but I think it’s probably when the menopause hit.
“When I was going through [it], I think the conversation wasn’t being had that vocally, like it wasn’t on social media with Davina and her campaign.”
TV presenter Davina McCall has been instrumental in raising awareness about the menopause, producing and taking part in a number of documentaries on the subject – after the experience left feeling like she was in “soggy, sweaty prison“.
Jo described how she felt when she first started experiencing telltale symptoms.
She told the mag: “I really lost myself. I cried all the time. I mean, I cry a lot anyway, but I cried all the time.
“I just felt very weak. And going to the gym and getting myself strong has played a really, really big part in helping me be the person I am today.
“It really saved me.”
Strength training – weight bearing exercise that places resistance on your muscles – is often touted as the go-to form of exercise for women going through the menopause.
Levels of the female sex hormone oestrogen decline during this period, increasing your risk of osteoporosis – the hormone helps keep the bones strong.
Strength training can help reduce this effect, while also boosting mental health.
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Personal trainer Kate Rowe-Ham, author of the Owning Your Menopause book and app, recently shared her ultimate menopause workout guide with Sun Health.
‘Major lifestyle changes’
Jo has previously spoken about being left reeling after the sudden death of her close pal Steve Wright earlier this year.
She discussed how losing several close friends has impacted her own health habits.
“Friends are the people that you really, really love, because you’ve developed this deep connection.
“The loss of them cuts really, really deep, because you spend so many hours [together], they’re so much a part of your life…and then suddenly, when they’re not there, there’s this huge void,” she told Women’s Health.
What is the menopause and how does it affect women?
The menopause is a transitional period all women go through in mid-life.
Hormones related to the reproductive system deplete namely oestrogen, over a period of time.
This doesn’t just cause periods to stop. Sex hormones act all over the body, from the brain, skin, vagina and more.
Therefore, dozens of symptoms affect all areas of the body, to varying degrees.
Women’s experiences of menopause vary greatly. While some breeze through it, others’ lives are significantly impacted. It can feel as though it lasts a couple of years, or for decades.
It cannot be predicted how each woman will fare.
When is menopause?
Perimenopause is when symptoms start but periods have not yet stopped, although they will be irregular. This can start in the early 40s.
Menopause is when periods have completely stopped for a year. The average age this happens is 51, but it can be any time from 45 to 55, according to the NHS.
The term ‘menopause’ is used to describe the experience overall.
Menopause before the age of 45 is called early menopause, affecting five per cent of women. Menopause before the age of 40 is called premature menopause, affecting one per cent of women before 40 and 0.1 per cent of women under 30.
This may happen for no clear reason, but also as a result of surgery, genetics or medications.
A year after that the final period, a woman is considered to be entering the post-menopausal stage.
How does it impact a woman’s life?
The menopause can be an extremely testing time in a woman’s life and for those around her.
The body is going through a significant change, and the symptoms that come with it can feel alien, with women sometimes describing a loss of sense of self.
Physical symptoms include hot flushes (a sudden feeling of heat in the face, neck and chest), difficulty sleeping, night sweats, heart palpitations, headaches, muscle and joint aches, weight skin, skin changes, reduced libido, vaginal dryness and more.
Symptoms affecting mental health or cognition include brain fog, memory loss, low mood, anxiety, low self-esteem and irritation.
There are ways to manage symptoms and cope with menopause – and women need to know that they are not alone in facing it.
Medication, such as HRT or oestrogen gel, can help attack the symptoms.
However, experts often say it needs a rounded approach incorporating good lifestyle habits, such as a balanced diet and less alcohol.
Many women report that their life began after menopause after it drew them to a healthier way of living.
However, the huge burden it can have – on work, family life and more – is important for society to recognise, as adapting policies at work, for example, can make it easier for women to stick with their job.
Read more about menopause on The Sun’s Fabulous Menopause Matters campaign.
“I’ve always been healthy, and so [there weren’t] any major lifestyle changes, but it was going and getting health checks [and] having a yearly MOT.”
Jo also revealed that she used to experience crippling anxiety before going on stage – and said shifting her mindset had helped her overcome it.
“It’s taken a lot of personal development to get me on that stage in front of those people. It’s been really hard.
“I remember doing one gig, and I was just so scared…I thought, I can’t go on like this. This is ridiculous. It’s ruining my life, because I’m just such a ball of anxiety.
“I realised how happy it’s making people when I do these gigs and the audience that I’m playing to is why I do what I’m doing.
“That was a game changer.”
The full interview can be read on the Women’s Health UK website now, or in the new issue on sale from September 17.
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The different menopause treatments
THE main menopause treatment is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which replaces the hormones that are at low levels.
There are various types and doses, and it’s important to find the one that works best for you.
Oestrogen comes as:
- Skin patches
- A gel or spray to put on the skin
- Implants
- Tablets
If you have a womb (uterus), you also need to take progesterone to protect your womb lining from the effects of oestrogen. Taking oestrogen and progesterone is called combined HRT.
Progesterone comes as:
- Patches, as part of a combined patch with oestrogen
- IUS (intrauterine system, or coil)
- Tablets
Some people are also offered testosterone gels or creams to help improve sex drive, mood and energy levels, or additional oestrogen tablets, creams or rings for vaginal dryness and discomfort.
Other medicines can be used to treat menopause symptoms.
These include a blood pressure medicine called clonidine and an epilepsy drug called gabapentin to help with hot flushes and night sweats.
Antidepressants can combat mood symptoms if you’ve been diagnosed with anxiety or depression, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can also help.
Alternative treatments, like herbal remedies, are not recommended as it is unclear how safe and effective they are.
Source: NHS