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this month we will look at the menopause
Hello there!
Midlife is full of surprises- and not all of them are good. If you are reading this guide then I am guessing that you are touched in some way by symptoms of the menopause-or more accurately the transition to menopause. Perhaps you are even horrified at the person who is looking back at you in the mirror. Who is this person? What the heck happened?
You are not alone. Until recently when celebrities like Cameron Diaz and Kirsty Wark started speaking about their experiences, menopause’s surrounded by silent shame. Yet experts reckon that 80% of women experience the symptoms of menopause.
It might be that you are really suffering or perhaps you’ve just started noticing some changes. The experience is different for every woman but often means being hot, cold, moody, tired, sleep-deprived, nervous, irritable, sad or hairy. It can involve hot flushes, memory loss and a seemingly immovable band of fat around you middle or thighs.
Your fluctuating hormones are the cause of all of this but you don’t have to accept these symptoms as the way things need to be. Learning to rebalance your hormones naturally will help you to take back control of your life. Given life expectancy increases women can expect to spend at least a third of their live menopausal so it’s really worth getting the help you need now. Despite what you may have feared menopause is not the death of youth and vitality but the start of some of the best and the most powerful years of your life.
Need to Know about the menopause?
The term menopause is technically inaccurate because it represents the end of symptoms, whereas the stage most woman struggle through is called peri-menopause which can last anything from two to eight years before your last period.
The average age of menopause is 51 in the UK. You officially reach menopause when you have had no periods for 12 consecutive months.
Women’s experiences vary wildly and country to country. Hot sweats are very common in the West but very few Japanese women experience them.
During the peri-menopause there is still a risk of pregnancy.
Once women hit their 40’s they typically gain an average of 1lb a year so you could be a stone heavier by the time you reach 55.
The age your mother was when she reached menopause can indicate when you might do so - but it wont necessarily tell you about the symptoms you might experience or the severity of them.
Your health is no longer something peripheral you can take for granted but you still have some control over managing your symptoms. It’s all about making some changes to your diet, stepping up your self-care and taking action to reduce stress and moving gently.
Menopause symptoms
Night sweats
Stubborn weight gain around the middle
Insomnia
Bloating
Cravings
Headaches/migraines
Overwhelm
Irritability
Mood swings
Anxiety/depression
Brain fog
Poor memory
Loss of sex drive
Aging skin and hair
Joint pains
Fatigue
What’s happening inside?
You may not have given your hormones a seconds thought before but given the rollercoaster you are on right now it’s worth having some understanding of what is going on chemically aside of you and the impact it is happening.
Progesterone levels fall rapidly as you stop ovulating as regularly.
Although oestrogen is decreasing to it is falling at a slower rate meaning you can end up being oestrogen dominant- meaning too much oestrogen in relation to progesterone.
This is usually what’s behind many of the typical symptoms experienced during the transition to menopause.
The stress hormone cortisol can also increase, particularly if you are continually juggling too much, making sleep more difficult and leading to weight gain.
The thyroid comes under increased pressure and level levels of thyroid hormone can bring mood changes , weight increases, constipation and a sluggish feeling.
Your hormones work together synergistically. When one or more is out of kilter there is an effect on the others too.
1. Watch what you eat
One of the tragedies about menopause is the realisation that you cannot get away with eating the same foods that you used to. Your body has changed and you need to learn to eat for this new way of being. Why?
The drop in oestrogen levels that occurs during the menopause has an effect of redistributing body fat and excess pounds start to settle about the waist. On top of that the change that happens in relation to oestrogen and progesterone at this stage of life is also likely to make your body less sensitive to insulin, the fat storage hormone. This is produced in response to you eating carbohydrates.
When the body’s cells are less sensitive to insulin, more insulin is needed to do the same job, and more insulin made means more fat stored. There are also lifestyle factors to consider. Muscle mass diminishes with age while fat increases.
That means it is more important than ever to switch from whatever kind of diet you are on now to a low GL (glycemic load) that balances your blood sugar levels.This means you will be eating foods that do not trigger insulin secretion in response to what you eat.
I appreciate that this might sound a bit scientific, and possibly a bit scary but eating this type of diet is enjoyable and filled with foods you’d probably heard you couldn’t eat like avocados and eggs.
A blood sugar balancing diet like this focuses on REAL food : meat, fish, eggs, tofu, lentils, beans and chickpeas, lots of veg, some fruits, nuts, seeds and wholegrain.
You wont feel hungry - promise - but if this is a long way from where you are now I’d love to help you to move to this way of eating. Work with me and it will feel easy rather than an uphill struggle or -worse still - devoid of all those little props you have used to get yourself through these trying times.
2. Eat functional foods
On one level the food you eat can help balance your blood sugar and energy levels. On another it keeps you feeling satiated and also nourishes you. The cherry on top is to use the very subtile yet magical powers of food to help support you in times of need.
At this time of your life that means more phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are plant based chemicals (the good kind) which are structurally similar to oestrogen and provide a mild oestrogen effect. They include soy beans, lentils, beans, chickpeas, tofu barley, rye, oats, alfalfa sprouts, apples, pears, carrots, fennel, onion, garlic, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and liquorice root.
3. Manage your stress
Cortisol is one of the main stress hormones and it can cause weight gain and you can feel tired and miserable as well as using up stores of important vitamins.
You probably know that dwindling oestrogen levels are one of the main factors behind your symptoms. However, the effects of stress can be just as debilitating.
Most hormones are made of the same basic ingredients. When it is under fire the body prioritises those jobs that are useful for sustaining life, which means that when you are under stress your body prioritises making stress hormones over other hormones.So all those raw materials that may have gone into making oestrogen now wont.
Apart from your fat cells, the only source of oestrogen after your ovaries stop making it is the adrenal glands, which is where the stress hormones are made. If your adrenals are busy making stress hormones…………..
This is why a stress action plan is a must. Self-care in your 40’s and 50’s is no longer a nice thing to do, it is essential for managing symptoms of the transition to menopause and also staying alive. If you have not been good ( and many women aren’t ) at putting your needs first and doing nice things for yourself start now. Write down 5 activities you really enjoy doing, even if it’s been a while since you did any of them! Examples might be painting your nails, doing a jigsaw, taking a bath surrounded by candles.
4 Do the right exercise
As the weight creeps on it is very common for women to start getting into the types of exercise that are very punishing for the body, like running and high intensity interval training.
What do I mean by punishing?
These very intense forms of exercise stress the body and, if your body is already stressed, it is just too much. Yoga, Pilates, Zumba and other dance based classes are good, and don’t knock a decent walking workout.
Resistance or strength exercise (using weights) is also highly beneficial to help with the loss of muscle. Strength training also helps you maintain bone health, maintain balance and avoid injury - essential for protecting your skeleton now and as you age.
5 Avoid toxic chemicals
Chemicals in your body care products - anything from shampoo and conditioner to body wash, body lotion and other moisturisers - contain chemicals like parabens, sodium lauryl sulphate, urea and the like.
These are synthetic chemicals are known as Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (code for they muck up your hormones). Scientifically, these chemicals are molecularly similar to oestrogen and your body finds it very tricky to distinguish between the fake oestrogen and the real oestrogen.
At this time in your life, you really don’t want to be overloading your body. These toxins place an additional stress on the body, can damage insulin producing cells and disrupt their function (and not in a good way) can impair thyroid hormones and place extra burden the detoxification system.
6. Get better sleep
You have probably heard about all the good things sleep can do for you, from making you look younger and feel more energised, to helping you lose weight - and so much in between. Suffice to say sleep is good and you should get more of it.
As you work on a diet and lifestyle plan to get your hormones back into balance, better sleep will start to follow. If it feels like you need some emergency assistance ask yourself honestly how many of the do’s you are actually doing and how many of the font’s you do you do.
DO
Try to go to bed at the same time every day. Your body thrives on routine.
Keep the temperature in your bedroom comfortable, not too hot or not too cold.
Use your bed only for sleep and sex. This might help you completely switch off.
Keep the bedroom completely dark so you are not disturbed by light, which the brain detects even if the eyes are closed. Eye masks can be useful.
Spend time outside to soak up the sun.
Try to get some gentle exercise every day. There is evidence that regular exercise improves restful sleep. This includes stretching and aerobic exercise. A brisk walk ticks both boxes.
Make an effort to relax for five minutes before going to bed - a warm bath, meditation or massage.
Keep your hands and feet warm. Wear warm socks and/or gloves to bed.
Consider getting a traditional alarm clock so your smart phone can stay out of the bedroom. Better still, work out how much sleep you need by going to bed 15 minutes earlier until you find that you wake up naturally before your alarm. That’s your personal sleep requirement.
DON’T
Engage in stimulating activities - like playing a competitive game, watching an edge of the seat film, or having an important conversation with a loved one. Even using smartphones or tablets can interfere with sleep because they emit the same kind of life as the morning light.
Eat a heavy meal within four hours of going to bed.
Drink caffeine after lunch - like coffee, normal and green tea and colas.
Use alcohol to help you sleep. Alcohol can make sleep more disturbed.
Go to bed hungry. Have a snack before bed - a glass of milk or banana are ideal.
Try to avoid daytime naps.
Try not to get frustrated if you can’t sleep. Go to bed in a positive mood, - “I will sleep tonight”.
7 Get expert help
I know that you get that this period of your life is undergoing seismic change. You should always talk to your doctor about symptoms you are particularly concerned about but there is such a lot you can do to feel more energised than you do just now and fix that spare tyre around the middle.
What you need is my signature programme where we will work together to tackle all aspects of what I have been talking about above. This is perfect for you if you experience any of the issues I set out at the beginning and if you feel now is exactly the right time for a brand new you : new diet, new attitude and new healthy lifestyle habits.