MENOPAUSE WELLBEING
I don’t know about you but that pesky menopause malarkey snuck up on me without me having a clue what on earth was going on.
I mean, I was hot at night (think Baby Jack Jack from the Incredibles 2!!!) but I wasn’t having ‘flushes’ at night, or during the day, which is kind of what we all associate with menopause right? 🤷🏻♀️
I was irritable, forgetful, itchy, getting heart palpitations, tired….. I mean the list could go on, and on, to be fair!
I remember crying one night to my husband as I genuinely thought I had the early signs of dementia. I was having numerous blood tests, for all these different things that were going on, and it wasn’t until I watched the Davina McCall programme on menopause, that I tentatively rang the Drs and asked if all these issues could be related to the menopause? She took a look at my notes and prescribed me HRT right then and there! (I say tentatively as I could barely speak I was so anxious, just another joyous symptom!)
Now HRT has been a life saver, but it certainly hasn’t ‘fixed’ me, which is kinda what I was hoping was going to happen!! I’m no longer raging hot at night, I’m now just hot …..but I still have a lot of other things going on. *my kids would say that I certainly do have a lot of other things going on……but hey, we don’t need to list them all here! 😂
So … what can we do to help ourselves that little bit more during the menopause, to help us feel more ‘us’ again, and improve our menopause wellebing!!
My first suggestion will always be to talk to your Drs. Ask for the Dr at your surgery that specialises in Women’s Health. Visit https://www.newsonhealth.co.uk/ and go armed with knowledge so you are in charge!
Nutrition
You may have put on weight in the menopause, or you may find that it has very kindly re-distributed itself to your tummy area. This is due to the decrease in our oestrogen levels, and the way the body decides, highly unnecessarily in my personal opinion, it wants to store our fat.
Despite what you see online there is no magic diet for menopause, but there are things that you can do to help. A good place to start is by looking at a Mediterranean-style diet. There is a lot of evidence around this way of eating which will support your overall health, gut health and improve your menopause wellbeing.
The Mediterranean diet features a variety of whole, plant-based foods such as vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts & seeds, herbs & spices. It also includes moderate amounts of healthy fats such as extra-virgin olive oil, fermented dairy, incorporating seafood, fish and lean poultry.
Don’t eliminate whole food groups, such as carbs, (they are way too nice to get rid of!), but look at what you can add into your diet, think of protein, fibre, vegetables, healthy fats etc. Losing weight during this period of time can be harder for many reasons, but do remember it’s not impossible.
Sleep
We are often struggling with sleep during the peri/menopause due to, not being able to get off to sleep, staying asleep, sweating more than we were before, or suddenly experiencing aching joints! Establishing a good quality routine is key for your menopause wellbeing.
Poor sleep will also have a knock-on effect on food choices (think of that snacking you do when you CBA), and also your desire to want to exercise, or indeed even go for a walk (think of the moments you are sitting on the sofa and again CBA). It really is important to try and make your sleep the best quality it can be. *CBA = kids talk for ‘can’t be arsed’! There is often a lot of CBA going on through the menopause journey, so knowing our ‘why’, and digging deep sometimes is a necessity, and a game changer!
Exercise/Movement
The peri/menopause can drastically reduce our motivation to exercise, so try and build in to your routine, exercises that you enjoy, even if it’s just a boogie round the kitchen!
Exercising has many positive benefits on your physical and mental health. It can enhance your mood, reduce stress, improve sleep and give you more energy. When you feel like you don’t want to exercise, try and focus on how you will feel ‘after’ the event. You don’t have to be hitting the gym 5 times a week to be feeling like you’re killing it, just try initially to incorporate an outdoor daily walk. This has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, boost your mood and improve your overall menopause wellbeing. Start with a 10 minute walk, and build up from there.
Stress
Stress can have a big impact on everything in our lifestyle and can certainly throw you off kilter at this time. As well as manoeuvring your way through the menopause you may also have other lifestyle factors impacting your mood and stress levels, such as, caring for an elderly relative, looking after teenage children going through puberty, having children heading off to university and having empty nest syndrome, stressful job, money worries, etc. Unfortunately we can’t eradicate all the stress but we can put things in place to help us deal with them. We want to be aware of our overall health alongside our menopause wellbeing, and stress is a big contributor.
Mindfulness – Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment and paying attention to your actions, thoughts, breathing, and surroundings. There is growing research that shows mindfulness can reduce stress, anxiety, mood swings, and it has also been shown to have an improvement on your sleep. I would highly recommend giving it a go. There are some apps that offer guided meditation and relaxation exercises such as Headspace and Calm
Stress Journal – This can help you become self-aware of triggers that raise your stress levels, which in turn may lead to overeating, reaching for that glass of wine, or biscuit, and also maybe moving less. Can you identify if there are any patterns where you can implement changes? One of the changes I have recently implemented to reduce my stress, is to switch the news off! I now listen to the radio in the morning which starts my day with music and is much more up-lifting.
💜 SELF CARE – BE KIND, BE KIND, BE KIND – TO YOURSELF!!!! 💜
You may find concentrating on your well-being harder due to your symptoms, such as, lack of sleep, low mood, cravings, brain fog, general low energy and fatigue, but, if you can make some small changes they will have a positive impact for you, and your future, and your menopause wellbeing.
Please don’t forget that you are a priority, and ‘you matter‘. Do not feel guilty for putting yourself first. On an aeroplane you are told that you need to put ‘your’ oxygen mask on before you can help others, this also applies to looking after your health.
Build self-care into your diary. This could be talking to a friend, going for a walk, watching tv, reading a book, having a bath. Take some time out, just for you. If you are trying to lose weight, or just trying to implement healthy habits, remember you’re not on a plan.
Think of your journey like a dimmer switch. Your starting point is turning the switch on, and you can slowly turn it up. If life gets a bit difficult, which is inevitable, then just turn the dimmer switch down a bit, or stop turning it up, and concentrate on slightly less that week. This can help with the on/off, all or nothing way of thinking and benefit your menopause wellbeing.
Celebrate all your wins and take things ONE step at a time! If you are struggling with making changes to your nutrition or lifestyle, book a free call here with me and I can give you some pointers to get you started.
