Manage Menopause Symptoms With These 5 Simple Strategies.

With the overwhelming amount of information we find on Google and from so-called menopause experts, it can become debilitating. It stops us from moving forward because we don’t know where to start, the information is contradictory, or it’s simply too much to follow through.

As a Holistic Nutritionist, Personal Trainer, Health Coach, and 54-year-old woman who has gone through it all, I always recommend that clients start off slow. Take on the simple things first. Master the basics to build a solid foundation

I also advise all women to stop treating their journey like they are training for an Olympic event. Although Menopause can be just as challenging to maneuver, our bodies don’t need more stress and unrealistic expectations.

You can challenge yourself once you take your power back. When you start viewing your body as a relationship to heal rather than a problem to solve, you take the driver’s seat and travel a path that focuses more on you and less on others and their expectations.

All my clients are very different. Their goals, symptoms, causes, lifestyles, and aging vision statements all affect how I guide, support, and teach them to navigate this time of life

If you aren’t sure where to start or feel apprehensive about working with a coach or nutritionist due to past experiences or concerns about follow-through, here are a few easy-to-implement habits you can start with.

Increase protein intake:

This is a common tip circulating right now. But it is also common to still see women with low protein intake. Most think they are getting plenty but it’s because they think that the options they are choosing are good sources when they are not. How much protein you take in will be based on your weight, activity level, and goals. On average you should be getting at least 0.8 gm per lb of body weight. If you are moderately active you should bump that up to 0.9 and if you are very active then 1 to 1.2 gm is best. Eating lots of nuts, drinking collagen and eating protein bars aren’t going to give you the amounts you need or aren’t good sources in general. Also some things to consider are your gut health and current health status. You won’t be able to breakdown protein well if your gut is in turmoil. If your immunity and nervous system are dysregulated, which is likely if you are in menopause, then adding even more protein will be beneficial. If you are vegan, adding a good quality vegan protein powder, tofu, and tempeh will help. Make sure you are getting a variety of legumes, seeds, grains and nuts that will give you a complete amino acid profile by the end of your day. Start by slowing adding more protein so not to add to any digestive issues, especially with vegan sources due to it’s higher fiber content.

Increase movement and add resistance training:

I believe that in order to keep exercise/activity consistent, you need to do two things: challenge yourself and do things that bring you joy. It is not enough to go to the gym 3 times a week if the rest of the day you are sitting or sleeping. You need to move more throughout your day and do fun activities like pickle ball, dance, nature or park walks, hike, cycle, swim, curling, jogging, trampoline, soccer, baseball, etc. I think you get the picture. Structure you resistance training around improving those activities. Remember if you are new to all this, start where you are not where you want to be. This keeps you motivated and consistent. Progressive overload is your friend. Activities outside of resistance training also create a more social and community atmosphere. This is extremely important for our mental health. So is RT but it is also isolating. A bit of both is crucial to creating a journey that you will keep doing and enjoy. We lose muscle as we age. This becomes more of an issue as we transition into menopause. My biggest piece of advice is to avoid doing it to look a certain way. Use testing tools like strength, mobility, stability, endurance, recovery time, lowered BP, lowered resting heart rate and improvement in insulin sensitivity to help you remain on track towards better health without getting caught up on how you look as the only success tool. How you look by being consistent with exercise, is a bonus. But it is not a major indicator of good health. I will share healthy body fat for women in another blog post soon. We need muscle as we age in order to help avoid falls, improve how we move, strong bones and joints, improve our activities of daily living and overall improved health (see testing tools). For those that have injuries or find themselves in a place where those activities are impossible right now, focus on moving more in whatever way you can. You might have to start with walking for 10 mins a day or a mini under-desk exercise bike for 10 mins or just do upper body exercises. Don’t be discouraged if you find yourself wanting to start but limited. There is always something you can do. Seek help from a qualified professional to get you started on the right path.

Manage stressors:

This is my opinion, is the most important focus at the beginning of journey to better health. If you are stressed out and can’t seem to handle stressors, it affects every aspect of our lives. It will reduce the ability to recover from activity, affect our gut health, decrease motivation and drive, affect our sleep, cause food cravings and overeating, decrease strength, and decrease the ability to focus which affects our ability to do just about everything, including working out. As we transition through Menopause, our ability to handle stress lowers. We are in a different situation then our parents. Most women of our generation have had children much later in life. My mom for example, went through Menopause when I was in my late 20’s and already living my life. There was less worry when it comes to kids. Now a days, we still have young or teenage children, plus running a household, plus working. This is a lot to carry. So go easy on yourself. But at the same time, we need to lighten the load. Ask for help. We struggle with this but this is so important. Talk to your family about helping out. Be open with your challenges as you go through menopause. Give them some literature to read. They don’t know what they don’t know. Take time throughout your day to sit in calm. Breathing exercises can be very helpful. You can do deep breathing for 2 mins every 2 hours and will find it can help a lot. Yin yoga or meditation classes, walks in nature (fresh air and sunshine), music, art, laughing etc are all great ways to help you deal with stressors. This is a very personal thing and should be based around where you are currently and will change as you move through this phase of life. There are plenty of nutrition options that can support managing stress but this will depend on your current diet.

Focus on sleep quality:

Sleep is not something we should ignore. Being busy and stressed out is not an indication of your success or a badge of honor. We unfortunately have way too many people on social media promoting this beast mode mentality that has poisoned most of our lives. Especially as we head to menopause and beyond. We need sleep (both quantity and quality) in order to feel better and be healthy. Poor sleeping habits lead to a lot of what we struggle with: muscle loss, food cravings, overeating, mood swings, inability to handle stress, low energy, poor gut health and lack of motivation. We also need sleep in order to produce many of our hormones and neurotransmitters and allow them to do their jobs. There are a few things to start with that can help with better sleep: stop eating 2-3 hours before going to bed, get off electronics to calm your mind, don’t watch anything on TV that has your brain overstimulated, stop with the extremely low carb diet, eat carbs at dinner, eat foods high in magnesium, improve your gut health, do brain dumps at night to clear your mind (aka journaling), instead of watching TV in bed; read or browse through picture books in areas that interest you: architecture, art, recipes, animals, travel etc. and exercise. The journey to better sleep is very personal. Not all the generic tips are going to work depending on what you have going on in your life, your daily nutrition and exercise.

Work on gut health:

There are many things to focus on here. Our gut and our microbiome are important to our overall health. This includes hormone and neurotransmitter production. Poor gut health can affect how we digest food and assimilate nutrients. This will include a healthy circulatory system. So it’s a bit more complex than we think but starting out can be simple. Start by slowing down with your meals. Chew your food! Digestion starts in your mouth with accessory organs like your teeth and salivary glands. We are always in a rush and tend to rush this stage of digestion which makes it difficult for your stomach to digest things properly. Sitting and having a meal experience (smell, sounds, presentation, texture) can not only help your digestion but also help with fullness cues. Managing your stress is a huge part of improving digestion, which I mentioned above. Making sure you provide the body with fiber, pre and probiotic foods, and giving your other digestion accessory organs (liver, gallbladder and pancreas) some love, can make some positive changes to your digestion. Just like anything else, where you put your focus will be dependent on your lifestyle habits, nutrition habits, stress levels, and movement (or lack there of). I suggest starting with the few simple tips above and go from there. Doing to much all at the same time and ingesting a ton of supplements, may make things worse before they get better.

These 5 strategies are just the beginning. Some of you may already be doing all of it. If you are stuck and can’t seem to find a solution and do all of these things - consistently - then you may need to take a DEEP DIVE! It’s very common for women in this phase of life to feel like they are doing everything right. It is also common to feel this way but you are still using tools that worked 10 years ago. Our bodies change. The needs change. This is okay and normal. Letting go of what was opens up room for what you need now.

Menopause, as difficult as it can be, is also a gift. Reframing our thoughts around it and aging can be empowering, full of freedom and opens doors to so many new and exciting things.

If you have any questions, please feel free to message me! If you want to do a consultation that helps you see the big picture and walk away with a few easy to implement solutions, then CLICK HERE to get started.

I know what it’s like to fee frustrated, overwhelmed, discouraged and sad trying to navigate through Menopause transition. I spent 6 years educating myself so you don’t have to sift through all the contradicting information out there. I simplify everything for you so you can spend more time with your family, enjoy life and reduce the stress around trying to figure it all out.

I have your back! Carmen