How can I manage my menopause journey so that it’s a positive experience?
Peri-menopause/ menopause throws up different issues for everyone, how your body and mind reacts can be very different and so how you manage it will be very different.
This is a list of things that you can do to try and help:
Create healthy habits when it comes to your nutrition.
Certain foods can help certain symptoms and nutrients such as vitamin D, calcium and protein are super important at this time of life.
Avoid foods that trigger symptoms such as hot flushes and mood swings for example. This includes caffeine, alcohol and sugary foods.
Eat Phytoestrogens (soy beans, flaxseeds, tofu etc). These are naturally occurring plant compounds that can mimic the effect of oestrogen, so will help you with balancing your hormones.
Move more. It may sound counter-intuitive when you’re feeling knackered to then do some exercise, but it can give you the boost you need with the pumping of serotonin through your body. It can also help with improved sleep and decreased stress levels.
Strength train. Bodyweight exercises and lifting weights will help you with your bone density and muscle mass, which will help your aches and pains and managing your weight.
Work on healthy sleep patterns. So much maintenance and growth happens when we sleep, that not having enough can leave us feeling not only exhausted the next day, but also unfocused, more emotional and hungrier.
Stay hydrated! This will help with mental cognition and clarity as well as helping your digestion.
Look after yourself. Give yourself some self-care. Don’t feel guilty – we all need space! You can’t pour from an empty cup!
Talk to others. Don’t pretend everything is ok to everyone. Tell your friends and family what’s happening so they can support you.
And most importantly, don’t feel like a failure if these don’t work for you. Don’t feel a failure if you want or need to get extra help in the form of HRT. As I said before, what works for you best friend may not work for you, so try a few things and see what the secret sauce for you is.
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