THRIVING THROUGH MENOPAUSE: SHARING PRACTICAL TIPS FOR EVERYDAY WELLNESS

Did you know?  October was menopause awareness month?

If you answered yes, great and if you answered no, also great.  You’re in the right place because education and awareness is ongoing.  I believe that small consistent changes can bring us relief.  I live it every day and if you’re almost there, please do yourself a favour and educate yourself on what to expect because I, like many, was caught off guard!

There’s no one size fits all menopause remedy but by creating awareness and educating ourselves and the people around us, we will help folks understand what’s happening.  It will continue to shed light on a topic that is real and hard both physically and mentally.

Reflecting on my 2025 post which you can read here I am amazed at how far I’ve come the last 12 months.  Looking back is see how much has changed but at the same time, remained the same.  I’ve been in in full menopause for 2 years and, no, the perimenopausal symptoms did not just stop.  Sleep deprivation and night sweats/hot flashes were what kept me up at night and I believe the lack of sleep was the root of everything else I had endured since 2020!

I wanted to share what I’ve learnt in the last year but in summary it’s to keep advocating for yourself and women’s health, be open to change and be the change you want to see.

The biggest change or rather, in addition to that I was already doing is that I started HRT in April this year.  After three visits to my doctor, she finally gave in and wrote me a prescription for a three-month trial.  Month two is when I noticed small changes in my mood, reduced hot flashes and I started sleeping 6 to sometimes 7 hours per night uninterrupted!  It’s still not always perfect BUT the bad nights are now the anomaly.

So, let’s revisit my 2025 list:

Sleep

Having uninterrupted sleep and feeling rested in the mornings again has been so amazing and makes the long days much easier!  HRT helped but I do try to practice good sleep hygiene as well to help with bedtime routine.

I’ve learnt what you do during the day does indeed affect how you sleep at night.  Healthy diet, exercise, walks in nature, staying hydrated, meditation, journaling are a few things I’ve tried and tested.

If I wake up during the night I try not to reach for anything – phone, book – and rather stay calm, concentrate on my breathing and I fall right back to sleep.  To keep it real, there are times I reach for my phone and doom-scroll – oops!

Quiet time

Call it “quiet time” or “me time” but for me it’s usually a coffee and reading my book.  Make sure that whatever it looks like to you, sure it’s intentional.  It’s good for the body and soul and anything calming keeps our cortisol levels down.  It won’t be perfect at first but build the habit and you’ll reap the benefits.

Movement

MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE is my mantra.  It can be as low impact as a walk one day or lifting and cardio the next day.

Including 3-4 days of strength training should be a staple as we age.  Our bodies lose muscle and our bone density decreases over time so regular strength training is essential.

I’ve slowly started prioritizing strength training over the last 2-3 years and progressively increased weight and seeing my gains unfold gets me all warm and fuzzy on the inside.   If you know, you know!

Cardio is still a good addition but gone are the endless hours of it during this time!

Walking

Walking is THE most underrated form of exercise/movement. Many fitness influencers and even medical professionals have gone viral on social media and claimed that walking does not count as exercise.  I disagree and I will die on that hill.

Some benefits of walking include maintaining a healthy weight, losing body fat, improving cardiovascular fitness, strengthening muscles and bones and more!

If the definition of exercise is a “physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health” and the few benefits of walking I just mentioned contributes to just that, then walking counts!

Diet

Have you noticed that your gut just doesn’t like certain foods anymore?

When I started perimenopause, I felt bloated ALL the time and it felt like everything I ate just sat in my gut and tried to find new ways to make me feel uncomfortable.  Since being on HRT, with better sleep, no more night sweats and hot flashes, the hormones are behaving well!  I still try to eat clean and stick to whole, home cooked foods and keep treats and eating out to a minimum.  Some would argue that “we’ve got to live” or “you only live once” but I tell you, unless you’ve felt what some of your favourite foods do your gut, respectfully, stay in your lane!

Protein – and her new BFF – FIBER!

Prioritizing our protein is a real thing and this year I’ve started to increase my fiber intake as well and it’s been a game changer.

Protein keeps us satiated, nourishes the body but it’s also important to help maintain muscle mass, support bone health, and manage weight and mood.   Our estrogen declines during perimenopause, and it can lead to muscle loss along with other changes.  I aim for 25-30g of protein per meal and 10-15g per snack but finds what works for your body!

Fiber has many benefits but, in this context, (and for me personally) it feeds the good bacteria in the gut which means almost no bloating!  It helps with digestion and keeps us satiated.  I’ve linked a short and informative article here which goes deeper into the benefits and different types of fiber but here are a few tips from my POV:

• Include a lean protein source with every meal and if you find it hard to hit your protein goals from food sources a good protein powder can help with that.  Spread out your protein throughout the day to help maintain consistent energy levels.
• “Fibermaxxing” has blown up on social media and yes, I jumped on the train and I’m still on it.  In short, it’s increasing your daily fiber intake.  After tracking, I was barely hitting 20 grams consistently, so I started aiming for 25-30 grams per day and now I’m hitting closer to 35 most days and friends, it’s not really that hard!  I would caution to increase gradually and don’t forget to hydrate!

Supplements

Here’s where you must find what works for you.  I’ve tried different supplements over the years, and they all worked until they didn’t.  Because of the reduced night sweats and hot flashes I’ve cut back on  Black Cohosh, Ashwagandha daily is still a staple, Vitamin D in the AM and Magnesium before bedtime.  I’ve also been taking Creatine for almost 2 years, and I know it’s been helping with brain fog and muscle recovery, but it also has a long list of additional benefits.

Lower your stress levels

This will always be a work in progress for us – for everyone to be honest.  Find what works for you – meditation, reading, walking, intentional breathing come to mind but here are also some house rules I have in place to help me:

• Avoid other people’s drama – “not my monkey, not my circus”!
• Where focus goes, energy flows
• Give yourself grace
• Take nothing personal.

Women, we are amazing creations!  Our mothers, grandmothers and those before them went through this and probably didn’t have the platforms, the freedom or the forums to talk about what they were going through.  They suffered and survived in silence.  We have the tools to educate ourselves and create supportive communities so let’s do that.  Remember, when women support women, amazing things happen!

Our strength is our beauty in all stages of our womanhood.

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