Reframing the Menopause – part 1

 

If you’re looking for additional support, please click on the link below to book your discovery call:

 

 

Did you know that the average age for menopause is 51 years old and with our life expectancy around 82 this means we are spending about 1/3 of our life as post menopausal women. 

 

Yep – a 1/3 of our lives. That’s a great chunk of time.

 

I believe it’s uplifting to know that it’s never too late to transform how we experience this transition. Reframing how we think about menopause – the years leading up to it and the years that follow – is key for us to enjoy this part of our lives.

 

Let’s make it a time of vibrancy and renewal.

 

We can’t keep doing the same things and expect different results. It’s not enough to say we want change but we don’t actually want to change.

 

The transition through perimenopause and post menopause can be associated with 

 

Stubborn weight gain, depression, anxiety, tiredness, low sex drive, painful sex and other symptoms that are often used to be swept under the carpet or ignored out of embarrassment.

 

Fortunately the conversation surrounding menopause – this natural life stage – has shifted recently and we’re having a much more open dialogue – the shame and embarrassment about how we feel and how the experience their peri and post menopausal years is no longer taboo or something to ignore. 

 

Moving towards seeing menopause as a celebration of the wisdom and experience that reaching this life stage has endowed us with. A celebration of our endless possibilities and opportunities – many of us might no longer have children or young adults living at home and we can positively create space for our own growth and well being – which many of us have often neglected as we focused on supporting others or on careers.

 

 

Our experiences of everything are profoundly impacted and shaped by our beliefs and thoughts. 

 

And our experience of our  menopausal transition is no exception. So let’s work to reshape those beliefs and thoughts and empower ourselves and others to see this as A natural life stage with so much potential.

 

Let’s help each other find the ways to support and nourish our bodies so that we can navigate this transition and and create a strong foundation for for future good health.

 

There are so many different factors that will shape our experience: cultural & social views, psychological, spiritual and physiological. 

 

Our experiences are also influenced by our environment and our genes or rather epigenetics Epigenetics means (how our environment influences our gene expression). 

 

Our environment includes social connections and relationships for example, but also our personal lifestyle choices (including what food we eat, our stress resilience, sleep quality, our weight, exercise levels, whether we smoke, our alcohol intake, environmental toxins)

 

This list can feel overwhelming and stop us in our tracks. So break it down and step from feeling overwhelmed.

 

While we might need to change – We don’t however, have to change everything all at once.

 

 

Food is a great place to start. Food provides our bodies with  the raw materials it needs for repair and renewal. Food will influence our stress resilience, our sleep, our immune system and how our organs can function and how we feel about ourselves.

 

 

We are looking for long term sustainable habits rather than quick fixes. So work at your pace to tweak your food so it is supporting your health,

 

Food choices that support your body are a key way to help your body ride the hormonal waves and fluctuation surrounding your menopause.

 

Food advice – this alone is overwhelming full of so many should dos. Oughts to. It can end up feeling restrictive and food can become a source of anxiety or guilt

 

So take a step back and let’s visualise our food as something to be enjoyed – that nourishes and gives us joy.