Episode 20
Perimenopause 101: The Truth About Your Hormonal Chaos
Today’s discourse is profoundly centered on the multifaceted dimensions of perimenopause, a natural transitional phase that warrants neither fear nor dismissal. We have the privilege of hosting Michelle, a holistic health coach whose expertise lies in fostering a harmonious relationship with nutrition and self-care during this pivotal life stage. She elucidates how perimenopause can manifest through various symptoms, including mood fluctuations, sleep disturbances, and changes in energy levels, often occurring years before the cessation of menstruation. Our conversation underscores the significance of understanding these transformations as opportunities for growth and deeper self-awareness, rather than challenges to be endured in silence. With a focus on nourishment, mindfulness, and proactive health management, we aim to empower listeners to navigate this journey with grace and confidence.
Shobhna initiates the episode of Busy Free Mind by welcoming listeners and emphasizing the importance of mindfulness in nutrition and self-care. The featured guest, Michelle, is introduced as a holistic health coach with a compelling backstory of personal health challenges that led her to transform her career from education to nutrition consulting. Michelle’s work is characterized by a balanced and compassionate approach, focusing on gut health, hormonal balance, and plant-based nutrition, which aims to foster a guilt-free relationship with food.
The conversation transitions towards the often-misunderstood phases of perimenopause and menopause, where Michelle provides clarity on their definitions and the typical onset age. She elaborates on the myriad of symptoms that women may experience, which often go unrecognized by both individuals and healthcare providers. This discussion serves to illuminate the significance of understanding one’s own body and recognizing the signs of hormonal changes, which can manifest well before the cessation of menstruation. Michelle encourages listeners to be proactive in seeking support and sharing their experiences, thereby reducing the stigma surrounding these natural transitions.
As the episode progresses, practical guidance is provided regarding nutritional strategies during perimenopause, such as the importance of protein and fiber, along with hydration. Michelle emphasizes the need for a compassionate approach to self-care, advocating for awareness and personal empowerment through this life stage. Ultimately, the episode conveys that perimenopause should not be viewed with trepidation but rather embraced as an opportunity for growth and deeper self-awareness.
Takeaways:
- Michelle's journey into holistic nutrition began after her own health struggles, highlighting the importance of personal experience in guiding others.
- Compassion and science-based approaches are essential in holistic health, particularly in addressing gut health and hormonal balance.
- Perimenopause symptoms can manifest even with regular periods, emphasizing the need for awareness and tracking of changes in one’s body.
- Nutrition during perimenopause should focus on stabilizing blood sugar levels and increasing protein intake for overall well-being.
- Women often dismiss early signs of perimenopause such as mood changes and sleep disturbances, which can lead to greater health issues if ignored.
- Engaging in mindful practices and setting daily intentions can significantly enhance well-being during the transitional phases of life.
Transcript
Hey guys, this is Shobhna.
Speaker A:And welcome back to Busy Free Mind.
Speaker A:This is a space to slow down, breathe and reconnect with yourself through mindful conversations around nutrition, healing, balance and self care.
Speaker A:Today I am truly honored to welcome our guest, Michelle, a holistic health coach and certified nutrition consultant.
Speaker A:What makes Michelle's work so special is her compassionate, balanced and science based approach to healing.
Speaker A:She focuses on gut health, hormonal balance, plant based nutrition and helping people rebuild a joyful, nutritional, peaceful relationship with food without guilt or fear.
Speaker A:Hey Michelle, how are you?
Speaker A:We are so grateful to have you here.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:I'm so great.
Speaker B:It feels wonderful to be here.
Speaker A:Thank you so much.
Speaker A:Tell us about you.
Speaker A:How did you come into this nutrition side?
Speaker B:So my previous career was as an educator.
Speaker B:I was a high school English teacher for 12 years and about 15 years ago, I know the exact date, I got a cold, I got sick and then I just didn't get better.
Speaker B:I was sick and I was getting sicker and I went to the doctors and they're telling me, everything's fine, there's nothing wrong with you.
Speaker B:And I'm like, but I can't walk up the stairs like something is wrong.
Speaker B:And so in my own health journey, I worked with a holistic practitioner.
Speaker B:I thought I was already eating really healthy for me, but it wasn't healthy for my body.
Speaker B:So I made nutrition changes.
Speaker B:I supported my immune system and my gut health.
Speaker B:And it was really, it was really rough.
Speaker B:It was hard.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And it wasn't like an identifiable illness.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:It was just like my system had just crashed.
Speaker B:And so on the other side of it, when I was feeling so much stronger and so much better, better than I'd ever felt before, literally.
Speaker B:What ended up being my first last day of school, I didn't know it at the time, but I got this ad in my email that said, do you want to transform people's lives through holistic nutrition?
Speaker B:And I thought I people's lives are holistic nutrition.
Speaker B:So that let me on a journey to go back and get my master's degree and open my own practice.
Speaker B:This March will be 13 years that I've been in practice.
Speaker B:And what I love is that I still get to be an educator by heart.
Speaker B:It's what I was, you know, put on this planet to do.
Speaker B:It's just that instead of talking about literature and books and those sort of things that I did when I was an English teacher, now I'm talking about supporting people in their health and their vitality.
Speaker B:And their own personal wellness.
Speaker B:And so I just feel so.
Speaker B:As hard as that journey was, I feel so grateful to be on the other side of it.
Speaker B:And, you know, I really do think it made me a more compassionate provider, a more.
Speaker B:Because I was like, I get it.
Speaker B:I get when it's hard, and I get when it's scary, and I get when it feels overwhelming.
Speaker B:And also, there's a way through and there's a way forward.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:So my first question is, what is perimenopause and how is it different from menopause?
Speaker A:And when does that usually start?
Speaker A:We want to have a quick outline of what is that.
Speaker B:Yeah, so great question.
Speaker B:So one thing I guess to start with is, what is menopause?
Speaker B:Because menopause is a very confusing term, right?
Speaker B:So menopause technically is one day in a person with, you know, who's ovulating and having a period.
Speaker B:It's one day in the life.
Speaker B:It's one year since a person has stopped having a period.
Speaker B:But of course, there's many people who go into menopause for many other reasons, or they've always had disrupted periods.
Speaker B:And so.
Speaker B:And then there's the whole rest of our lives, right?
Speaker B:So once we go into menopause, this one day that's a one year from our last period, it's like, it's kind of called postmenopausal or menopausal, but it's the whole rest.
Speaker B:So perimenopause is the time leading up to that.
Speaker B:On average, in the United States, it's around age 51, 52.
Speaker B:But so many factors can play into it, right?
Speaker B:So women of color tend to go in through a little bit earlier, you know, finding out from your own mother, if your mother.
Speaker B:My mother passed away young, so I have no way of knowing.
Speaker B:Like, she went into menopause because of breast cancer treatment.
Speaker B:So it's like, I don't.
Speaker B:You know, me and my sister, we have nothing to base it on.
Speaker B:So there's our genetics.
Speaker B:There's if we were had pregnancies or not.
Speaker B:There's our own hormonal history.
Speaker B:So it can be as early as, you know, early 40s.
Speaker B:Some women, like 45 is very typical.
Speaker B:And perimenopausal symptoms can be 5, 6, 7, 8 years beforehand.
Speaker B:So it's one of those things where, you know, I feel like so often women are dismissed, right?
Speaker B:They're like, oh, you're too young to be in perimenopause.
Speaker B:And that may not be the case.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Because if someone is going to go into, you know, menopause at 45 and they have symptoms for eight years beforehand.
Speaker B:You know, just do the math.
Speaker B:Some women don't go into menopause until their later 50s.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So I always tell people to kind of think about puberty and when you first maybe got your period or when you started experience bodily changes.
Speaker B:And we all went through puberty at a different time.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:We're kind of taught like, this is puberty and these are the stages we go through.
Speaker B:And it's like we all looked around and we're like, we are all on our own timeline here.
Speaker B:So just to honor that with perimenopause as well, right.
Speaker B:That although there's commonalities and I love coming together and sharing our challenges and our approaches and not feeling so alone, I really do think our generation is like, we're going to talk about this.
Speaker B:This is not going to be something that we stay silent about.
Speaker B:This is not something that we're going to feel shameful about.
Speaker B:This is something that we're going to honor and we're also going to like, get the support that we need.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So, awesome.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker B:Beautiful.
Speaker A:Beautiful.
Speaker A:Michelle, how do hormonal changes affect how our body reacts to food?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So the thing to think about with those hormonal shifts, especially in later stage perimenopause, is so, you know, again, I'm kind of going back when we maybe first looked at like, what, what, what is a typical cycle?
Speaker B:Which again, typical versus like what's your typical cycle?
Speaker B:But when we looked at like, okay, estrogen does this, progesterone does this, right.
Speaker B:We kind of see what is like our normal.
Speaker B:Then in perimenopause, especially towards the end, it's chaos, right?
Speaker B:What's going on.
Speaker B:One month might be very different than another month.
Speaker B:The thing to remember about hormones is it's not just about our period.
Speaker B:Yes, it affects our period.
Speaker B:Yes, it affects ovulation.
Speaker B:Yes, it affects fertility.
Speaker B:But we have estrogen receptors everywhere in our body.
Speaker B:So we might start experiencing shifts and changes to.
Speaker B:I know we're going to talk about this a little bit more, but this kind of leads me into the nutrition piece.
Speaker B:Like we might start experiencing changes to our mood, our energy.
Speaker B:We might get brain fog.
Speaker B:We might feel it in our joints, or we might experience pain differently.
Speaker B:We might, you know, bizarre symptoms like itchy ears or burning tongue.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So there are all these different shifts and changes that are way beyond changes to your period and way beyond hot flashes.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Many women get hot flashes or temperature dysregulation.
Speaker B:But it's so much more.
Speaker B:And so in terms of food and nutrition, what I hear all the time is that clients come to me and they're like, I haven't made any changes.
Speaker B:I haven't.
Speaker B:In fact, if anything, I'm doing things wiser, better, you know, more aligned for my body.
Speaker B:And my God, things are just affecting me so differently.
Speaker B:So the way that I like to think about it, whether it's perimenopause or menopause or any sort of life transition, this could also be pregnancy.
Speaker B:This could also be post pregnancy, right?
Speaker B:This could also be, you know, later in life when we're 80, it's like we have to really pause and think about what is best for my body right now in this chapter that it's in.
Speaker B:And I don't talk about food as good or bad, right?
Speaker B:Because what might be, and I talk about as nourishing or depleting, because what might be really nourishing for one person might be really depleting for another person, right?
Speaker B:And so it's really honoring and recognizing that this is what makes my body feel strong, healthy, nourished, vibrant, energized.
Speaker B:And then these are the things that maybe aren't working for it anymore or just seem to affect it differently.
Speaker B:So a lot of women will report, like, alcohol really affects them differently now.
Speaker B:Caffeine really affects them differently now.
Speaker B:You know, eating too many carbohydrates at one sitting, right?
Speaker B:I'm not anti carb, right?
Speaker B:But too many refined carbohydrates.
Speaker B:They might get bloaty, they might get gassy, they might feel like it affects their digestion, congestion, they get headaches, right?
Speaker B:So really it's like pausing and being like, okay, what is going to be most important and most effective for my body?
Speaker B:And I know protein is having its moment.
Speaker B:Yes, Right.
Speaker B:Protein is having its moment.
Speaker B:And I will say the way that I approach it is like protein for your body, right?
Speaker B:What is the right.
Speaker B:What is the right amount of protein for your body?
Speaker B:How much are you working out?
Speaker B:How tall are you?
Speaker B:How much do you weigh?
Speaker B:Where are you in your stage of life?
Speaker B:Is your body.
Speaker B:Body recovering from something?
Speaker B:And I also tell my clients, I'm never going to ask you to shove protein in your mouth to get to some number that's kind of stated, right?
Speaker B:That said, I do find many of my clients, when they increase their protein, when they're more conscious of it, when they're more careful about it, when they're making sure their body is getting enough, not Too much, not too little.
Speaker B:They do feel better.
Speaker B:So it is important, and I think it's important in perimenopause and menopause to check in about it, get awareness about it, think about, like, what is that baseline, maybe where I might feel a little bit better, but also be like thoughtful and reasonable about it as well.
Speaker B:So the two things that, and I always tell everybody it's not fun.
Speaker B:I mean, it's not like, I mean, I love food, food is always fun, but it's not like super exciting, but protein to stabilize and lots and lots of fiber from eating the rainbow.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So really we're supposed to be eating four and a half cups of fruits and vegetables.
Speaker B:A, you know, the, the I tell people, when we think about eating the rainbow in terms of our vegetables and our fruits, the things that give those foods, those plant foods, the color, their smell, their taste, those phytonutrients, those plant nutrients are also so good for us too.
Speaker A:Right, Right.
Speaker B:So we up our fiber, we up our vitamins, we up our nutrients.
Speaker B:The other thing that's always my pitch for eating plant foods and eating, you know, real fresh herbs, spices, you know, fruits, vegetables, beans, all these different things is there's nothing else on the planet that takes the sun and makes it into energy.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And like when we're eating plant foods, I'm like, we're eating the sun.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, how cool is that?
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:So whatever we can do to make it feel fun and interesting and supportive.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Because it's not about toxic diet culture, it's not about scarcity, it's not about restriction.
Speaker B:It's like more, more of the things that our body needs.
Speaker A:Wonderful.
Speaker A:Michelle, is there any way that we get to know that we are in the pre menopause or perimenopause stage?
Speaker B:Because we even.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, go ahead.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:No, because even when we are having our regular periods, the symptoms that you told for perimenopause or menopause is still there even now.
Speaker A:So is there any way that we get to know that?
Speaker A:Yes, we are in the time frame of eight years before the menopause.
Speaker A:Is that, is that possible?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:No, that's a great question.
Speaker B:So it is good to recognize that, that you could be having still regular periods and have perimenopausal symptoms.
Speaker B:Now, of course, some of those symptoms could be other things.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So for example, if a client comes to me with like low energy, low mood, we're also going to do blood work, we're going to make sure that their iron levels are good, their B12 levels are good, their vitamin D levels are good.
Speaker B:Are you eating enough food?
Speaker B:Are you eating enough food that's nourishing to you?
Speaker B:How's your sleep?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So all.
Speaker B:There's these different factors.
Speaker B:It's not just all perimenopause, however.
Speaker B:Also, if you're like, I'm doing all the things and I'm still feeling these things, and yet my period's normal and regular, like, don't ignore that.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Because there can be these early signs.
Speaker B:Testing isn't always the greatest, just because there can be so much fluctuation.
Speaker B:And so generally, most practitioners will make that judgment based on symptoms over, you know, blood work, per se, especially in the beginning.
Speaker B:I would say some early perimenopausal signs that some people might start to see is like, you're still getting a regular period, but maybe it starts to become a little bit shorter.
Speaker B:So, for example, it may not be like, let's say all your Life, you've been 28 days, and you're starting to be like, oh, I've noticed it's like 25, 24, 23.
Speaker B:So you might start to see, like, a shortening period.
Speaker B:I do recommend for people, you know, starting in their late 30s or early 40s to track your period, track your symptoms, so that you can kind of know your body better.
Speaker B:I have also.
Speaker B:I also found.
Speaker B:So full disclosure, I'm 51.
Speaker B:I am in late stage perimenopause.
Speaker B: his is being recorded January: Speaker B:I suspect sometime in the next year, something's gonna really, really shift and change because I'm in.
Speaker B:I'm in the late stage.
Speaker B:I'm in the chaos stage.
Speaker B:So I'm still getting a period, but it could be 14 days, it could be 40 days.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:But that.
Speaker B:That's a fairly recent thing.
Speaker B:But I started to experience other symptoms way before my period changed.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So that's what I always tell people.
Speaker B:So pay attention to your energy, pay attention to your mood, pay attention to, you know, all these headaches, these other factors.
Speaker B:And a lot of, like, really reputable sites will give, like, a real.
Speaker B:I do one, and there's a couple other ones.
Speaker B:They'll give, like, a possible perimenopausal symptom checklist.
Speaker B:It doesn't mean it necessarily, necessarily is perimenopause, but it's also that you can start to kind of gather and track what you're feeling, what you're noticing, and then it empowers you that when you go to speak to your doctor, you're like, hey, listen, here's my list of things.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:What's going on?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So, yeah, wonderful.
Speaker A:And what nutrition basics should women get to know during this stage?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So besides like making sure we're eating enough protein, making sure we're eating enough, making sure we're getting, you know, our vegetables and our fruit, the other thing that I work a lot with clients on is keeping our blood sugar regulated.
Speaker B:So I have found that if our blood sugar is not regulated right, if it's kind of like doing these kind of big ups and downs throughout the day, and we may not even realize it, that that's our energy doing big ups and downs, that's our cravings doing really big up and down, that's our mood doing really our focus, all that kind of stuff.
Speaker B:So I like to do a lot around stabilizing blood sugar.
Speaker B:One of the things that we do know is that as those hormon changes happen, especially in perimenopause and menopause, how our body food, how it, how it uses food changes.
Speaker B:We can't eat like we're 25.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I live, I lived on bagels and pasta and rice when I was 25.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I can't do that at this age.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Because it doesn't feel good in my body.
Speaker B:Not because any of those foods are bad or wrong, but like I don't feel good if that's what I'm trying to use as my, my source of, of energy.
Speaker B:So I always kind of explain, your body is going to interpret broccoli, which is a carbohydrate, it's going to interpret broccoli different than it is potato chips.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:200 calories of broccoli is not the same as 200 calories of potato chips.
Speaker B:Even though they're the same amount of calories, they're not the same input nutrition level.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So upping that nutritional density.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So those nutrient dense foods, stabilizing our blood sugar, and the best way to do that is making sure we're getting enough fiber, making sure we're getting enough protein, eating at the right times for our body.
Speaker B:But I find that that can make a huge difference to sleep, to energy, to move.
Speaker B:So many different factors, but it's really understanding that it's not.
Speaker B:This is not like a morality issue.
Speaker B:This isn't a willpower issue.
Speaker B:This isn't like anything good or bad.
Speaker B:It's just your body is going to do things differently.
Speaker B:So like I work with a lot of Cl who in perimenopause and menopause, they'll get some blood work back.
Speaker B:And they're like, oh, my gosh, Michelle, I'm pre diabetic.
Speaker B:Like, what?
Speaker B:Where did this happen?
Speaker B:Like, how did this happen?
Speaker B:I'm like, yeah, because your body is changing how it's using food for energy.
Speaker B:Or they'll be like, oh, my gosh, my lipid panels have completely changed.
Speaker B:I'm like, okay, yeah, right?
Speaker B:So it's like, we don't freak out about any of that.
Speaker B:We go, okay, data is information.
Speaker B:How do we make the shifts and changes for a lifestyle shift and change?
Speaker B:And I think that's the hardest thing, right?
Speaker B:I think that's the hardest thing for people to understand.
Speaker B:Like, this is not about being a speedboat and being like, I'm gonna just do this for two weeks and I'm gonna.
Speaker B:Whatever.
Speaker B:It's like that we're a beautiful cruise liner that needs to, like, turn the whole energy so that we end up in a new place one year from now, five years from now, 30 years from now.
Speaker A:Very true.
Speaker A:It's all about, in our mind, adjusting and accepting or our new age.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I know you really care a lot about, like, mindset, and I do think that's such an important part of this process, too.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Is really like.
Speaker B:And I know that I'm in it, too, is like, how to be present with our bodies, how to be grateful for our bodies.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Even if they're going through challenges, even if they're going through changes, like, how do we honor those shifts?
Speaker B:How do we honor those changes?
Speaker B:How do we listen to our body and go, okay, I hear you.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:And we can still feel frustrated if there's a shift or a change that we're like, oh, this isn't fun.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:But I really think, especially in the transition is having a positive mindset and not positive meaning dismissing any of our feelings, but really being like, you know.
Speaker B:So I briefly mentioned that my mom passed away young.
Speaker B:So my mom passed away at 48 and a half.
Speaker B:And so I am 51.
Speaker B:Like, I've gotten more life than my mother ever got.
Speaker B:So for me, like, my perspective that I've had since age 21 is, aging is a privilege.
Speaker B:Aging is something that we, like, not everybody gets to do.
Speaker B:So even if I'm like, oh, my joints are a little achy today, or, oh, I can't do this thing that I used to be able to do, or, oh, my energy feels a little bit different, it's like, okay, yeah, that's hard.
Speaker B:That's a shift, that's a change.
Speaker B:And also like gratitude.
Speaker B:Gratitude.
Speaker B:Gratitude for all the things that I can do.
Speaker A:Beautifully said, beautifully said, Michelle.
Speaker A:So what are the first signs that women often ignore?
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, I think again, if we think about that timeline, if we think that most people are going through perimenopause, probably in their 40s, and we think about a typical woman's life in their 40s, whether it's family, career, caretaking.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:We know that many of the caretaking roles still fall to women, so we might have aging parents.
Speaker B:You know, there's so many factors that I feel like, like women ignoring symptoms and bodies is a symptom, right.
Speaker B:Of not like they're doing something wrong, but like of this larger kind of systemic challenge of women really being pulled in a lot of, a lot of directions.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so I think this is why I love the work that I do.
Speaker B:If you can find the spaces and places, maybe it's with your girlfriends, maybe it's at your gym, that's really like body supportive.
Speaker B:Maybe it's like you have older people in your life that can be mentors.
Speaker B:Maybe it's.
Speaker B:You start doing meditation.
Speaker B:But whatever you can do to just take a few.
Speaker B:Maybe it's in the, the five minute drive after you've done drop off, right?
Speaker B:And you finally have a moment to yourself.
Speaker B:But finding those little micro moments where you can really pause, take stock, listen to your body.
Speaker B:Because what I have found, one of the hormones that we haven't talked about is the cortisol.
Speaker B:The cortisol, which is our stress hormone, right?
Speaker A:Stress hormone, yes.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And so what I have found for so many people is that early on in their lives, the way they got stuff done is they push, push, pushed, Go, go, go.
Speaker B:You just keep on keeping on, right?
Speaker B:And what I see happen for a lot of women in perimenopause is that we can't.
Speaker B:That cortisol starts to have these other effects on us.
Speaker B:So pushing through when our body is saying, no, we need to rest, right?
Speaker B:No, we need to sit, no, we need to take care of ourselves.
Speaker B:No, you need to stop and eat or you move your body or take a breath or drink some water or whatever it is, get some sunshine.
Speaker B:As simple as it sounds, when we're ignoring those basics, the body starts with like a little tap, right?
Speaker B:Like it's like, hey, pay attention.
Speaker B:And then the knock gets louder, pounding on the door.
Speaker B:And then if we keep ignoring it and this is not like, this is not fear mongering, this is not to scare anybody, but if we keep ignoring it, as I say, we get the two by four across the forehead, right?
Speaker B:We get something, a really big health wake up call where we're like, oh, okay, I can't keep ignoring this.
Speaker B:So every woman, it's going to be a little bit different.
Speaker B:Like I said, the ones that I feel like people don't necessarily associate with perimenopause if their cycle is still different.
Speaker B:If they're not having hot flashes is changes in mood, changes in energy, changes in sleep.
Speaker B:That's a big one that starts to affect women.
Speaker B:And if your sleep is off, then everything is off the next day.
Speaker B:Resiliency, your cravings, your energy.
Speaker B:So sleep is a big one to pay attention to.
Speaker B:Those are kind of like the, I would say like those kind of early canary in the coal mines sort of things.
Speaker B:But there certainly, you know, could be, could be other ones.
Speaker B:Yeah, beautiful.
Speaker A:Talking about the cycles, can regular period still mean that we are in menopause?
Speaker B:So a cycle won't be menopause, but you could be in perimenopause and still getting a cycle.
Speaker B:But menopause is.
Speaker B:Well, there's this funky year, right?
Speaker B:There's this year where.
Speaker B:And I've worked with a lot of clients, I'm like, when was your last period?
Speaker B:And they said, well, this is just someone I was talking to the other day.
Speaker B:They're like, it's been 11 months, so come, come February, you know.
Speaker B:But sometimes people get like one last period in that time and they got to start the countdown all over.
Speaker B:So it's just a good reminder, like, menopause is a medical term, right?
Speaker B:It's a medicalized term.
Speaker B:And it really is just around the period.
Speaker B:But again, if someone's on an iud, they may not be getting a period.
Speaker B:They may not know when they go into menopause.
Speaker B:If someone had surgery, if someone had, you know, I have a dear friend who never had regular periods.
Speaker B:So it's a funny thing in our medical world that we connect it to so much to our period.
Speaker B:But it's, I think, when we kind of zoom back out.
Speaker B:So technically, menopause, you're no longer getting a period.
Speaker B:And if you're in menopause and you get bleeding, you should go see your doctor, right?
Speaker B:Because there could be something else going on.
Speaker B:But, but for, for that perimenopause, all of those symptoms could be happening, period or no period, right?
Speaker B:So depending on where you are in that transfer transition.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:So why does weight gain happen even without Changing diet.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Especially during that stage.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So the way I like to explain it, it's like almost like a hybrid vehicle, right?
Speaker B:So we're kind of like trying to maintain this vehicle using both, like, gas and electric, right?
Speaker B:And maybe that works for a little bit for a little while, but then suddenly we're like, trying to use too much gas and not enough electric, and the system just.
Speaker B:This isn't working as well.
Speaker B:So what we need to do is kind of make those shifts and changes.
Speaker B:So I would say some factors that start to affect things is.
Speaker B:And again, I know it's kind of having its moment, but again, it's based on evidence.
Speaker B:We have to maintain muscle, right?
Speaker B:We start losing muscle in our 30s.
Speaker B:We need strength training.
Speaker B:We need to be doing.
Speaker B:We need to be maintaining muscle.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:And so part of it.
Speaker B:Part of it.
Speaker B:What I like to think about with weight gain is, yes, sometimes it's weight gain, sometimes it's just straight up weight gain.
Speaker B:Sometimes it's inflammation, right?
Speaker B:So inflammation can also increase during perimenopause and menopause.
Speaker B:So what's inflaming your body that can also add weight?
Speaker B:The third thing is that it's not always just weight, but body composition.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And so how our weight gets distributed can start shift, Right.
Speaker B:And so it may not even just be straight.
Speaker B:Like, I. I feel like measurements on the scale is just like one measurement, but it's also like, how are we fitting in our clothes?
Speaker B:Or how are we feeling when we, like, how strong are we feeling?
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:So, like, I know for my own body, like, there have been shifts and changes that I could not have anticipated.
Speaker B:Just like through puberty, I'm like, oh, right.
Speaker B:But what can I do?
Speaker B:What do I have control over?
Speaker B:I can make sure I'm as strong as possible.
Speaker B:I can make sure I'm as flexible as possible.
Speaker B:I can make sure I'm working on my balance as much as possible.
Speaker B:The other thing I will tell you about, for me, movement and exercise, it's really shifted in the last few years is beside.
Speaker B:I mean, I want to be strong and I want to be flexible.
Speaker B:Number one, mental health.
Speaker B:I move my body for my mental health, right?
Speaker B:When I'm on a walk, when I'm in nature, when I'm at my dance class, when I'm with other people moving my body, everything is better, right?
Speaker B:So I really encourage women through this process.
Speaker B:It's not about being skinny, right?
Speaker B:It's not about, right, like, getting things off of ourselves.
Speaker B:It's like, how do we become strong and change that body composition.
Speaker B:From a health perspective, the one thing we do want to be careful of that happens in perimenopause and menopause is the belly weight.
Speaker B:That's the visceral fat.
Speaker B:So visceral fat is the fat that is inside, in our organs, right.
Speaker B:And so this is not the fat that's on our, like our butt or our hips, right?
Speaker B:This is the fat that's like, can cause metabolic issues.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so what we're shifting or what we need to be paying attention to.
Speaker B:And this is, this is all people in midlife, right.
Speaker B:This isn't just women, but certainly hormones play a big factor is what is like a healthy metabolic approach.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so that's where all the things, sleep, exercise, nutrition, bone health, all these different pieces.
Speaker B:It's like, are we doing the things that we need to do for our metabolic health and making sure that we don't get that, that visceral fat, Right.
Speaker B:Because that can start to cause problems like heart disease, non alcoholic fatty liver disease, elevated cholesterol, prediabetes, like those sort of things that are not about how we look in an outlet that really are about our health and our well being.
Speaker A:How does perimenopause does affect sleep at the time?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So the thing I hear a lot is the like 3:00am, 4:00am, that tends to be one of the biggest shifts that I've seen or that I've seen a lot of that is the drop in progesterone.
Speaker B:So progesterone is very calming to our system.
Speaker B:Progesterone can help with our sleep.
Speaker B:So for some people going on hrt, hormone replacement therapy, or better term is hormone therapy because we're not, not replacing, we're not getting to, to premenopausal levels.
Speaker B:But for some women, progesterone can be helpful.
Speaker B:Magnesium can be really, really helpful.
Speaker B:So that's really calming to our brain and to our system.
Speaker B:But also sleep hygiene.
Speaker B:You know, I, I took me a long time to realize like I need total darkness.
Speaker B:So I have a lovely eye mask that's all silk and satin and has these like lovely cups.
Speaker B:But I need like no light.
Speaker A:Yeah, I have one.
Speaker B:Yeah, like no light.
Speaker B:You know, room temperature is a big one.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like cooler room temperatures can really help people with their sleep.
Speaker B:What can be really tricky is if you've got a partner, right.
Speaker B:And you might have different needs.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So I always, like, part of what I do with my clients is like coach them through like how to have conversations with your partner.
Speaker B:Like, hey, can you Put an extra blanket on your side because I need the temperature way, way lower.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So making sure you have like, even blankets and sheets.
Speaker B:Because a lot of women are affected by hot flashes.
Speaker A:Hot flashes, yes.
Speaker B:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:Or just like a temperature dysregulation.
Speaker B:So cooler.
Speaker B:Cooler blankets, cooler sheets, cooler nightgowns, cooler temperature in the room.
Speaker B:Some women love a fan on them, so there's definitely ways.
Speaker B:Another thing coming back to the blood sugar, I do groups that I call it a continuous glucose monitor experience.
Speaker B:So everyone's wearing a sensor for two weeks that's measuring their blood sugar, and it's been really cool.
Speaker B:I've seen a lot of clients really improve their sleep by regulating their blood sugar.
Speaker B:So if they ate too late at night, they ate a heavy meal before bed, they ate sugar before bed.
Speaker B:I see really dysregulated blood sugar during the night and dysregulated sleep.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Or I have a client who's menopausal.
Speaker B:She probably but about 10 years menopausal.
Speaker B:She finally correlated her blood sugar to her hot flashes.
Speaker B:She could see it like one to one.
Speaker B:And it had never occurred to her before.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:She wasn't seeing that correlation.
Speaker B:So, yeah.
Speaker B:So it's definitely a challenge.
Speaker B:I also recommend finding a good meditation app or something like that.
Speaker B:If you do wake up in the middle of the night without looking at that bright light, can you put on a nice meditation just to kind of bring your nervous system back down?
Speaker B:And then, you know, getting sunlight in the middle of the day can be really helpful.
Speaker B:Making sure you exercise, but not right before bed.
Speaker B:You know, there's so many different factors that go into the better sleep, but it can really be hormonal.
Speaker B:That cortisol that we were talking about too, sometimes some women, the cortisol starts to creep up earlier in the morning.
Speaker B:That's what gets us up out of bed.
Speaker B:It's not a bad thing.
Speaker B:But for some women, they get a little bit of a spike at 3am or 4am when we don't really want it to be going up until more like.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So some people need to do some.
Speaker B:Some work with their cortisol.
Speaker B:So it's not getting that, like, middle of the night spike.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:It's, it's.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's a tricky, tricky moving target, you know, and the thing that's tricky, that I always like to tell.
Speaker B:Tell clients is like, not to get overwhelmed.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Because sometimes we can be like, oh, my God, I got to do the 12 things.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So just keep like Adding the little thing, making the little shift.
Speaker B:However, I have found for me, for example with sleep, like it does take, it's like a whole approach.
Speaker B:Like I can't just one thing.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:My sleep is going to be good and I could also do all the things in one night.
Speaker B:It's just not going to be good.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Giving ourselves a lot of compassion and a lot of kindness.
Speaker B:If you're wanting to make shifts to your eating patterns or to your movement, it's like start teeny tiny and small.
Speaker B:The last thing women need to be doing is putting 20 more things on their to do list and then feeling bad that they haven't done them.
Speaker A:Yeah, very true, very true.
Speaker A:So why do women feel so anxious or emotional at the time?
Speaker B:There's this wonderful book by Dr. Luanne Bresingen and she, it's called the Upgrade and she is a psychiatrist and she.
Speaker B:So she talks about perimenopause and menopause from a neuroscience psychiatric perspective.
Speaker B:And I really appreciated that perspective in terms of like how our hormones affect our brain because we don't really talk about this.
Speaker B:We think about how our hormones are affecting our fertility or our periods, but we're not thinking about how the fact that like progesterone is calming or estrogen has this effect, or testosterone has this effect.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Or THCA has this effect or cortisol has this effect, like all these different hormones, even our thyroid hormones, right.
Speaker B:So we are a really complex system and shifts and changes can be really disruptive to, to our minds.
Speaker B:So for some women, you know, and again it's typically a combination of things, but depending on what's going on, it could be, you know, bringing in more mindfulness and meditation, making sure you're exercising, getting on top of your nutrition, getting, making sure you're getting good sleep.
Speaker B:But some women might also need medication support, right.
Speaker B:Or they might need therapy support.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:So it's just like there's no one size fits all.
Speaker B:But it's what I really appreciated, you know, in this conversation that I've been thinking about is like we, how much our hormones affect not just like our brain on a day to day basis, but like our wiring for our brain, right.
Speaker B:And especially when our nervous system kind of gets effective and, and like we don't have to get into it.
Speaker B:But listen, it's not have been an easy five and a half years, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like we've all been through a lot as a society, right?
Speaker B:Like things that years ago we could not have anticipated.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So, yeah, you know, I think it's just like giving ourselves so much grace and compassion.
Speaker B:I think that's.
Speaker B:I mean, but I do want to name it.
Speaker B:It's like if someone is in perimenopause or men right now are going.
Speaker B:You got like a whole added layer of right now.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:The world right now ness.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:With your own personal shifts and changes.
Speaker B:So, yeah.
Speaker B:So I think one of the things to think about is a little bit more complicated, but I'll kind of give it a general way of thinking about it.
Speaker B:But when we're not having regular periods or when there aren't like the same amount of hormones kind of flushing through the body, starts to rely on other things to kind of add.
Speaker B:Make that happen.
Speaker B:So that's where the cortisol starts to kind of be like, okay, we're gonna kick that into gear and we're gonna drop that egg.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Like, it's like it starts to really push to make that happen.
Speaker B:Whereas before I was just like, oh, this happens.
Speaker B:And then this happens.
Speaker B:If your period was like that.
Speaker B:A lot of women, that was never the case, but.
Speaker B:And so our kind of like, base level of stress, regardless of what we're doing for ourselves or what else is going on, just our.
Speaker B:Our physiological cortisol response for many of us is like, already elevated.
Speaker B:Well, you gotta, like, not because we're doing anything wrong, just like how the body is responding to perimenopause.
Speaker B:So I find that doing the things that kind of just keep bringing that back down or being mindful, we're not doing the things that like, elevate it even.
Speaker B:Even more.
Speaker B:But there's, you know, there's.
Speaker B:We are still lifeing.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:You know, no one.
Speaker B:No one, like, anticipates big, hard challenges.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so, again, like, what can we do to be supporting that as best.
Speaker B:As best we can?
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And for some people, and I.
Speaker B:And I, again, I always start with the basics, like, you know, getting basic blood.
Speaker B:Blood work done just to make sure you're like, your basic levels are good.
Speaker B:You know, something as simple as vitamin D, like, are your vitamin D levels at A.
Speaker B:A.
Speaker B:At A. a optimal level?
Speaker B:Because your body, vitamin D to do everything.
Speaker B:You know, are you.
Speaker B:Are you eating in a way that is keeping your energy and your mood stable?
Speaker B:You know, those.
Speaker B:Those sort of things.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And then.
Speaker B:And then again, if you're like.
Speaker B:If someone's like, I don't have time to meditate for an hour, I'd love to, but I don't have time.
Speaker B:Again, like, three deep breaths before you.
Speaker A:That's all we need, right?
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:A lot of my moms, I'm like, when you go to the bathroom, you probably have a moment to yourself, like, it knows the greatest place to take a three deep breaths.
Speaker B:But, like, you have that moment, like when you're walking to the bathroom, sitting at your car at a red light.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Even, like, what you play in the car if you're someone who commutes or does drop off, like putting out good music, finding a good audiobook, listening to a great podcast.
Speaker B:Laster.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like, all these things, they're not going to change your life, life.
Speaker B:But those little things do add up right up.
Speaker B:And, and, and if you get to the point where you're like, I'm doing all the things and I want to know what else I can do.
Speaker B:Go talk to your doctor.
Speaker B:Go just talk to a doctor that's going to listen to you and be like, what are my options?
Speaker B:What are the pros and cons?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like, obviously, I don't make, you know, medicine suggestions.
Speaker B:It's out of my scope of practice.
Speaker B:But I'm here to support my clients to be like, this is how to advocate for yourself, to get your information for you and your body from your opinion.
Speaker A:What are the three top nutrients that is essential during the perimenopausal stage?
Speaker B:Yeah, from a mineral perspective, I would say making sure your iron levels are good.
Speaker B:A lot of women are anemic and they don't realize it.
Speaker B:Particularly making sure you get your ferritin levels, especially if you are having heavy bleeding.
Speaker B:So that is another symptom during perimenopause is like super, super heavy bleeding.
Speaker B:And so making sure you check your iron levels.
Speaker B:Most people won't test magnesium, but I do find magnesium to be really, really helpful.
Speaker B:I've mentioned it a couple times.
Speaker B:Magnesium is really calming, so it can be good for the nervous system.
Speaker B:We need it for our bone health.
Speaker B:So we always think about calcium for our bone health.
Speaker B:But also magnesium is really important for our bone health.
Speaker B:It's helpful for headaches.
Speaker B:It's helpful for, like, restless leg syndrome.
Speaker B:So magnesium is a good mineral to also consider.
Speaker B:And then vitamin D, you know, is one of those ones really easy to get checked.
Speaker B:You know, most doctors will check it, but we want those at those optimal levels.
Speaker B:The thing I tell clients is like, everything your body needs to do needs optimal vitamin D. It's not just about our immune system, it's our bone health.
Speaker B:It's our blood sugar regulation, it's our mood regulation.
Speaker B:So from like a vitamin mineral perspective, I would say those are kind of the top, top three that I think are the easiest to kind of keep an eye on and check and see.
Speaker B:Because low iron can be low energy and low mood, low vitamin D can affect mood, magnesium.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like all these things could, could be easier fixes if they were not at their optimal stages.
Speaker B:And then the other piece, like from the nutrition piece that we've talked about, getting your protein in, getting your fiber in through mostly through your plant food and then like the right amount of healthy fats.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Because that also feels satisfying and satiating and you know, it's good for our brain health and things like that.
Speaker B:And I'm gonna also mention it's not a nutrient.
Speaker B:Water water.
Speaker B:Yes, yes, that's correct.
Speaker B:That is free, right?
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, very accessible.
Speaker B:Most of us are not drinking enough.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So, you know, if we're chronically dehydrated and we'll see it in our skin, we'll see it in our joints, we'll see it in our digestion, we'll see it in our energy, we'll see it in our mood.
Speaker B:So a really great place to start is hydration too.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker A:Very true, very true.
Speaker A:So is skipping meals or fasting helpful or harmful during the perimenopause stage?
Speaker B:Yeah, that's a great question.
Speaker B:So one of the things that I like to explain with intermittent fasting and intermittent fasting is just like shortening that window of when we're eating.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:It works great for some people and is terrible for other people or for other people, they need to like really slowly adjust to it.
Speaker B:I also think it depends on if they're like an early perimenopause versus later perimenopause.
Speaker B:Typically what I see is that later perimenopause or menopause, it can work better and feel better.
Speaker B:But your body still thinks, thinks it could put out a baby, right?
Speaker B:Which is like your brain might be like, we're not putting out any more babies.
Speaker B:But if your body thinks like we might make a baby.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Wants to be well resourced.
Speaker B:And so for those bodies, if it doesn't feel well resourced, that can be stressful for the body and cause more problems than, than be beneficial.
Speaker B:So I recommend for a lot of people like that 12 hour fast is a good place to, to start to really give your body like a 12 hour digestive rest.
Speaker B:So you know, if you eat breakfast at 7am that means you stop eating at 7pm, that's pretty reasonable for most people.
Speaker B:I have a few clients that even that's not a great thing for.
Speaker B:But like that's a good place to start.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:Right, right.
Speaker B:You know, I do think eating all day long isn't great for most people.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So if we're eating 12 hours and we're eating like crazy.
Speaker B:Grazing, grazing, grazing, grazing, grazing, grazing.
Speaker B:It's like, like the body's always like, wait, what's happening now?
Speaker B:What's happening now?
Speaker B:What's happening?
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Versus like eating a meal, letting your body like digest it, use it.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Three, four or five hours before the next meal.
Speaker B:You know, I find for many people that works a little bit better.
Speaker B:But there are some people who can just start to shorten that window.
Speaker B:Maybe it's 12 hours, maybe it's 11 or 10.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:For a lot of women in kind of earlier perimenopause or even middle stage menopause is also variation.
Speaker B:So like you might do a little bit of a shortened window one day and then not the other day.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So or like not before big workout day.
Speaker B:So really listening to your body and then later perimenopause, menopause.
Speaker B:For a lot of those women, I do find the intermittent fasting can be very helpful and effective.
Speaker B:The caveat that I will give is again, like so often I'm not against men.
Speaker B:I love my husband.
Speaker B:In the grow culture, like that kind of like grow hacking culture, it tends to be like, I don't eat till 12 and then I eat, you know, like I have these huge.
Speaker B:I don't think that works for a lot of women.
Speaker B:So what I suggest is if you are going to experiment, moving it forward.
Speaker B:So if you're gonna, let's say you're gonna do an eight hour window of eating that you're doing say 10 to 6 or 8 to 4, versus like skipping all day long.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Not eating till noon and then eating all the way to eight, but then you go to bed at nine and then you're all dysregulated while you sleep.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:For many this doesn't work.
Speaker B:The challenge of course with that is that means moving dinner earlier, right?
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:And that tends to be like the one meal that people all eat together.
Speaker B:So when I'm working with clients, I always try to be super, super sensitive to the fact that like food is not just, you know, we're not robots.
Speaker B:Food is cultural, food is family, food is celebration, food is how we connect, food is how we come together.
Speaker B:So you know, if that doesn't work for somebody.
Speaker B:You know, I'm like, okay, well, what's the earliest we could get it?
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Maybe you eat your bigger meals for breakfast and lunch, and you still eat with your family, but it's a lighter meal and not a lighter meal.
Speaker B:Cause you're on a diet.
Speaker B:The lighter meal because you're mom, and mom doesn't get to eat food.
Speaker B:We're not doing that just like, lighter meal because that's what feels better in your body.
Speaker A:Right, Right.
Speaker A:So those food choices help hot flashes?
Speaker B:It can, it can.
Speaker B:I mean, the, the.
Speaker B:The kind of vasodilator, like, that whole, like, aspect of, of hot flashes can be exacerbated by a lot of different things.
Speaker B:So I would say stress tends to make it worse.
Speaker B:Alcohol can make it worse for some women.
Speaker B:Caffeine can make it worse.
Speaker B:Blood sugar dysregulation can make it worse.
Speaker B:So I would find, I have found with clients, if they're like, okay, these are some of my triggers.
Speaker B:It may not mean the hot flashes go away, but they're certainly reduced in frequency and reduced in severity.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And again, like, environment can be really helpful.
Speaker B:I even have some clients, especially if they're getting in the, in the night, putting like a little water lavender spray, just like, literally, like, just spray yourself down a little bit.
Speaker B:Lavender has been shown to help a little bit with hot flashes.
Speaker B:Mindset and diaphragmatic breathing can help with hot flashes.
Speaker B:So there are other things that we can do, but if it becomes to the point where it's debilitating, right.
Speaker B:That's the time to have a conversation with the doctor.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like, it is so disruptive to your life and lifestyle that you are not sleeping or you can't function.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So it's all.
Speaker B:We're all trying to figure out where that line is.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:But I just want to validate that.
Speaker B:I also want to say, because this is happening to me, like, I have had a hot flash.
Speaker B:I know what they feel like.
Speaker B:For me, it's like, I always joke.
Speaker B:I'm like, it's not like I'm in a pizza oven.
Speaker B:It's like, I am the pizza oven.
Speaker B:Internal heat.
Speaker B:Yeah, Knock on wood.
Speaker B:I have not had them very often.
Speaker B:But for me, and this can also happen in perimenopause.
Speaker B:I get cold really easily.
Speaker B:So for some women, it may not be the hot flashes.
Speaker B:It might be like just dysregulation.
Speaker B:But you're cold all the time.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So it's just one of those things.
Speaker B:But I Suspect it's a similar dysregulation.
Speaker B:It's just like something some.
Speaker B:Some people are going to react this way and some people are going to react this way.
Speaker B:So it's just again, like validating your experience, right?
Speaker A:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker A:So what is one simple daily change that you would want women to start daily?
Speaker B:Yeah, gosh, I know there's so many.
Speaker B:What is the one.
Speaker B:I mean, you know, I.
Speaker B:The one I think I'll share today is how you start your day.
Speaker B:And it can be.
Speaker B:Be very simple things, right?
Speaker B:It can literally start the moment you wake up.
Speaker B:Your, you know, you wake up in the morning, even if you have to wake up to an alarm or you wake up to your kids or whatever is just like starting the day with like one gratitude, right?
Speaker B:Like before you even put your feet on the floor, just like, you know, I think of my dad when I wished him.
Speaker B:He's now 81, but when I wish him happy birthday on his 70th birthday, right?
Speaker B:And he.
Speaker B:And I was like, how do you feel?
Speaker B:And he's like, I woke up, up.
Speaker B:It's a good day, right?
Speaker B:And so, you know, if we just start the day with like a moment of like an intention or a word or a gratitude, it's like we're starting that whole day on a.
Speaker B:On a different path, right?
Speaker B:And then the other thing that I really love, and many of us have morning rituals that we don't think of as rituals, right?
Speaker B:There's just things you automatically do every morning that you just do automatically.
Speaker B:So if you're trying to bring in a new habit, link it up with one of your morning rituals and make it like.
Speaker B:So, for example, many people start their day with coffee or tea, right?
Speaker B:And when I ask a client, would you ever forget to have your coffee?
Speaker B:They're like, no, I would never forget to have my coffee, right?
Speaker B:Or they feed the dog or they brush their teeth or whatever it is that you do every day.
Speaker B:Without fail, there's something new or there's just like an intention you want to set for yourself, link it to that.
Speaker B:So like, you're making your coffee and you're just like, okay, as I make my coffee, I'm going to focus on ease and spaciousness today.
Speaker B:Ease and spaciousness.
Speaker B:Just like the 30 seconds that it takes for you to make your coffee or as you're brushing your teeth, you know, you're like, today I'm going to go outside in the sunshine one time time today, right?
Speaker B:Like, you're already brushing your teeth, you're not doing anything else in the moment, hopefully.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Hopefully.
Speaker B:At least get like two minutes to yourself to brush your teeth.
Speaker B:So take that two minutes and set an intention for yourself.
Speaker B:So I think how we start our morning and then again for breakfast, getting that protein in for breakfast.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:From a blood sugar perspective, how you start your day will set the tone for the rest of your day in terms of your your blood sugar.
Speaker B:So if we start the day with a sugary scone, we're riding that roller coaster all day long.
Speaker B:But if we start the day with some quality protein, then the chances are we're going to feel more stable throughout the day.
Speaker B:So front load to the front of the day as much you can.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Don't overwhelm yourself, don't try to do 20 things before you leave the house, but set yourself up earlier in the day so that you set the tone for the rest.
Speaker B:Rest of the day.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Wonderful.
Speaker A:That sups up my last question.
Speaker A:Michelle, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom today.
Speaker A:And today's episode made one thing very clear.
Speaker A:Perimenopause is not something to fear, ignore or push through in silence.
Speaker A:But it is like a natural transition.
Speaker A:And with the right understanding, nourishment and self care, it can be a time of deeper awareness.
Speaker A:That's what I got from your talk.
Speaker A:Thank you you so much.
Speaker A:We are really grateful for you.
Speaker B:And that's going to become my new favorite meme.
Speaker B:You just said that so beautifully.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Thank you so much.
Speaker A:Well viewers, if this episode helped you, please subscribe and share it with another woman who might need this conversation.
Speaker A:See you again.
Speaker A:Bye Bye.
