What the Menopause?!

The menopause is a natural event in a woman’s life that typically takes place between 45 and 55 years of age, as oestrogen levels decline.

Menopause is a point in time 12 months after a woman’s last period.

The average age it starts is around 45 years (but can be as early as 40 years), and on average lasts 4-6 years, but can be as short as one year, or as long as 10!

It is during this time that women need support and understanding.

As the hormones are changing, likewise, there are changes going on in the way a woman looks, feels, thinks, and functions.

The Symptoms

The symptoms of perimenopause can affect a woman’s quality of life physically, mentally and emotionally, if they don’t pivot with their changing hormones and increase their self-care.

These symptoms can include:

• Weight gain, despite no changes to diet or exercise
• Hot flushes
• Night sweats
• Problems with falling asleep, staying asleep and sleep quality
• Breast tenderness
• Itchy/crawly/dry skin
• Exhaustion
• Trouble concentrating
• Vaginal dryness
• Loss of libido
• Migraines
• More pronounced premenstrual tension
• Mood changes (depressed, teary, irritable, and/or anxiety)
• Aches and pains
• Urinary problems
• Bloating

 

The Need for Self Care

As a woman’s hormones change, their self-care strategy needs to also, by way of nutrition, movement, lifestyle and mindset.

Extreme exercise and dietary regimes will only leave woman spinning their tyres, with more exhaustion, mood swings, insomnia and weight loss resistance.

Redefining and increasing self-care will also allow for healthy aging, given the decline of estrogen which is extremely protective of the female body (it protects everything from the bone and brain health to heart, liver and gut health).

 

Need Hormonal Support?

The menopause transition is not a time where women need to suffer, but many are unnecessarily despite the plethora of information on the internet. Everyone is unique and customised approach offers that best health outcomes.

Sonia Osborne, our Nutrition Consultant, specialises in female health and can support you with any hormonal-based issues.

 

 

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A recent testimonial:

 

Alex, 51yrs

Goal – Losing Weight Gained during Pre-menopause

Over the past 2 years I’d tried various apps with eating plans to lose the weight I gained during Covid and Peri Menopause. I’ve also tried various diets over the years whenever I put on holiday weight. These usually worked but I found the weight so much harder to lose as I got older. Each time I’d nearly got there and then started putting the weight back on again. I realised it wasn’t like losing weight in my 30s and 40s anymore!

I kept putting off signing up with Sonia as I didn’t want to not succeed on yet another plan. I finally reached out to Sonia and I’m so glad I did. Sonia’s plan wasn’t about following a strict diet of minimal food. It was so much more to do with understanding why we need to eat certain foods and finding the right balance for yourself/your age. It also involved much more information about lifestyle. Each week Sonia educated me as to how our bodies change as we get older and what we put in becomes so much more important.

I found the sessions really interesting and informative. As such it made me much more self-motivated. I never felt like I was depriving myself and also never felt hungry.

Sonia has given me so much more self awareness and desire to continue eating this way for optimal health. I lost the 3kg I needed to. I feel more energetic, sleep better and overall feel like it has all helped me mentally to stop getting so stressed out about my weight and what I’m eating. I highly recommend Sonia’s menopause program.