Perimenopause

Perimenopause is the start of every woman’s menopause transition, usually starting in a women’s 40s.

It can creep up and smack you on the bottom, with no warning and little prior knowledge it can be more like a juggernaut to some of us!

The tips below can help make life a little less shitty….

Exercise

If you are not exercising now, please start… It is an all round amazing way to get fit, release endorphins (happy hormones) , boost self esteem and help to make your body strong and fit for menopause . Women in menopause are more likely to suffer from heart disease and osteoporosis. These are real and get more and more common as we age. The best way is to protect our bodies now. Start today… there are literally 1000-s of Youtube videos on every type of fitness. Pick one you enjoy and commit to doing at least 20 minutes 3 times a week as a starting point.

I would also recommend walking at least 10,000 steps every day.

The recommended type of exercise to include in perimenopause are weight bearing ones, so think Running, Power walking, yoga, Pilates, HIIT, Tabata, Circuit training and Aerobics. Swimming is excellent for all round fitness.

Get involved in a group if you can, it helps to keep you motivated. Sign up to a challenge, couch to 5K is a great one.

Believe me you will NEVER finish any form of exercise without feeling fantastic…. knackered maybe, but in the famous words of Nike…’Just do it’!

Meditation

This is something I have discovered in the last year, it makes such a difference to how I feel. Your time to focus on breathing and letting go of all the thoughts (50,000 to 70,000 per day) that are swimming around in our minds. It takes practice, like anything worthwhile but I would urge you to start. Again, you can find all sorts of free ones online and my personal favourite app is Insight Timer, full of free guided meditations to help you get centred and less anxious.

Anxiety can be a big invisible perimenopause symptom. Concentrating on the future is wasted energy, which is what anxiety is, can be helped with meditation which brings us back to the NOW, the only place we have.

Sleep meditations are extremely beneficial at this time of our lives.

Connecting to Nature

Being outdoors in nature is proven to help lift mood and GP’s are even prescribing it to patience with depression, anxiety, and other health issues. If possible, go out in nature for a walk every day. Find a way to make it a habit. For me it is walking my dog 3 times a day. Gardening is another wonderful way of connecting to nature and the earth.

If you can take off your shoes and feel the earth on your feet, it is quite literally a grounding experience.

Early morning sun on our faces is beneficial in helping to awaken our bodies natural circadian rhythm and getting that all-important vitamin D. (everyone should be taking a daily Vit D supplement in winter at the least).

Limit alcohol and caffeine

Hot flushes at this time of our lives can be a very common peri-menopause symptom and both alcohol and caffeine can make them worse.

Alcohol also makes sleep sporadic and the last thing we need is to be any more sleep deprived than we can be at this time.

Alcohol also has so many hidden calories. Women going through menopause can be prone to weight gain, especially around the middle, another reason to cut back.

Drinking can also make us more stressed. It is a proven depressant and with emotions all over the place in peri, this doesn’t help.

Journaling

I know many women who find writing their thoughts down in a journal extremely beneficial. Writing down when you are feeling good or bad can be helpful in keeping check of where you are in your cycle.

I have very down days, less so since HRT but they are still present. I wrote a letter to myself last week for when I am feeling black so that I know, things will get better and life will resume to normality.

Morning papers where you get up 30 minutes earlier and literally brain dump all that is in your head, this works well for some of my clients. I like to keep a pad by my bed and write anything down that keeps immerging at bedtime, stopping me having to think about it at that moment.

Be kind to yourself

Do let yourself rest if possible when you need to. Talk to your family and let them know how you are feeling and express your needs…this helps you and helps them to get through the rough patches.

Write a list of all the things you loved doing as a child and that bring you joy now and set an intention to do more of these things. It could be horse riding, painting, laughing with friends, listening to music, or dancing. We seem to lose sight of our need to play as we age. Now more than ever it is important to nourish your soul.

Cry when you need to. Many women tell me that they feel so much more emotional at this time. Lean into this feeling, respect the messages your body is telling you and know that everything will be ok.

AND know that It is ok to not be ok.

Ask for help

I know for me when it hit me, I felt I had nowhere to turn, I felt alone and that no one knew how I was feeling. That was 3 years ago, and things have changed so much up to now. Don’t be afraid to ask for time off if you need it at work… ask your workplace if they have a menopause policy, if they don’t be the meno champion to help make it happen ( I can help with this if you need it ). Menopause in the Workplace

Go and see your GP or a menopause specialist if you are suffering. Do go armed with your symptoms tracked and having done some research beforehand. Do not be afraid to ask for a second opinion if you feel you are not getting the correct treatment (many GP’s are not trained in menopause)

Please download my FREE symptom checker to help you track your symptoms here

There are so many support groups online, I am an admin for “Is it hot in here “a Facebook group of women all going through this transition.

Instagram and twitter have many Menovists or Menopause champions.

 

Finally, please remember that through all of the symptoms there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we do come out the other side, better, stronger and more confident than ever… promise.

I will leave you with this…..