How To Manage Menopause Symptoms Naturally
Feeling blah during perimenopause and worried you’ll never feel like your best self again?
It’s ok to be nervous or confused – it’s not like they teach this in school!
I’m here to tell you this is NOT the end. You don’t have to sit back and wait for worsening symptoms to take over your life. Instead, you can start incorporating healthy, hormone-balancing habits into your daily routine now.
In fact, you can manage perimenopause and menopause symptoms naturally. Let’s discover what you can do starting now!
4 Easy Steps To Keep Menopause & Perimenopause Symptoms Under Control
The extra weight, excess belly fat, bad moods, and the icky way you are feeling may all be symptoms of perimenopause. Try these tips to manage your symptoms naturally so you can get back to looking and feeling amazing!
Ready to manage your perimenopause symptoms and get back to looking and feeling great? Schedule a discovery call with me today!
How to Make Resolutions Stick
1. Make Nutrient-Dense Food The Star Of Your Meals
Did you know that hormonal changes during menopause can cause weight gain, weaker bones, and mood swings? And this is in addition to a myriad of other potential side effects.
How annoying is that?
But you don’t need to live your life in fear of breaking a bone. You don’t need to put up with belly fat making it hard to button your jeans. And you definitely don’t need mood swings disrupting your life!
Instead, you can help manage your symptoms naturally. Just make sure to include nutrient-dense foods into your diet.
There is a world of whole, natural foods with the vitamins and nutrients your body needs. All it takes is putting those foods on your plate. With my program, you get the tools and resources to learn exactly what you need to prepare healthy, tasty snacks and meals quickly. Plus, you’ll get tons of easy, nutritious, and tasty recipes!
One key element to saving time is knowing how to make healthy and delicious meals that you can cook once and eat twice (or even thrice!). And here’s the trick…Keep it to 5 ingredients max. Get step-by-step instructions in my previous blog, How To Eat Healthy In A Hurry.
And when I’m looking for a delicious morning or afternoon snack, I make my NRgy elixir drinks. These are packed with the nutrients I need to get through my days with high energy.
Here are some tips to make your diet an impactful tool to manage perimenopause symptoms.
Don’t Shy Away From Phytoestrogens
When your hormones fluctuate during perimenopause, your estrogen production decreases. This can result in frustrating side effects that include the following:
Weight gain
Lack of concentration
Stubborn belly fat
Mood swings
Low libido
Tiredness
However, you can help manage these symptoms by eating foods that are high in phytoestrogens like flax seeds, soy beans, edamame and unprocessed soy products like tofu and tempeh. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring compounds found in plants that mimic the effects of estrogen. This can be so helpful in balancing your hormones as your body’s estrogen production decreases. As a result, eating phytoestrogens can help you balance your hormones!
Eat Your Fruits & Vegetables
Do you know why there’s such importance around eating fruits and veggies?
Especially during perimenopause, the high fiber of fruits and veggies can help to stabilize your metabolism and hormones – which helps to decrease the symptoms you’d rather live without! Plus, fruits and veggies are also rich in antioxidants and are anti-inflammatory, helping you to stay healthy and feel great.
Fruits and vegetables are natural sources full of vitamins and minerals. And the natural sugars in fruits are great for satiating a sweet tooth. However, even fruits can be too high in sugar if eaten on their own. Make sure to combine sweet fruits with healthy fats or proteins.
Even better, fruits and veggies paired with healthy fats or proteins help you feel full longer. This means less sugar crashing and long-lasting energy to power through your hectic days.
They’re especially helpful for women like you battling the weight gain and belly fat symptoms of perimenopause.
Plus, foods that are high in Calcium and Vitamin D help fight the onset of osteoporosis – something that often occurs throughout perimenopause and menopause.
So make sure to include a variety of leafy greens in your diet. And fortify your Calcium absorption with sunlight and foods that are high in Vitamin D, like fish, eggs, and cod liver oil.
Avoid Symptom-Triggering Foods
As much as some foods can help manage perimenopause symptoms, there are plenty that can make your symptoms worse. To avoid triggering your symptoms, avoid (or limit) these foods as much as possible:
Sugar
Processed foods
Gluten
Dairy
Spicy foods
Excess alcohol and caffeine
Read my previous blog, Foods To Avoid During Perimenopause (And What To Eat Instead), to get the rundown on each of the above foods.
2. Add Variety To Your Exercise Regime
Movement is so important for your mental and physical health. While any type of movement is better than none, you can get more impact with a combination of aerobic and strength training exercises.
Walking
Possibly the most underrated form of exercise is simply walking. It gets your body moving and blood pumping. Plus, you can do it anywhere. The next time you are stuck behind a desk all day, take advantage of 15 minutes of downtime to walk a few blocks with fresh air in your face.
Yoga
I LOVE yoga and do it as much as possible. This ancient exercise has transcended through centuries for good reason! It’s a great way to strengthen your core muscles, increase flexibility, relieve stress, and center your mind.
Weight Lifting & Strength Training
Have you heard the phrase muscle burns fat?
Women going through menopause and perimenopause often deal with weight gain and stubborn belly fat. It’s like the cherry on top of a slew of annoying symptoms. However, you can stay lean, build muscle, and even strengthen your bones by incorporating weight lifting and strength training into your routine.
For the most impactful results, I strongly recommend throwing weights or weight resistance exercises into at least 3 of your weekly workouts. You’ll get stronger, lose weight, feel better, and worry less about the decreasing bone density that follows menopause.
Need help figuring out your most impactful exercise routine? Schedule some time to talk, and we’ll figure it out together!
3. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!
Repeat after me: hydration is cool.
More importantly, a lack of hydration may trigger several perimenopause symptoms, including:
Brain fog and forgetfulness
Headaches
Inflammation and joint pain
Irritable skin and acne
Stomach issues like constipation and bloating
Bladder infections
Mood swings
Daytime fatigue and nighttime insomnia
Yes, dehydration can cause all of the above symptoms and more.
You should aim to drink half your weight in ounces of water each day. For example, if you weigh 160 lbs., drink 80 oz. of water every day. But don’t be overwhelmed if that seems like a lot to you! Simply keep a water bottle with you everywhere you go. If you often forget to drink water, set alarms on your phone to remind yourself to take a few sips.
Need to add some flavor?
Make a pot of herbal tea to drink throughout the day. Or chop up some cucumber, strawberries, kiwi, or other tasty fruits to add natural flavor to your water.
However, don’t be fooled into thinking caffeinated and carbonated drinks are helping with hydration. Caffeine flushes your system more quickly, and many fizzy drinks, like sparkling water, contain sodium – so these don’t count toward hydration!
4. Don’t Skip Meals (Trust Me, You’ll Regret It)
Whether attempting to lose weight quickly or just get so busy you forget to eat, you should never skip meals.
Your perimenopausal body needs nutrients from whole, natural foods to balance blood sugar and live a symptom-free life.
Skipping meals leads to:
Binge eating later in the day
Eating less cautiously because you are too hungry to think
Brain fog and mood swings
Poor weight management
Mind and body fatigue
Disrupted metabolism
Weight and fat gain
Moreover, you have one body to get you through this amazing life. Treat it with care and love, and it will help you follow all of your dreams and ambitions!
Get Back To Looking & Feeling Great – Start Today!
My program was designed to help busy, ambitious women like you take back control of your own life. Because knowing exactly what to do (that actually works) in this stage of your life helps put an end to feelings of overwhelm.
The symptoms of perimenopause can make your normal day-to-day life seem painful and exhausting. But with my attainable and sustainable lifestyle hacks, you can get your energy back, lose weight, and feel amazing at 40 and beyond!
Ready to get started? Schedule a discovery call with me today!