The conversation around menopause should be more open, widespread, and informative, helping women prepare for this stage of their life and their wellbeing.
It’s not just the infamous hot flashes – menopause comes with a slew of symptoms that can alter your quality of life, and since it’s practically impossible to just “ignore” them, it’s best to prepare yourself beforehand and learn how to manage each one of them.
As a natural process, menopause can vary from one woman to another, but there are certain lifestyle habits as well as common symptoms that most face. With that in mind, here are a few simple tips you can take to heart if you’d like to prepare yourself or manage the symptoms more easily.
- Get your workout in the morning
Controlling your body temperature during menopause is far from easy, but some simple lifestyle changes can make all the difference. For starters, consider switching your workout routine to start exercising in the morning. Training hard in the evening and too close to bedtime can trigger elevations in your body temperature, making it all the harder for you to unwind and fall asleep.
With your workout sessions scheduled for the morning, you can then set up your day more easily, so that you can dedicate your evening routine to soothing activities like reading, meditation, and gentle stretching. These things help your body to unwind and prepare for restful sleep.
- Supplement support
Consider taking immune-boosting vitamin and mineral combos to help strengthen your body’s natural defenses so that you can optimize your meals, calories, and macronutrients over time with your mind at ease. You can also check if you have specific deficiencies and then target those nutrient groups with supplementation as well as nutrition. The key thing to remember is that this is different for everyone, so it’s important not to give up until you find what works for you.
- Set up regular checkups
Many women think that since their reproductive years are over, they no longer need regular well woman exams. However, even in menopause you still need to schedule regular checkups so that your physician can provide the guidance and support you need.
Your physician can also help you prevent or minimize loss of bone density, fatigue, as well as monitor your health for any issues. Keeping up with preventative health exams like mammograms and colonoscopies are also important. There’s no need to go it alone – medical professionals are able to help you when you’re not sure how to stay healthy and energized.
- Manage the mood swings
Any transition in your life often comes with emotional changes. So, it’s only natural that menopause comes with mood swings. But the core culprit for those mood swings is the hormonal changes your body is going through. That’s why it’s best to focus on the cause, rather than just mitigate the consequence. One of the easiest ways to help keep your hormones in check is with your nutrition.
Make sure your nutrition is versatile and healthy, and that you spend enough time in the sun, so that you’re not depriving your body of vitamin D. In addition, choose whole foods that aren’t highly processed or packed with hormones, antibiotics, or preservatives. Go for natural sources to help keep your immune system strong and contribute to balancing your hormones.
Ensuring that you get the proper amount of (and good quality) sleep will also help keep your mood in check.
- Keep your mind active, too
Is brain fog getting in the way of your work performance, social life, or enjoying a good book? Or maybe the mere idea of forgetting to turn off the stove is making you anxious? In any case, issues with focus and memory can be tricky to tackle. The most effective way to help yourself is to keep your mind active.
Take up learning a new language or a new hobby to challenge yourself. It doesn’t have to be a daily activity, but the more, the better. You can try games that involve planning and thinking, such as sudoku, and mindfulness activities like meditation and Thai chi can also help with lowering your stress levels and keeping your mind engaged.
From proper nutrition to healthy doses of exercise, your menopausal and postmenopausal years can be fulfilling and vibrant with the right tactics implemented. Remember that symptoms can be different for every woman, so if you need any help to manage those specific symptoms and issues, you can always schedule an appointment with our bio-identical hormone therapy providers and take a restorative approach to managing your menopause in the years to come.
The Austin, Texas location of Hormones by Design is now open and is accepting new patients. Call us today to schedule your new patient appointment!
