We made you a holiday checklist for menopause because the season can trigger symptoms and weight gain.
So if you’re worried about your weight and/or rascal perimenopause or menopause signs you don’t need to despair.
It’s OK to let go of the reigns a little and focus on enjoyment.
The truth is – and a study by Healthline in 2015 showed – 44% of people getting moderately stressed over health and finances at this time. What’s more 18% get very stressed!
So if that’s you take some deep breaths.
I know it can be hard if you’re feeling anxious, depressed, not sleeping or flailing about with hot flushes but raising your stress levels (read cortisol) can make them worse.
So take a deep breath or three with my favourite 4-7-8 technique.
4-7-8 Breath Technique
Photo by Ivan Samkov @pexels
- Empty your lungs of air
- Breathe in for 4
- Hold for 7
- Breathe out for 8
- Rinse and repeat
How do you feel?
I find it works like magic.
And following are a few guidelines for both diminishing those signs and symptoms and keeping your weight stable. (But several studies do show we can put on a tiny bit of weight at this time so cut yourself some slack.)
Most of us love good food and wine right?
I know I do.
But the fact is I don’t bounce back from it like I used to so I’m having to learn moderation the hard way!
When we mix all the Christmas/holiday things together such as sugar, Champers, and oodles of food you’ve got the perfect storm for weighing down the body. These things can also magnify those symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue, high blood sugar (hello belly fat) and inflammation.
But we’re not here to be Debbie Downer or Kylie Killjoy – this is the time to eat, drink and be merry.
Holiday checklist for (peri)menopause
4 tips for looking good and feeling great.
1. Ensure you’re well-hydrated
Yes, you hear it all the time but seriously? This is probably one of the best things you can do for yourself. It helps with digestion, moving nutrients around the body and brain, and eliminating toxins (that love to live in fat).
It can be so easy to poo poo it or not feel it’s important but it’s amazing how it can help especially if you’re toasting the times.
Photo by Nicole Michalou @pexels
2. Eat Your Greens (and reds, oranges, yellows and purples)
I bang on about green leafy vegetables a lot. They are packed full of nutrients and fibre which most of us don’t get enough of.
Cruciferous vegetables are also beneficial when you’re in peri/menopause because when you eat them they break down into indole-3-carbinol and then into a compound known as DIM or diindolylmethane. These veg include deliciousness such as broccoli, cabbage and cauli.
DIM has a direct effect on the hormone estrogen and how it is metabolised and it’s also thought to cancer protective1.
Fibre is good for our liver (the master detoxifier) and gut (and all roads lead to the gut) and can act like a broom sweeping toxins out of the body when you poop. In fact, more and more research is showing how eating lots of fibre can help us in so many ways from weight management to staving off chronic disease.
And sorry to get so personal but the more you poop the better when you’re breaking a few rules during the holidays. So help counteract the chocolate and the Champers by eating oodles of vegetables in all the colours of the rainbow underpinned with green.
3. Prioritise protein
During peri/menopause, we naturally become more insulin resistant which can lead to fat storage and belly fat.
Photo by Nicole Michalou @pexels
You see, every time we eat our blood sugar rises but when we are insulin resistant it can stay elevated.
Insulin’s job is to escort the energy we get from food to the cells but when we’re resistant the cells won’t let it in so it gets stored as fat. (Very simplistically speaking!)
When you eat about a fist size of lean protein with a portion of good fat at every meal it helps to stabilise blood sugar.
Bonus? It keeps you fuller for longer so you won’t feel like demolishing a whole bowl of potato crisps and Kiwi dip. You’ll be happy with one or two. 🙂 (Happy dance!)
Avoid refined carbohydrates like bread and muffins as they convert to sugar in the body and choose the good proteins and fats like hardboiled (deviled?) eggs, avocado, berries, crunchy salads, nuts (not toooo many) and if you eat meat, fish.
And if you and yours tend to have a big meal rather than grazing going for a walk afterwards will help to bring your blood sugar down as well. Plus it’s a lovely thing to do!
4. If you’re going to drink alcohol choose wisely
If you love your wine and Champagne (I totally get it) it’s probably best to stick to only one or two glasses.
And actually, a better choice can be gin or vodka with lime and sparkling water.
Plus ensure you drink water between every drink as that should help metabolise it better. For this reason, you’ll feel better the next day. WINNING!
Conclusion
The holidays aren’t the time for restriction, they’re there to enjoy.
That said indulging can magnify symptoms and lead to weight gain and belly fat.
But there are a few simple tricks you can do to try and stay on top of things.
So we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Do you need help?
If you would like some step-by-step help to manage these signs and symptoms, do get in touch with me.
I’m Jenna, an accredited holistic health coach with a passion for helping women after 40 with weight gain and bullying peri / menopause hormones.
I do this work because I’ve been there and received no solutions when I searched for help. So I pivoted careers, spent thousands of dollars and hit the (study) books so that I could create a system to kick Menozilla out the door! 🙂
Yours in health & happiness 🙋
References:
- Thomson CA, Ho E, Strom MB. Chemopreventive properties of 3,3′-diindolylmethane in breast cancer: evidence from experimental and human studies. Nutr Rev. 2016 Jul;74(7):432-43. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuw010. Epub 2016 May 31. PMID: 27261275; PMCID: PMC5059820.
Main image by Cottonbro @pexels
