Menopause is usually thought of in a few different ways.
Sometimes it feels like a curse, sometimes like the hell of old age, and sometimes like a beautiful natural change of life.
Kind of depends on which side of the bed you wake up on that morning, huh?
This can be the best part of life, not the worst.
It can be a time of contemplation, deeper spiritual awareness, and helping to educate and influence others around us with our wisdom and experience.
As for what actually causes menopause, the ovaries slow down and eventually stop functioning. This is marked by a reduction in the female hormone levels of estrogen and progesterone. In some women, this hormone drop is barely noticed. Most women do notice something and for many it’s debilitating.
The most common symptoms are hot flashes or lushes caused by vasodilator instability. Other symptoms are nervousness, fatigue, mental depression, crying episodes, insomnia and headaches.
It is very similar to PMS, which is also caused by hormone levels dropping. But, it does not stop in 5 or 10 days and can continue indefinitely. In some cases, menopause can lead to bone loss, osteoporosis and artery disease.
For some women menses just stops one day.
For others it gradually reduces over months, until it finally stops.
For some women the length of the menstrual cycle gets longer and then eventually ends.
Women who smoke cigarettes go into menopause on the average of one to two years earlier than non-smoking women. That statistic alone makes me glad I stopped smoking during college!
There are 4 things I find that make the hormonal changes and fluctuations easier for most women.
Step 1: Hormonal support and balance.
There are many natural options for bringing your hormones back into balance. That’s why I wrote Navigating Hormone Health. It’s a great guide to assess what’s OUT OF BALANCE and then understand what to do to get that balance back.
Without proper understanding of your hormones and an intelligent approach to balance, you really are missing the link to feeling well and performing at your best during the changes of your middle years and beyond.
Step 2: Improve your nutrition.
Any time your body is being challenged and is changing, as it is during menopause, it’s a good idea to make sure your nutrition is top notch because of the levels of both physical and emotional stress.
Fatigue and low energy are often chief complaints of women during menopause and optimal nutrition really will restore your energy.
I can’t say enough about the importance of a good healthy food program during this time of change. Junk food, too much salt, artificial anything, and overly acidic foods all contribute to increasing the symptoms of menopause.
Step 3: Keep your channels of elimination healthy.
The physical location of the uterus between the colon, rectum and bladder, makes keeping a clean colon important. If you have bowel issues, see that you get these handled.
Same goes for your kidneys. You want to keep your urinary tract clean, disease-free and functional. Keeping your elimination systems clean and working properly takes physical stress off the female reproductive organs and eases the transition through menopause.
Step 4: Get enough exercise and increase circulation.
Maintaining a routine exercise program during menopause is NOT AN OPTION, it’s a must.
It helps with everything from circulatory disturbances to bone loss.
Not walking? Start walking 45 minutes to an hour 4-5 times a week. Hot flashes are the biggest menopausal symptom and exercise which benefits the circulatory system works wonders for flushes.
Even if you’re not in menopause yet, it’s coming down the pike.
If you’re over 40 and notice the effects of aging like a loss of energy and stamina and a general slowing down, NOW is the time to make what could very well be some of the most important decisions you’ll ever make involving your self care program.
EVERY woman needs these 4 steps in place so that we age well, protect our health, and have the peace of mind to live a vibrant and happy life!
shelli
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