Is menopause a laughing matter?

Maybe, maybe not.

Depends on your sense of humor, right?

One thing is certain, though.

Laughter and humor do MATTER and seeing what you’re experiencing through a humorous lens will make it easier and perhaps even fun.

I know some of you have seen this joke when you read your free report, 7 Simple Strategies You Can Use Today To Feel Better and Optimize Your Health During Menopause, BUT please read it again. It never fails to make me laugh!

Question: How many women with MENOPAUSE does it take to change a light bulb?

Answer: One! ONLY ONE! And do you know WHY? Because no one else in this house knows HOW to change a light bulb! They don’t even know that the bulb is BURNED OUT!

They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before they figured it out. And, once they figured it out, they wouldn’t be able to find the #&%!* light bulbs despite the fact that they’ve been in the SAME CABINET for the past 17 YEARS!

But if they did, by some miracle of God, actually find them, 2 DAYS LATER, the chair they dragged to stand on to change the STUPID light bulb would STILL BE IN THE SAME SPOT!

AND UNDERNEATH IT WOULD BE THE WRAPPER THE FREAKING LIGHT BULBS CAME IN! BECAUSE NO ONE EVER PICKS UP OR CARRIES OUT THE GARBAGE!

IT’S A WONDER WE HAVEN’T ALL SUFFOCATED FROM THE PILES OF GARBAGE THAT ARE A FOOT DEEP THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE!

IT WOULD TAKE AN ARMY TO CLEAN THIS PLACE! AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHO CHANGES THE TOILET PAPER ROLL!

I’m sorry. What was the question?

What makes YOU laugh time and time again?

For me it’s Rowan Atkinson, the British actor who plays Mr. Bean. He makes me laugh.

It’s also my friend Victoria and my friend Ariel. Whenever I spend time with either of them, there are bound to be a few deep-belly-can -barely-catch-my-breath kind of laughs.

It’s also the Who’s On First, What’s on Second comedy routine by Abbott and Costello.

Recently, I attended the memorial service for my brother, who passed away not too long ago. Not what you’d usually think of as a humorous experience, right?

The Abbott and Costello piece was one of his favorites, so in his honor two of his friends performed this routine.

These two men had never met before and had never performed before. It was hilarious and kept us all laughing. It was a fitting tribute to my brother, whose sense of humor was as wacky as it gets.

It got me thinking.

I would be totally pleased if at my funeral people stood up and said, “We’ll miss Shelli because she had a great sense of humor and made us laugh!”

So is menopause a laughing matter?

You tell me!

If you feel like I do that life is lived best with a sense of humor and menopause is part of life, then YES, menopause is a laughing matter!

shelli

I’m a golfer.

I know, so many sports, so little time.

In fact, I’m a very good golfer.

During the past few years I haven’t gotten out there very much, but these past few months I’ve started playing again and I’m really enjoying it.

I had a real menopause AH HA on the course that I’d like to share with you.

I think you’ll find it both amusing and instructive.

If I don’t have anyone to play with I play alone. I enjoy the time to myself, and focusing on my game and not chatting with anyone while I play allows me to relax.

The third hole on this course (which I’ve played many times before) is not a particularly long one (par 3), but it’s uphill all the way.

I pulled out the club I’ve always used on this hole, and REALLY MISS-HIT my first shot off the tee. It flew into the trees and almost on to another fairway.

Here’s where the menopause AH HA begins!

There’s something in golf called a mulligan.

A mulligan is basically a do-over shot.

When you miss-hit your first shot off the tee and you take another shot, it’s called a mulligan.

I don’t take mulligans!

That’s why I can play 18 holes of golf in under 2 hours!

In fact, one time the guy in the golf pro shop noticed how quickly I played my round of golf and he said, “You don’t take mulligans, do you?

My attitude about mulligans is rare.

Most golfers do take them, and some take them on EVERY HOLE and anytime they hit a bad shot. This can drive a golfer like me CRAZY!

I’ve seen golfers drop balls in the middle of the fairway or play two or three balls at the same time.

I want to scream, “Hey, this ISN’T the driving range!” What’s the point of taking the same  shot over and over on the course; you’ll never improve that way.

Where was I? Oh yeah, golf and menopause!

So, I’m watching my shot go way off track and I think to myself (for a fleeting moment), do I take a mulligan here?

And my answer comes back NOPE. Play it where it lies.

I walk to my ball and I see that I’ll have to hit it over a tree and uphill to land it on the green.

I grab a 7 iron and hit the most beautiful shot. I watched it land softly on the green. If you could have seen my face, I suspect I was grinning from ear to ear.

I love it when things like that happen when I don’t take the easy way out and I reap the rewards of facing the challenge.

I felt uplifted the whole day.

For the rest of the day I couldn’t help but see how what I had experienced on the course was a metaphor for menopause and middle age.

On the one hand, by the time we reach menopause there are choices we’ve made and roads we’ve traveled that simply cannot be done over.

Mulligans don’t apply, so we’re best off making peace with what IS.

In a sense though, menopause does present us with an opportunity to take mulligans. It can be a time of do-overs.

If we take a more spiritual approach to life, every moment, every hour, every day can be seen as mulligan time. But I was thinking more about the bigger picture.

If we see menopause as a time to take stock and play it (life) where it lies, then there are many USEFUL ways to take mulligans.

We can do over how we’ve been eating and the nutritional choices we make each day.

We can take a mulligan and start an activity program that really motivates and energizes us, doing what we enjoy (like me playing golf again) and doing less of what we don’t enjoy.

We can do over relationships that aren’t working well or embrace new ones to fill in the gaps.

Here’s what I encourage you to do.

At the end of your day or at the end of the week, take some time to write (or at least mentally go over) about how you spend your days and what choices you’ve made and see where mulligans would come in handy.

That’s a great first step.

Call it your MMT….Menopause Mulligan Time!

Keep me posted on whether or not you’re taking mulligans and what metaphors your sporting life is presenting for you.

Me?

Believe it or not, in an hour I’m off to play that same course. Who knows what’s in store for me today!

This was the joke of the day that appeared on my calendar this past week.

Two men were hiking through the forest when they heard a bear approaching. One man dropped his hiking gear and searched through it until he found his running shoes. Watching the man put on the running shoes, the other man said, “What are you doing? You can’t outrun that bear!” The man said, “I don’t have to outrun him. I just have to outrun you.”

Whether you run for your health, to lose weight, or the joy of taking it on the road, calling yourself a runner is a badge you wear with pride. I know I certainly do!

Take a moment and ask yourself why you run or fitness walk.

Here are the answers I get most often when I ask women this question.

*It’s good for my health
*I want to lose weight/control my weight
*Anyone can run, so there’s nothing I have to learn
*It helps me handle my stress
*I like to run and like the way I feel when I’m done.

I’m thinking for most of us those answers would rank high on the list. So let’s consider each of these answers and whether or not they are indeed the benefits of running.

1. It’s good for my health and helps me handle stress: maybe, maybe not.

Aerobic training increases adrenal stress, which can make you fatter and produce other undesirable health consequences. Adrenal fatigue is a very important factor which I’ll address more in depth in another piece.

For right now though, know that when you do too much continuous aerobic exercise the adrenal glands are stressed in a way that disrupts your hormonal balance causing adrenal fatigue.

This leads to tiredness, allergies, frequent colds and flus, arthritis, anxiety, reduced memory, insomnia, feeling worn out and the INABILITY to lose weight even after extensive effort.

So while you are gaining cardiovascular and respiratory benefits, which I believe are the health benefits we think of when we say “we run for the health benefits,” please be aware that TOO much of a good thing can be stressful.

Remember, being fit and being healthy are not the same.

It’s important to bring a level of self awareness to your running so you know when you are dipping into an unhealthy stressful state.

Also, when thinking of how to blend health and fitness, think of becoming generally athletic and then taking that general athleticism into whatever exercise or sport you play.

In other words, you want to move well, REALLY well.

The idea is to be active throughout your life and discover your own pathway to enjoying a physically active lifestyle.

Adapting a philosophy towards sports/movement and health/fitness like the one I’m suggesting might take a paradigm shift for you. I encourage you, however, to be open to what I’m saying.

Running has its place but it’s far from the only activity we should be doing if we’re looking to be healthy and handle our stress!

2. Best way to lose weight and burn fat: NOPE.

Not steady state running at least. Going for miles and miles or for hours and hours is not the best way to burn fat.

Will you burn calories? Of course.

Want to burn fat? Listen up.

Remember, we are talking about CONTINUOUS aerobic exercise called LSD (long slow distance running) or steady state cardio.

There are other ways to train that are more effective and take less time.

We unfortunately have been brainwashed with the idea that to burn fat you have to do continuous aerobic work.

It is not the most effective choice and I think it’s a good idea to match what you choose to do with the reason for doing it.

In order to lose fat you need to stoke the body’s furnace to burn up fat reserves. To do this you need intense oxygen-depriving anaerobic exercise.

This does two things:
1-It increases the percentage of calories and fat burned as compared to the percentage of carbohydrates burned.
2-It raises your metabolic rate, which helps you burn off even more calories when you are at rest. This is called EPOC, and we’ll go into this more in a minute.

Intensity (% of your max Heart Rate) is what’s important in the number of calories burned per minute. The kind of running that is most effective for fat loss is called interval training.

You alternate minutes of high intensity exercise with low to moderate intensity exercise. You will more effectively burn fat and improve both aerobic and anaerobic fitness.

EPOC stands for excess post-workout oxygen consumption, and some in the fitness field assign great meaning to it, so it’s something you should be aware of.

There is a higher increase in caloric expenditure that occurs during the EPOC phase after resistance or anaerobic exercise versus aerobic exercise. And the EPOC over the 12-24 hour period following your exercise session can be from 10-150 calories.

Not a huge number but worth noting.

Also, let’s consider something else with steady state running and fat burning/calorie expenditure.

If you are economical and mechanically efficient when you run, you will expend LESS calories than if you are unskilled and utilize unnecessary movements during physical activity.

At first you might think, great I don’t (run, swim bike ) well so I’ll burn more calories, but remember, inefficiencies increase musculoskeletal stress and lead to overuse injuries.

So it’s an interesting Catch-22.

Though it takes time to develop efficient running mechanics, your economy will improve over time and you’ll be able to prolong the activity and get a greater total energy expenditure, but that means running for longer and longer time periods.

This may not be what you want: longer runs to burn the same number of calories.

As for a fitness view on all this let’s look at what Charles Poliquin, a well known strength and conditioning coach, has to offer when he talks about why aerobic work can be counterproductive. He includes many of the things we have already mentioned.

-Continuous aerobic work plateaus after 8 weeks of training so anything more is counterproductive.

-Aerobic training worsens your power locally and systemically, making you slower. This is important if you play team sports needing speed or jumping power.

-Aerobic training increases oxidative stress which can accelerate aging. Oxidation is a process that forms free radicals in the body.

Normally we use antioxidants to neutralize them. If there is an excessive build up due to excessive aerobics your body will be challenged to handle all the free radicals. This will change your metabolism and can accelerate aging.

-Aerobic training increases body fat in stressed individuals by contributing additional stress.

Again, stress to an already stressed organism actually adds body fat as it messes with your hormone balance.

-Aerobic training worsens testosterone/cortisol ratios which impede your ability to add fat burning lean muscle. Adding lean muscle will help increase the caloric expenditure that you need to lose fat.

3. Anyone can run, so there’s nothing I have to learn…NOT!

Yes, running will burn calories, and you can ease joint stress and move with less effort if you take the time to learn how.

And running can be learned by anyone. It involves understanding physics, physiology and your anatomy.

Too often though, what I see published in articles is something that says “if you can walk, you can run.”

This is not the case and I surely would not want most of the people I see walking to take their walk into a run!

Everyone needs exercise, yet why do so many people interpret this to mean all you need to do is RUN.

Unfortunately, I see too many people who have never given credence to the idea that it is important to learn good biomechanics for running.

I see bobbers, swayers, shufflers, prancers and clompers, all of whom think they are doing something good for themselves by running.

A lot of people out there running look miserable and in pain and as I often say, “Running is something we do in the name of good health that can make us miserable.”

Biomechanics–technique–how we move as runners–is easy to address. It is, after all, under our control. Yet it is often forgotten.

Runners need to understand it’s not just about WHY you run, but also about HOW you run.

The injury rate amongst runners is alarming and changes all the time so I won’t give you an exact number. I can say that I’ve never read a study that quoted less than 50% of all runners having had an injury during the year.

Learning how to run with correct form will make running less punishing so your fitness efforts won’t be constantly derailed by injury.

You can be comfortable while you run!

Correct running form is not second nature for most of us, and contrary to what many people think, it is not just stepped-up walking.

What I wanted to do in writing this was to have us look at the exercise we do, in this case running, and ask ourselves why we are doing it, and are we in fact getting the results we seek.

Mindlessly doing anything, and particularly running, can do just as much harm as good and we need to know the difference between whether running is helping us or hurting us.

shelli

Do you ever find yourself in a philosophical and reflective mood?

I know I do.

In fact, I’m in one right now so I thought I’d pass along some ideas and quotes that I find inspirational.

I wrote down these ideas and lifestyle behaviors as I thought about what I’d like to be focusing on right now:

*remember my source. I believe with spiritual awareness everything in life is improved.

*live the golden rule. This is important in creating cooperative relationships.

*be good to the universe, take care of my earthly home.

*eat my fruits and vegetables and consume only what I need.

*move and exercise on a regular schedule. This makes a positive difference in my life.

*live with purpose and challenge my fears. Expressing my purpose is what life’s all about.

*be emotionally mature and self-responsible. Let my light shine.

*give to life. Open to life and share in a constructive way with others, giving wisely of myself.

*see the good and the possible. Every problem has a solution. In all challenging circumstances, see opportunities for good, for learning, and for growth.

In addition to my ideas I find these quotes inspirational:

“He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance: one cannot fly into flying.” Frederich Nietzsche.

To me this sounds like an opportunity to practice lots of joy in lots of different movements as we travel down the road of life.

“Behold the turtle–He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.” James Bryant Conant.

Select goals that make you reach, stretch you and pull you beyond what you thought was possible.

“I get up every morning determined both to change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes, this makes planning the day difficult.” E.B. White.

Life without a sense of humor would be intolerable for me. I love to laugh!

“People say that what we are seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think this is what we’re really seeking. I think what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive.” Joseph Campbell.

Find your joy and make choices that bring aliveness out in you. We all know it when we feel it!

shelli

Exercise, particularly during menopause, is essential.

It protects us against aging, dementia, heart disease, hot flashes, stress, excess body fat, depression and diabetes.

It improves the quality of sleep and sex, and protects bones and joints. Some studies tell us exercise takes 10 years off our chronological age. Studies on twins have shown that the twin who exercised had less heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.

Yes, there’s effort involved in order to reap the benefits.

In looking at the questions that I’m most often asked, I see some common threads of confusion, so let’s take those myths and bust through them.

Myth #1 There’s Not Enough Time In The Day

Every woman feels strapped for time.

We are jugglers keeping many plates spinning in the air all at once.

The studies I’ve read suggest that that average American watches four and a half hours of television a day. Some of that time, at least, can be used for getting fit.

It’s important to try exercising at different times of the day and seeing what works best for your schedule. Some women find that getting their workouts in first thing in the morning is best, and others prefer the evenings.

There is no right or wrong time, whatever works and whatever schedule you’ll stick with is what’s best!

Myth #2 Exercise Is Boring
To reap the long term benefits of exercise, it is essential to do what you enjoy!

Think beyond walking, jogging or more structured routines, and find what works for you. Spend the evening square dancing and you’ll have walked five miles.

If what you’ve chosen for staying active does get dull, mix it up.

If you usually take a bike ride or a walk alone, invite some friends to join you. Change the locations of your exercise sessions. Don’t just use machines and stay indoors.

Variety will keep your movement choices fresh.

Myth #3 Exercise Is Exhausting

It’s true that if you’ve been leading a sedentary lifestyle and you do too much too soon, you’ll feel tired and achy. This means you’re overdoing it. Listen to your body and make corrections.

The idea is to start slowly, be consistent, and your energy levels will increase as your effort increases.

This also holds true for women who have been very active all their lives. An increase in effort and energy expenditure needs to happen over time, not all at once.

You do have to spend energy to get energy, so see exhaustion as a warning signal.

Myth # 4 Exercise Will Hurt Stiff Or Achy Joints

It’s exactly the opposite.

Exercise, when done properly, is a lubricant and a natural pain reliever.

Studies with arthritic populations find that one hour of low impact exercise, twice per week, reduced pain and fatigue, and improved joint function.

It is a case of move-it-or- lose-it. Many times a joint will be stiff and achy because you haven’t used it.

Regularly engaging in leisure time physical activity is necessary to keep your body functioning optimally and your joints free of those aches and pains.

Myth # 5 Walking Is All You Ever Need To Do

While walking does produce significant benefits, as your fitness levels increase you’ll want to incorporate more intensity into your aerobics and add a strength training component to your active lifestyle.

To improve your fitness levels, all muscles, including your heart muscle, need to be challenged.

It also makes sense to have multiple choices for enjoying exercise so that you’re challenging your body in different ways. This will ensure you’re reaping all the potential benefits.

Myth #6 You Have To Wear Special Clothes And Sweat

While that’s certainly true for certain sports, it’s not true across the board.

Sometimes wearing comfortable clothing can be all that’s needed.

Let’s use tai chi as an example. Tai chi is an ancient Chinese martial art consisting of deep breathing and slow, gentle, controlled movements.

Tai chi improves blood sugar levels in diabetics and relieves stress (making it a great movement choice for menopausal women). It also improves heart and lung health, your immunity and your flexibility. And all it requires is that you wear comfortable clothing!

So think outside the box if you don’t like activities that require a bunch of special gear.

Myth# 7 It’s Difficult To Get And Stay Motivated

There are many women who start exercising when they are faced with a health challenge, but it’s always best to start before that.

Creating an active lifestyle by taking up activities that you enjoy will keep you motivated.

Activities like golf, tennis, hiking, dancing, yoga, pilates, and biking give you an opportunity to spend time with friends and have fun.

Don’t forget the having FUN part. If you’re not having fun, the consistency element that’s crucial for gaining benefits will likely fall away.

You can also motivate yourself by doing something like wearing a pedometer and tracking how much you walk each day, or by signing on for a special event race. Strategies like these work well for getting up and getting going!

One thing is certain when looking to create an active lifestyle during menopause. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.

One thing I can tell you with great certainty, having been in the health and fitness field for over 20 years now, is that when a woman gets sufficient and appropriate exercise, her chances of having an easier time during menopause are greatly increased.

Exercise is the best prescription there is for the uncertainty of the menopause experience!

There are specific things that women do who are successful at losing fat and getting fit.

They not only set goals but they GET those goals as well.

Using a proven system can help you specify your goals and objectives, measure your progress, and keep you focused.

However, there will always be challenges and roadblocks along the way. Knowing what to do when you encounter them is the key to staying on track.

Here are 3 challenges you’ll face and some helpful hints for overcoming them.

#1: Perfectionism

Are you a perfectionist? Then this one is for you.

No woman is perfect, though we’d all like to be!

Having to do something without ever making a mistake and slipping up is impossible.

Knowing before you even begin a fat loss plan that there will be days that are not perfect will help you keep focused on the long term goal and stay the course.

If you’re a perfectionist, you often won’t even start a fitness routine or eating plan if you doubt your ability to get it done RIGHT.

Striving to be perfect because your pride demands perfection will sabotage your efforts.

Better to think 80/20. What you do 80% of the time is good enough to get you to your goals. This will leave you room for making changes and creating a new and improved plan as you go along.

Stay the course.

Recognize when your perfectionistic attitude gets in the way.

Take a deep breath and allow yourself to feel good about your efforts so that you maintain enthusiasm and focus.

Remember the tortoise and the hare, and how slow and steady won the race!

#2: Being Timid About Asking Others for Help and Ideas

It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help. In fact, I consider it to be one of the smartest things you can do.

Being reluctant to ask for help will often slow you down in achieving your fat loss and fitness goals.

Be willing to ask for and receive help, including new ideas and solutions when you aren’t making progress.

Have a suggestion box mindset.

You will be surprised at how many good ideas other people have.

Some ideas will come from other women who have gone down the same road as you, and some will come from sources that’ll surprise you.

Be thankful and receptive.

#3: Not Understanding the Team Concept

This takes point #2 one step further.

Some woman can go it alone when it comes to their training and fat loss goals.

Most, however, make much better progress when they enlist a buddy. It can be one other woman or an entire group.

There’s something about knowing that your friends are waiting for you at an exercise class that’ll keep you focused and on track with your goals.

Having a team to support you when the going gets tough is crucial. It gets tough for everyone, so sometimes you get to be the leader and sometimes the follower. This takes the pressure off of you to always have to go it alone.

A helpful writing exercise:

In addition to these three, you may have roadblocks of your own that you encounter on a regular basis in regards to achieving your fat loss and fitness goals.

Here’s a simple three-step process to help you navigate through them and keep yourself on the path to success. You can do this on your own or share this exercise with a group of friends.

1. List three of your personal roadblocks to success. BE HONEST. It’s difficult to admit your “shortcomings” or “issues,” but that’s the only way this technique will help you.

2. Write two or three paragraphs about why these roadblocks are a problem for you and how they are keeping you from success.

3. List at least three ways to push through, jump over, toss aside, or take a detour away from these roadblocks that keep holding you back from achieving your goals.

Learning how to turn your fitness and fat loss goals into reality is empowering!

Use these few simple techniques and you’ll better understand how to bust through the challenges that may be standing in your way.

Let me know how they work for you!

shelli

4 ideas on how to do this:

Sometimes you train as fast as you can.

Remember though, that good form is always more important than speed. You might run hill sprints. You skip rope using the routines I suggested in TAM. You crank out a set of powerful push-ups.

Sometimes you train at a moderate speed.

When walking, swimming, or biking you have a target heart rate zone that you’re aiming for.

Sometimes you train at a slow or even super-slow speed.

You focus on the FEEL of the exercise. How does it feel inside your body? How do your muscles feel? This is a good training pace for tai chi or perhaps Yoga.

And just for a real change of pace, you even train at no speed at all holding a Yoga posture, for example, while focusing on your breathing and the flow of energy.

Focus on your breathing and relax. How does this pace feel? You do a body scan while being still, relaxing any muscles that are holding tension.

Changing the pace as I’ve suggested will help keep your menopausal exercise routines fresh and fun while you notice how much better and less symptomatic you’re feeling.

And how about for another change of pace you email me with your own change of pace ideas??

I look forward to hearing from you!

I’ve had what I hope will be an interesting idea!

It’s a series of blog posts called A DAY IN THE LIFE OF………….

Each month I’ll take us inside the life, even if only for a day, of a woman who is leading a healthy active lifestyle. These are women just like us who are faced with making the same choices we all face. We’ll see what motivates them and what words of wisdom and guidance they can offer us.

First up: Judy Mooser. 

Shelli: Hi Judy. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? 

Judy:   Sure, Shelli. I am 68 years old. I’m attached to the age group that didn’t receive any information from our mothers regarding menopause, and pretty much followed doctor’s orders when issues arose.

Shelli:   How old were you when you went through menopause  and how long did it last? 

Judy:  I noticed the first signs of memopause at age 50 during the period of time when doctors were automatically putting menopausal patients on HRT. At that time my symptoms were slight — hot flashes, night sweats, irregular and scant periods. The HRT totally stopped all symptoms and I never had another period.

Nine years later (age 59) my doctor recommended that I abruply stop taking HRT stating, “You are past menopause so there’s no longer a need to continue HRT.”

I stopped, and within a few weeks developed full blown, very intense symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, exhaustion, sleepless nights, low libido, difficulty focusing and increased body fat.

I tried to work through these symptoms for several months while reading up on my situation. I heard a Naturopathic doctor who specialized in women’s health give a talk and was impressed by what she had to say. I made an appointment with her and my life changed.

First of all, she said that abruptly stopping the HRT was not in my best interest and the doctor who told me to do so was obviously not up-to-date on women’s health matters.

She explained that stopping abruptly could cause bone loss as well as the unbearable symptoms I was having. She put me on a low dose of natural hormones which were compounded to address my individual symptoms and then slowly amended the prescription monthly as my symptoms calmed down. After about six months I was totally off HRT.

Shelli:  Were you always someone even before menopause, who took good care of yourself and if so what motivated you?

Judy: I began to educate myself about proper nutrition when I was 24 years old and pregnant with my second child.

I have been physically active all my life, enjoying family hikes, canoeing, skiing and bicycling.

My main motivation to be fit and healthy was the enjoyment of being active, as well as the desire to give my children the best foundation possible for an active and healthy lifestyle. It worked well – they both continued to stay fit and eat right as they entered adulthood!

Shelli:  Take us through your day, focusing on what self care practices you use.

I start my day with a substantial breakfast and try to eat five times a day. If I miss one of my meals, I find that I crave the types of food that I am trying to avoid. When this happens and I eat “outside the plan,” I enjoy it and feel no guilt because I have a 90% rule, making sure that 90% of the food I eat is of value to my body.

I take an assortment of supplements. The only drug I take is a low dosage aspirin. No other medications. I take all of my medical reports to my Naturopath for guidance.

I work mornings and evenings and try to take a 1-hour walk five times a week during the afternoon. My husband joins me and we walk briskly through the neighborhood, meeting dogs on walks, cats on patrol and lots of other walkers. I always feel better and have more energy after my walks. Having my husband along makes these outings lots of fun and full of joy, plus it’s an opportunity to catch up on each other’s day.

I know that I’m not getting enough aerobic exercise and have been pondering this for a while. I tend to over-extend myself with my work, although I enjoy every minute of it. I take on more than I should because I’m motivated to help people and help society.

I’m planning to correct this soon by taking up biking again. Due to my bulging discs, I have to be careful about what exercises I do, so walking and biking work well for me.

I workout 2-3 times a week with a mind/body exercise program. In addition to strengthing and stretching my body, It keeps my back in good working order and allows me to do a lot of things in my life that otherwise would not be possible.

I have had very good results from acupuncture including stress relief and amazing energy release from scars.

I get monthly pedicures just because they feel good and provide a great foot and leg massage.

The loss of estrogen causes us to lose the fat in our face (add it to our belly!!!) and the facial muscles drop. Therefore, I do facial exercises, which are very boring but very effective.

Shelli: What advice do you have for women entering/going through menopause?

I highly recommend that women who are entering menopause work with a Naturopathic doctor who specializes in women’s health. They will guide you on a natural path designed for you personally. They avoid using harmful drugs and instead work with natural products and supplements.

Women entering this phase of life today are very lucky because today’s resources for women include books, websites and lectures that are filled with information that was not available to me 20 years ago. Also, there are discussion groups that are helpful for some women who learn from sharing.

Continue to exercise and be sure you choose something you love to do. If you love it, you will find time for it.

Most of all, learn to accept and enjoy this phase of your life. It’s all part of life’s plan. The more accepting you are and calmer you are during this transition, the smoother your journey will be. 

THANKS so much to Judy for sharing her experiences and ideas with us. I’ve known Judy for about 5 years now. Whenever I’m in Portland, Oregon and we get together (which we did about 2 months ago), I always leave feeling inspired!

Judy can be reached at judy@callaneticsportland.com. She’s a Callanetics teacher and a great role model for us all!

Lately, I have been fascinated by geese, their sense of community and their high altitude movement patterns.

I’ve also enjoyed reading a wonderful poem by Mary Oliver called “Wild Geese,” so I thought I’d share with you some Lessons From Geese.

These lessons are taken from a response to the poem by Angeles Arrien in 1991.

Enjoy…….

Fact 1: As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an “uplift” for the birds that follow. By flying in “V” formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.

Lesson: As menopausal women we share a common experience and we know that we want to feel good and optimize our health.

Having a sense of community can get us where we’re going quicker and easier, because we are traveling on the thrust of one another, just like the geese.

When you’re feeling “out of formation,” which happens to all of us from time to time, seeking guidance can help get you back into the “V”!

Don’t be shy about asking for help!

Fact 2: When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.

Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership.

As with geese, we are interdependent on each other’s skills, capabilities, and unique arrangements of gifts, talents, or resources.

This is a fun lesson to consider.

Do you have a network you can turn to?

We all have gifts, talents and resources, and being able to connect with other women and share these things is what makes life so rich.

Knowing what you know and knowing who to turn to when you are lacking takes putting your ego aside, being bold and asking for help, and being thankful when the answers come.

I have a wonderful network which continues to grow every year.

The women who participate by reading this blog, commenting on what they read and staying in touch are part of that network.

Being of service to you all feels good and helps me appreciate our interdependence.

Fact 3: The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those in front to keep up their speed.

Lesson: We need to make sure our honking is encouraging.

In groups where there is encouragement the production is greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one’s heart or core values and encourage
the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.

It never ceases to amaze me how long after someone’s helpful words have been spoken, those words still float around in my psyche.

Of course it works on the flip side too, and we all can revisit discouraging words
as well.

Our words and actions are powerfully influential. It can be easy to find something encouraging to say if only we take a moment to think before we speak.

Fact 4: When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help or protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.

Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

It is so easy in our competitive world to forget team spirit. Sometimes we are the ones dropping out of formation and at other times we are the ones offering our aid and protection.

That’s life, is it not?

I’d like to think I have enough “geese” sense to recognize these times and offer up the best of my human nature during these occasions.

I felt like sharing my geese lesson observations with you.

I hope they were in some small way helpful.

As I close this blog post I’d like to thank you all for the encouragement I receive on a regular basis.

It is a blessing to have you all to FLY with!

shelli

Think of stepping out?  Good idea.

So, let’s get physical.

I’ve noticed the popularity of the “10,000 steps a day” movement (10,000 steps is about 5 miles). Do you know what this is?

We are being encouraged in the name of improving our health and reducing the risk of disease to be aware of how many steps we take each day.

As you likely know, physical activity contributes to muscle, bone and joint health, helps us feel better and gives us more energy.

According to the Rand Corporation, every mile you cover, whether walking or running, saves society an average of 24 cents in medical and other costs!

It’s a fun practice, so here are a few tips:

1. Take it one step at a time. Start at a level that is appropriate for you.
2. Warm up with some dynamic joint mobility exercises. If you choose to stretch, do it afterwards.
3. Wear reflective gear if you are out in the dark.
4. Use a PEDOMETER—it’ll make the 10,000 step practice even more fun.

For years people have given me pedometers to use and I have never been impressed with them. They didn’t work and were too complicated. Recently my friend and fellow stepping enthusiast, Brian, showed me the one he was using and I was very impressed—easy and reliable.

I have gotten one and have given several as gifts (in fact, I’ve turned my 69-year-old aunt into a stepping maniac). If you want to know more about pedometers, e-
mail me.

Treat yourself to some technique lessons.

If you haven’t taken running/walking/yoga classes or workshops with me, join me for one or find a coach in your area. It’ll be well worth your while, I promise!

Here’s another step I’d like you to take!

I encourage you to put yourself on your own “to do” list.

Think about some of the topics we discuss here at  Activemenopauselifestyle.com blog and see what feels right to implement as you continue going through menopause and growing healthier.

Remember that your history does not determine your future.

Experience and feelings can be useful, so acknowledge them but don’t let them stop you from where you have decided to go.

There’s no such thing as a wrong step as long as it’s a step in the right direction!

shelli