Moving into Menopause – the effects and what you can do

I'm sure many of you will be acutely aware of the changes in our bodies as we age. Peri-menopause is the period in the run up to menopause (which starts when your period ends). This generally starts around 5-10 years before menopause (age 48-55 generally) but can start earlier. During peri-menopause there is a huge hormonal shift as your oestrogen and progesterone levels decline.

This can have some major effects on our bodies:

• Dropping hormones lead to a host of changes that make exercise feel harder. It also gets harder to handle the heat.

• Menopausal women are more sensitive to carbohydrates and we have greater issues digesting them. This leads to more blood sugar swings and reduced need for carbohydrates overall.

• Your body uses protein less effectively and you burn less fat than you used to.

• It’s harder to build and maintain muscle mass.

• Our increased resistance to insulin can lead to more fat storage – in particular, belly fat – which increases the risk of fatty liver and cardiovascular disease.

• As oestrogen levels drop, so can your mood. Lower oestrogen levels lead to lower serotonin and dopamine levels – the feel-good hormones -  and increased levels of cortisol – the stress hormone. No wonder perimenopausal women are three times more likely than pre-menopausal women to report symptoms of depression!

• As progesterone and oestrogen levels drop, we experience less restful sleep, we wake up, we have less deep sleep and it can take us longer to get to sleep!

What can you do?

• Increase your protein intake. Ideally consuming at least 1 palm sized portion of protein with every meal. Protein with a higher leucine content are particularly important to women at this stage of their lives.

• Exercise! To increase levels of your ‘feel good’ hormones!

• Consume a BCAA (branched chain amino acids) supplement or other whole food protein source before and after exercise.

• Reduce carbohydrate intake on non-exercise days. Eat slow release complex carbs such as quinoa, basmati rice, sweet potato, wholemeal bread.

• Keep refined carbs (table sugar, cakes, sweets, white bread etc) to a minimum.

• Introduce sleep hygiene principles (see previous post/email on tips for getting a good night’s sleep).

• Keep hydrated – at least 2 litres of water a day. Include an ice cold low sugar electrolyte drink when exercising.

• Talk to people; you’re not alone! There’s always a solution 😊

If you need any specific advice or help, or if there’s a subject you’d like to know more about, email or message me and I’ll be more than happy to help.

Best wishes,

Charlotte