In my recent article published in DNG24, I spoke about my recent trial with women who were dealing with difficult menopause symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, disrupted sleep and anxiety and I gave my top lifestyle tips to help navigate this time. Let's not forget that weight gain is also a major factor as we transition through our perimenopause and menopause journey.
Do consult your doctor, HRT has so many benefits and the old perception that it was dangerous has been proven to be incorrect.
So here are my top lifestyle tips....
1) Lighten your mood
Anxiety is often brought on or heightened when our hormones are fluctuating as we go through peri/menopause. Anxiety is also a trigger for hot flushes.
Try to de-clutter your life stye, take time out for you to recharge your batteries.
2) Keep on moving
Women are at high risk of osteoporosis as we age, statistics show that 1 in 2 women will get a fragility fracture. Keeping fit and active will help reduce this risk and the added benefit is that it is so helpful for our mental health.
3) Be choiceful about your eating habits
Look at your diet, include lots of healthy veg and protein, reduce carbohydrates. Introduce foods which contain phytoestrogen that can help to balance the fluctuating hormones (leafy vegetables, soy products).
4) Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate,
Keep hydrated but most importantly, reduce your alcohol intake.
There are lots of medical reasons for reducing the amount of alcohol we drink but in addition, this is a big trigger for night sweats and disturbed sleep.
5) A problem shared....
Tell your family, your friends and speak to your colleagues about how you are feeling and what your symptoms are. Every woman will go through menopause and the impact is felt by every one of us, women and men. We should recognise that this is a perfectly natural new phase in life that can also be very positive and empowering.
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