Truth Time: You Need to Make These Changes Once You Hit Your 40s

#increasedanxiety #irritability #brainfog #weightgain #sleepissues #heavyperiods #painfulperiods #inflammation #PMS #lifeafter40 #40plus #hormonedecline #perimenopause #truthtime #changesyouneedtomakeinyour40s

Ladies, if you've been feeling off - increased anxiety, irritability, brain fog, unexpected weight gain, disrupted sleep, and those heavy, painful periods - your body might be trying to tell you something important.

And you may hate me for pointing it out, but it’s likely that your hormone levels are in decline… There’s no shame or blame here: it’s what naturally happens once you approach your late 30s or early or mid 40s (every woman is different there). 

In any case, if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, it’s time to take charge and make some changes that help you feel good throughout this transition. Don’t shoot the messenger, but your perimenopausal symptoms will only get worse if you don’t adapt. 

To help you out, I’ve put together a list of 4 things every woman needs to STOP & START doing once you hit your 40s:

STOP doing this:

1. Eating too many carbs for breakfast: Your blood sugar is most sensitive in the morning and what you eat for breakfast will determine if you’re on the blood sugar roller coaster or not for the rest of the day. Skip the oatmeal, muesli, toast etc and start your day with eggs, meat & veggies for better energy!

2. Drinking coffee BEFORE you had breakfast: Guess what? Coffee or rather caffeine triggers the release of your stress hormone cortisol and that will increase your blood sugar! Particularly on an empty stomach. So if you want to enjoy a cup of coffee, have it AFTER a high fat & high protein breakfast.

3. Drinking alcohol: 

   1. Impacts your estrogen metabolism and can lead to estrogen dominance and increased risk of breast cancer

   2. Triggers a blood glucose spike

   3. Has a negative impact on sleep quality

   4. Triggers migraines, headaches & hot flashes

4. Scrolling your phone at night: It triggers an increase in cortisol (your stress hormone) and blocks the release of melatonin (your sleep hormone). Many women get stuck in the cycle of higher energy after 9pm and exhaustion when they wake up in the morning, when it’s supposed to be the opposite. And if you don’t sleep well, you’ll end up with more sensitive blood sugar, cravings, feeling cranky and tired the next day.

START doing this:

1. Don’t take crap from anyone & take care of yourself ! Any type of stress will trigger the release of your stress hormone cortisol. The more cortisol you have, the less sex hormones your body will produce. But that’s not all: it can disrupt your sleep, trigger food cravings, cause weight gain and chronic fatigue… In “Perimenopause Like A Boss” we explain this in detail and also what you can do to manage your stress & cortisol levels.

2. Lift weights: You may not realize that from 30 years on, your bone mass is decreasing naturally and from 40 years on, this process accelerates. So it’s crucial to lift weights in your 40s: not only to keep up your bone mass, but also to boost your metabolism. For a lot of women, cutting down on cardio is also important, as it’s triggering the release of cortisol. 

3. Support estrogen metabolism: Many of the symptoms women start dealing with in perimenopause are linked to your estrogen - progesterone balance getting disturbed.  This leads to heavier, longer periods, worse PMS, shorter cycles, fibroids, cysts, and more. So it’s really important how your liver is breaking down that estrogen. This is key to improving symptoms but also steer clear of the risk of cancer. In “Perimenopause Like a Boss” we provide you with all the details on how to do this.

4. Test your hormones: There’s different opinions on whether it’s worth getting hormones checked in perimenopause, as they fluctuate so much. Most lab tests are just a snapshot of a day in your cycle, but we still see a great benefit of knowing what’s happening at that time to be able to fit it in the bigger picture. It also allows you to see what YOUR normal is, so that you can track how things change over time. It’s important to know when to test your hormones, so we cover that in the program as well.

Diet, lifestyle, and BHRT (bio identical hormone therapy) can all have a massive beneficial impact on your mental health, energy and overall well being. 

If you want to dive deeper into all of the ways to support your body in perimenopause and find a tailored approach to relief your symptoms, book a free clarity call to discuss how I can help you feel like yourself again.