Lifestyle Management in Menopause Part 2

Welcome back to the last episode of season 2 of the Menopause Uprising podcast! In this episode, I'm sharing crucial lifestyle changes for navigating menopause.

The three topics I cover are: Gut Health and Menu, When and How We Eat and Movement

The reality is small lifestyle changes can improve your menopausal experience. Have a listen and let me know what you think! Share it with a friend who you think needs to hear it.

Transcript -Automatically Generated

Welcome to Menopause Uprising with me, your host, Catherine O'Keeffe. I'm flying solo again this week and continuing my conversation on lifestyle in menopause. On last week's podcast, I shared with you my experience that happened to me earlier this year and how it really triggered me to roll up my sleeves and start focusing on weight management, but also on lifestyle.

And I explained I would share three key, crucial aspects that I delved into as part of my journey. And last week I talked about sleep. This week, I am going to go further. And we finished last week where we were talking about the aspect of late night snacking and the impact that has on sleep. And that brings me to the next crucial step in relation to supporting yourself in this, in these years.

And that is menu. You may often hear me talk about the 6Ms of menopause, which I explore in my book, All You Need to Know About Menopause. And menu, and what we eat every day, is a key part of our lifestyle. We are what we eat, we are when we eat, and we are how we eat. But before we get into that, we have to look at our digestive system, our gut health.

In Japan, they call the gosh, the digestive system, onaka. Honored middle, I just love that. As you know, I'm a huge fan of the Japanese way of thinking. They also have another name for it called Hara, meaning center of spiritual and physical strength. I mean, how amazing is that? Considering the fact that over 80 to 90 percent of serotonin, our field gut hormone, in our bodies is produced in the gut, our moods can be directly linked to the balance in our microbiome and our digestive system.

Our bodies house trillions of bacteria, which are called the microbiome. And we know the state of this microbiome affects our whole body, from our immunity to our mental state. What's lesser known is how this good bacteria supports estrogen. The estrobolin is a collection of gut bacteria that produce an essential enzyme that helps break down metabolized estrogen.

So it keeps things in balance. So excess estrogen is eliminated and where more is needed, it's reabsorbed back into the body. So ensuring your gut remains healthy can promote hormonal balance and the benefit that that entails. A healthy gut is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, obesity, dementia, depression, and an easier menopause.

So as a result, What you feed your body may have the biggest impact on its health. And what else impacts your digestive health? Dryness. If I'm to ask you in menopause about dryness, there's three layers of dryness. But the one I want to talk about today is the dryness internally. of the digestive system.

So I know for a fact I'm not the only person who's experienced constipation and perimenopause. It was certainly one of my earlier symptoms that I experienced when I started perimenopause back at the age of 44. Regular healthy elimination is an integral part of our digestive health and it's critical for hormonal balance.

The status of our gut health and hormones, they are completely interwined, thanks to the estrobolim, as I mentioned earlier. So your gut, therefore, is part of the elimination system that's vital for the health of your body. So I really want you to think about having magnificent, healthy balance. And good food means better digestion, which leads to more energy, and maximizing the health of the digestive tract leads to greater overall health.

And a healthy digestive system is key to making sure the food that we take into our mouths is healthy. throughout the day is turned into vital nourishment and energy that seals and repairs the body. So this brings me to what we eat. And this is so important, not just in the menopause years, but throughout our lives.

And the first important step is if we think about constipation, what else do we need to think about? We need to think about the superhero, which is fiber. So, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, fiber. Greens are the least consumed in the standard Western diet, yet a crucial ingredient, particularly in avoiding constipation.

And when we look at fiber, we also know that diversity is key. So, you'll often hear people say, eat the rainbow, eat the colorful vegetables, colorful fruits, but it has to be variety. Variety isn't just the spice of life, it's the essence of life. And a key part of variety is prebiotics and probiotics. If you're eating a good variety of fiber, you will be getting, naturally in your diet, you'll be getting a whole host of prebiotics.

To your onions, your leeks, your asparagus, your bananas, your oats, your whole grains, etc. And fiber, it is the superhero for your gut health. So it is eating more fruit and vegetables. It's also your whole grains. So consume more whole grains, such as brown rice, oats, millets, amaranth, anything that you like in your diet, just include more of them, hugely beneficial.

So fiber is the number one starting point. And remember, it's your body's best friend when it comes to avoiding constipation. Thank you. And next up, protein and carbs. And protein, the building blocks of health. Protein has an important role to play in your muscle and bone health. It's components of amino acids.

The protein foods are a key part of the daily upkeep of your body, your immunity, your digestive, and your brain health. Now, really, it's going to depend here on what you like to eat, what your diet is. High protein foods that we, we are well aware of like eggs, fish, meat, unsalted nuts, seeds, beans. Um, but again, it's going to depend on, you know, whether you're vegan, vegetarian, etc.

So just look for sources that work within your lifestyle. Hemp seeds are absolutely fantastic, a great source of protein. So, you know, it's just looking at the different aspects that will support you. So protein is a key aspect. And then carbs, don't forget carbs. We do need these for energy. We need the glucose that we can get from eating carbs.

And these days, you know, I find many people are running away from carbs, but remember they do have a role to play. Moderation is what's important here. And then it's also important to remember phytoestrogens. You know, those foods that mimic the action of estrogen in the body. They work in a completely different level to medical HRT, but they have a great role to play.

And you'll find a lot of, um, seeds, particularly chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds are great sources, edamame beans, chickpeas, your hummus. etc. So, just to include variety, you'd see already how important variety is when it comes to your food. And then, remember, hydration, water. If we're 2 percent dehydrated, it will impact our digestive health, but it also impacts our cognitive health.

Health as well. Ideally, you want to look at about two liters of water on a daily basis, but just bear in mind, you know, if you're, if you're exercising intensely, if you're, um, perspiring a lot, sweating a lot, then you may need more. So again, just individualize this, uh, on based on what works best for you. A nice way to start your day.

And get those digestive juices flowing through your body is to start your day with sliced lemon in hot water. And you can certainly add some sliced fresh ginger into it as well. And that would really kind of just kickstart those digestive juices, warm the body up, get blood flow going. And a great way to start the day.

When we talk about men, a question that I get is, you know, is there a menopause diet? What should I be eating in menopause? Really it comes down to, for me, it's keeping things simple, but it's also just, it is healthy optimum diet. And we know the one diet that has good beneficial effects for many aspects of our health is the Mediterranean diet.

And we know this works great for women, especially with blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar level issues. And so there isn't a clinically proven menopause diet. Well, we know that women on a Mediterranean diet, they can reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke by 25%. So the Mediterranean diet It covers a lot of what I've already mentioned.

There's a huge emphasis on fruit and vegetables. There's a huge emphasis on fiber, on whole grains. There's a huge emphasis on good sources of protein. And another key part of the Mediterranean diet is Omega 3. This is a superhero food. Now, when you look to Omega 3, Nuts, unsalted nuts and seeds will have, be good sources of omega 3.

Chia seeds are particularly very good. It can also be healthy oils, uh, such as cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Olives, avocados are also great. Just be mindful when you're looking at extra virgin olive oil. Just look at, take the time to look at the labeling. Look at the label. the source of the olives.

Ideally, you want it coming from one country as opposed to a blend. You also want to look at the date of, uh, the best before date and the date of manufacture of the olives. And ideally you're looking at 18 months out into the future. And then you also want to look, where is it stored? If it's in a window in front of bright sunlight, that's not going to be a high quality because the sunlight's going to have impact to it.

So just be mindful to, from the shop you're buying it, just where is the olive oil being stored? But it's another great, um, it's another great component or way 3 into your diet, as is fish. The five key fish to look at Use the acronym SMASH. Sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon, herring. They're the five fish to really include in your diet that are great sources of Orega 3.

And then what about the nutrient robbers? What about the foods that are going to put a toll on your body? Stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and cigarettes can adversely affect your Beautiful digestive health that you want to optimize. So just be mindful to eliminate or reduce the nutrient droppers, um, where you can.

And watch in particular your sugar intake. Again, it's everything in moderation. And, you know, look at the labels. 100 percent natural, no added sugar. It doesn't mean there's no sugar. It can be natural sugars from fruit, fruit juice. Our body doesn't know the difference whether sugar is from honey or processed white sugar.

It's all the same. So just be mindful of moderation is really, really important. So that is looking at what we eat. So remember we are what we eat. And nextly, We are when we eat. So we touched on this on last week's podcast when I talked about sleep. With regular spaced, well balanced meals during the day being key, it's the evening time is when things get tricky.

So you can just re listen to that one if you want to re familiarize yourself with when we eat. And the next part is how we eat. So we are what we eat, when we eat, and how we eat. So firstly is check in with your body. Am I really hungry or am I just eating out of order? We really need to kind of become comfortable with understanding what's happening in our digestive system and tune into your tummy.

Just kind of, you know, really, am I hungry or, you know. Am I just eating? Because it's 1 o'clock, 12 o'clock, whatever. Start to listen to what your body is telling you. And then when you do, spend time chewing your food fully. Because when you chew your food in your mouth, the saliva is going to kickstart the digestive system.

So actually, you're now helping your gut because you're starting the digestive system in your mouth before it even gets to your tummy. And you're just making it easier. And that's why chewing is so important. Ideally, you want to be looking to chew each mouthful 20 to 30 times. Try it. It isn't easy, honestly, but do just try it and you will see if it does make a difference, it flows everything down.

And all of that is hugely important, just when it comes to your lifestyle, but also weight management as well. And that brings me to the next part of how we're eating, and that is eating mindfully. If you're chewing your food, you're being more mindful. Bolting down your food prevents the stomach from having enough time to produce the digestive juices necessary for breaking it down.

As I said, when the food is chewed thoroughly, the enzymes from your saliva will start the digestion process before it even enters the stomach. So, just be mindful of We are what we eat, we are when we eat, and we are why, or we are, sorry, we are how we eat. So just bear those in mind and just think more about that as another key part of your lifestyle.

Now the next area is movement. And after you eat, ideally you want to move. When I was researching for my book, All You Need to Know About Metapause, nearly every paper I read mentioned the benefits of movement. And movement in all its forms helps many symptoms in menopause. So, if you have a think about what movement are you doing, it might be walking, it might be that you're in more engaged activities, swimming, running, hiking, etc.

Better sleep, bone health, muscle loss, heart protection, helping your mood, preventing, managing and preventing your weight, all benefit from daily movement. And when we look at movements, there's key areas to look at. Number one is the physical movement. And off that, we're talking about cardiovascular movement.

For our current and our long term heart or cardiovascular health, we're seven times more likely to die of heart disease than we are breastfed. breast cancer. So looking at physical movement, the cardiovascular, so you're swimming, you're running, you're hiking, you're brisk walking, you're dancing, you're Zumba, the whole host of exercises.

And then it's also looking at your strength and your weight bearing exercise. This is key now to feed and nourish your bones. When we look at it, we know that as we get older, particularly from kind of the mid forties onwards, our bone loss accelerates. And that's why it is so important now that we're very targeted in the exercises that we are doing in relation to supporting our bone health.

What I would also say here is, my personal journey, I have had a DEXA scan done Before I started to do more targeted weight bearing exercise. So I knew, going in before I joined the gym, I knew that my bones were in a good place. I knew that I didn't have osteopenia, I didn't have osteoporosis. So I would just say, I believe that, Most definitely at the age of 50, all women should be getting a Dexan scan done, just so that you know the state of your bones.

And also before you start doing new forms of exercise, you'll know if there's anything you should be aware of that maybe you want to make the gym aware of or your trainer aware of, etc. Hugely, hugely beneficial. And then when you're looking at weight bearing, there are would be, can be working at the gym, it can be at home, it can be doing some exercises.

The Royal Osteoporosis Society in the UK has fantastic exercises on its website. You can also check out the Irish Osteoporosis Society. And it's looking at exercises, make it easy for yourself. You know, it can be doing the plank, it can be doing lunges. different exercises at home, get some small weights, etc.

that might support. But again, as I mentioned, it's hugely beneficial to know the health of your bones before you engage in new exercises. And also you can include there Tai Chi, yoga, Pilates, again, are other great forms of exercise. So they're the physical exercises, but also what I'd love you to think about are, what about the exercises for the mind?

How do we support our cognitive health and, you know, our poor, busy brains that are getting so much traffic through every second of every day? Well, this is where mindfulness and meditation are hugely beneficial. And I'd encourage you to think maybe even just 10 minutes a day of mindfulness and medicate meditation would be hugely beneficial.

At any stage in life, just to calm things down and keep the brain respiring from the constant traffic that it has every single day. And as part of that, what comes into this breath work, your breath is with you everywhere. If you have moments of anxiety, if you're feeling under pressure, your breath is always with you.

So lean into it, you know, make it your best friends. Use it when you're feeling overwhelmed, when maybe you're feeling anxious, when maybe you're feeling lonely. Just try and take some moments to really just breathe deeply and just give yourself a little bit of rest from the busyness of your day. Another aspect that our brain loves is change.

Our brain thrives on change and we can make that change really simple. It can be cooking a new recipe. It can be walking a new route. It can be reading a different type of book. But change is really important. As we get older, our lives can become narrower. And it's really important now that we keep them broad.

This will all really support our cognitive health, not just now, but down the line as well. We know that two out of three dementia patients are women. We know we're more prone to this illness. So everything we can do in these years to support our cognitive health is hugely, hugely beneficial. So they're just some key aspects of cognitive health that you, that you can look at that will support.

So. If you've, if you've taken into consideration what I mentioned in last week's episode, Sleep, and today we've talked about menu, we've talked about movements. These are three really important aspects of your lifestyle. Now, many of you will have heard me talk before about the Japanese way of looking at menopause, and it's something I am so passionate about.

Kinenkai. The Renewal Years and Energy. And I can tell you from my own experience, I'm in that frame. Yes, I've had crappy symptoms and I've used all the knowledge at my fingertips to support myself. But the foundation has always been lifestyle. Because I know by doing that, I'm not only supporting my menopause years, but I'm future proofing my body for the years ahead.

Sleep. Movement, menu are essential ingredients for cognitive, cardiovascular and bone health. There's a Japanese legend that says if you feel like you're losing everything, remember trees lose their leaves every year, yet they still stand tall and wait for better days to come. I am going through this right alongside you.

I am still in perimenopause and I'm here to remind you it is temporary. It's a whole new uplifting chapter of your life. It's not a disease. It's a rite of passage, and I'd really encourage you to take the three crucial lifestyle aspects I delved into today, and just see what small changes you can bring into your own life.

And just remember, it just needs to be small, as I've said, and I say often, Rome wasn't built in a day, so just take small changes. And just imagine what a difference. We can meet if we look at these three key aspects of our lives, sleep with a focus on managing stress. Getting morning light, evening screens, and reducing late night snacking.

Movement with a mix of cardio and weight bearing, not forgetting movement for your beautiful brain. And then menu. We are what we eat, when we eat, and how we eat. And don't forget, I would love you to have magnificent healthy bowels every day. Thank you for listening, and don't forget, if you could raise your view on whatever platform you're listening, would be great.

If you haven't picked up a copy of my book, All You Need to Know About Menopause, your symptoms are real, you're not alone, there is help for you and it's here. Everyone's journey through menopause is different, but we all need support through the challenges it brings. I'm on a mission to shatter the taboo around menopause.

And I've already provided life changing information to Tansyms. So the book will help you gain control of your physical, mental and emotional symptoms and setting the pros and cons of HRT and complementary therapies, how to negotiate menopause in your workplace, which supplements are best for you. How nutrition and exercise can help, and I explore and delve into my lovely six M's of menopause, which I'm extremely passionate about.

So if you haven't yet, please do check out my book. It's available on Amazon and your local bookstore. Thank you for listening to Menopause Uprising with me, your host, Catherine O'Keefe. I really hope you enjoyed this week's episode. Don't forget to like, subscribe, rate and review as it really helps the show.