Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
– World Health Organization (WHO)
You’ve started hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and yeah, it’s really helped with the hot flashes, brain fog, and irritation. But damn, you’re still feeling like crap.
Hormone replacement therapy isn’t a magical pill.
HRT only replaces the estrogen and progesterone that your body no longer makes, yet needs to remain healthy. Your internal organs and bodily systems still lose efficiency as you age (albeit not as quickly if you’re on HRT).
So how do you feel healthy during menopause? Two answers:
- Help your body replace/rebuild your billions of cells while
- taking the extra work load off your bodily systems.
Let’s take a closer look . . .
Water
The chemical reactions inside your body to replace/rebuild cells requires water. Drink at least eight glasses throughout the day. And for every caffeinated or alcoholic beverage, add another glass of water.
For variety in your glass, add:
- A slice of lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit
- Grated ginger
- Sliced up cucumbers
- A sprig of mint, rosemary or other herb of choice. Experiment!
- During the warmer seasons, add ice as well. Your body will burn calories just warming up all that ice-cold water.
Eat Real Food
A difficult concept to grasp. But it comes down to real food having two outstanding characteristics:
- It must be grown
- Your body carries a corresponding enzyme to catalyze digestion, nutrient extraction and finally elimination.
Corporations have taken food and mixed it with fillers, preservatives and artificial flavours, then brainwashed us into thinking that’s how we’re supposed to eat. Thus, we find ourselves eating food products instead of real food. Corporations make a profit, we feel like crap, healthcare expenses increase, and containers clutter the landfill.
It’s that simple.
Processed food products contain a small amount of nutrient-rich real food. The rest: high-fructose corn syrup, transfats, sulfites, MSG, preservatives, food colouring, etc. are non-food items with without nutrients and are therefore, empty calories. As you age, your body loses efficiency at dealing with these toxins. They’re turned into fat and stored in your fat cells or on the inside of your arteries — as the theory goes.
Rule of thumb: if it’s processed and in a package, don’t buy it. Demand value for your calorie!
It’s not about looking for the least calories; it’s about choosing the calories with the most nutrients.
The healthiest choice is purchasing raw ingredients. Think farm, and get as close as you can to using harvested crops and animal products when preparing your meals in your own kitchen:
- Fruit, Vegetables
- Meat, Eggs
- Beans, Lentils
- Milk, Yoghurt, Cheese, Butter
- Olive Oil
- Whole grains: Barley, Spelt, 100% Whole Wheat, Oats, Brown Rice and Quinoa
- Nuts (Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans, Hazelnuts, Cashews)
- Seeds (Chia, Pumpkin)
- Herbs, Spices, Garlic and Ginger
- 100% Maple Syrup or Honey
Never Diet Again
You’re trying to lose weight? Here’s a newsflash: your body can metabolize only 1.5 pounds of fat per week (approximately 6 pounds in a month). If you lose more weight than that, you’re losing precious calorie-burning muscle. Over time, this will lower your metabolism and sabotage any weight loss efforts.
Not to mention all that loose skin!
It’s better to lose the weight slowly, retain your muscle mass, and allow your skin the time to regenerate “smaller” so that it will still tightly hug your smaller body.
There are always new diets on the market. Usually a book that recommends eliminating essential nutrients and sold using sensationalist advertising. If a particular diet becomes popular, corporations follow up with fake food products.
Remember! They don’t care about you. They’re pursuing money.
And sure, you’ll lose weight, in the beginning. But the lack of nutrients will slow your metabolism. Eventually, you’ll gain weight alongside health issues. This creates a downward spiral eventually leading to feelings of failure, a seeping away of self-esteem, and possibly depression.
Whilst you suffer, the author/publisher of the diet book and the corporations selling the food products are unaccountable.
Smart eating habits are a lifestyle. Don’t deny yourself, but don’t overindulge either. Instead, allow yourself a little treat each day and stick with your favourites.
Never Go Hungry
Most people believe their bodies need a specific number of calories, regardless of where they come from.
False! Calories are simply a measurement of energy.
Cravings and hunger are a signal your body doesn’t have enough nutrients to replace/rebuild your cells.
Your body needs nutrients.
Plan and prepare your food to eat when you’re hungry. It’ll save your metabolism, balance your blood sugar, and curb cravings.
Protein is important, However, your body only stores protein in the form of muscle. You don’t want your body breaking down your hard-earned calorie-burning muscle. Include protein at every meal to keep it circulating in your blood.
Carrying a tiny jar of nuts helps if you’re caught out and hungry. A spice jar is the perfect size!
Sleep 7 to 9 Hours Every Night
Most cells are replaced/rebuilt while you sleep. Without adequate sleep, lack of cell repair/renewal ages you. Sleep even less, and your immune system will fail, letting in diseases.
Inadequate sleep:
- Reduces energy
- Increases appetite
- Promotes fat retention
- Interferes with the body’s ability to metabolize sugar, thereby causing an insulin reaction.
Wine and Beer
Wine and beer are excellent aids for chilling out at the end of a hectic day. Therefore, an alcoholic beverage is deemed healthy when consumed in moderation: one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.
However, as you age, your body is no longer efficient at dealing with alcohol (or other substances) and you’ll feel like crap. Moreover, alcohol is high in calories and lowers your metabolism for the duration that it’s in your bloodstream.
Considering alcohol’s stress-reducing capabilities, imbibe cautiously, and only when it’s worth it!
Eliminate Stress
The way things should be versus the way things are . . . it’s the space between that causes anxiety. The larger that space, the greater your stress. It’s difficult to change the world around you. But you always have the power to change your mind, yourself, and your life.
Chronic stress triggers increased cortisol levels beyond what’s healthy. Over a prolonged period of time, cortisol produces the following negative effects:
- Suppressed thyroid function
- Blood sugar imbalances
- Decreased bone density
- Decrease in muscle tissue
- Increased abdominal fat
- Loss of collagen in the skin and inhibition of further collagen formation
Reorganize your life with the goal of simplification and stress reduction. Health means taking time for yourself.
Resistance Train
Use it or lose it!
Every year after the age of 30, you lose half a pound of muscle. Once a muscle fibre is lost, you can never gain it back. This explains why your 80-year-old mother cannot climb stairs anymore — the loss of too many muscle fibres.
Instead, keep all that valuable muscle. Build it up with weight training. Muscle burns calories constantly — even while you’re sleeping. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you’ll burn.
resistance Training With Correct Form, Impeccable Posture, and an Effective Weight Will:
- Prevent the loss of muscle fibres
- Densify the muscle you have by increasing contractile units, thereby gaining strength
- Strengthen your bones, ligaments, and tendons
- Prevent injury
- Add shapeliness to your figure
- Burn calories
- Make everyday activities easier
Three Weight Training Secrets Very Few People Know:
- A muscle group needs to be stimulated only once to begin the physiological process of building new contractile units in the muscle fibres. In other words, one set — with an effective weight and repetitions until muscle exhaustion — is all it takes. Multiple sets on one muscle group are a waste of time.
- Each time you finish a weight training set, immediately stretch the muscle you just used as it’s the warmest it’ll ever be.
- You only need to weight-train once a week: assuming your workout includes all the muscle groups. Ward off injury and inflammation, each muscle group needs a week’s rest between sessions to rebuild and heal.
Add Movement into Your Life
Cardiovascular or aerobic exercise is important for the health of your heart, lungs, and circulation. Are you shuddering from the very thought of hamster-wheel fitness equipment?
No worries, it’s healthier to use a variety of activities. Start walking! It’s more fun if you can keep track of your progress with a pedometer or heart rate monitor.
But remember, as you age, you need to be wary of inflammation.
The more vigorous your exercise, the less beneficial to your health. Marathons, triathalons, and other extreme sports cause aging from tissue damage and inflammation. 60-90 minutes or 10,000 steps walking briskly everyday is all you need.
Life Doesn’t Happen in a Gym … Get Outside! Integrate daily Movement With Fun and Social Activities:
- Stair-climbing
- Hiking
- Golf (without the motorized cart)
- Kayaking/canoeing
- Swimming
- Racquet sports
- Team sports
- X-country skiing/snowshoeing
- An evening out dancing!
- Classes are great too! Pilates, Yoga, Zumba, Spinning, Aquafit, etc.
Include strategic Movement in Your Daily Activities:
- Start each morning with a ten-minute stretch routine.
- Ditch your car, park further away, and walk whenever possible.
- Accomplish all your errands in an urban “walkable” neighbourhood of the city.
- Swear to yourself that you’ll never see the inside of another elevator. Take the stairs.
- Set a timer to go off once per hour while at your desk. Stand up, stretch, use the washroom, get a glass of water, etc.
- Try to move or get some form of exercise every day.
Be Well!
So there you have it—how to feel healthy during perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause.
But remember, emotionally and physically, we all rebel against change. So, take only one of these sections at a time and hammer it until it’s a habit. Only then, move on to the next. Good luck!
– LEONG Orthopaedic Health
Are you ready to weight train once a week? Contact us today:
Personal training is by appointment only.
Please email: LeongOrthopaedicHealth@gmail.com
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