How can lifestyle changes help me with menopause?

When I started to notice the changes of menopause, it felt like my body and mind had gone a bit haywire and I was no longer myself.

I was not prepared for this.

🧬My body was changing to “a new biological state” and despite my clinical training, I found it difficult to figure out exactly what was going on.

We educate teenagers going through puberty and talk openly about the changes they can expect mentally and physically during this time.

A similar conversation has really only just started for women going through menopause. My hope is as time goes on, we will discuss menopause as naturally as we do puberty, and women will feel more familiar with this stage of life.

🏫This week I was reading a research study published in 2020 about an education programme which ran in Sri Lanka for women in their 50’s.

They looked at whether health education and training in lifestyle changes during the menopause transition affected women’s quality of life. They found a significant improvement in women’s knowledge about menopause. This enabled women to deal with the emotional and practical aspects of menopause and improved their quality of life significantly, even without medication.

Now I’m the first one to admit that hormone replacement can be really beneficial for menopause. The additional benefits of lifestyle changes for helping with sleep, mood, weight maintenance and symptom control can also help us move through this transition with confidence and set us up for living well in the second half of our lives.

💡Tip: Spending time educating yourself about menopause can be a powerful catalyst, improving your knowledge and positive outlook and empowering you towards a better quality of life.

❤️I love the idea of being able to share knowledge and positive information about menopause, supporting women to feel better and take charge of their own health during this time of significant physical and mental change.

That’s the reason I started this newsletter, to provide a starting point for discussion and to encourage women to share their experiences.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and what you most need or want information about!

🙂Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for menopause tips and info delivered straight to your inbox (and share with your friends 😉)

🌞If you want more personalised assessment and a plan for managing menopause, or support for making healthy lifestyle changes, reply to this email or book an appointment at www.liferenomedic.com

I’m also presenting a workshop at this ⬇️ conference in September in Oamaru, on sleep problems and how to overcome these . For more information and tickets see https://www.facebook.com/share/16snkvEqry/

Stay happy and healthy!

Erika.

PS: "Life doesn't end with menopause; it's the beginning of a new adventure. Strap in and enjoy the ride!" — Dame Helen Mirren

PPS: for those who want to read the study I mentioned above, here it is:

Rathnayake, Nirmala, Alwis, Gayani, Lenora, Janaka, Mampitiya, Iresha, Lekamwasam, Sarath, Effect of Health-Promoting Lifestyle Modification Education on Knowledge, Attitude, and Quality of Life of Postmenopausal Women, BioMed Research International, 2020, 3572903, 11 pages, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/3572903