[00:00:20] Hi everyone and welcome to episode 3 of Midlife Unleashed with our host Doug Dorsey aka the fitness professor himself where we're going to talk about breaking free, taking charge and thriving in your best years yet.

[00:00:38] Midlife Unleashed focuses on the being really the ultimate podcast for anyone who is ready to reclaim their health, confidence and vitality in their 40s, 50s and beyond. Doug Dorsey our host, the fitness professor is going to speak a little bit about his experience and his expert advice and real life success stories as well as some practical strategies to keep you thriving in your midlife and live your best life.

[00:01:07] So I know Doug last episode episode 2 we spoke a little bit about the truth about weight loss after 40. On today's episode episode 3 we're really going to dive into a very important topic to people in their 40s and beyond about menopause and mastering menopause health and confidence during the transition.

[00:01:32] So I know menopause is a super common pain point for a lot of your audience and clients. So just going to tackle it and get some more information on it today for our listeners and really just dive right into the topic. So wait, let's go. Let's go. Let's do it.

[00:01:54] So Doug, I know menopause and hormonal changes impact the metabolism and overall health of women, but I know you've worked with so many clients navigating menopause and your experience. What first made you realize that this stage of life needed a different approach when it comes to health and fitness? Yeah, well, as you stated, I've been working with women for the past 20 years, you know, in weight loss.

[00:02:21] And ever since I opened my first personal training studio, pretty much a 40 year old woman came into the facility and so had children, family and career, and they were struggling with balancing it all. And we would always, you know, hit the nutrition, work the exercise, help them to, you know, make some lifestyle changes. And they were off and running. Now what's happening at 50 is they're coming back in and those things aren't working anymore.

[00:02:51] And so they're all saying, hey, I'm doing the right things. I'm doing what I used to do, but I'm not getting the same results. And that's because as you approach menopause and perimenopause, you know, those hormonal changes start to make a big impact. And just the old calories in calories out is just no good anymore. Right. So now you've got hormones fluctuating. Right. You've got cortisol levels rising.

[00:03:21] You've got insulin sensitivity. Right. Energy levels aren't where they used to be. And so now that requires a more defined approach. Right. The window or the margin for error in terms of losing weight, getting healthy and all those things has now started to narrow a little bit.

[00:03:41] And so as I was working with these clients and realize how it was more difficult to get the results, still get the results, but it required a much greater effort that that required me to kind of dig in and see how best I could help them with the changes, not only just in nutrition and exercise, because even though they were exercising and eating somewhat right,

[00:04:05] there still needed to be some adjustments there. But there were some changes outside of that that needed to be incorporated into the approach. And it needed to be a holistic and a very well-rounded, balanced approach if we were going to, you know, keep them healthy, confident, strong and feeling good. Awesome. And what do you think between I know you touched on a few of those changes.

[00:04:30] What do you think is like one of the biggest changes that changes pre menopause to post menopause or during that transition that doesn't necessarily work as well? Yeah, it's in terms of the exercise or in terms of working out, in terms of weight loss. I guess in all three of those areas, actually. Sure, sure. So some of some of the big changes, particularly let's talk about exercise, because I just had a conversation with a woman today about this, this exercise.

[00:04:59] Exercise and menopause does not mean exercise. So people like the Pilates people, some people like their yoga, some people like their spinning, some people like different things. And earlier in the stages of life, doing those things is enough. Right. When it's menopause, it's strength training. It's strength training. It's strength training. It's strength training.

[00:05:24] And so if you're going to do some exercise, it can't be anything other than strength training at least three times a week. Now, if you've got time to exercise five times a week, well, great. Then sprinkle the things that you really enjoy in there. But that strength training has to be very, very focused. It has to be deliberate, intentional, and it has to happen three times a week.

[00:05:54] So so that was like one of the biggest changes because, you know, people were, you know, going in, maybe doing a boot camp class or, you know, just doing various exercising type routines. But they weren't intentional and deliberate. And when it comes to menopause, your metabolism is slowing down and you're losing muscle. And actually, you start to lose it a little bit faster. You start losing muscle around 30. But now during that menopause phase, it starts to move.

[00:06:22] You start to lose it a little faster. And the only way you're going to keep that metabolism up, the only way you're going to maintain your muscle and your structure and, you know, keep that insulin sensitivity at bay is by lifting weights. I am definitely not taking all of these things mentally for my future self. Good. Make sure you do. I am. And don't wait. Don't wait. Yes, absolutely. Sooner, they're better.

[00:06:52] And in talking about menopause, let's break it down. What actually happens to the body during menopause that makes weight management so much harder? Yeah. If I had to sum it up, because a lot of things happen, but it's really the decrease in two hormones, estrogen and progesterone. Those two hormones are pretty much the reason why people feel different and look different. Right?

[00:07:22] And so estrogen is responsible for your metabolism and also fat distribution. And so when those, when that starts to drop, it triggers a whole bunch of other processes. Now, all of a sudden, your sleep isn't what it used to be. And that drives other problems. Right? Your stress levels or cortisol levels are now higher. Right? Insulin sensitivity is a little bit greater. Right?

[00:07:51] And as I said, you're losing muscle at a faster rate. And all that kind of equals fat storage. And that storage typically is in the midsection. And that's a very common thing that you hear about from women and menopause. Where did this thing come from? And I keep storing weight here.

[00:08:14] And, and, and, you know, it's a hormonal thing because people are trying to do the same thing that they did before, but they're not getting the same result. And in effect, they're actually starting to see those changes in that storage in the midsection. And it really is driven by, you know, the change and those, you know, two hormones. But those hormones affect a lot of things. A lot of things from, from, from. Yeah.

[00:08:43] How does it specifically when it comes to besides metabolism, but energy and mood, how does the decline in those affect that? Yeah. So, so the energy often comes from sleep disturbances. Hmm. Can't fall asleep. Can't stay asleep. Wake up. You don't feel rejuvenated, you know? So, so when your sleep is off, that throws off a lot of things that makes the cortisol levels higher.

[00:09:12] When your cortisol levels are higher, you're going to store more fat in that midsection. Also, when your sleep is off, it's going to throw off your hunger hormones, right? Leptin and ghrelin. And next thing you know, you're going to have these, this, this hunger. You're going to be looking for sugar and carbs. And you know, you're not going to know when to stop eating. You're going to start to eat more.

[00:09:39] And so it's, it's, it's almost like a, a pretty much. A well-rounded attack. Right. On your weight and on your fat distribution or, or on your body composition. So you gotta be, you know, you can't do what you used to do is, is, is what I'm constantly preaching. That doesn't, that doesn't work anymore. You're at a different stage in the game. Right.

[00:10:06] It sounds like a whole cycle that needs to be revamped when you're at this stage in life. Very much so. Estrogen decreasing impacts a lot of processes in the body from, from, you know, brain function to even your skin elasticity. There's a variety of different things that go on in your body or processes that are kicked in once those estrogen level drops.

[00:10:35] And, and that's what people are experiencing for the most part. Absolutely. And beyond the symptoms that you just mentioned, are there any symptoms that people might not immediately connect that are related to menopause? Yeah. Well, there's, there's the brain fog, you know, sometimes just people think, um, you know, I'm getting old, you walk into the room, you don't remember why you went there, or you're about to say something, you know, and, and, and so brain fog, brain fog's one of them. I experienced that too.

[00:11:05] I'm not going through menopause obviously, but, but that, that is one. Um, sometimes joint pain, you know, people don't connect the two. They just think I'm getting old. My hips hurt, my, you know, my, my knees hurt, but, but joint pain is, is often one. Um, sometimes there's some, um, digestive issues, um, certain foods that you used to eat, you don't desire or they don't feel the same. And there's some bloating and there's some reflux and there's, you know, some of those

[00:11:35] type, um, effects as well. So, and then, like I said, the skin and hair is, is always one. The skin, you know, gets a little thin, gets a little dry, you know, because estrogen helps keep your collagen and your hydration levels. Mm-hmm. So when it drops, it, it makes it a little bit more important to get to, to supplement or add those things into your lifestyle to make sure that, you know, you're, you're still functioning properly.

[00:12:03] So, so there's some telltale symptoms and there's, you know, there's other ones, there's the mood swings, right? There could be the anxiety, um, you know, some people experience, you know, some depression. So, so there's, um, there's, there's, there's a variety of symptoms, but once you start to see several of them, then, you know, you kind of know, you can kind of identify where, what it's related to. Wow. Absolutely. Yeah. Those are, some of those things are new to me.

[00:12:32] I'm sure they're new to the listeners as well. Um, beyond that, as I know that there's also a lot of misinformation about weight loss during menopause, what do you think are some of the myths that you hear commonly and why are they wrong? Oh man, that's a great question. I mean, the first one, which, which, which is very common and, and, and, you know, I hope this isn't controversial. I'm not looking for controversy. Let's put it this way. I'm always going to share the facts though.

[00:13:02] Um, but, but the first one is that menopause causes weight gain and, and it really isn't the cause of weight gain. Yes. Your estrogen levels do decrease and that changes your metabolism and fat distribution. But ultimately what's causing the weight gain is your lifestyle. And so it's, you might be thinking you're living a healthy lifestyle because you have up until

[00:13:30] this point, but now the game has changed and you're trying to play a new game with the old strategy. And, and, and so, you know, yes, menopause clearly makes it harder to be healthy and to maintain your body composition and your, and, and to lose weight, but your lifestyle plays a bigger part, you know? Absolutely.

[00:13:58] And yes, you may be walking three days a week. That's not the exercise that you do in menopause. I'm sorry. It's just not. Um, I don't think it's an exercise that you do at any point and call it exercise. Right. All right. So it's a nice added bonus. It's movement movements good, but that's not exercise. And so people are a little bit confused about what they should be doing. Actually, they're not confused. They're uninformed about what they should be doing.

[00:14:28] And because of that, they're pointing and saying it's menopause when really the pointing needs to go towards the lifestyle. Um, the, you know, the foods, the food and how you eat needs to change balancing your blood sugar becomes so much more important. You know, your S's managing the S's as I like to call them. And that's sleep and stress. Oh my God. Those things are more just as important as your diet and exercise. You know?

[00:14:57] So, so, um, you know, people like to point to, this is the reason why, but the truth of the matter is it does make it a little bit more difficult, but it's the lifestyle and when, and, and, and the lifestyle you have control over. So, so that's the one myth that I see all the time. And, and the problem, the problem with it is it makes it easy to accept the changes.

[00:15:23] Because when you hear that and you think that's supposed to happen and it happens, you're like, Oh, okay. You know, that's supposed to happen. You know? And you're not quite knowledgeable of your role that you're playing in. Right. Like this is happening. How do I combat it? How do I change it versus just like acceptance of it? There you go. There you go. And mindset is a huge part of it. It's a huge part. It's a huge part of everything, but it's definitely a huge part of managing that.

[00:15:51] And then, and then the other myth that I'll say out here a lot, I see, I see it. I don't get people still talk about, you know, the low calorie diet, but, and everyone knows it doesn't work. Right. Eat less, move, move more. It's, it's, it's changed for menopause. Right. The eat less means has to be eat smart. Right. And the move more has to be strength train.

[00:16:22] Right. So, but people are still on this mindset that if they eat less, it's going to help them to lose weight. And that doesn't work in menopause. That's almost, it actually works backwards. So you're going to eat less. Your metabolism is going to slow down even more. You're going to lose muscle, which is going to make the problem even worse. And you're going to continue to store fat mainly in your midsection.

[00:16:48] And so I see person after person doing this. And when I talk with people and I, you know, I talk with a lot of women on a daily basis and, um, you know, that, that myth or that thought process, it has to be put in the, in the, in the back. And especially during this menopause stage, you know, and I've seen, I actually had a conversation,

[00:17:14] um, last week with a woman who is struggling to lose weight. Um, her cortisol levels are high, which is automatically going to make it difficult to lose weight. Right. And I asked her what she eats and she doesn't eat breakfast and she is, um, exercising in the morning. So it's like cortisol levels are already high. Right. And now we're not going to eat to make them higher.

[00:17:42] And then we're going to exercise to make them even higher, you know, and she's wondering why she's not losing weight and kind of pointing to it's menopause. But no, that's a lifestyle. That's a, that's, that's a behavior thing, you know? And, and, and so educating people on how to properly overcome and how to eat and how to live in this new lifestyle that they have to live or behaviors that they have to change

[00:18:09] during this transition, I think is, is key. But we keep hearing the myths out there that, you know, it's menopause. That's just the way it is. And, oh, you just got to eat less and move more. And it's like, like that doesn't work. That doesn't work. And that's why people are so frustrated. It's exactly. I understand. I'd be frustrated too, because they, they, they, it's almost like if you want to work

[00:18:36] every day and then when it came time to get paid, you didn't get paid. Like how long would you do that for? You know? And so, and so, you know, us in the health industry need to do a better job of, of educating people. Exactly. Getting away from those myths. I think a lot of it is about education because even myself, not that I'm particularly near menopause, but as a woman, especially you're told all of these different ideas since you're

[00:19:05] a teenager or a child of eat less and work out more. And you, you're predispositioned almost at this point to think that way. So it's definitely a lifestyle and mindset change. Absolutely. Without a doubt. And you know what the worst problem with that is? When you did as a younger person, eat less and move more, guess what? It worked. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right? Right? So people are, cause we're stuck. Well, maybe I'll go to the, you know, it's a new day and age. Yeah.

[00:19:34] It's a new day and age. Absolutely. And there's so much information. Everyone can just listen to you and be informed. Yeah. Well, that would help. That would help. But actually there's too much information out there, right? You can go anywhere, any place, anytime. And you're, you know, you'll get, you'll get bombarded. And, and that's what I see people, people are trying piece this piece that, you know, Oh, I thought fasting was good for me. Well, now that you got elevated cortisol levels, that makes no sense, you know?

[00:20:04] And so you just keep driving them up. Mm-hmm. Do you think that people can lose weight during menopause? I know another myth is that you can't lose weight during menopause. Absolutely. I've, I've, I've, I've, I've seen it. I've helped people. I've supported people. Um, changes in your lifestyle will impact your body composition, you know?

[00:20:29] So, so yes, you can lose weight by living an appropriate healthy lifestyle during menopause. Mm-hmm. Yes, you can change your body composition. It's more about body composition and weight loss. Mm-hmm. Simply because people don't like the storage of the fat in the midsection. Right. And they really don't need to lose any muscle, right? Because the muscle is the fountain of use. So what you want to do is maintain the muscle and you want to shed some of that body fat. Right.

[00:20:59] And you need to nourish that muscle, all those muscles by eating and not eating less. Correct. Strength training. Absolutely. And eating carbs too. Yes. It's not just protein, but eating carbs also. Correct. Absolutely. Absolutely. And when it comes to hormone replacement therapy or HRT, as some people refer to it for women that are trying to manage weight and energy during menopause, what's your take on that? How do you feel about that? Yeah.

[00:21:26] So just not, not just hormone therapy, but anything. I'm a fan for anything that's going to allow you to feel good during this transition.

[00:21:36] So whether that's, I mean, if you're experiencing, you know, severe or extreme hot flashes and mood swings and sleep disturbances, you know, I personally would try to, would pursue anything that's going to assist that. And HRT can be one of those things.

[00:22:01] So it's not, it's not a, it's not a one, one thing fits all. It doesn't work for everybody. You know, I've had some clients that have had success with it. I have some clients that had mediocre results or no results with it.

[00:22:19] But I think the key is with most things, when it comes to your health, especially women's health, you got to have a knowledgeable and experienced healthcare provider work with you to make that decision. Right. Because it isn't a one size fits all. You know, a lot of factors go into it. The severity of the symptoms, the age, the medical history, the family medical history. There's, there's like a lot of things that go into that decision.

[00:22:49] And I don't think it should be one that should be made lightly. But I think you got to get the expertise of a qualified healthcare provider to really weigh out. Is this the way to go? Is it, is it not the way to go? You know, but, but I'll tell you that, you know, it's not a, it's not like a silver bullet.

[00:23:12] Um, this, you know, any type of medical intervention always works better with the healthy lifestyle. So even if you go the route of the HRT, um, you still got to lift some damn weights. You still got to eat to balance your blood sugar. You still got to manage your stress. You still got to work on your sleep. You still got to drink plenty of water. So it does help make a balanced approach.

[00:23:39] And if it makes you feel better, right. And if it allows you to feel, um, um, more whole, more balanced, right. Then I say, go for it. I say, go for it that in anything else. And I will tell you this, and, and, and this full disclosure, I own a medical weight loss facility. Um, it's called CT medical weight loss. I don't want to stop now, but, but, but, but I do. And we do GLP ones properly and right.

[00:24:06] And under direction of a nurse practitioner and my health coaching and all that stuff. But we've seen a lot of women, and I've read about this as well. Um, in that menopausal stage coming in, losing weight, feeling more energetic, feeling better in terms of mood swings, brain fog, all those things. Um, so we've seen a lot of success.

[00:24:33] I've got some pretty significant data around women and menopause and using these medications and actually feeling much better. And obviously it's a weight loss medication. So it obviously helps with weight loss and weight loss helps with everything, right. When you're healthier, everything's better. But, um, but I've seen some, uh, a significant amount of success with that as well. Now, I'm not saying that that's a silver bullet, right?

[00:25:02] That's not a one size fits all that doesn't, that's got some disadvantages to it as well. That's why, again, you got to see a very qualified and knowledgeable healthcare provider, someone who's got some expertise in the space. That's what I mean by qualified and knowledgeable. They got to have expertise in the space, right? And so, um, and so even with that, um, I've seen a lot of success and there's other interventions

[00:25:29] out there either, but I don't think no matter what the intervention is that it's a, this is good for everyone. Don't do this or do this. And no matter what it is, you have to bring lifestyle change with it. If you're going to not bring the lifestyle change with it, you will not ultimately be long-term successful. Absolutely. Everything needs to be like balanced and well-rounded. I know GLPs have helped so many people.

[00:25:59] It's, you know, pretty, pretty well-known out there at this point, but again, not a silver bullet. Nothing is like everything needs to be in a way well-rounded. And definitely even speaking about what you touched on earlier with menopause and the change in cortisol and progesterone, progesterone and estrogen and all of those things, seeking medical professional help in that space to just even look at your blood work and see where you are and where you would need help.

[00:26:26] I'm sure is something that would also benefit people. Absolutely. It's another stage, right? It's another chapter. And so you want to have as much information going into this transition time as possible. And you want to use as many tools and have tools in your tool bag so that you can actually manage this phase as best as possible.

[00:26:55] So when you come out on the other side, you're all good. Absolutely. And then I know we just spoke about, you know, HRT, hormone replacement therapy for some of our listeners listening in that may not be as familiar with it. Can you just give like a brief overview of what that is exactly? Yeah, but I prefer that they talk with their medical healthcare provider because I don't, I don't want people to interpret me as giving medical advice because I don't have the qualifications to do so.

[00:27:25] I can tell you about my experience with clients who have used it and, you know, some have had success, some haven't had success. But the idea is to use these medications to offset the impact of the drop in estrogen and progesterone. So that's the philosophy or the thought process behind it. But I'm not, I don't want to be seen as, you know, as I'm trying to jump into a space where I don't have an expertise.

[00:27:54] Mine is in lifestyle transformation. Absolutely. Okay. That makes sense. And then I know speaking about lifestyle and your expertise, you've developed a system for helping clients overcome these challenges. Um, what are some simple and sustainable strategies that our listeners can implement even today to feel better and regain control? In terms of, um, menopausal women? Specifically menopausal. Yeah. Okay. Okay.

[00:28:24] Well, now's not the time for some simple steps. All right. So, so that's the first thing they got to understand. Now is not the time. That time has gone. That's in the rear view mirror. All right. So sitting in front of you is a very narrow path and you, there's a lot of things that you got to get right. If you want to maintain your body composition or if you want to lose weight, you know?

[00:28:50] So, so I'll break it down for you, but don't just piecemeal this, right? You can start small and be consistent and kind of grow, but just know one of these things isn't going to make a difference. Like you need the full umbrella right now. Right. So, so the first thing is you got to strength train, right? Yeah. You know, strength train, strength train, strength train. So you need to lift weights. They need to be heavy.

[00:29:18] They need to help you to maintain your muscle and your metabolism. And that is going to be key to maintaining your body, your body composition, your bone structure, and main making sure that insulin sensitivity isn't an issue for you. All right. So muscle, muscle, muscle, muscle, which is lifting weights. That's the first thing you got to do. All right. And you got to, you don't have to live in the gym.

[00:29:45] You need to go in at least three days, but it needs to be a structured program geared towards you maintaining and building muscle. All right. Next, next is food. You got it. You got to have balanced meals, right? You can't have those blood sugar spikes because out are going to come the hormones. Here comes insulin and you're going to get the blood sugar drops and then you're going to be hungry.

[00:30:15] And it's just going to make for an uncomfortable environment during this stage in life. So you want to make sure that you've got a nice balanced meals so that you've got a balanced blood sugar. So protein, protein, protein that is going to support you in terms of your metabolism because that's going to help with the weightlifting in terms of muscle maintenance and muscle building.

[00:30:41] You got to make sure you got some quality carbs, you know, complex carbs, and you got to get some good healthy fats. All right. The third thing you got to do is you got to manage your stress. I mean, cortisol will reach habit on weight loss, right? So you're going to keep storing fat in your midsection with those high cortisol levels.

[00:31:06] You have got to manage your stress at least 10 minutes a day, some guided meditation or something to kind of offset that fight or flight response. And then, you know, sleep, sleep's a non-negotiable. And I know it's tough. Um, I know people, um, going through menopause that are having a rough time trying to be consistent

[00:31:33] with their sleeping, but you just can't accept it. You got to keep working on it. You might need some support in terms of supplements. Um, but sleep seven to nine hours will make such a huge difference in your energy and your cortisol levels and then your ability to exercise. Um, and then you got to drink water too. You know, it's, it's, um, hydration is key, right?

[00:32:01] You don't, if, if, if you're dehydrated, your energy is not going to be right. Excuse me. You're going to feel it more in your joints. Okay. And it's going to be much harder for your body to do go through its processes that are going to allow you to maintain a healthy body composition. So, you know, there is no, there is no magic bullet to this one at this stage in life.

[00:32:27] If you're serious about wanting to lose weight, it has to be a comprehensive process and you got to get 90% of it. Right. Whereas when people say to me, um, I'm doing everything I used to do and it's not working. That's because that everything wasn't 90%, but they weren't in the window that required 90%. Well, now they are now they are, you know?

[00:32:53] And so, and so, you know, when it comes to the lifestyle changes, it's nutrition, it's the exercise with the strength training, it's drinking the right amount of water and, uh, managing the stress and making sure you're getting some sleep. And you also got to limit the alcohol, which is, which is a tough one. I mean, I'm, I'm, I'm above that age where, you know, I enjoy a couple of cocktails at night, often probably more nights than I should.

[00:33:23] And, um, if you're trying to lose weight or if you're going through menopause, trying to change your body composition, um, that doesn't help at all. Ladies, I'm sorry. It doesn't. That's rough. If, if there are, um, listeners and women out there who do choose to want to cut down on alcohol, but still have some beverages, are there certain things that women can opt for over other drinks that may be not as sugary or like just like a better option?

[00:33:53] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, first of all, and I'm not encouraging anybody to over drink or over consume, but you're better off drinking three drinks or four drinks, one or two nights versus two drinks, seven nights. Okay. So the first thing you gotta do is cut it down. Right. So go from seven to two, go from five to two, go from four to two. So bring it, bring it down, bring it down. So I'm not saying stop.

[00:34:21] I mean, that would be the ideal scenario, but that's probably not realistic. So you gotta narrow the window and then, you know, obviously you want to stay away from the sugary drinks, the margaritas that taste so good, that are so high in calories, um, you know, and, and, and probably stick with the alcohols, the vodkas, the tequilas, you know, simple mixes, um, drink water in between the cocktails that always helps help you feel better the next day, help you stay hydrated.

[00:34:48] Um, but you know, people like wine, nothing wrong with, you know, a glass or two of wine also, but I would, I would recommend, you know, sticking with the alcohols with very simple, low calorie mixers. Got it. And then in terms of drinking water and hydrating during this stage of menopause, uh, do you recommend drinking more like extra amount of water? Like what's the intake you recommend? Yeah. Half their body weight, half their body weight's a good place to start.

[00:35:17] Right. Um, add teas. Don't add any sugary beverages. You should never get calories from your, from, you know, your beverages. Um, and if you're drinking caffeinated beverages, coffees, some teas, um, you, you have to compensate that with additional water, you know? So if you're drinking 16 ounces of coffee, you don't get to drink half your body weight.

[00:35:45] You got to do half your body weight plus 16 ounces of water. And then so, so, so, so yeah, you want to compensate for their caffeinated beverages as well. That's rough. Especially you're feeling extra tired. You want more coffee, but then you have to drink even more water. There you go. There you go. Exactly. Exactly. And, and there are a lot of people who are managing their energy with coffee. For sure. And caffeine, which is doing the opposite. It's dehydrating you more.

[00:36:15] Yes. Yes. It's a quick fix, but sometimes we need it and I know people enjoy it. I know. I love my coffee. I wouldn't say stop, but just, you know, compensate for it and just keep in mind that the role of coffee isn't to help you get through the day. Right. That's supposed to be food and, you know, restful energy and recovery, you know? Right. Sleep and well-balanced meals. There you go. There you go.

[00:36:39] Speaking about nutrition, what are some top nutritional changes that people should focus on during menopause to help boost their metabolism and energy? I know we touched on protein and carbs, but. Yeah. But let's go back to that protein. Protein with every meal. So let's, let's get a little bit more specific. Protein with every meal. And we'll even now we're down even further, 20 to 30 grams. All right.

[00:37:06] So now, so now we're not just eating protein. We're getting a significant amount that's going to help balance our blood sugar. It's going to help do the job that it's supposed to do with muscle repair and muscle building. Um, and so 20, 30 grams, most meals. Um, try to eliminate the processed carbs. So the white rice, the white bread, the pastries, you've got to mix those things, take those things

[00:37:35] out and put in, you know, the complex carbs. You need more fiber. Now it'll make you feel fuller. It'll help with the blood sugar balancing. Um, so you need to have those in there as well. Um, you need healthy fats. I mean, you know, the hormones are fueled with fat. So, especially your brain as well. So people would talk about brain fog. Well, you know, we need some healthy fat to help support our brain function.

[00:38:03] So avocados and, you know, olive oil and fatty fish, salmon, mackerel, you know, all those type of, um, foods are very, very, very good. Um, and you want to eat and balance your meals kind of like that. Um, if you don't have a balanced diet, I would highly recommend a multivitamin. Um, matter of fact, I just read an email today, got an email. We work with Thorne.

[00:38:30] Um, it's a pharmaceutical company for our supplements that that's, that's what we recommend. And they have a woman's, um, 50 plus, and it's got all the things that kind of help to boost progesterone. It's got zinc, it's got magnesium, it's got vitamin B, vitamin C. Now you can get all those from food, you know, beef and shellfish and, you know, citrus fruits and carrots and, you know, leafy greens.

[00:38:55] But if, uh, if you don't really have a well-balanced diet and even if you did have a well-balanced diet, I still would recommend, um, a supplement like that. And that one that, that we recommend is called women's 50 plus. And if, uh, if the listeners want it, just leave a message, um, here and we'll, uh, send you a 15% discount, um, on the, on that supplement. But that's a good, that's a good one. Awesome.

[00:39:22] And then I know that the vitamin is called 50 plus, but for women who are maybe in their thirties and not quite on menopause yet, would that still be a supplement that would be appropriate for them? Yeah. You know, I'm glad you asked that. Well, the 50 plus wouldn't be, but there's other vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that someone in their thirties may need, especially if they're, you know, looking to be bearing children in the future or where they are in life.

[00:39:52] But, um, do know for the 30 year old listeners out there, if you manage to listen to this this far, I'm impressed. Um, cause you're preparing for your future, but the, I would give some of the same almost exact recommendations for them as I would for someone in menopause. They need to do strength training. They need to eat 20 to 30 grams of protein. They need to manage their stress. They need to drink half their body weight and water.

[00:40:20] They need to go to bed and sleep for seven to nine hours. So, so some of those recommendations don't change. It's just when we're younger, we can get away with not doing it. Right. Exactly. Right. You can, you can, it doesn't matter. You know, I'm not going to store fat in my midsection because I stayed out and partied till three o'clock in the morning and got up and, you know, one ate a bacon, egg and cheese. Exactly. Right. Yeah.

[00:40:47] But yeah, I guess the earlier you start that lifestyle, it won't be such a change later on in life. It will be your lifestyle might have to adapt it, but it won't be a complete 360 in your lifestyle. If you're already preparing for your later stage of life. Sure. Absolutely. Taking lots of notes because I feel like I personally just learned so much.

[00:41:14] I don't know if our listeners are a little bit younger than the menopause age, but definitely these are really, really helpful. Well, one thing I'll tell you is no one's dodging that stage. You're not dodging. We're going to get there one day. No one's dodging. And the goal is to get there. People necessarily don't look at it that way, but, you know, we all, we all want some longevity and we want quality in our lives.

[00:41:42] And a lot of great things happen at midlife. One of them just happens to be menopause. But there's other great things that happen during this phase in life. And to get here is a blessing. And now to be able to live during this time is even more of a blessing. Exactly. And you want to make the most of all that life has to offer. Exactly. That stage is a blessing. So you want to be healthy to enjoy all that life has to offer. Yes. For sure.

[00:42:11] I had a question also about, I know some of the listeners probably would too. When it comes to diet, you said stay away from like breads and rice and those kind of carbs, but to try to have more complex carbs and healthy fats. And you gave some examples of healthy fats. But what would you say is like a good complex carb to incorporate on your diet? Yeah. Quinoa. Okay. That's my go-to.

[00:42:39] Brown rice, you know, sweet potato, you know, couscous, you know, just foods that aren't processed, you know, and all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients have been taken out of them. And so to your body, you might think it's bread, but to your body, it's just sugar. And as soon as you consume it, you're just getting a quick uptick, you know, and blood sugar. And if it gets too high, insulin's coming out.

[00:43:09] And then, you know, insulin's got to do what it's got to do. And it's got to take that out of your system and stores it. And eventually it gets stored as fat. And eventually, especially by the time, if you do that too long, by the time you get to midlife, you're going to be struggling with some insulin sensitivity. And that's not a good thing, you know? So, so, you know, trying to eat, you know, good, healthy carbs is key. Got it.

[00:43:38] Definitely going to be thinking about this when I make dinner tonight. I'm sure a lot of listeners. I'm not saying that you can't have any of those. I'm not, I'm not saying that, you know, I, I eat my sushi and I don't like it with brown rice. You know, I like it with the white rice. It just tastes better to me. So, so I'm not saying that there aren't times that you do consume those, but if you're trying

[00:44:03] to lose weight in that menopause phase, it's those products have to be rare in your nutrition plan. These things with menopause, the physical changes are tough, but they often also come with emotional challenges as well. So how do you help your clients navigate that process and navigate the mental side of this transition beyond the physical? Yeah. Yeah. It, it, you know what?

[00:44:30] That's again, that's another great question because there is a whole nother side to this. There's a whole nother side and, and I won't say I'm an expert on that mental side at all, but I know there's a mental side to everything. And clearly here, I've heard the frustrations. I've, you know, I've seen people very, very uncomfortable with what they're experiencing.

[00:44:55] And I think the first thing that I try to do is normalize it because they're not going through anything that anyone else in that stage hasn't really gone through. You know what I mean? So it's just part of the process. Now, can we make it better? Can we kind of minimize some of the symptoms? Can we do things? Absolutely. Absolutely. But before we even get there, just know it's okay.

[00:45:24] This is normal. It's a different chapter, you know? And so that, that I think has to be first thing. It's not that, you know, I don't think in today's society now, I'm, you know, I don't know. I don't know what, you know, other people are, what's, what's common and what's not so much anymore, but I don't think it's taboo anymore to have a conversation about menopause or to address the situation.

[00:45:52] So I think it's important at more that that happens, the more we can kind of normalize that, Hey, this is what happens. This is the phase, right? And it's all part of none of us intending to be here forever. We weren't intended to be here forever. So there is a life cycle and there's a phase and this is where it is. And so normalizing that is the first thing. The second thing, which I think is probably the most important for the mental side is your mindset.

[00:46:21] I mean, it is your mindset. How you approach it is so important to the outcome and the experience that you have during this transition, right? So your mindset plays an important part in everything we do, but particularly for someone who's struggling with this, you want to make sure that your focus is in the right area, right? You got to leave behind the, what I used to do isn't working.

[00:46:50] And I don't know why it's right. You got to leave that behind and say, you know, I'm working on finding a new balance for me, right? I'm learning a new way of existing in this new stage of life, right? That's the mindset that I've seen be successful during this stage, you know? And so your mindset has to be key. You got to give yourself some love. You got to talk to yourself.

[00:47:19] You got to, you know, you got to appreciate it, which brings me to the next point is gratitude, gratitude, gratitude, gratitude, right? Right. You have to be grateful for where you are and what your body allows you to do, even though you may not like some things that you're experiencing. But that body has gotten you this far and it's going to be the same body that takes you for the next few decades. So you got to give yourself a little bit of leeway.

[00:47:48] You got to show yourself some love. You got to check in with yourself. You got to acknowledge what you're grateful for in terms of your health, in terms of your health, you know? And then the third thing I'd probably say in terms of the mental side, which with everything else as well, is you got to have a support network. You got to have a support group network that, you know, you can bounce some things off, whether it's friends, girlfriends.

[00:48:16] You got to have some medical professionals in there, right? Because they can give you some advice on how to transition and how to do different things and use different tools, right? You got to have some coaches. You got to have a partner. Like, you got to have a support network, even a workout partner. You know, like you got to have a support network during this transitional stage that's going to help you, right?

[00:48:42] And if you made it here, menopause, then you've been a support person for a whole bunch of other people in your life. So now it's time for you to lean on some of that support and get some of that support yourself just to help with the mental side of it, right? Because clearly there is. And when you're experiencing some of the symptoms of it, I would imagine it's not fun, you know? And I would imagine that you do question some things.

[00:49:10] And I would imagine that, you know, you do want to go back and start, well, why isn't it like this? And I wish I was that. And I wanted, this has always worked in the past. And all that kind of pulls you down, you know, and you got to stay positive and you got to keep that positive mindset. So those are the things that I encourage or I would recommend or I like to be a part of in terms of helping people with, you know, with the mental side.

[00:49:39] Cause that, that is very, very, very important. Yeah, absolutely. And I'm sure like we spoke about earlier, it's hard and it's frustrating, but I think what you touched on is definitely great advice because you made it this far and absolutely there's so much more to live. Things might not have been working the same way they used to and there's changes, but it's learning something new and being grateful and, you know, just kind of going through those

[00:50:08] changes, but being grateful at the movement you do have. And you might not like some things, but you are healthier and you're in a place where you can still move around and do things and make these changes, which is something to definitely be thankful for, for sure. For sure. And, and believe me, it's another chapter. It's a transition, right? Change. Change. Change. Yeah. No, it's not. It's not. And your mindset will always play an important role in, right?

[00:50:37] And it's not that you can't be strong. It's not that you can't be confident. It's not that you can't be comfortable in your skin. It's just, it just takes a different approach and some different things to get there. And it's all good. Absolutely. I feel like I learned so much from you today. I'm sure our listeners will agree. Before we wrap up with episode three of Midlife Unleashed, were there any other things that you may have wanted to tell our listeners?

[00:51:07] No, just, I mean, in terms of this topic, you know, it's, it's, it's not taboo. It's a, it's a phase, right? It's part of this whole Midlife Unleashed, right? During this transition, just know the old playbook is gone. It's time for a new playbook. A new playbook, new chapter. It's time for a new playbook. And the new playbook addresses the symptoms and the things that are going on under the

[00:51:35] hood that the old playbook just did not address. Absolutely. Well, again, I learned so much today. I'm sure our listeners did as well. Thank you for all of the knowledge you provided. And it was great learning everything today. And, um, I think that's about all we have for today. So thank you to all of our listeners for listening to and tuning in to episode three of Midlife Unleashed.

[00:52:05] And we will definitely be back next week with episode four to discuss a little bit more about stress, cortisol, and midlife weight gain and breaking the cycle. So that will be next week's episode, but thank you for everyone tuning in and we will be with you next week. Take care. Take care.