1. Don’t give up caffeine
It’s the only thing that keeps you going right? Wrong! Caffeine may launch you into an early morning burst of activity but in the long term it’s draining your energy, ruining your sleep and is directly linked to your menopause weight gain.
2. Don’t change your exercise routine
A 30 minute cardio workout three times a week has always kept you trim in the past so why change now even though it’s clearly not working as well as it used to. Maybe you just need to do more cardio? Absolutely not. Cardio is the worse type of exercise if you’re experiencing menopause symptoms.
3. Don’t cut down on sugar
You’ve got to have a treat right? The thing is, sugar isn’t really a treat. It’s a short term feel good factor that creates long term damage. It causes inflammation, increases your risk of diabetes and makes your menopause symptoms worse. Sugar’s an addiction and you can beat it.
4. Don’t eat breakfast
Like you’ve got time for breakfast. You didn’t sleep well, hit snooze too many times and now you’re running late. Breakfast is just going to delay you more and cause you further stress. Actually the opposite is true. Skipping breakfast is putting stress on your system and you’ll be much more likely to reach for a mid morning treat.
5. Give up if you don’t notice any changes immediately
So what if it’s taken a couple of years for those extra inches to settle around your middle. You’ve really improved your eating habits and cut back on the alcohol over the last couple of weeks but that menopause weight gain still hasn’t shifted! This health eating lark clearly doesn’t work.
6. Change everything at once
Pick a day, a Monday obviously, to give up sugar, caffeine and alcohol. Schedule in a really tough work out too. In reality sweeping changes rarely last. Small incremental changes are the secret to long term success. If you slowly reduce your caffeine intake and gradually cut back on alcohol you’re much less likely to rebel!
7. Don’t ask for help
It’s so embarrassing being a woman of a certain age. The hot flushes, the mood swings, the anxiety and plummeting libido. Surely no one else is feeling as awful as you do. Perhaps if you just keep your head down and battle on it will all go away.
Er maybe after five years it will but do you really want to live out the next five years feeling like you do now?
If you want to avoid a miserable menopause let’s talk.
If you’re looking for some expert, balanced advice on the steps you need to take to enjoy this phase of your life let’s talk.
CLICK HERE to grab a slot in my diary and discover the secrets to navigating this period of your life with grace and ease.
