This year the focus of World Menopause Day 18th October, is on ‘Lifestyle Medicine’, and this is the point where everyone, not just menopausal women should continue to read on! Lifestyle medicine uses evidenced based strategies aimed to prevent and support wellness, health conditions and what you might call daily health niggles. That means it applies to all of us, all ages, female and male. In a workplace, that means fewer energy dips, better concentration. For employers, small lifestyle changes can mean big wins in productivity, safety, and wellbeing.
Typical lifestyle medicine strategies can include a focus on nutrition (steady energy through meetings), movement, sleep (focus and safety), hydration, healthy relationships, getting out in nature, behaviour change, stress management, mental health, your environment and physical therapy. Would you agree that having focus in those areas can be better for your health, and for performance at work, or in the gym?
Some women experience many symptoms during menopause (such as hot flushes or brain fog) and some women don’t have symptoms. Symptoms can change because menopause takes place over years. Therefore, we can’t assume or try and guess a woman’s age and think she is having symptoms or certain symptoms. It’s more about understanding what is happening in that moment and asking how to support it, just how we’d support anybody we want to help.
The good news is that through a combination of lifestyle medicine and traditional medicine there is support. Just like HRT which has only really got serious attention over recent years with the ‘Davina’ effect, lifestyle medicine in my opinion is still there to be discovered.
And it’s not just about menopause. Many of the strategies that help women at this stage of life are the same ones that support younger staff, men and anyone under pressure at work.
Hormone support: Foods containing phytoestrogens are valuable additions for menopause and all ages of hormonal health. These include flaxseeds, tofu and chickpeas. A simple option is houmous and carrots for a snack, or to add some ground flaxseed to porridge. Both add extra fibre to meals which also support digestive health, for us all.
Protein: Keeps us all ‘fuller for longer’, helps with resilience across the day and can support our mood too. A useful target is 1g protein per 1 kg body weight, a 70kg person needs 70g across the day.This increases with more movement. Good sources of protein include eggs, fish, chicken, yoghurt and beans.
Sleep: A heavy carbohydrate meal late in the evening without any movement afterwards isn’t helpful during menopause. You may experience energy dips later on that wake you up. If you can reduce the carbohydrate and add protein and fibre to slow down the energy release you may find that your sleep benefits. Whether you will get on with protein on its own, or need some carbohydrates is more personalised. You may also notice that your waistline benefits.
Other nutrition: Calcium, magnesium and B vitamins become important too, to support bones, energy and mood. Limiting sugar helps reduce energy dips and may help with hot flushes, hormonal issues, mood, and daily energy.
Focusing on health during peri/menopause is not only beneficial in the short term, but also in the longer term. Start to see those current issues as your body helping you act for the future to reduce the risk of Western Diseases, bone issues and cognitive issues.
NOTE: This does not replace medical advice.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
For companies: I deliver workplace talks and workshops on energy, stress, menopause and more — helping your teams stay sharp, healthy, and engaged.
For individuals: If you’d like more tailored support, I work 1-1 to create practical nutrition and lifestyle plans.
Joanne Hart BSc (Hons), BEng (Hons) joanne@healthandhart.com www.healthandhart.com
Registered Nutrition Practitioner BANT (British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine), CNHC, yoga teacher BWY, and coach MAC.
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/j_healthandhart/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/healthandhart
Website - https://www.healthandhart.com/employeewellbeing)
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hartjoanne/
info@dse-assessments.co.uk
T - 0844 335 6188