Good Vibrations Magazine

Sounds like a new diet book. The new elixir of life guaranteed to bring you money, riches, the new love of your life, fame…you fill in the rest.

However for a perimenopausal woman dealing with the mood swings weight gain or headaches that brings PMS on steroids 25 days out of the month to your life, it can literally be the difference of feeling happy, the ability to smile and feel good about you and your life, and living the dark night of the soul 24/7.

I am sure there are women who are not in menopausal but may still have these issues every month. Life can be wonderful fun and inspiring by changing the way we see our life experiences. People think “Ok, I feel like crap, I am going on an emotional roller coaster and I can’t find a way out of this, maybe I will go to my doctor and he can prescribe something for me to feel better”. I am all for the “happy pill” as one of my friends calls her antidepressants. If that is what it takes to make you feel like yourself again-go for it.

I just wanted to plant the seeds to look at these experiences a different way and find other ways to “look outside the box” (I love that term), open up to new horizons and empower yourself. The body and the brain is an amazing thing. You can teach yourself to do better at your tennis matches or ace-ing a job interview, giving an electrifying presentation, just by how you approach it.

I am a big believer in the power of the mind and tapping into the subconscious to bring things into your life and when you can do this internally and see the results manifest externally in your life, it is amazing and empowering.

So what if you could stop the mood swings, headaches and manage your weight naturally and allow your body to do the work for you as you do the work for it, would you do it? If you could make different choices and pick up a glass of water or herbal tea instead of a caffeinated drink to stop the headaches and sugar cravings, would you choose that?

I can hear some women hear “Not my diet coke, I love it!” it is my vice. Well maybe you don’t have to give it up, but maybe you could choose to have one or two servings instead of 6 or 8 servings. I myself love my caffeine in the morning, but I now drink half-caf and then have green tea or water and it fills me up and nurtures me. I guess it is all in how you associate what you put into your body.

The one thing I recommend is learn to take deep soothing breaths. Many people are not present in their bodies and can actually cause them to get irritable. I teach meditation and a quick tip is to take 3 deep breaths inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth and it gets me back in my body and peaceful.

The next thing I suggest is to drink at least 4 actual glasses of water along with non-caf beverages to keep you grounded and hydrated. Did you know that when you think for as little as 30 minutes, it is time for some water to rehydrate your body?

So if you are interested in alternative methods where you-yourself, can tap into your bodies ability to metabolize and balance your emotions-I have some information for you to ponder over. It is true-you are what you put into your body.

One of my favorite books to share with people who are going through menopause or have monthly changes in their bodies is “The Wisdom of Menopause” by Christiane Northrup, MD. In the course of her life as a doctor, she started realizing that many doctors don’t seem to help their patients when they have mood swings, or headaches except for the traditional medications that for many women can add additional challenges. So she started a crusade to find alternative choices for women to take charge of their self-care.

The book can be read from chapter to chapter (although I couldn’t do it, the book is over 600 pages) or you can pick a challenge you are dealing with and go to that, the information is easy to digest (no pun intended) and very helpful. I call it one of my bibles along with “Better than I ever Expected” by Joan Price.

There is a chapter on diet for mood balancing and weight management here are some of the suggestions:
Perimenopausal Food plan:

1. Maintain normal blood sugar and insulin levels
2. Measure for health-waist/hip ration, body mass index and body fat percentage
3. Check out your Metabolic stress
4. Exercise
5. Get your Thyroid checked
6. Quell Cellular Inflammation

HORMONE BALANCING PLAN

1. Eat at least three meals a day-including breakfast
2. For those of you who skip breakfast, the breakfast kick starts your metabolism
   1. Focus on Portion size, not calories – The author says cup your two hands in front of you. Limit your intake to know more than that at each meal or snack.
3. Eat Protein at each meal
4. Cut down on Refined and high glycemic-index carbohydrates, including alcohol
5. Consume grain products with caution
6. Eat a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables daily
7. Eat healthy fats each day
8. Protect yourself with Antioxidants
9. Take vitamin supplements

And here is a tip for people who have a tremendous sweet tooth. There is an amino acid that will quell your sugar cravings- it is called L-glutmine. It also helps in the mental fatigue that can result from sugar withdraw. You can get that in any health food store or go to puritan.com.

This may seem overwhelming for the busy schedule we have now a days, but do you realize that when you are calm and centered, you can manage your time a lot better than running around wondering where do you start first? I have dropped 15 lbs since changing my diet and I feel a heck of a lot better. I do love the fact that I have gone through Menopause. Now that my hormones have settled down, I feel peaceful, calm and happy on a regular basis, I no longer have the up and down mood swings and I am enjoying be a sexual playmate with my husband again.

But try making small changes. Try it for 30 days and cut back on your Diet Coke or double shot lattes and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Related at Good Vibrations:

Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause
Multi-Orgasmic Woman
Better Than I Ever Expected