Menopause is not something to be ashamed of. Rather it's time we celebrated and supported women through this natural life stage. And it’s definitely time we stopped treating menopause like an illness that can be cured.
As a service that’s helping numerous women experiencing menopause and perimenopause, we’re often asked how to navigate nutrition and fitness during menopause. We frequently encounter the same questions based on widespread and unscientific myths.
Myth - Putting on mid-life weight is inevitable
One thing and one thing only puts on increased fat related weight gain - excess energy. While the reasons we take in that excess energy are hugely complicated, it's helpful to see the extra fat on your body as what it is - a reservoir of fuel for your body. Body fat is how the body stores energy and it’s there for a reason - to be used up later. However, the modern diet and lifestyle means most of us interrupt the body’s natural regulation process - that fat never gets used.
FACT: If you learn to choose foods that allow your system to manage its energy load, you don’t need to put on any weight during menopause, or in later life. This isn’t an easy thing to do, but taking personal responsibility for it now will help you live a longer and healthier life.
Myth - Your metabolism slows down in mid-life
Contrary to assumption, there’s no concrete evidence supporting a slowdown. Research shows that the body’s basal energy demand remains constant throughout life and also in later life. As most people age, they go through a physical slowdown, but that’s not their metabolism. We tend to become less active as we’re less likely to have a physically challenging daily life. But the desire for dopamine rewards persists and we tend to get more comfortable with opting for dining out and treats over activities that would have kept you fit.
FACT: Keep on moving and maintain your fitness, strength, healthy eating and active lifestyle and your metabolism will be just fine.
Myth - Your muscle mass decreases during menopause
Paired with ‘inevitable weight gain’, we’re often asked why menopause leads to a decrease in muscle mass. The answer is, it doesn’t. And similarly, muscle doesn’t just decrease in mass because it gets older. You have to look at what that muscle’s actually doing and what activity it supports . As we get older, the physical demands we put on our bodies tends to decrease rapidly. Sarcopenia – muscle wasting with age – is purely the result of not stimulating the body’s muscle building and maintenance responses. That means the muscles aren’t having any stimulation to adaptive responses to exercise.
FACT: Continuing to challenge your muscles as you age will keep your lean muscle mass stable and this is likely to lead to better health outcomes.
Before you rush to the gym for the workout you aced in your 20s, you need to work out what you’re capable of today and go through a structured and progressive programme. Starting to exercise without preparation or slow, progressive conditioning invariably leads to injury or strain.
Myth - Your blood glucose response changes during menopause
Our blood glucose responses fluctuate continuously, irrespective of age or sex, influenced by various physiological and metabolic factors. They don’t suddenly change during menopause.
Limbo’s ongoing blood glucose research project studies several subjects experiencing
menopause and perimenopause. We have found that our daily (diurnal) rhythm doesn’t change when it comes to the blood glucose signature wave, which is the measure the body uses to regulate energy. It’s only changed by the demands we put on our bodies by supplying or using energy - through our choices and habits.
Measuring your blood glucose at a point in time won’t tell you how your body responds to a certain food or exercise because your body is always in flux. That’s why Limbo members wear blood glucose monitors throughout their programme and discover they have different responses, even to the same things, on different days.
FACT: Whether or not you measure your glucose levels, you will find immediate benefits from getting yourself off the blood sugar rollercoaster including gaining more energy. That’s all in the way you eat. You can start this process by reducing the amount of sugar you eat. Or try Limbo to completely balance your blood glucose habits in four weeks.
Myth - You need menopause supplements
Think about what the word ‘supplement’ means - something that you add. Vitamins and nutrients are only needed when there is a deficit - a whole food and balanced diet gives us everything we need to thrive. Vitamin and mineral supplements exist to fill in where foods have been denuded of their supporting mineral and vitamin structures through processing.
Whole food, (better still, whole, organic food) has everything your body needs for digestive, absorptive, assimilative and energy purposes. Rather than buying well-branded formulations to help with menopause, maybe it’s time to take a close look at what you eat and the way you eat.
FACT: Reducing your processed food intake will help your body work harmoniously with the natural structure of the food you eat.
Myth - Menopause needs to be treated like an illness
Menopause is a natural phase in every woman’s life, signalling a transition to a new and potentially liberating chapter. It is not a death sentence, it is not an incurable disease. It is a change signalling a woman’s entry into the next part of her life where, hopefully, she has more time for herself and less responsibility for others. It doesn’t need curing, it needs to be embraced for the freedoms and possibilities that it brings.
FACT: The menopause may bring discomfort and challenges but understanding this and wresting control through managing your individual energy system – your blood glucose – can give you control over your very personal journey.
A time to reset and care for yourself
Focus on whatever your ideal vision of life is as you age. Use the transitional phase to redirect your focus towards where you want to be and acknowledging the shift in your life. Devote time to yourself, recognise that your time is precious – don’t let a second go to waste. Start looking after your future self today.