30/08/2025
Where my ladies at? 🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️🙋♀️🙋🏾♀️🙋🏿♀️🙋🏼♀️ It’s been a little quiet for The H2Life NB, as my health totally threw me for a loop in June and quite frankly knocked me on my a** once I turned 45. 🤪
Interestingly, this subject is not really discussed a whole lot so I thought I’d shed some light for ALL of my fellow ladies out there who may feel all alone or feel like something is off but can’t quite put your finger on it.
1. You are not crazy. Hormones are a real thing and when not in balance can be a HUGE disruption to your body and overall well being. Back in June, I started to feel a shift in both my mood and physical body. I was easily irritated, or something insignificant would happen and I’d breakdown emotionally, not to mention a “menopause belly” that showed up overnight, and HOT flashes that made me feel like my body was on fire. 🥵 I was consistent with at least 20-30 mins of activity every day, ate healthy, but realized I was either pregnant 😳 OR menopausal. Don’t ignore the signs!
2. Listen to the medical pros who specialize in women’s health. Back in June, I realized after a few weeks I felt off, I called my OBGYN and family practice doctor (as they specialize in women’s hormones) to get an appointment as soon as possible. I also read The Pause Life by Dr. Mary Claire Haver and her new book “The New Menopause” and NUMEROUS articles from Harvard Health and Mayo Clinic to get a basic understanding of what “may” be happening to me prior to my appointments. Be knowledgable and do your due diligence.
3. Get the labs. On the outside, I would consider myself to look healthy “for my age 😜” but the lab work showed otherwise. I had extremely low numbers in all categories, showed a vitamin D deficiency, and my BP readings were all in a “pre hypertension” range. 😳
Hormone replacement therapy or HRT was absolutely something I was going to have to start immediately and monitoring my BP would now be part of my day-to-day routine.
4. Make the adjustment and do the things that “serve you” that make you feel at your best. I knew I’d have to make some adjustments after speaking to my trainer (a.k.a. My husband) and Peloton’s Robin Arzol (who is the queen 👑 of helping women im perimenopause) and start doing something different with my exercise. 💪🏼Lift HEAVIER, lift more frequently, add the weighted vest to my walks to get my heart rate up and focus on bone density health,
reduce ALCOHOL (no more margaritas) only red wine on occasion, increase protein even more, and reduce starchier carbs with little nutritional value, and go to bed earlier.
5. Talk to the people that love you. I had to have “real talk” with my kids, husband, and extended family to let them know what was going on and how much I needed their support on this journey to get back to feeling like me. ❤️ It’s amazing to have your children understand “mom needs 30 mins” to get this workout in so I can be available for you when I’m finished. That “real talk” has made a BIG difference and has brought more peace, calm, and less stress. 🧘🏻♀️
6. Do something different. Sometimes we have to do something different to see results. I’ve always been an active person, I taught fitness classes for years, and never thought I would see a change in my health at this phase of my life. It can happen to anyone.
7. Keep God at the center of all you do. God won’t put anything in our life he doesn’t think we can handle. ✝️ He finds a way to humble us and remind us that we are NOT invincible.
Be prayerful, always find time for him, and he will always give you what you need.
8. God was telling me to slow down.
Last year, we had one of the most stressful years in our family. New school for the kids with a LONGER drive, I was back in the classroom AND seeing clients AND teaching group classes. It was simply too much. My body was reflecting that stress. Listen to your body and listen to God in the quiet moments you have when he’s trying to tell you something.
And finally my fellow mamas, love yourself enough to prioritize your health. You can’t pour from any empty cup. You will be a better mother, friend, daughter, spouse, when you take care of YOU! ❤️
As my girl Robin Arzol says.
Consistency is the real flex.
Nothing changes if nothing changes.
Movement is a privilege.
So go get em ladies! Perimenopause is only a phase and a wake-up call for us to take care of each other. ❤️🥰
Let’s not become another statistic. We got this!
xoxoxo,
Your fellow perimenopause warrior
