Menopause Madness: Recreate Yourself for Next-Level Living
Are You Ready to Rise Above the Madness of Menopause?
It didn’t occur to me in my 30s or 40s that embarking upon menopause would be such an ordeal of learning how to adapt to life-changing transitions and roller-coaster living. I was convinced that suffering from hot flashes, weight gain, body composition changes, mood swings, low energy, decreased strength and libido, sleep disruptions, urinary changes, anxiety, and a myriad of other symptoms would never affect me the way the literature and other people tried to convince me it would. After all, my very healthy lifestyle, coupled with moderate exercise, meditation, having purpose, self-love, and a daily dose of gratitude, would be all I needed to escape menopause madness, right? Wrong!
My one moment in time in which I officially entered menopause was somewhere around my 55th year. One never really knows that infamous arrival unless they track the exact date of their last period and go a full year without one. I didn’t, so my official entrance into menopause went by unceremoniously. In fact, it went by so unnoticed I thought I had sailed through all those textbook warnings about menopause and had arrived on the other side entirely unscathed. Little did I realize that all those symptoms I wrote about earlier hit me well after my official “one moment in time.”
Fast forward to age 57, approximately two years after my unofficial menopause date. That was when the real menopause madness kicked in. I call it madness because seeing my body transform so quickly was maddening. My once strong, thin, athletic build morphed into what is commonly called “skinny fat.” No matter how much or hard I worked out or what kind of foods I ate, I could not get my energy, strength, or waistline close to where it was just a short time ago. What happened and why now, two years after menopause?
Now, I don’t have any delusions that my body will always look like it’s 40, but come on! How and why did this happen when I have been so careful to exercise and eat right? More importantly, what could I do about it? And it wasn’t just my body; it was my overall perception of how I had always been so strong, capable, and energetic.
I am one of those fortunate women that, for most of my life, could eat as much as I wanted without ever gaining a pound. On the flip side, there was a lingering self-consciousness I held about my tall, thin, wiry frame, especially when other people who barely knew me asked if I ate enough. At menopause, I welcomed my budding womanly curves. What I didn’t like was where the weight was going — right to my midsection and back. My muscles seemed to lose definition and get weaker despite doing the same level of exercise. Eating less, cutting carbs, and working out harder had no effect. In fact, I felt like it got worse. Was this going to be my future? Does going through menopause mean that, as women, we suddenly get old, and there is no more hope for feeling or looking fantastic again?
What Saved Me from Menopauses Madness
I will begin by saying that I believe the Universe guides us and gives us all kinds of messages to help us through any situation if our eyes are open and our minds are receptive. I had already begun cycling to help improve my fitness. I felt myself getting in better shape, but my overall energy, power, and body composition changes were still not coming along.
As far as other common menopausal symptoms, we have all heard about hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, increased urinary leaking, and decreased sexual drive after menopause. So that’s not much of a shocker to hear about.
This is where it gets deeply personal, but I feel if I can help just one woman get past what I did, it will be worth it. With everything I was experiencing, I also had something I later learned was vaginal atrophy. This wasn’t the dryness the medical literature pitches; it was something else that made having sex painful and non-appealing.
This was too much! I could not see myself at the age of 58, never making love with my husband again! This didn’t feel fair or right. My mind and emotions went into hyperdrive. If this was a “thing” that happens during menopause, why did I never hear about this, and how did it seem to occur almost overnight? Why was I not educated about this in nursing school during my A&P classes? Why have I never seen it mentioned in any of the copious articles I have read about menopausal symptoms? I had never known any other woman to talk about this absolutely dreadful thing, so I felt I must be in a tiny fragment of post-menopausal women who experienced what I did.
I guarded my secret carefully. Except for my best friend, I thought I would have to suffer in silence with this for the rest of my life. I was too embarrassed to tell my doctor and was even afraid to tell my husband. But I finally had to. It was just too much.
I should have known my husband would be supportive and compassionate and help me find a solution. My best friend also told me she knew several women our age who suffered in silence with this humiliating condition. I’ve since found it’s a fairly common condition that post-menopausal women experience but are ashamed and afraid to discuss it. My best friend and I call it the unspoken pandemic of menopause.
Back to the part where I said the Universe provides when we are open and willing. A female athlete was talking about a book she read for peri and post-menopausal women at a cycling camp my husband attended. The conversation apparently revolved around exercise and nutrition for women to better support athletic performance, body composition, optimal health, hormones, energy, and overall conditioning. When my husband returned from camp, he mentioned the book called Next Level by Dr. Stacy Simms. Something inside me suddenly felt intrigued. I had a renewed sense of hope that this is where I might find some answers.
I immediately purchased the audio version of Next Level and gobbled up every word. Finally, something that made sense, and I felt could help me. It’s a no-brainer that women are genetically different than men, but through the book, I really learned for the first time how and why women’s physiology, hormones, metabolism, thermoregulation, and response to exercise and nutrition are vastly different than men’s. Therefore, we can’t eat, exercise, or recover like men and expect to have the same results.
Science is finally beginning to catch up to the fact that “women are not small men!” That is Dr. Simm’s quote, not mine. We require a much different approach to exercise, nutrition, hydration, and managing hormones, heat intolerance, and recovery than men. And not only that, our specific needs for fueling, overall nutrition, and exercise for optimal performance change over our lifecycle. While men age linearly, women age practically all at once, and that is when they hit menopause. No wonder there is no one size fits all for women!
A monumental bonus in Next Level was that it even discussed the deeply personal issues around sex drive and vaginal changes that are not uncommon amongst post-menopausal women. I learned there are actionable steps I could take to help regain what I thought was lost. Read those two sentences again because it was pivotal for me and maybe for you as well. I suddenly no longer felt alone or that what I was experiencing was going to be my life. I was going to beat this! Or, at the very least, bio-hack my body to get to the place where I feel and look my best and enjoy the intimate pleasures of life again. No more menopause madness!
Here’s the thing. I am not a doctor, so don’t take what I say as gospel. Please do your own research, use your own judgment, and talk to your doctor. I have no financial interest in promoting Next Level. I am, however, urging any peri or post-menopausal woman to buy it and read it. You don’t need to be an athlete. You just need to be a woman who wants to learn how to be your best at any age and take some educated, conscious action to learn how to use what is available to recreate yourself into the best version of who you can be now.
I also recommend Next Level and Dr. Simms's book called Roar for women to read well before they hit menopause to guide them on achieving their optimal level of fitness, health, and vitality in preparation for that inevitable one moment in time. If you have a spouse or life partner, I encourage you to invite them to read the book or at least watch some of Dr. Simm’s videos on YouTube. Educating your partner will help you feel more supported and understood. Thanks to Dr. Simms’s information, my husband now pretty much knows as much about managing menopause as I do. Menopause does not need to be madness. It can be your proclamation to recreate yourself and to thrive, not just survive after you hit that one moment in time.
The Secret to My Success for Next-Level Living after Menopause
So, you may be wondering, what action steps did I take to recreate myself after menopause? First, I will say I am still a work in progress, but I always will be. I think that is a key to next-level living at any time of life. The minute I stop creating my best self is the minute I give up. I have good days and not as good days, but I find my good days easily outnumber the bad. I also don’t let my bad moments or days define me. They are my stepping stones to help me move past perceived obstacles on my road to next-level living.
I don’t want the secret to my success of recreating myself through menopause madness to be a secret. I want you to have this information in hopes it will help you like it did me. In addition, I hope that if you are experiencing any of the intimate things I discussed, you can come out of the closet as well. More of us need to speak up and courageously let our fellow sisters know they do not need to suffer alone in silence and that there are things they can do to help them. We also need to educate our younger sisters so they know how to prepare for and prevent or at least decrease their future suffering from menopause madness.
I had already begun my journey by going beyond my moderate exercise routine into a full-on training program with my cycling. My husband coached me at first, and I have just recently hired a professional cycling coach through Cinch Cycling to help me achieve my cycling and fitness goals. The thing is, you don’t need to start cycling, hire a coach, or work out like a maniac. The information and strategies in Next Level can help you decide how and where to start. If you feel you need some additional guidance after reading the book, Dr. Simms offers a wealth of information on her website.
Here are some of my key takeaways and personal comments:
I have learned that regular, purposeful exercise is paramount, and so is eating the right foods at the right times. This may mean changing up your long-standing beliefs about exercise, body image, and nutrition. You must be committed to exercising regularly and training harder than you may be used to. There are women-specific fueling and training strategies to help empower and educate.
I have learned that heavy weight lifting and sprint interval training are paramount in helping biohack our hormones and, among other things, gain muscle and strength again. The heavy lifting is something I just recently started, so nothing to report on this yet. But I am excited to add it to my training program. Heavy lifting also helps improve bone health by preventing osteoporosis which is so important for menopausal women. Heavy lifting and sprint interval training also helps improve and remodel body composition changes (think belly fat and flabby muscles).
I stopped intermittent fasting and started eating more! Yes, you read that right! I learned that a vast majority of the exercise and nutrition studies in the past have been done on men or metabolically compromised older adults. What works for men does not necessarily apply to women. We have basic metabolic differences. Most of the formulas for success are geared toward men (such as intermittent fasting and pre and post-training nutrition and timing). They have been straight up applied to women athletes from men’s studies, and as you know, women are not small men. A woman’s physiology requires different strategies than a man’s when it comes to exercise and nutrition, especially when you are approaching or have hit menopause. I was very happy to learn that my new cycling coach is familiar with this, so she can support and guide me on my nutrition and fueling.
I eat more healthy carbohydrates — lots of them. We often need more carbs than we think we do. Plus, our gut microbiome changes significantly during peri and post-menopause. A ketogenic or low-carb diet may be OK for men and women in their 20s and 30s who are not athletes but not for most healthy, active peri and post-menopausal women. If you are a woman who exercises regularly, healthy carbs are important to maintain your training levels and fitness goals.
I have learned when we don’t fuel properly before and after a workout or only eat one big meal a day; menopausal women create more cortisol. This is partly because our bodies think we are going into starvation mode. We end up depriving ourselves of essential fuel and nutrients to support our changing hormones, metabolism, and microbiome. As we go into peri and post-menopause, we tend to gain weight — especially deep visceral belly fat, amongst other things that are too technical for this article. You may not notice this before menopause, but I can attest to how you do after!
I began to notice positive body composition changes and increased strength and endurance after I stopped my mostly keto diet, started eating healthy carbs, and timed my carb and protein intake appropriately for pre- and post-exercise and throughout the day. There are plenty of scientific studies and examples, and no guesswork in this when you read Next Level. I also suggest reading Roar, Dr. Simm’s book for women of all ages.
I don’t skimp on my diet on the days I don’t work out. Yes, you read that right. I have learned it is essential that our bodies don’t think we are going into starvation mode. That’s when our cortisol rises, and you know what happens then! So, I eat a variety of healthy foods on the days I don’t work out and never feel guilty. In fact, I have learned that what I do or don’t eat today significantly affects my performance tomorrow. I haven’t lost weight, but it is re-distributing, and I am getting leaner and stronger. I’m sure you have heard that strong is the new sexy!
At the time of writing this article, I am 59 years old. I am committed to following my training program four to five days a week and am on track for being in the best shape of my life by the time I reach 60 next year. On my non-training days, I rest completely, go on slow walks, or do gentle yoga. If I need to take a day off from my regular workout, I don’t stress about it or beat myself up. If you are still in the taking care of everyone else’s needs ahead of yourself phase of life, scheduling some downtime just for you may not always be practical; but it is an essential investment in your overall health and quality of life.
I don’t allow negative self-talk about where I am now compared to the past or other women. If I find myself in that situation, I acknowledge it and re-focus my mind on how far I have come and how great I am doing. I look forward to being in the best shape of my life by the time I turn 60 next year. When I hit 60, I will craft a new goal for 70. I also have realistic expectations for my age and embrace the life experience on my face. I look forward to aging with grace, vitality, and panache! Wrinkles and all!
When my workouts get hard, I create new mantras. My latest one is, “I am fabulous, I am powerful, I am capable”. I chanted this as I embarked on my first big climb on my road bike while visiting Colorado, which took me three and one-half hours to complete. It was a delicious victory, for sure!
I have learned that you are an athlete when you exercise on purpose. This doesn’t mean you take meandering walks or occasionally run on a treadmill. I know there are benefits to all movement, and we all need to start somewhere, so please start with walking if that is where you are. An athlete is someone who has the motivation and mindset to put in the work on a regular basis with the purposeful intention to take her body, energy, health, and vitality to the next level.
Last but not least, this may be what you are here for! I followed some of the advice in Next Level regarding adaptogens and menopausal hormone therapy. I won’t tell you what I have done because we are all different, and what worked for me may not work for you. I will say that I discussed this with my doctor, am following the protocol, and am enjoying the intimacy I thought I may have lost forever. It is a game-changer for sure! I still need to work on pelvic floor exercises, but the urinary leaking has improved.
It’s Never too Late to Recreate Yourself
Unlock your hidden potential with my book, Mastering Manifestation!
My primary motto, which I borrowed from my dear mother Tonita, is “Follow your heart and live your dreams.” I have another one that is just as powerful: “It’s never too late to recreate.” I believe we can reimagine and recreate ourselves at any moment and age. It has everything to do with what we focus on the most, how we believe, and what stories we choose to replay about ourselves and others. If you want to know more about becoming a powerful and effective conscious creator and living the life of your dreams, you may want to read my book, Mastering Manifestation.
You are more powerful than you may think and have more control over recreating yourself than you may believe. When our heartfelt desires align with an open mind, and we have the proper information, tools, support, self-talk, vision, focus, and mental drive, we can expand into our highest potentials and experience our greatest victories.
The more we speak up and support each other through our menopause journey, the better we become at adapting through the transitions of aging and thriving in the years ahead. I am proud to be at the age I am and look forward to what’s to come. I am thankful for the ability to consciously recreate myself moment by moment, and I enjoy helping others discover this ability in themselves. The body I live in is my vessel to experience the best me I can be while serving my Creator, living my purpose, and enjoying my passions at any age, and you can as well!
My vision for you is to enjoy the journey and to be fiercely proud of who you are and know at any moment, you can choose to recreate and celebrate your own next-level living.
With love,
Shannon MacDonald