For Ladies in the Half Century

 Gentlemen- this post will be lady centric, as I'll be discussing menopause.

Ladies. Just. Say. No.

Say no to feeling tired. 

Say no to crappy sleep.

Say no to mood swings. 

Say no to "unexplained" and/or unwanted weight gain.

Or, not. If you are entering your second half century and are experiencing all this, and "have accepted" it as part of the journey, then more power to you. This post may not apply to you. 

But if you are like me, and upon turning 51, your body went askew, for about 2 years, consider these things...when you were a teenager, there was most likely an adult in the room to explain the process. Maybe it was your mother, a health class teacher, a school nurse, a trusted adult. Chances are you were given equipment, clothing, and products to navigate the onset of a period and herky-jerky growth spurts. 

Adulthood life changes? The medical advice seems to stop at "well that's the way it is..." The changes in hormones are every bit as drastic at 50 as they are at 15, but somehow the overall advice and planning falls flat. A acquaintance from high school was dealing with unstoppable Niagra Falls-like periods when she reached 50, to the tune of a few ER visits, only to be told (wait for it...) "well, you are not passing out, that's the way it is..." She had to basically go to her Gynecologist, without an appointment and stubbornly refuse to leave until she obtained actual treatment and sound advice. 

About 1 1/2 years ago I really started taking matters into my own hands and making the hard changes. The women in my family live into their 90's, so weight gain, tiredness, and crappy sleep for the next 40-50 years were things I was not willing to "just accept." I mean seriously, hell no.

Here is what I do:

Lift weights. Lift all the weights. Lift all the heavy iron you can get your hands on. I'm not talking about cutesy 2-3 pounds. I mean get down to business, and do Bench Press, Squats, and Deadlifts. Invest some funds in your long term health and have an experienced trainer show you the correct techniques. If (like me) you have been doing a lot of cardio for several years, you will need to change things up. The cardio is well and good, but you need to build that muscle. 

Cut Alcohol and Sugar. I used to drink wine with dinner 1-2 times per week, and I was pretty laid back with sneaky snacks on a regular basis. I could have kept my weekly wine with dinner, and cookies, but doggone it, I also want to train jiu jitsu, stick fighting, and jump rope, and I want to train well. Cutting the excess alcohol and sugar came pretty easy when I started feeling better all the time.

Get your sleep in order. This will take on different  forms for different people, and it's one thing I only recently managed well. Earlier this year, my sleep patterns went waaayyyy off track. 2-3 hours of sleep per night off-track. I tried every sound app, breathing app, sleep mask, chamomile tea, relaxation techniques, cutting screen time at night, all of it. The one that I have success with is supplements. I started with 5mg of melatonin, and that helped improve my sleep a little but, but I have moved on to the Momentous Brand "Sleep Stack." I know supplements are controversial, so I'm not going to get into the weeds on them here. This is what is working for me. 

Whip your fuel into shape. Stop "dieting." Start eating good food. Good fuel. Lean proteins, vegetables, good, delicious fats, quality carbohydrates. The combination of lifting weights and eating for fuel/recovery is a mental game changer. 

Say No and Be Proactive. Just say no to your second half century being crappy. Do your own research and be stubborn. If you are in a place like I was a few years ago, and you want to feel better, you will need to DECIDE you WILL feel better and then make the changes to accomplish that. Whatever challenge you are facing, look it dead in the eye and move forward. I can't stress this enough. Do not take the negative parts of being over 50 lying down. Stand up, decide what you need, decide what you want to be doing in 10 years, pop the clutch and get after it.