Midlife Wellness Blog

If you are a woman in midlife, you may be starting to notice some changes in your body as well as how you are feeling. Some women will feel this more than others. You may be one of the women that feel like the subject of menopause still feels a little taboo and also that it is hard to find information about what you are going through. A lot of women also cite that they don’t feel they get much support from their doctor.   I wanted to, in this blog, to shed some insight into the stages of menopause as there are various stages and the entire process can take several years. Menopause indicates the end of reproduction for a woman. Commonly, women reach  menopause in their 40s or 50s, with the average age being 51.   The stages for a woman transitioning to menopause are as follows: Perimenopause - meaning “around or near menopause.” It can start in your early to mid-forties but for some women it can start in their late thirties.  During this stage, women begin to experie...

Did you know that our body is made up of around 60% water?   So proper hydration is vital for every function in our body. Particularly as we age because our body doesn’t retain moisture as well. The sex hormone estrogen makes it easier for our tissues to retain moisture, so as we transition into menopause and levels of estrogen drops, so does our body moisture. Dehydration can cause fatigue, headaches, joint inflammation, mood swings, brain fog and forgetfulness. Other symptoms include drier, more brittle hair and nails, skin that is flaky, dry, and itchy. Headaches are common, as are constipation and bloating. Sounds fun ha! Not! Do not wait until you are thirsty to drink water – if you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. (Drink up!) I wrote this blog for those of you who aren't drinking enough water - been there, done that! So, check out these nine reasons to stay hydrated all day long, every day. You may be surprised and see that some of your symptoms improve and that has t...

(Recipe included) Diet plays a huge role in balancing hormones. For women particularly, hormone imbalances during peri-menopause can certainly make you feel really crap, making it difficult to lose weight, impact your overall feeling of wellbeing and even increase your risk of certain cancers and other serious diseases. Besides healthy fats (which provide the building blocks for steroid hormone production), fibre is a must for our overall health and no more so during midlife.   The 3 most important reasons fibre helps your health and hormones are: Stabilizing blood sugar Reducing cortisol levels Flushing out excess estrogens and toxins Fibre is a special type of carbohydrate that does not get converted to sugar and therefore does not raise blood sugar levels like other carbohydrates do. Fibre  comes in two forms, soluble and insoluble fibre . Insoluble fibre is found in the cell walls of plants and cannot be dissolved in water. This adds bul...

If you are a women in midlife and experiencing peri-/menopause symptoms caused by hormonal imbalance, such as insomnia, hot flushes, weight gain and mood swings (to name a few!), you might be wondering what treatment options are available.  Before looking at medical intervention, you can start trying some simple new daily, healthy habits. This includes switching up your diet. I have listed below just some foods that can actually help a lot with hormonal imbalance and will get you on your way to easing some of your peri-/menopause symptoms. Apple Cider Vinegar You have likely heard of people talking about apple cider vinegar recently and discussing the many health benefits of it. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has many health benefits for you, even aside from helping with your hormonal imbalance. It can lower your cholesterol, help with your blood sugar levels, and even aid in your weight loss efforts. ACV is also amazing for your digestion and fatty liver.  Since apple cider vinega...