Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hello there and welcome back tothe Joyful Menopause Podcast.
Today we are diving into a topicthat so many women need to hear
why there is no such thing as aone size fits all solution when
it comes to your health.
Maybe you've tried caloriecounting, maybe you've been
handed a meal plan or told youjust need to track your macros,
or maybe you've been given asupplement or medication and
(00:21):
told this will solve everything.
If you've ever felt frustratedbecause those things didn't work
for you, you are not alone, andit is not your fault.
In fact, one of my clients,Maureen, had been down that
road.
She tried everything she couldthink of to lose weight during
perimenopause, but nothingworked until we discovered what
her body really needed.
(00:42):
I'll share her story a littlelater because it perfectly
illustrates why personalizationmatters.
So let's get started.
Menopause doesn't have to feellike you are living in someone
else's body.
Your host, Lynda Enright, hasspent the last 25 years helping
women to thrive in midlife.
Here you'll find science-basedpractical advice that you can
start using today to get realresults for your health.
(01:03):
Welcome to Joyful Menopause.
Let's start with what I call thehealth shortcuts we've all been
told to follow.
Number one, calorie counting theold eat less.
Move more advice.
Makes it sound like your body'sjust a math problem, but your
body isn't a calculator.
It's a complex system that'sinfluenced by your hormones, by
(01:26):
stress, by sleep, and so manythings.
During perimenopause andmenopause, your metabolism
starts to change becauseestrogen and progesterone are
shifting, which affects how yourbody stores fat, how your body
uses energy.
And that means the good old 1200calorie diet may leave you
feeling depleted, cranky,irritable, and still not losing
(01:48):
weight because the problem isn'tjust calories, it's hormonal
balance, nutrient needs, andblood sugar regulation.
Second thing is macros or strictmeal plans too.
So counting grams of carbs,protein, and fat.
They might bring some, someshort term structure, but like
calorie counting, it isn't theonly answer.
(02:10):
I do pay attention to thesethings.
I look at calories, I look atmacros because they are
important to help to build somefoundation, but there's so much
more to it, and there isn't justa one size fits all for
everyone.
For either of these thingseither.
So we pay attention to macrosfor blood sugar regulation to
help you feel full andsatisfied.
But macros alone is again, not aone size fits all solution,
(02:33):
especially in midlife.
Why is that?
One problem with it is it oftenignores what works for you, your
food preferences, possibly foodsensitivities, and even just the
demands of your currentlifestyle, and then the demands
of this time in life as well.
Your needs in your forties, yourfifties are not the same as what
(02:54):
was needed in your twenties.
So these things need to changethroughout our life.
In perimenopause and menopause,your nutrient needs change.
Your nervous system requiresmore stability, strict plans,
rigidity do not leave room forany of that flexibility.
How about supplements?
We've seen all the ads.
Take this pill for energy.
(03:14):
This is going to balance yourhormones overnight.
The problem is without testingand evaluating what you need
specifically, you might bemissing nutrients that
particularly matter for yourbody.
So magnesium deficiency, forexample, can worsen things like
brain fog and sleep problems.
But if you're just taking somegeneric multivitamin or taking
(03:35):
one of these supplements thatmaybe your friend takes or you
heard a commercial about, youmight not be getting enough of
it.
First of all, you might be notgetting the right amount for
you.
Might not be the right form,that's absorbable.
Supplements need to be targeted,not just guesswork.
We're not shooting darts at thewall.
We're trying to figure out whatyour body needs personally.
(03:56):
Medications, there's noquestion.
Medications can be superhelpful.
Even lifesaving, of course.
Thyroid medication, for example,so many women need to be on
that.
Not everybody we can supplementto, to support that as well.
But the problem also arises whenmedication is looked at as the
only solution.
It's the, we have to take this,you gotta take this pill, you
(04:17):
gotta take it forever.
Normal lab numbers don't alwaysmean you're that you're
thriving.
So if the root causes likenutrient deficiencies, like
chronic stress or inflammation,if we ignore those things, then
women are left feeling exhaustedand not heard.
Medications can absolutely bepart of the solution, but
they're not the whole story andthey come with side effects too.
(04:41):
Of course, we all know thatyou've seen the commercials.
I'm sure.
Medications can also impact yournutrient needs.
So again, why we need a tailoredapproach to supplementation,
because even if you're taking amedication that you need for
some reason, is that making somenutrient deficiencies possibly
happening?
Is it impacting your appetite?
Is it creating muscle loss?
(05:03):
All factors we have to considerwhen looking at a tailored
approach.
Here's the frustrating part forso many women.
You've wasted years, maybethousands of dollars cycling
through these one size fits allfixes.
You try a new diet plan or sometrendy supplement or something
again, your friend told you todo, you might buy into the
latest program and findyourself, you know, just back
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where you started, tired,frustrated, struggling still for
answers.
And the problem again is ifthese solutions are sort of a
blanket solution for all people,all women, even all menopausal
women, we don't know if that'sexactly what is designed best
for you.
So if you've tried something andit hasn't worked, set aside the
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blame and the shame that goesalong with that, it has just not
been the right solution for you.
That is the key.
So what is the alternative?
The alternative is the power ofpersonalization.
So that is what can changeeverything.
Every woman I work with isunique.
Of course.
We're all absolutely unique.
(06:07):
You have your own healthhistory, genetics, lifestyle,
stressors, goals, familyhistory.
That means your nutrition andwellness plan has to be
individualized as well.
So here are some of the thingsthat I do to personalize it with
my clients.
I start first with evaluatingnutrient intake with
micronutrient testing.
Most approaches stop atcalories, carbs, protein, and
(06:29):
fat.
But your body needs far morethan macros, those carbs,
protein, and fat.
It needs the right micros, themicronutrients to power,
metabolism, energy and hormonebalance.
So micronutrients, they're thevitamins and minerals.
Think of your need for vitaminsand minerals, sort of like
charging your phone battery.
(06:50):
You can have all the best stuffon it.
The best apps, the greatsettings are all in place, but
without a charge, nothing works.
These vitamins and minerals aremicronutrients are the charge
your body relies on for energy,for repair, and without them a
lot of key things that arehappening just don't work.
Healthy functioning metabolismdoes not work well if you do not
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have the right nutrients.
Deficiencies in things likemagnesium, vitamin D, b
vitamins, so important.
Zinc, all these things can leaveyou exhausted.
Brain fog, anxiety, strugglingwith thyroid function.
We need these nutrients for allthese things to function.
During menopause shifts inestrogen change how your body
(07:34):
uses and stores nutrients, whichis why understanding what you
need is key for both energy, forweight loss.
Again, balancing these hormones.
Micronutrient testing takes theguesswork out.
It shows us exactly where yourbody is lacking support so we
can target nutrition andsupplementation if that's the
right way to go in a way that'svery specific to you.
(07:58):
Another thing that I look atthat so many people don't
consider when we're talkingabout nutrition is your sleep
and your stress.
You could be eating amazing,have this perfect, healthy diet,
but if your body is in aconstant state of stress or
you're lying awake at 2:00 AMwith menopause insomnia, your
body isn't going to heal.
Sleep is when your nervoussystem resets itself, your brain
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clears out the toxins, yourhormones recalibrate.
Without getting adequate sleepblood sugar control doesn't work
so well, so we can have theseups and downs in blood sugars.
Your cravings can increase, youranxiety can then go through the
roof.
So addressing perimenopausesleep problems, menopause
insomnia, and chronic stress iscrucial, a non-negotiable to get
(08:47):
lasting results.
Then one really overlooked issueI I've experienced in life also
is insulin resistant.
If your body struggles to manageblood sugar, it can lead to
weight gain, fatigue, brain fog,all the things that we talk
about all the time withperimenopause and menopause.
And unfortunately, it can evenlead to more severe things
(09:08):
happening down the road.
So it's important that we getthis under control.
It doesn't always matter howcarefully you count those
calories if your blood sugar'sout of balance.
Your body isn't going to respondthe way you want to.
The food that you're eating,even if.
You know, you're doingeverything sort of right.
You're eating nourishing foods.
If your blood sugar is notworking right, you're still
going to struggle.
So that's why we wanna focus onbalanced meals, movement, stress
(09:31):
management, sleep.
Again, it's central toeverything that I do with my
clients.
Another thing that you don'thear a whole lot about is
toxins.
Your everyday exposures toplastics and pesticides,
fragrances, cleaning products.
A number of these things can actlike hormone disruptors in your
(09:52):
body.
These toxins, these hormonedisruptors, potentially can
interfere with estrogenfunction, thyroid function.
They can worsen your hot flashesat night.
They can contribute toinflammation.
So by reducing exposure andsupporting your body's
detoxification pathways throughnutrition, hydration, movement,
we can create an environmentwhere your hormones can function
(10:15):
more smoothly.
Okay.
So there's a number of thingsthat I focus on really
personally with my clients, andthis isn't even a complete list,
but these are some of thepersonal factors that are
crucial to help you achieve yourbest health.
So see how different that looksfrom just count calories or just
take this supplement.
But what does this actually looklike when you put it into
(10:35):
practice with a real person?
So I want to tell you about myclient, Maureen.
So when Maureen first came tome, she was totally exhausted.
She told me she'd doneeverything she could think of to
lose weight during menopause.
Nothing was working.
She was already taking thyroidmedication, but because her labs
were normal, her doctor wouldn'teven talk to her about how she
(10:56):
was feeling.
Even though she was having clearsymptoms of thyroid dysfunction.
Like so many women, she wasGoogling trying to figure it
out.
Her latest attempt, she wentgluten-free.
She thought maybe that was goingto be the solution.
It helped a little bit, but shestill wasn't getting results.
She was in perimenopause.
She hadn't exercise in months,not because she didn't want to.
(11:16):
She used to be in a goodexercise routine.
She just literally did not havethe energy to do it.
She also had constipation,constant bloating of course,
that goes along with that.
We dug deeper.
I looked at all her lab data.
I discovered that her body wasinflamed.
Her blood sugar wasn't beingregulated well.
And then we did micronutrienttesting, and we learned a lot
(11:38):
about how the nutrients thatsupport thyroid health weren't
adequate for her.
They weren't at their optimallevels.
So instead of starting anotherdiet trend or supplement, we
created a plan, a dietary planand supplement regimen that was
very specific to her.
We focused on anti-inflammatoryeating.
We supported her thyroid withthe right nutrition.
(11:59):
We calmed her nervous system soher body could finally rest and
repair.
What happened?
Her sleep got better.
She got her energy back.
She lost weight.
She wasn't bloated anymore.
So for Maureen, it wasn't aboutabout like trying harder,
restricting more, you know,taking out gluten, all the
things that we hear about allthe time.
It was about uncovering what herpersonal unique needs were and
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giving her body the rightsupport.
So why am I telling you allthis?
Because personalization is themissing link.
Your body isn't broken.
You just need something thatfits you, that's right for your
body at this time in your life.
When we take the time to look atyour nutrients, your stress,
your sleep, your environment,your thyroid, your blood sugar,
(12:46):
we can start to uncover the realreasons that you don't feel your
best.
And sometimes it's a lot ofdifferent reasons.
It's not just one thing.
We have to deal with all of thethings.
So that's how we can get beyondthese bandaid solutions that are
just slap this thing on it.
We can finally help with issueslike perimenopause sleep
problems like brain fog, likestubborn weight, especially
(13:07):
abdominal weight.
So instead of spinning yourwheels over and over with
another sort of one size fitsall plan, imagine what it would
feel like to have a plan that'sbuilt specifically for you.
So let's wrap up today'sepisode.
Remember, there is no one sizefits all solution when it comes
to your health.
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Personalization is where thereal transformation can happen.
So think about this.
How much time, energy, moneyhave you already spent trying to
make cookie cutter solutionswork for you?
How much further ahead could yoube if you had an approach that
was truly tailored to your body?
Just like Maureen, she wastedyears trying different diets,
medications, quick fixes.
(13:50):
Once she had something thatworked for her body that was
personalized to her, everythingstarted to work.
Her energy came back.
She finally started sleeping.
The weight came off and thebloating disappeared.
If this sounds great to you, ifthis resonated with you, these
sound like the symptoms thatyou're experiencing, and you're
ready to stop wasting resourceson a one size fits all solution
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and start discovering what yourbody really needs.
I'd love to invite you toschedule a free consultation.
During the consultation, westart to unpack the root causes
of what you're experiencing andexplore how a customized
nutrition and lifestyle plancould support you.
Think of it as your opportunityto finally understand what your
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body needs and take the firststep toward real lasting
results.
So thanks for being here todayfor taking time out of your busy
schedule to hear a little bitabout nutrition and some of the
things that can work on along-term basis during these
years of midlife.
Remember, your body deserves aplan that is as unique as you
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are.
So until next time, take careand be well.