June 30, 2025 • 21 mins
In this personal and powerful episode of The Ageless and Awesome Podcast, I pull back the curtain on what navigating menopause in my 40s was really like—and what no one warned me about.
From the hormonal chaos of perimenopause to the myths around weight gain, mood swings, and metabolism, I share what I had to learn the hard way—and what I now teach my clients every day.
You’ll discover:
✨ Why “eat less, move more” doesn’t work in perimenopause
✨ What your doctors probably didn’t tell you about progesterone and oestrogen
✨ How sleep, stress, and blood sugar shape your experience
✨ What real healing looks like beyond calorie counting and quick fixes
If you’ve ever felt like your body is betraying you in your 40s, this episode will validate your experience—and give you hope.
If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another woman who deserves to feel empowered in midlife.
Are you a woman feeling stressed, flat and experiencing the challenges of perimenopause?
It’s time to reclaim your youthful energy, radiance and self-assurance (and your ideal weight).
I’m here to help with my proven method.
Here's how I can support you -
1. Hit your health and wellbeing goals this year, balance your hormones and lose weight with your own personalised protocol, based on your body's biochemistry. Sounds awesome right!! Book a free 30 minute Peri Weight Loss Assessment with me so we can discuss your health and wellbeing goals and also see how I might be able to support you. Book your call here.
2. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook - @the.perimenopause.path
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women
(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
I'm Susie Garden, your host.
I'm a clinical nutritionist,perimenopause naturopath and
(00:48):
unapologetic advocate for womenin their 40s, 50s and beyond who
are finally ready to takecontrol of their health, their
hormones and their vitality.
And today's episode is a bit ofa personal one.
It's a little raw, it's realand it's probably going to feel
like I'm speaking straight toyour soul, because we're talking
(01:11):
about what I learned aboutmenopause in my 40s, or, more
accurately, what I didn't learn,what no one told me, what no
one teaches any of us and youmay have seen a reel I did about
this on Instagram this week,because you know, this is not
just about hot flushes and nightsweats.
(01:33):
This is about everything thatchanged my body, my brain, my
energy, my moods and how Ireally needed to dig deep to
uncover what was going on withme, the truth of what our
hormonal shifts really are allabout, to heal myself and now to
(01:55):
help other women to do the same.
So grab a cup of your favoritebeverage or get comfy on your
walk or your drive and let's getinto it.
Firstly, I wanted to talk aboutthe silence around
perimenopause.
So you know, this is the mostglaring kind of issue is that no
(02:19):
one talks about this stuff.
When I hit my 40s, I expected,well, you know, I might feel a
bit different.
I kind of expected that mymetabolism would slow down, um,
maybe put on a bit of weight.
That's kind of what I wasexpecting.
That's about all I wasexpecting.
What I didn't expect was tofeel like I was slowly
(02:39):
unraveling.
Uh, I was, was gaining a littlebit of weight despite eating.
Well, that didn't bother me toomuch, because I was always been
kind of on the lighter side.
Um, but waking up at anywherebetween one and 3am, feeling
anxious in an absolute pool ofsweat, even though I wasn't hot,
snapping, becoming enraged attimes at people that I love over
(03:06):
really not much.
Feeling like my brain was justlike glitching.
I was feeling reallyunmotivated, crying over just
silly things.
Brain fog well, plus plus plusI would say with the brain fog.
Well, plus plus plus I wouldsay with the brain fog.
And just so tired tired to mybones even after eight hours of
(03:28):
sleep, if I was lucky enough toget that.
And the worst part is I justthought it was something wrong
with me.
I did not think I hadperimenopause.
I didn't even know.
I mean, perimenopause wasn'teven a word back then, like 10,
15 years ago.
It was not a word that was sortof known in in.
I mean, I don't know aboutmedical circles, but I've worked
(03:49):
in healthcare and taughtanything about it, never really
heard that word.
I just thought this is justsomething going wrong with me.
I was, maybe it was because Iwas stressed, maybe I just
wasn't coping very well withlife anymore.
I didn't know.
And it was really reallydistressing actually, because
I've always been a veryindependent, strong kind of
(04:10):
woman and I didn't know thatthese were actually really
common symptoms of perimenopause.
You know, we're taught toexpect menopause in our fifties,
not the hormonal chaos thatgoes on in our 40s and this lack
of knowledge and education,even in medical circles, because
(04:31):
you know, I'd been a nurse,I've done nursing training, I've
done a master's in healthscience, I've done my bachelor
of naturopathy.
I hadn't at this point, buteven so, perimenopause even I
remember, I think probably fouryears ago, I was talking with a
business coach about this andshe said don't use the word
perimenopause in your marketing,nobody will know what it is.
(04:52):
So you know, this is only really, I think, in probably the past
two years, that perimenopause isactually getting any sort of
coverage, and it's because highprofile women in their forties
are talking about it, which Ilove, that we're suddenly seeing
this in the lay press, insocial media, from women that
(05:14):
have influence, and that is whywe're starting to see a huge
improvement in the level of care.
There is still a long way to go, mind you, but a huge
improvement in terms of theinformation that women are able
to access and get educated onand the level of care that
they're starting to receive.
But believe me, based on all ofthe women I speak to on a
(05:37):
weekly basis that are lookingfor answers, there's still a
long way to go when it comes toperimenopause care.
A long way to go when it comesto perimenopause care.
So yeah, I do get shocked.
Many GPs don't really get muchin the way of actual training or
education in menopause care,unless they are actively seeking
it.
So you know, women are leftGoogling symptoms and wondering
(06:02):
if we're losing it.
I literally spoke to a potentialclient today on a peri weight
loss assessment and she saidshe'd been offered
antidepressants and what was theother thing.
I can't remember now, but shewas offered antidepressants and
something else for herperimenopause symptoms and it's
just like that's just not goodenough.
It really is not good enough.
(06:24):
So if I look at what in my mindwhat I thought peri or I didn't
know what peri was so saymenopause would look like versus
reality, I thought menopausewould be periods would just
pretty much stop, maybe a fewhot flushes.
I didn't think that was goingto be any drama and then it'd be
done.
That's honestly what I thoughtit would be, and no one had told
(06:48):
me that it can last for eightto 10 years eight to 10 years
minimum of symptoms.
No one told me that progesteronedrops first, which causes
anxiety and insomnia.
No one told me that estrogendoesn't just drop.
I thought it just dropped.
It actually fluctuates wildly.
(07:09):
So you're getting these surgesof estrogen way beyond what
you've ever experienced in yourlife before, and then it drops
suddenly and that just makes youfeel horrific.
And nobody told me it affectsnot only things like you'd
expect, I guess your libido andyour periods and that kind of
thing but affects your mood,your weight, your skin, your gut
(07:32):
, health so many things in yourbody.
Perimenopause is like pubertyin reverse.
It's like a whole bodyrecalibration and without
support it can feel devastating.
And what I learned is, if youdon't know what's happening in
your body, it's really easy toblame yourself, particularly for
(07:53):
someone like myself who hasbeen a healthcare professional
for a very long time, manydecades.
Yeah, you just think I shouldbe all over this, I should know
what's going on.
And I thought I didn't make theconnection that this was
perimenopause.
I thought there was somethingelse going on and I thought I
didn't make the connection thatthis was perimenopause.
I thought there was somethingelse going on.
And then I just kind of thinkam I just lazy?
Am I just, you know, moody,unmotivated?
(08:17):
I just need to just keep myselfgoing?
But I was none of those things.
I was in a transitional state.
I deserve support.
You deserve support and itstill can be quite difficult to
get that.
What I found was the real gamechanger for me was understanding
my hormones.
So once I really starteddigging into it and started
(08:39):
doing some retraining in women'shormonal health, specifically
perimenopause and menopauseeverything made sense.
Everything clicked.
I realized you know why eatingless and exercising more, which
is like your standard weightmanagement advice I understood
why that was backfiring, whyskipping meals makes people gain
(09:04):
weight.
I remember doing a challenge Iprobably talked about this
before a challenge at our localgym where for a week I had to
eat 1200 calories a day andtrack it in my fitness pal, and
I've talked about this before,you know.
I sat there and I planned outyou know, okay, if I want to
have two glasses of wine tonight, that's going to be 300
(09:27):
calories, so I've got 900 leftfor my three meals and planning
all of that out and I have toldthis story before.
I remember sitting at.
I was at lunch with a couple ofthe people in my team down in
Melbourne at a cafe and I hadordered poached eggs with this
salad-y thing and I worked outthat I did not have enough
(09:50):
calories to eat both yolks, so Ihad one whole egg and then I
sat there at this table withwork colleagues and I perfectly
peeled off the white from thisyolk I just cringe thinking
about it.
And these girls were justwatching me, just you could just
see they're going.
What the hell is she doing?
(10:11):
And yeah, I peeled off thewhite from this yolk, left this
perfect little yolk on my plate.
So I'm sure when the waitresscame over and took my plate
she's like what the hell isgoing on here?
So I ate one egg, one white andthe veggies and salad that was
on my plate and I thought I wasjust, I had it all sorted.
(10:32):
I was yep, this was going to begreat.
And after just one week oftracking calories like that, I
found it so addictive.
I really struggled to breakthat habit of putting everything
into my fitness pal andactually obsessed over it and I
thought to myself my gosh, Ihave never had disordered eating
(10:54):
before.
This felt like that was gettingset up to happen.
So I had to delete that appfrom my phone.
And that was just one week.
So I'm a massive what's theopposite of advocate.
I'm massively against countingcalories and tracking it like
that.
It's just not the right thingto do, particularly for women
(11:17):
over 40, because the quality ofyour food matters.
Nutrient density matters, notcalories.
Not working out how manyglasses of wine you can have so
that you can have that and thenknow what you're having for the
rest of the day that justdoesn't make any sense at all.
So let's get back on track.
(11:37):
Sorry, I went off on a tangentthen.
So yeah.
So once I started researchingand learning more about women's
health and perimenopause andmenopause, I realized that
stress was a major problem.
Stress was wrecking my sleep,it was interfering with my gut
health.
It was a massive issue that wascausing me.
(11:58):
I even had a panic attack oneday when I was at a local
shopping center.
And, yeah, I didn't have, eventhough I've been doing yoga for
a long time.
I was in a corporate job and itwasn't.
I mean, I was doing yoga but Iwasn't implementing daily
practices and I didn't reallytruly believe that things like
(12:21):
simple things like breathing wasgoing to actually help.
And I certainly didn't make theconnection between stress and
gut health.
And I also realized there wassome fantastic nutrients you can
have.
Once I learned this, I'm stillon some of these today, like
magnesium, super important formany people.
(12:41):
About a third to a half of thepopulation is magnesium
deficient.
So having some magnesium,particularly when you're going
through periods of stress, canbe a game changer for energy,
for sleep, for gut health somany things.
Also, there are some fantasticherbal medicines that can really
(13:03):
help support your nervoussystem, particularly ashwagandha
or withania is fantastic,passionflower is fantastic,
melissa valerian for sleep.
So there's quite a lot you cando with herbal medicines that
aren't going to have sideeffects, not going to make you
feel sluggish the next day, andwill help with stress.
(13:23):
And how important protein is,particularly for women 40 plus,
for wanting to maintain musclemass as much as you can, protein
becomes really important.
And also it's important tobuild your neurotransmitters,
which are your brain chemicals,so important for so many
different functions in the body.
So you know, at this point Istarted tracking my cycle,
(13:47):
noticing patterns, supporting myadrenals and liver, nourishing
myself instead of punishingmyself once I had this knowledge
and I discovered how to balancemy blood sugar and how much of
a driver blood sugar was for mepersonally, with how I felt, how
my energy was, my moods, etcetera.
(14:08):
For me, I seem to beparticularly sensitive to sugar,
even though I do love it, Iwill admit that but I can feel
really bad after eating it and Ithink it's because my blood
sugar does spike easily and thenmy insulin drops it rapidly.
I also learned how, to, howimportant inflammation and
(14:32):
reducing inflammation in my bodywas, and using food to do that.
Using targeted supplements tohelp with some of the symptoms,
such as hot flushes, can be.
Symptoms such as hot flushescan be actually quite effective
(14:52):
and reclaiming sleep.
If you are a long time listener, you know I have a bit of a
battle with sleep from time totime, but it is such an
important element to prioritizeand your hormones have a huge
influence over this.
And I think, most importantly,what I learned is to stop trying
to be the woman I was in my 20s, the woman I was becoming.
(15:13):
You know it's cause it reallyis.
I mean, people say it's a bitof a revolution and it really is
.
When you get over to the otherside, which I am now like, it
just really is awesome.
Um, so there's something tolook forward to, uh.
So yeah, let's talk a little bitabout emotions.
So you may have experiencedthis that perimenopause can
(15:34):
bring up so many emotions ragethat I couldn't explain.
I'm a pretty calm person.
It takes a lot to get me angryand fired up, but this rage that
just flew out of nowhere, fear,fear of actually using the word
perimenopause I've got I'm justso lucky, I've got some really
(15:55):
good friends in my life thatreally helped me embrace it.
Because to me, I associatedperimenopause or menopause with
getting old, with feelinginvisible, like I didn't matter,
because you know, really, whenyou look and it was the same
when I was younger as well it'sall about young people, isn't it
really Like when you're lookingat where the attention goes,
(16:17):
it's all in the youth.
And to go from being in that tobeing in a place where you feel
invisible, it's not a nicefeeling.
But on the on the bright side,going through this process
brings wisdom, my gosh.
It brings boundaries.
It really brings boundariesinto play clarity of what you
(16:38):
want and what you will notaccept in life, and power.
And once I stopped resistingand started listening, I
realized that perimenopauseisn't a decline, it's a portal.
It's your body asking you toslow down, to tune in, to honor
(16:58):
your needs.
It's not the end, it's actuallya beginning, and what I wish
every woman knew.
And so I'm going to share whatI wish I'd known earlier, and
what I now teach my clients isyou're not crazy, you are not.
These mood swings.
If you get anxiety, thisexhaustion, they're hormonal.
(17:18):
It's not you, it's yourhormones.
Actually is a true statement.
You can't treat perimenopauselike a willpower problem.
You are getting ruled by yourhormones, so the sooner you can
get them within your control,the better.
Calorie counting and bootcampworkouts are not the answer for
(17:39):
weight loss at this stage oflife.
Sleep is sacred.
Magnesium is magic.
Stress is sabotage.
So stress management is key,and it's why it's one of the six
pillars of my GLOW protocol.
You need personalized solutions, not one size fits all plans.
(18:01):
The vast majority of women Iwould say 99% of the women that
book in for a peri-weight lossassessment have tried at least
three or four other things tohelp themselves, and most of
these are one size fits all kindof approaches, whether they're
supplements you buy off theinternet, whether it's doing
some of the.
I'm noticing quite a fewperimenopause focused workout
(18:24):
apps and things popping up,which it's not really the point.
If, uh, yeah, that's enoughsaid, I'm not going to get too
much into that.
The personalized approach overone size fits all is key at this
time of life.
Also, what I wish I'd knownearlier is you're allowed to
(18:45):
rest.
You are you're allowed to rest.
You're allowed to say no.
I, if I committed to something,I used to just like, yep, I
will be there.
But even in the last couple ofweeks, it was something I'd
committed to and I just thoughtthis is causing me so much
stress to get there in timebecause I had so much to do that
I pulled out and I feltterrible.
(19:05):
But at the same time, I justknew I had to say no, and it's
okay to say no.
People will understand and youcan ask for help as well.
And finally, what I wish everywoman knew is that you deserve
better than what you're getting.
And if this is resonating withyou, know that it's not too late
(19:26):
.
There is so much that you cando.
No matter where you're at inthis part of your journey, there
is still things you can do.
So I'm going to offer aninvitation, I guess If you're
nodding along yes, this is me,yes, this is me, I see you, I've
been you.
And if you're tired of piecingit together on the internet,
(19:50):
taking some random supplements,feeling alone, I want to invite
you to book a free peri-weightloss assessment with me.
We will get on the video call.
Spend 30, 40 minutes together.
I'll learn more about you andwhat your needs might be.
You can learn more about what Ioffer and map out a holistic
(20:10):
strategy to support yourhormones, your metabolism, your
sanity, because you don't haveto just survive.
You can absolutely thrivethrough this.
So there's a link in the shownotes.
You can book through there oryou can DM me on Instagram at
the perimenopause path.
So thanks so much for joining mefor this little bit of a raw
(20:33):
episode of the ageless andAwesome podcast.
If this spoke to you, please,please, share it with a friend.
You can take a screenshot ofthe podcast and pop it in your
stories and tag me, or, if youcould leave a review, that would
be awesome.
Help spread the word so morewomen can feel informed,
supported and empowered.
(20:54):
So enjoy the rest of your weekand empowered.
So enjoy the rest of your week.
I'm so glad you've joined mefor this episode and I'll see
you next week with some morefresh new content.
Thanks so much for joining meon the Ageless and Awesome
podcast.
If you liked this episode,please make sure you click the
little plus button if you're onApple podcasts, or the follow
(21:15):
button if you're on Spotify, sothat you get each new episode
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If you feel like writing me afive-star review, you would
absolutely make my day.
If you found this episoderesonated with you, head over to
my Instagram and DM me attheperimenopausepar.
I would love to connect withyou.
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women
(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
I'm Susie Garden, your host.
I'm a clinical nutritionist,perimenopause naturopath and
(00:48):
unapologetic advocate for womenin their 40s, 50s and beyond who
are finally ready to takecontrol of their health, their
hormones and their vitality.
And today's episode is a bit ofa personal one.
It's a little raw, it's realand it's probably going to feel
like I'm speaking straight toyour soul, because we're talking
(01:11):
about what I learned aboutmenopause in my 40s, or, more
accurately, what I didn't learn,what no one told me, what no
one teaches any of us and youmay have seen a reel I did about
this on Instagram this week,because you know, this is not
just about hot flushes and nightsweats.
(01:33):
This is about everything thatchanged my body, my brain, my
energy, my moods and how Ireally needed to dig deep to
uncover what was going on withme, the truth of what our
hormonal shifts really are allabout, to heal myself and now to
(01:55):
help other women to do the same.
So grab a cup of your favoritebeverage or get comfy on your
walk or your drive and let's getinto it.
Firstly, I wanted to talk aboutthe silence around
perimenopause.
So you know, this is the mostglaring kind of issue is that no
(02:19):
one talks about this stuff.
When I hit my 40s, I expected,well, you know, I might feel a
bit different.
I kind of expected that mymetabolism would slow down, um,
maybe put on a bit of weight.
That's kind of what I wasexpecting.
That's about all I wasexpecting.
What I didn't expect was tofeel like I was slowly
(02:39):
unraveling.
Uh, I was, was gaining a littlebit of weight despite eating.
Well, that didn't bother me toomuch, because I was always been
kind of on the lighter side.
Um, but waking up at anywherebetween one and 3am, feeling
anxious in an absolute pool ofsweat, even though I wasn't hot,
snapping, becoming enraged attimes at people that I love over
(03:06):
really not much.
Feeling like my brain was justlike glitching.
I was feeling reallyunmotivated, crying over just
silly things.
Brain fog well, plus plus plusI would say with the brain fog.
Well, plus plus plus I wouldsay with the brain fog.
And just so tired tired to mybones even after eight hours of
(03:28):
sleep, if I was lucky enough toget that.
And the worst part is I justthought it was something wrong
with me.
I did not think I hadperimenopause.
I didn't even know.
I mean, perimenopause wasn'teven a word back then, like 10,
15 years ago.
It was not a word that was sortof known in in.
I mean, I don't know aboutmedical circles, but I've worked
(03:49):
in healthcare and taughtanything about it, never really
heard that word.
I just thought this is justsomething going wrong with me.
I was, maybe it was because Iwas stressed, maybe I just
wasn't coping very well withlife anymore.
I didn't know.
And it was really reallydistressing actually, because
I've always been a veryindependent, strong kind of
(04:10):
woman and I didn't know thatthese were actually really
common symptoms of perimenopause.
You know, we're taught toexpect menopause in our fifties,
not the hormonal chaos thatgoes on in our 40s and this lack
of knowledge and education,even in medical circles, because
(04:31):
you know, I'd been a nurse,I've done nursing training, I've
done a master's in healthscience, I've done my bachelor
of naturopathy.
I hadn't at this point, buteven so, perimenopause even I
remember, I think probably fouryears ago, I was talking with a
business coach about this andshe said don't use the word
perimenopause in your marketing,nobody will know what it is.
(04:52):
So you know, this is only really, I think, in probably the past
two years, that perimenopause isactually getting any sort of
coverage, and it's because highprofile women in their forties
are talking about it, which Ilove, that we're suddenly seeing
this in the lay press, insocial media, from women that
(05:14):
have influence, and that is whywe're starting to see a huge
improvement in the level of care.
There is still a long way to go, mind you, but a huge
improvement in terms of theinformation that women are able
to access and get educated onand the level of care that
they're starting to receive.
But believe me, based on all ofthe women I speak to on a
(05:37):
weekly basis that are lookingfor answers, there's still a
long way to go when it comes toperimenopause care.
A long way to go when it comesto perimenopause care.
So yeah, I do get shocked.
Many GPs don't really get muchin the way of actual training or
education in menopause care,unless they are actively seeking
it.
So you know, women are leftGoogling symptoms and wondering
(06:02):
if we're losing it.
I literally spoke to a potentialclient today on a peri weight
loss assessment and she saidshe'd been offered
antidepressants and what was theother thing.
I can't remember now, but shewas offered antidepressants and
something else for herperimenopause symptoms and it's
just like that's just not goodenough.
It really is not good enough.
(06:24):
So if I look at what in my mindwhat I thought peri or I didn't
know what peri was so saymenopause would look like versus
reality, I thought menopausewould be periods would just
pretty much stop, maybe a fewhot flushes.
I didn't think that was goingto be any drama and then it'd be
done.
That's honestly what I thoughtit would be, and no one had told
(06:48):
me that it can last for eightto 10 years eight to 10 years
minimum of symptoms.
No one told me that progesteronedrops first, which causes
anxiety and insomnia.
No one told me that estrogendoesn't just drop.
I thought it just dropped.
It actually fluctuates wildly.
(07:09):
So you're getting these surgesof estrogen way beyond what
you've ever experienced in yourlife before, and then it drops
suddenly and that just makes youfeel horrific.
And nobody told me it affectsnot only things like you'd
expect, I guess your libido andyour periods and that kind of
thing but affects your mood,your weight, your skin, your gut
(07:32):
, health so many things in yourbody.
Perimenopause is like pubertyin reverse.
It's like a whole bodyrecalibration and without
support it can feel devastating.
And what I learned is, if youdon't know what's happening in
your body, it's really easy toblame yourself, particularly for
(07:53):
someone like myself who hasbeen a healthcare professional
for a very long time, manydecades.
Yeah, you just think I shouldbe all over this, I should know
what's going on.
And I thought I didn't make theconnection that this was
perimenopause.
I thought there was somethingelse going on and I thought I
didn't make the connection thatthis was perimenopause.
I thought there was somethingelse going on.
And then I just kind of thinkam I just lazy?
Am I just, you know, moody,unmotivated?
(08:17):
I just need to just keep myselfgoing?
But I was none of those things.
I was in a transitional state.
I deserve support.
You deserve support and itstill can be quite difficult to
get that.
What I found was the real gamechanger for me was understanding
my hormones.
So once I really starteddigging into it and started
(08:39):
doing some retraining in women'shormonal health, specifically
perimenopause and menopauseeverything made sense.
Everything clicked.
I realized you know why eatingless and exercising more, which
is like your standard weightmanagement advice I understood
why that was backfiring, whyskipping meals makes people gain
(09:04):
weight.
I remember doing a challenge Iprobably talked about this
before a challenge at our localgym where for a week I had to
eat 1200 calories a day andtrack it in my fitness pal, and
I've talked about this before,you know.
I sat there and I planned outyou know, okay, if I want to
have two glasses of wine tonight, that's going to be 300
(09:27):
calories, so I've got 900 leftfor my three meals and planning
all of that out and I have toldthis story before.
I remember sitting at.
I was at lunch with a couple ofthe people in my team down in
Melbourne at a cafe and I hadordered poached eggs with this
salad-y thing and I worked outthat I did not have enough
(09:50):
calories to eat both yolks, so Ihad one whole egg and then I
sat there at this table withwork colleagues and I perfectly
peeled off the white from thisyolk I just cringe thinking
about it.
And these girls were justwatching me, just you could just
see they're going.
What the hell is she doing?
(10:11):
And yeah, I peeled off thewhite from this yolk, left this
perfect little yolk on my plate.
So I'm sure when the waitresscame over and took my plate
she's like what the hell isgoing on here?
So I ate one egg, one white andthe veggies and salad that was
on my plate and I thought I wasjust, I had it all sorted.
(10:32):
I was yep, this was going to begreat.
And after just one week oftracking calories like that, I
found it so addictive.
I really struggled to breakthat habit of putting everything
into my fitness pal andactually obsessed over it and I
thought to myself my gosh, Ihave never had disordered eating
(10:54):
before.
This felt like that was gettingset up to happen.
So I had to delete that appfrom my phone.
And that was just one week.
So I'm a massive what's theopposite of advocate.
I'm massively against countingcalories and tracking it like
that.
It's just not the right thingto do, particularly for women
(11:17):
over 40, because the quality ofyour food matters.
Nutrient density matters, notcalories.
Not working out how manyglasses of wine you can have so
that you can have that and thenknow what you're having for the
rest of the day that justdoesn't make any sense at all.
So let's get back on track.
(11:37):
Sorry, I went off on a tangentthen.
So yeah.
So once I started researchingand learning more about women's
health and perimenopause andmenopause, I realized that
stress was a major problem.
Stress was wrecking my sleep,it was interfering with my gut
health.
It was a massive issue that wascausing me.
(11:58):
I even had a panic attack oneday when I was at a local
shopping center.
And, yeah, I didn't have, eventhough I've been doing yoga for
a long time.
I was in a corporate job and itwasn't.
I mean, I was doing yoga but Iwasn't implementing daily
practices and I didn't reallytruly believe that things like
(12:21):
simple things like breathing wasgoing to actually help.
And I certainly didn't make theconnection between stress and
gut health.
And I also realized there wassome fantastic nutrients you can
have.
Once I learned this, I'm stillon some of these today, like
magnesium, super important formany people.
(12:41):
About a third to a half of thepopulation is magnesium
deficient.
So having some magnesium,particularly when you're going
through periods of stress, canbe a game changer for energy,
for sleep, for gut health somany things.
Also, there are some fantasticherbal medicines that can really
(13:03):
help support your nervoussystem, particularly ashwagandha
or withania is fantastic,passionflower is fantastic,
melissa valerian for sleep.
So there's quite a lot you cando with herbal medicines that
aren't going to have sideeffects, not going to make you
feel sluggish the next day, andwill help with stress.
(13:23):
And how important protein is,particularly for women 40 plus,
for wanting to maintain musclemass as much as you can, protein
becomes really important.
And also it's important tobuild your neurotransmitters,
which are your brain chemicals,so important for so many
different functions in the body.
So you know, at this point Istarted tracking my cycle,
(13:47):
noticing patterns, supporting myadrenals and liver, nourishing
myself instead of punishingmyself once I had this knowledge
and I discovered how to balancemy blood sugar and how much of
a driver blood sugar was for mepersonally, with how I felt, how
my energy was, my moods, etcetera.
(14:08):
For me, I seem to beparticularly sensitive to sugar,
even though I do love it, Iwill admit that but I can feel
really bad after eating it and Ithink it's because my blood
sugar does spike easily and thenmy insulin drops it rapidly.
I also learned how, to, howimportant inflammation and
(14:32):
reducing inflammation in my bodywas, and using food to do that.
Using targeted supplements tohelp with some of the symptoms,
such as hot flushes, can be.
Symptoms such as hot flushescan be actually quite effective
(14:52):
and reclaiming sleep.
If you are a long time listener, you know I have a bit of a
battle with sleep from time totime, but it is such an
important element to prioritizeand your hormones have a huge
influence over this.
And I think, most importantly,what I learned is to stop trying
to be the woman I was in my 20s, the woman I was becoming.
(15:13):
You know it's cause it reallyis.
I mean, people say it's a bitof a revolution and it really is
.
When you get over to the otherside, which I am now like, it
just really is awesome.
Um, so there's something tolook forward to, uh.
So yeah, let's talk a little bitabout emotions.
So you may have experiencedthis that perimenopause can
(15:34):
bring up so many emotions ragethat I couldn't explain.
I'm a pretty calm person.
It takes a lot to get me angryand fired up, but this rage that
just flew out of nowhere, fear,fear of actually using the word
perimenopause I've got I'm justso lucky, I've got some really
(15:55):
good friends in my life thatreally helped me embrace it.
Because to me, I associatedperimenopause or menopause with
getting old, with feelinginvisible, like I didn't matter,
because you know, really, whenyou look and it was the same
when I was younger as well it'sall about young people, isn't it
really Like when you're lookingat where the attention goes,
(16:17):
it's all in the youth.
And to go from being in that tobeing in a place where you feel
invisible, it's not a nicefeeling.
But on the on the bright side,going through this process
brings wisdom, my gosh.
It brings boundaries.
It really brings boundariesinto play clarity of what you
(16:38):
want and what you will notaccept in life, and power.
And once I stopped resistingand started listening, I
realized that perimenopauseisn't a decline, it's a portal.
It's your body asking you toslow down, to tune in, to honor
(16:58):
your needs.
It's not the end, it's actuallya beginning, and what I wish
every woman knew.
And so I'm going to share whatI wish I'd known earlier, and
what I now teach my clients isyou're not crazy, you are not.
These mood swings.
If you get anxiety, thisexhaustion, they're hormonal.
(17:18):
It's not you, it's yourhormones.
Actually is a true statement.
You can't treat perimenopauselike a willpower problem.
You are getting ruled by yourhormones, so the sooner you can
get them within your control,the better.
Calorie counting and bootcampworkouts are not the answer for
(17:39):
weight loss at this stage oflife.
Sleep is sacred.
Magnesium is magic.
Stress is sabotage.
So stress management is key,and it's why it's one of the six
pillars of my GLOW protocol.
You need personalized solutions, not one size fits all plans.
(18:01):
The vast majority of women Iwould say 99% of the women that
book in for a peri-weight lossassessment have tried at least
three or four other things tohelp themselves, and most of
these are one size fits all kindof approaches, whether they're
supplements you buy off theinternet, whether it's doing
some of the.
I'm noticing quite a fewperimenopause focused workout
(18:24):
apps and things popping up,which it's not really the point.
If, uh, yeah, that's enoughsaid, I'm not going to get too
much into that.
The personalized approach overone size fits all is key at this
time of life.
Also, what I wish I'd knownearlier is you're allowed to
(18:45):
rest.
You are you're allowed to rest.
You're allowed to say no.
I, if I committed to something,I used to just like, yep, I
will be there.
But even in the last couple ofweeks, it was something I'd
committed to and I just thoughtthis is causing me so much
stress to get there in timebecause I had so much to do that
I pulled out and I feltterrible.
(19:05):
But at the same time, I justknew I had to say no, and it's
okay to say no.
People will understand and youcan ask for help as well.
And finally, what I wish everywoman knew is that you deserve
better than what you're getting.
And if this is resonating withyou, know that it's not too late
(19:26):
.
There is so much that you cando.
No matter where you're at inthis part of your journey, there
is still things you can do.
So I'm going to offer aninvitation, I guess If you're
nodding along yes, this is me,yes, this is me, I see you, I've
been you.
And if you're tired of piecingit together on the internet,
(19:50):
taking some random supplements,feeling alone, I want to invite
you to book a free peri-weightloss assessment with me.
We will get on the video call.
Spend 30, 40 minutes together.
I'll learn more about you andwhat your needs might be.
You can learn more about what Ioffer and map out a holistic
(20:10):
strategy to support yourhormones, your metabolism, your
sanity, because you don't haveto just survive.
You can absolutely thrivethrough this.
So there's a link in the shownotes.
You can book through there oryou can DM me on Instagram at
the perimenopause path.
So thanks so much for joining mefor this little bit of a raw
(20:33):
episode of the ageless andAwesome podcast.
If this spoke to you, please,please, share it with a friend.
You can take a screenshot ofthe podcast and pop it in your
stories and tag me, or, if youcould leave a review, that would
be awesome.
Help spread the word so morewomen can feel informed,
supported and empowered.
(20:54):
So enjoy the rest of your weekand empowered.
So enjoy the rest of your week.
I'm so glad you've joined mefor this episode and I'll see
you next week with some morefresh new content.
Thanks so much for joining meon the Ageless and Awesome
podcast.
If you liked this episode,please make sure you click the
little plus button if you're onApple podcasts, or the follow
(21:15):
button if you're on Spotify, sothat you get each new episode
delivered to you every singleweek.
If you feel like writing me afive-star review, you would
absolutely make my day.
If you found this episoderesonated with you, head over to
my Instagram and DM me attheperimenopausepar.
I would love to connect withyou.
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