September 1, 2025 • 26 mins
Change is hard, but staying stuck in perimenopause symptoms feels even harder. As women navigate this transformative time, many hope that small tweaks or a new supplement will magically resolve their hot flushes, weight gain, and fatigue. The uncomfortable truth? Real results require significant changes, not just adjustments.
Your resistance to change isn't a character flaw—it's neurobiology. Our brains are wired for safety and familiarity, not transformation. Those habits you're clinging to—the evening wine, afternoon chocolate, or skipping movement—feel safe because they're predictable, even when they worsen your symptoms. This podcast reveals how neuroplasticity makes lasting change possible, turning what feels uncomfortable today into your new normal tomorrow.
We dive deep into the non-negotiables of perimenopause wellness: how alcohol disrupts sleep and triggers hot flushes; why sugar creates a vicious cycle of cravings and fatigue; how even 10 minutes of stress management can regulate cortisol; and why strength training trumps cardio for hormonal balance. Each change compounds into significant results—energy, confidence, symptom relief, and sustainable weight management.
Remember, nothing changes if nothing changes. But with the right approach, these shifts feel empowering rather than overwhelming. Your body is playing by new rules now; it's time your lifestyle does too. Ready to stop guessing and follow a clear path? Book a free peri-weight loss assessment call and discover how to create the changes that bring balance and vitality back into your life.
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
3. Join the waitlist for my innovative NEW 8 week group program, In Your Skin™️, for women in perimenopause and post-menopause who want effective solutions to manage skin changes at this time of life.
Mark as Played
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 back doing some freshcontent.
I've had to run some flashbackepisodes over the last few weeks
(00:47):
because I've had constructiongoing on in my house and it's
just been impossible to recordwhen there's so much background
noise.
So I hope you enjoyed thoseflashback episodes.
They did really well, so itlooks like you did, but today,
you know, I thought today I'dmake the topic a little
(01:07):
different.
Today we're going to have anhonest conversation about
something many women don't wantto hear but, unfortunately,
absolutely need to, and ifyou're someone who is struggling
with perimenopause orpostmenopause symptoms like
stubborn weight weight gain,that just seems like it's out of
(01:30):
control hot flushes, brain fog,fatigue, gut issues, like all
the things even if it's just oneor two, that each of them on
their own is pretty horrible.
But you may have thought youknow, I'll just tweak a few
things, it'll sort itself out,I'll just go spend, do an extra
two sessions at the gym, thatkind of thing.
(01:53):
But you know what the truth isand many of you have already
found this is that real resultsin this time of life require
some significant changes, notjust a few tweaks and not
necessarily doing the thingsthat you've always done.
Generally, there's going to besome actual change required.
(02:14):
So today I wanted to talk aboutsome of the dietary and
lifestyle shifts that, honestly,are really going to become
non-negotiable if you wantlasting relief from symptoms and
you want sustainable weightloss that you can maintain with
ease.
And I also want to talk aboutwhy these changes.
(02:36):
They're not a punishment,they're not going to feel like a
punishment.
There may be some initialresistance and I want to talk
about that first up, buthonestly, the benefits that you
get from making the changescompletely outweigh the
challenge sometimes of makingthose changes initially, and
let's talk about that.
So let's talk about why changecan feel so hard, and there is
(03:02):
actually a physiological reason.
There's also psychologysometimes with people, but there
is a physiological reason Ourbrains love comfort and
familiarity.
Our brains love it, even if whatyou're doing isn't working.
Your brain loves it becauseit's all about our nervous
(03:23):
system, is all about keeping ussafe.
So you know, and also our brain, remember, is wired for
efficiency, it's wired forsafety, it's not wired for
transformation, okay, it's wiredto keep us safe and to be
efficient.
So habits are hardwired neuralpathways, so your brain takes
(03:46):
the easy, familiar routeautomatically.
So, like you know, pouring aglass of wine at night or
reaching for some chocolate orcoffee mid-afternoon, this is
just, if that's a habit that youhave, you've hardwired that
into yourself and it's a nice,easy, safe, predictable,
familiar route that you willjust automatically do without
(04:08):
even thinking about it.
And even if those habits aremaking your symptoms worse, and
even if you know that they'remaking your symptoms worse, your
brain will interpret them assafe because they're predictable
and known.
And if I can use the example ofjust driving home, the same way
every day, think about the drivehome from work, or if you're
(04:30):
picking kids up from school orwhatever, think about that drive
.
You probably take the sameroute every single day.
I know for me.
I work from home, but obviouslyI go out to different places
and it's always the same kind ofroute home because I live in a
small town, so you don't evenreally have to think about it.
You can listen to a podcast,you can chat on the phone, you
(04:51):
can mentally do a to-do list,plan dinner, whatever.
Somehow you still pull intoyour driveway safely and often
you just don't even remember howyou managed to get there
because it's just such anautopilot experience.
And that's your brain onautopilot it loves routine, it
saves energy, feels safe.
(05:11):
Now imagine one day you're onyour way home and one of the
roads that you take is closed,so you're getting forced to take
a detour and suddenly you'rehyper aware right Do I turn?
Left here?
Is this the right street?
Where am I?
You know it can feeluncomfortable, it might even
feel stressful, it may besomething where you then can't
(05:33):
listen to your podcast.
You have to maybe terminate thephone call because you have to
really think about where you areand how you're going to get to
where you need to go.
And you know the new way you'regoing isn't worse, the new road
isn't worse, but because it'sunfamiliar, you can't do it on
autopilot.
And this is exactly whathappens when you try to change a
(05:55):
habit, whether it's inperimenopause, postmenopause or
at any time.
Actually Like if you're tryingto swap your afternoon coffee
for some quick stretches to getyou through the afternoon, or
adding a 10 minute walk insteadof collapsing on the couch.
That feels hard, it feels weird, awkward.
But here's the key Once you'veif we use the driving analogy if
(06:19):
you've driven that route a fewtimes, it can become just as
automatic as the old one.
Your brain rewires the detour,becomes the new autopilot.
And that's the same when you'rebreaking any kind of habit.
We think about being in ourcomfort zone.
So comfort versus grossFamiliar is comforting, even if
(06:41):
it's not serving you.
Change unfamiliar your brainwill flag it as a potential
threat and that's why giving upthings like sugar, like alcohol,
making time for stressmanagement or movement can feel
really uncomfortable.
It can feel confronting.
(07:02):
Your mind might resist.
You're like why do I have to dothis?
It's literally your brainresisting the unknown.
It's not a sign that you can'tdo it.
It's not a sign that there'ssomething wrong with you or that
you lack willpower.
This is literally thephysiology of the brain and
sometimes there's psychologythere as well, depending on what
your upbringing has been like,how you've rewarded yourself,
(07:26):
how you've punished yourself.
So there is complexity that canbe led on.
I find, particularly because Iwork with a lot of women, I do
work with men as well, andthey're not nearly as complex
for the most part.
When it comes to relationshipswith food For women, we do often
have that extra element and itcan make change very
(07:48):
uncomfortable.
I think that's one of thereasons why the programs that do
work well is because you have alot of support from me, so that
discomfort can be verbalizedand can be managed.
But there is some good news here, because you probably know that
there is this thing calledneuroplasticity.
(08:09):
Right, the neuroplasticitymeans your brain can rewire.
You're not set in stone.
Even though you've got theseneural pathways, you've been
hardwired to do things a certainway.
You can relearn, you can rewirethose pathways and with
repetition the new habits becomethe new comfort zone.
And I see this happen all ofthe time, every single day, with
(08:30):
my clients.
Change doesn't have to feelhard, and it doesn't feel hard
because you're weak.
It feels hard because yourbrain is protecting you.
But once you step into the newhabit, your brain adapts and
what once felt hard becomes yournew normal.
And that's awesome when you getto that point and it doesn't
(08:52):
actually take that long.
Many women hope that gettingimprovement from symptoms, for
example, is going to be as easyas adding a supplement or
cutting a portion size if you'rewanting to lose weight and that
you're going to see these magicresults.
But perimenopause is different.
(09:12):
Hormonal changes mean your bodyis playing by new rules and
what worked in your 20s, your30s, doesn't cut it anymore.
So you know, while change feelshard, what feels harder is
staying stuck, is feeling likeyou don't have control.
I have so many women and theirwords literally to me when they
(09:34):
do their peri-weight lossassessment with me.
Their words are literally I'mputting on weight and I feel
like I just can't do anythingabout it, doesn't matter what I
do, this is happening and thatfeeling, that fear, is awful.
It's awful and that's harderthan change.
So I hope that aspect of changeworks helps.
(10:00):
I'm still going.
I'm not winding up, but I justwanted to make sure that I kind
of framed.
Where I'm going with thispodcast today is that change can
feel hard and it doesn't meanthat it's wrong.
It doesn't mean you're not safe.
It's just your brain needing torewire.
(10:21):
Another thing I wanted to talkabout when it comes to change
because this is probably one ofthe biggest ones when
particularly in with myAustralian clients is alcohol
and thinking oh my gosh, am Igoing to have to give up my, my
wine or my cocktails or whatever.
So, when we look at the impactof alcohol, alcohol absolutely
(10:41):
will have an impact on yoursleep.
I heard one of the key thoughtleaders in the menopause space
say I don't know whether it wasa lecturer or whether it was on
Instagram or something but shebasically said if you're
choosing to have a drink, youare choosing not to sleep.
When you're in perimenopauseand menopause and I can totally
vouch for that Alcoholabsolutely will worsen your
(11:03):
ability to sleep.
It will often help actuallygetting to sleep.
You might go no, I get to sleepreally easily when I drink and
that may be the case but stayingasleep becomes much harder.
Often, women if you're prone topalpitations the alcohol you'll
be lying awake with thosepalpitations and I've certainly
experienced that.
Alcohol also can worsen hotflushes, anxiety, cravings
(11:26):
because it messes with yourblood sugar and absolutely
weight gain.
I think we all know thatLong-term alcohol can raise
inflammation and belly fatstorage and again, I think most
of us know about the belly fatstorage and have experienced
that as well.
So what I ask for in myprograms, particularly the GLOW
protocol and metabolic balance,is a four week break from
(11:50):
alcohol to let your body rest,reset, get that inflammation
down, get kind of break it as ahabit as well, and then after
that four-week break you havethe choice.
We introduce treat, meals andalcohol can absolutely come in
(12:11):
if that's what you want.
A lot of women actually, whenthey get past that four weeks,
they go.
Actually I don't need it.
I thought I did, but I don'tfeel like that's actually
something I need to bring backin.
So it's not really aboutdeprivation when you're thinking
about, oh man, I've got to giveup alcohol.
It's actually about giving yourbody a fair chance to heal and
(12:35):
to get yourself back on trackfor a healthy, vibrant life.
So hopefully that's addressedalcohol I've been very, very
simplistic and there are somereal experts in this that if you
feel like this is somethingyou'd like to explore more of,
please DM me on Instagram oremail me hello at suzygardencom
(12:56):
and let me know and I can getsomeone on the podcast that can
talk a little bit more aboutsome really specific strategies
around this to lessen or give upalcohol.
So I want to talk about sugarnext, because we all know.
We all know that sugar is notgreat for our brain.
It's not great when you'retrying to lose weight and sugar
(13:20):
spikes our blood sugar.
That leads to crashes.
We get very fatigued.
That leads to cravings becausewe're like we need the energy.
So you have more sugar and it'sthis vicious cycle that
ultimately ends up in fatstorage.
And the other thing is itreally does.
We know it impacts your brain,it impacts your gut microbiome.
There's just no other than theI guess, the relationships that
(13:47):
we have with it, the memoriesthat we have attached to it,
that there's really nothingthat's good about sugar,
unfortunately, and inperimenopause and postmenopause,
insulin resistance is creepingin, so sugar's effects are
magnified.
Cutting sugar is not punishingyou.
(14:08):
It is the fastest way tostabilize energy, to stabilize
mood and to lose weight.
Honestly and again, it's one ofthese addictive things that when
you give it up, it does take alittle bit of time.
I think it's around 10 days orso to get sugar out of your
system, and the less you have it, the less you actually want it.
(14:32):
I cut sugar completely.
Gosh.
I don't even know how long itwas now.
It was pre-COVID, it was quitea while ago and I just had no,
absolutely no desire for it atall.
And even just walking throughfood courts and I've said this
on the pod before the amount ofsugar that I could smell even
(14:53):
though I was walking through youknow savory food, not next to a
donut stand, but actuallysavory food you could smell the
sugar in all of the sauces andthings like that Made you
realize, like, how much sugar isin our food, particularly
takeout food.
You could smell the sugar inall of the sauces and things
like that.
It made you realize how muchsugar is in our food,
particularly takeout food andprocessed food.
And when you give it upcompletely, it makes it way
(15:16):
easier to not have it.
I now have not given it upcompletely.
I've gone back into havingsugar as a treat for myself and
even though I know it's notgreat, I keep that under control
.
I know I can have it once ortwice a week and I will be okay,
but I would not push it anymore than that because it is so
(15:39):
easy to fall into the trap ofhaving it every single day.
The thing is with giving upsugar.
There's two schools of thoughtaround this.
Some say you should just gocold turkey, just do it, go cold
turkey.
And many women sorry, manypeople do that successfully.
I would say just be careful.
If you do suffer from anxiety,going cold turkey on sugar can
(16:03):
mimic a panic attack, bizarrelyenough.
So if you have that going onfor you, you may be better off
gradually reducing sugar.
And I would do it like youdon't have to take a long time
to do it.
You know, maybe go to half yourintake for a couple of days and
then halve it again, and thenhalve it again and, you know, be
(16:25):
off it in a week.
But just choose somethingwhatever works for you.
And also, when you're giving upsugar, have a look at labels.
There's a lot of sugar that'sdisguised as other things.
So that's why eating wholefoods fruits, vegetables, salads
(16:48):
, quality proteins is ideal,because you don't even have to
worry about any of those hiddensugars or other preservatives et
cetera, because it's just notpresent in those types of foods.
So yeah, either go cold turkeyor gradually reduce, but getting
rid of sugar does you a hugefavor gradually reduce, but
(17:12):
getting rid of sugar does you ahuge favor.
I also wanted to mention stressmanagement, because that is
another thing that women talk tome about is their time and how
they don't have any time and thething is, chronic stress leads
to high cortisol, leads to bellyfat and worsened hot flushes,
poor sleep, all those things.
And many women said to me Idon't have time to relax.
And the truth is, if you don'tmake time, then your body will
(17:37):
eventually force you to relaxand that can be a very
involuntary kind of breakdown orburnout.
Even if you do a 10 minutepractice a day and when I say a
practice and people go, I don'thave time for that but just even
if it's some mindful breathingwhen you're driving or when
you're cooking or when you're onyour computer, just breathing
(18:00):
deeply into the belly, even ifyou did that at every
opportunity possible, you willhelp reduce your cortisol level
possible.
You will help reduce yourcortisol level If you can do a
10 minute walk at lunchtime.
That will help reduce yourcortisol level, particularly if
you make it a walk where you'renot running through the things
you've got to do in theafternoon, where you're not
(18:20):
thinking oh gosh, I don't havetime for this.
It's like no, you have a lunchhour, take 10 minutes just to
get outside, get some sun onyour skin and walk and just be
very much present in the momentthat you're walking.
So listening to birds, lookingat the sky, looking at trees if
you're lucky enough to work neartrees any of that.
(18:43):
I got into a great habit ofwalking when I had my most
recent dog, daisy.
I've had for just over a year.
When she first came to us I wastaking her for a walk every
lunchtime and I felt fantasticdoing that.
And now I've gotten out of thathabit.
I'm going to get back into it,but it's so good for the soul to
(19:03):
just get out even for 10minutes, breathe, get away from
your screen and it just helps toreset your system and gives you
some more energy for theafternoon.
Stress management reallyimportant when you're looking at
managing perimenopause andpostmenopause symptoms and
weight Movement is something Ialso wanted to mention today
(19:29):
because again, it's somethingthat women say to me I don't
want to have to exercise andhonestly, it's pretty much.
When we're looking at weightloss specifically, it's pretty
much 80% food, 20% movement andmany people don't really need to
move that much at all in orderto get a good weight loss.
But when, again, when we're inpost-menopause, we need to build
our muscle mass.
(19:49):
So movement is imperative fromthat point of view.
But if we're lookingspecifically at weight loss,
it's not particularly critical.
Our old model calories in,calories out we all know that
old model where if you did moreand more cardio, burn more
calories, you'll lose moreweight.
That backfires in perimenopausebecause it increases your
(20:12):
inflammation, gets you in yourstress response more often, so
your cortisol goes up.
All of these things blockweight loss.
So what works well is strengthtraining to build our muscle
mass, ideally two to three timesa week, daily walking is great
because it helps with insulinand glucose management.
Reformer Pilates or mat Pilates, yoga all of those sorts of
(20:36):
things really help as well.
They'd be the top ones.
I would say, obviously, if youlike running, keep running.
If you like cycling, keepcycling, swimming, whatever.
But if you're wanting to reallyget your best bang for your
buck and you don't exercise thatmuch and you don't love it,
strength training and most womenactually really do love
strength training it makes youfeel really good, really strong,
(20:57):
because, again, with ourmovement at this time of life.
It's not about calories andburning calories.
It's about balancing insulin,building muscle and supporting
your hormones.
It's about balancing insulin,building muscle and supporting
your hormones.
So if you can reframe movementas a self-care activity, not as
punishment, then that can reallyhelp when you're trying to get
(21:24):
into a routine.
The thing is and this is myfinal sort of thoughts before I
sign off for today the thing isyou don't need to do it all.
You don't need to do it allperfectly either.
This is all about progress, notperfection, and every single
small shift compounds on eachother into significant results,
(21:46):
and what feels hard in thebeginning quickly becomes your
new normal and the payoff isenergy, confidence, symptom
relief and weight that finallyshifts.
So if you're ready to stopguessing, if you want to start
following a clear, proven path,I invite you to book a free
(22:07):
peri-weight loss assessment callwith me.
We'll have a chat about whatyour goals are, what's holding
you back, what you want toachieve and what your biggest
struggles are, and we'll map outexactly how you can create the
changes that bring relief,balance, your ideal weight,
confidence, vitality back intoyour life.
(22:29):
Remember, nothing changes ifnothing changes, but with the
right support, change feelsempowering and not overwhelming.
So I hope you've enjoyed today'sepisode.
I would love it if you wouldshare it on your stories, in
your Facebook, whatever on yoursocial media.
(22:51):
I would absolutely love thatbecause, remember, you're not
alone and you probably havepeople in your network that are
really struggling and reallyneeding help.
We're starting to get into areally busy time of year.
A really busy time of yearSeptember, when we come out of
(23:15):
hibernation in Australia, andthat's when I get the majority
of my inquiries is September andsort of getting into December,
january.
So if you're thinking, yep, Idon't want to stay how I am, I
need to change, I need to dosomething.
How I am, I need to change.
I need to do something.
Just book on a free call withme.
There's no obligation and I geta lot out of speaking to people
, so I love it and you may justvery well find a solution for
(23:44):
what's going on with you.
So, yeah, the link is in theshow notes to book a peri-weight
loss assessment and we justtake half an hour just over
video and, yeah, get to knoweach other a little bit.
So any questions, do let me knowvia email, hello at
suzygardencom or you can DM meon Instagram.
Thanks so much for joining meon the Ageless and Awesome
(24:05):
podcast.
If you would like this episode,please make sure you click the
little plus button if you're onApple podcasts, or the follow
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 youfound this episode resonated
(24:27):
with you.
Head over to my Instagram andDM me at theperimenopausepath.
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 back doing some freshcontent.
I've had to run some flashbackepisodes over the last few weeks
(00:47):
because I've had constructiongoing on in my house and it's
just been impossible to recordwhen there's so much background
noise.
So I hope you enjoyed thoseflashback episodes.
They did really well, so itlooks like you did, but today,
you know, I thought today I'dmake the topic a little
(01:07):
different.
Today we're going to have anhonest conversation about
something many women don't wantto hear but, unfortunately,
absolutely need to, and ifyou're someone who is struggling
with perimenopause orpostmenopause symptoms like
stubborn weight weight gain,that just seems like it's out of
(01:30):
control hot flushes, brain fog,fatigue, gut issues, like all
the things even if it's just oneor two, that each of them on
their own is pretty horrible.
But you may have thought youknow, I'll just tweak a few
things, it'll sort itself out,I'll just go spend, do an extra
two sessions at the gym, thatkind of thing.
(01:53):
But you know what the truth isand many of you have already
found this is that real resultsin this time of life require
some significant changes, notjust a few tweaks and not
necessarily doing the thingsthat you've always done.
Generally, there's going to besome actual change required.
(02:14):
So today I wanted to talk aboutsome of the dietary and
lifestyle shifts that, honestly,are really going to become
non-negotiable if you wantlasting relief from symptoms and
you want sustainable weightloss that you can maintain with
ease.
And I also want to talk aboutwhy these changes.
(02:36):
They're not a punishment,they're not going to feel like a
punishment.
There may be some initialresistance and I want to talk
about that first up, buthonestly, the benefits that you
get from making the changescompletely outweigh the
challenge sometimes of makingthose changes initially, and
let's talk about that.
So let's talk about why changecan feel so hard, and there is
(03:02):
actually a physiological reason.
There's also psychologysometimes with people, but there
is a physiological reason Ourbrains love comfort and
familiarity.
Our brains love it, even if whatyou're doing isn't working.
Your brain loves it becauseit's all about our nervous
(03:23):
system, is all about keeping ussafe.
So you know, and also our brain, remember, is wired for
efficiency, it's wired forsafety, it's not wired for
transformation, okay, it's wiredto keep us safe and to be
efficient.
So habits are hardwired neuralpathways, so your brain takes
(03:46):
the easy, familiar routeautomatically.
So, like you know, pouring aglass of wine at night or
reaching for some chocolate orcoffee mid-afternoon, this is
just, if that's a habit that youhave, you've hardwired that
into yourself and it's a nice,easy, safe, predictable,
familiar route that you willjust automatically do without
(04:08):
even thinking about it.
And even if those habits aremaking your symptoms worse, and
even if you know that they'remaking your symptoms worse, your
brain will interpret them assafe because they're predictable
and known.
And if I can use the example ofjust driving home, the same way
every day, think about the drivehome from work, or if you're
(04:30):
picking kids up from school orwhatever, think about that drive
.
You probably take the sameroute every single day.
I know for me.
I work from home, but obviouslyI go out to different places
and it's always the same kind ofroute home because I live in a
small town, so you don't evenreally have to think about it.
You can listen to a podcast,you can chat on the phone, you
(04:51):
can mentally do a to-do list,plan dinner, whatever.
Somehow you still pull intoyour driveway safely and often
you just don't even remember howyou managed to get there
because it's just such anautopilot experience.
And that's your brain onautopilot it loves routine, it
saves energy, feels safe.
(05:11):
Now imagine one day you're onyour way home and one of the
roads that you take is closed,so you're getting forced to take
a detour and suddenly you'rehyper aware right Do I turn?
Left here?
Is this the right street?
Where am I?
You know it can feeluncomfortable, it might even
feel stressful, it may besomething where you then can't
(05:33):
listen to your podcast.
You have to maybe terminate thephone call because you have to
really think about where you areand how you're going to get to
where you need to go.
And you know the new way you'regoing isn't worse, the new road
isn't worse, but because it'sunfamiliar, you can't do it on
autopilot.
And this is exactly whathappens when you try to change a
(05:55):
habit, whether it's inperimenopause, postmenopause or
at any time.
Actually Like if you're tryingto swap your afternoon coffee
for some quick stretches to getyou through the afternoon, or
adding a 10 minute walk insteadof collapsing on the couch.
That feels hard, it feels weird, awkward.
But here's the key Once you'veif we use the driving analogy if
(06:19):
you've driven that route a fewtimes, it can become just as
automatic as the old one.
Your brain rewires the detour,becomes the new autopilot.
And that's the same when you'rebreaking any kind of habit.
We think about being in ourcomfort zone.
So comfort versus grossFamiliar is comforting, even if
(06:41):
it's not serving you.
Change unfamiliar your brainwill flag it as a potential
threat and that's why giving upthings like sugar, like alcohol,
making time for stressmanagement or movement can feel
really uncomfortable.
It can feel confronting.
(07:02):
Your mind might resist.
You're like why do I have to dothis?
It's literally your brainresisting the unknown.
It's not a sign that you can'tdo it.
It's not a sign that there'ssomething wrong with you or that
you lack willpower.
This is literally thephysiology of the brain and
sometimes there's psychologythere as well, depending on what
your upbringing has been like,how you've rewarded yourself,
(07:26):
how you've punished yourself.
So there is complexity that canbe led on.
I find, particularly because Iwork with a lot of women, I do
work with men as well, andthey're not nearly as complex
for the most part.
When it comes to relationshipswith food For women, we do often
have that extra element and itcan make change very
(07:48):
uncomfortable.
I think that's one of thereasons why the programs that do
work well is because you have alot of support from me, so that
discomfort can be verbalizedand can be managed.
But there is some good news here, because you probably know that
there is this thing calledneuroplasticity.
(08:09):
Right, the neuroplasticitymeans your brain can rewire.
You're not set in stone.
Even though you've got theseneural pathways, you've been
hardwired to do things a certainway.
You can relearn, you can rewirethose pathways and with
repetition the new habits becomethe new comfort zone.
And I see this happen all ofthe time, every single day, with
(08:30):
my clients.
Change doesn't have to feelhard, and it doesn't feel hard
because you're weak.
It feels hard because yourbrain is protecting you.
But once you step into the newhabit, your brain adapts and
what once felt hard becomes yournew normal.
And that's awesome when you getto that point and it doesn't
(08:52):
actually take that long.
Many women hope that gettingimprovement from symptoms, for
example, is going to be as easyas adding a supplement or
cutting a portion size if you'rewanting to lose weight and that
you're going to see these magicresults.
But perimenopause is different.
(09:12):
Hormonal changes mean your bodyis playing by new rules and
what worked in your 20s, your30s, doesn't cut it anymore.
So you know, while change feelshard, what feels harder is
staying stuck, is feeling likeyou don't have control.
I have so many women and theirwords literally to me when they
(09:34):
do their peri-weight lossassessment with me.
Their words are literally I'mputting on weight and I feel
like I just can't do anythingabout it, doesn't matter what I
do, this is happening and thatfeeling, that fear, is awful.
It's awful and that's harderthan change.
So I hope that aspect of changeworks helps.
(10:00):
I'm still going.
I'm not winding up, but I justwanted to make sure that I kind
of framed.
Where I'm going with thispodcast today is that change can
feel hard and it doesn't meanthat it's wrong.
It doesn't mean you're not safe.
It's just your brain needing torewire.
(10:21):
Another thing I wanted to talkabout when it comes to change
because this is probably one ofthe biggest ones when
particularly in with myAustralian clients is alcohol
and thinking oh my gosh, am Igoing to have to give up my, my
wine or my cocktails or whatever.
So, when we look at the impactof alcohol, alcohol absolutely
(10:41):
will have an impact on yoursleep.
I heard one of the key thoughtleaders in the menopause space
say I don't know whether it wasa lecturer or whether it was on
Instagram or something but shebasically said if you're
choosing to have a drink, youare choosing not to sleep.
When you're in perimenopauseand menopause and I can totally
vouch for that Alcoholabsolutely will worsen your
(11:03):
ability to sleep.
It will often help actuallygetting to sleep.
You might go no, I get to sleepreally easily when I drink and
that may be the case but stayingasleep becomes much harder.
Often, women if you're prone topalpitations the alcohol you'll
be lying awake with thosepalpitations and I've certainly
experienced that.
Alcohol also can worsen hotflushes, anxiety, cravings
(11:26):
because it messes with yourblood sugar and absolutely
weight gain.
I think we all know thatLong-term alcohol can raise
inflammation and belly fatstorage and again, I think most
of us know about the belly fatstorage and have experienced
that as well.
So what I ask for in myprograms, particularly the GLOW
protocol and metabolic balance,is a four week break from
(11:50):
alcohol to let your body rest,reset, get that inflammation
down, get kind of break it as ahabit as well, and then after
that four-week break you havethe choice.
We introduce treat, meals andalcohol can absolutely come in
(12:11):
if that's what you want.
A lot of women actually, whenthey get past that four weeks,
they go.
Actually I don't need it.
I thought I did, but I don'tfeel like that's actually
something I need to bring backin.
So it's not really aboutdeprivation when you're thinking
about, oh man, I've got to giveup alcohol.
It's actually about giving yourbody a fair chance to heal and
(12:35):
to get yourself back on trackfor a healthy, vibrant life.
So hopefully that's addressedalcohol I've been very, very
simplistic and there are somereal experts in this that if you
feel like this is somethingyou'd like to explore more of,
please DM me on Instagram oremail me hello at suzygardencom
(12:56):
and let me know and I can getsomeone on the podcast that can
talk a little bit more aboutsome really specific strategies
around this to lessen or give upalcohol.
So I want to talk about sugarnext, because we all know.
We all know that sugar is notgreat for our brain.
It's not great when you'retrying to lose weight and sugar
(13:20):
spikes our blood sugar.
That leads to crashes.
We get very fatigued.
That leads to cravings becausewe're like we need the energy.
So you have more sugar and it'sthis vicious cycle that
ultimately ends up in fatstorage.
And the other thing is itreally does.
We know it impacts your brain,it impacts your gut microbiome.
There's just no other than theI guess, the relationships that
(13:47):
we have with it, the memoriesthat we have attached to it,
that there's really nothingthat's good about sugar,
unfortunately, and inperimenopause and postmenopause,
insulin resistance is creepingin, so sugar's effects are
magnified.
Cutting sugar is not punishingyou.
(14:08):
It is the fastest way tostabilize energy, to stabilize
mood and to lose weight.
Honestly and again, it's one ofthese addictive things that when
you give it up, it does take alittle bit of time.
I think it's around 10 days orso to get sugar out of your
system, and the less you have it, the less you actually want it.
(14:32):
I cut sugar completely.
Gosh.
I don't even know how long itwas now.
It was pre-COVID, it was quitea while ago and I just had no,
absolutely no desire for it atall.
And even just walking throughfood courts and I've said this
on the pod before the amount ofsugar that I could smell even
(14:53):
though I was walking through youknow savory food, not next to a
donut stand, but actuallysavory food you could smell the
sugar in all of the sauces andthings like that Made you
realize, like, how much sugar isin our food, particularly
takeout food.
You could smell the sugar inall of the sauces and things
like that.
It made you realize how muchsugar is in our food,
particularly takeout food andprocessed food.
And when you give it upcompletely, it makes it way
(15:16):
easier to not have it.
I now have not given it upcompletely.
I've gone back into havingsugar as a treat for myself and
even though I know it's notgreat, I keep that under control
.
I know I can have it once ortwice a week and I will be okay,
but I would not push it anymore than that because it is so
(15:39):
easy to fall into the trap ofhaving it every single day.
The thing is with giving upsugar.
There's two schools of thoughtaround this.
Some say you should just gocold turkey, just do it, go cold
turkey.
And many women sorry, manypeople do that successfully.
I would say just be careful.
If you do suffer from anxiety,going cold turkey on sugar can
(16:03):
mimic a panic attack, bizarrelyenough.
So if you have that going onfor you, you may be better off
gradually reducing sugar.
And I would do it like youdon't have to take a long time
to do it.
You know, maybe go to half yourintake for a couple of days and
then halve it again, and thenhalve it again and, you know, be
(16:25):
off it in a week.
But just choose somethingwhatever works for you.
And also, when you're giving upsugar, have a look at labels.
There's a lot of sugar that'sdisguised as other things.
So that's why eating wholefoods fruits, vegetables, salads
(16:48):
, quality proteins is ideal,because you don't even have to
worry about any of those hiddensugars or other preservatives et
cetera, because it's just notpresent in those types of foods.
So yeah, either go cold turkeyor gradually reduce, but getting
rid of sugar does you a hugefavor gradually reduce, but
(17:12):
getting rid of sugar does you ahuge favor.
I also wanted to mention stressmanagement, because that is
another thing that women talk tome about is their time and how
they don't have any time and thething is, chronic stress leads
to high cortisol, leads to bellyfat and worsened hot flushes,
poor sleep, all those things.
And many women said to me Idon't have time to relax.
And the truth is, if you don'tmake time, then your body will
(17:37):
eventually force you to relaxand that can be a very
involuntary kind of breakdown orburnout.
Even if you do a 10 minutepractice a day and when I say a
practice and people go, I don'thave time for that but just even
if it's some mindful breathingwhen you're driving or when
you're cooking or when you're onyour computer, just breathing
(18:00):
deeply into the belly, even ifyou did that at every
opportunity possible, you willhelp reduce your cortisol level
possible.
You will help reduce yourcortisol level If you can do a
10 minute walk at lunchtime.
That will help reduce yourcortisol level, particularly if
you make it a walk where you'renot running through the things
you've got to do in theafternoon, where you're not
(18:20):
thinking oh gosh, I don't havetime for this.
It's like no, you have a lunchhour, take 10 minutes just to
get outside, get some sun onyour skin and walk and just be
very much present in the momentthat you're walking.
So listening to birds, lookingat the sky, looking at trees if
you're lucky enough to work neartrees any of that.
(18:43):
I got into a great habit ofwalking when I had my most
recent dog, daisy.
I've had for just over a year.
When she first came to us I wastaking her for a walk every
lunchtime and I felt fantasticdoing that.
And now I've gotten out of thathabit.
I'm going to get back into it,but it's so good for the soul to
(19:03):
just get out even for 10minutes, breathe, get away from
your screen and it just helps toreset your system and gives you
some more energy for theafternoon.
Stress management reallyimportant when you're looking at
managing perimenopause andpostmenopause symptoms and
weight Movement is something Ialso wanted to mention today
(19:29):
because again, it's somethingthat women say to me I don't
want to have to exercise andhonestly, it's pretty much.
When we're looking at weightloss specifically, it's pretty
much 80% food, 20% movement andmany people don't really need to
move that much at all in orderto get a good weight loss.
But when, again, when we're inpost-menopause, we need to build
our muscle mass.
(19:49):
So movement is imperative fromthat point of view.
But if we're lookingspecifically at weight loss,
it's not particularly critical.
Our old model calories in,calories out we all know that
old model where if you did moreand more cardio, burn more
calories, you'll lose moreweight.
That backfires in perimenopausebecause it increases your
(20:12):
inflammation, gets you in yourstress response more often, so
your cortisol goes up.
All of these things blockweight loss.
So what works well is strengthtraining to build our muscle
mass, ideally two to three timesa week, daily walking is great
because it helps with insulinand glucose management.
Reformer Pilates or mat Pilates, yoga all of those sorts of
(20:36):
things really help as well.
They'd be the top ones.
I would say, obviously, if youlike running, keep running.
If you like cycling, keepcycling, swimming, whatever.
But if you're wanting to reallyget your best bang for your
buck and you don't exercise thatmuch and you don't love it,
strength training and most womenactually really do love
strength training it makes youfeel really good, really strong,
(20:57):
because, again, with ourmovement at this time of life.
It's not about calories andburning calories.
It's about balancing insulin,building muscle and supporting
your hormones.
It's about balancing insulin,building muscle and supporting
your hormones.
So if you can reframe movementas a self-care activity, not as
punishment, then that can reallyhelp when you're trying to get
(21:24):
into a routine.
The thing is and this is myfinal sort of thoughts before I
sign off for today the thing isyou don't need to do it all.
You don't need to do it allperfectly either.
This is all about progress, notperfection, and every single
small shift compounds on eachother into significant results,
(21:46):
and what feels hard in thebeginning quickly becomes your
new normal and the payoff isenergy, confidence, symptom
relief and weight that finallyshifts.
So if you're ready to stopguessing, if you want to start
following a clear, proven path,I invite you to book a free
(22:07):
peri-weight loss assessment callwith me.
We'll have a chat about whatyour goals are, what's holding
you back, what you want toachieve and what your biggest
struggles are, and we'll map outexactly how you can create the
changes that bring relief,balance, your ideal weight,
confidence, vitality back intoyour life.
(22:29):
Remember, nothing changes ifnothing changes, but with the
right support, change feelsempowering and not overwhelming.
So I hope you've enjoyed today'sepisode.
I would love it if you wouldshare it on your stories, in
your Facebook, whatever on yoursocial media.
(22:51):
I would absolutely love thatbecause, remember, you're not
alone and you probably havepeople in your network that are
really struggling and reallyneeding help.
We're starting to get into areally busy time of year.
A really busy time of yearSeptember, when we come out of
(23:15):
hibernation in Australia, andthat's when I get the majority
of my inquiries is September andsort of getting into December,
january.
So if you're thinking, yep, Idon't want to stay how I am, I
need to change, I need to dosomething.
How I am, I need to change.
I need to do something.
Just book on a free call withme.
There's no obligation and I geta lot out of speaking to people
, so I love it and you may justvery well find a solution for
(23:44):
what's going on with you.
So, yeah, the link is in theshow notes to book a peri-weight
loss assessment and we justtake half an hour just over
video and, yeah, get to knoweach other a little bit.
So any questions, do let me knowvia email, hello at
suzygardencom or you can DM meon Instagram.
Thanks so much for joining meon the Ageless and Awesome
(24:05):
podcast.
If you would like this episode,please make sure you click the
little plus button if you're onApple podcasts, or the follow
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 youfound this episode resonated
(24:27):
with you.
Head over to my Instagram andDM me at theperimenopausepath.
I would love to connect withyou.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.