A study from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests that estradiol fluctuations common during the menopausal transition may enhance emotional sensitivity to stress.
If you’ve noticed mood swings and more frequent feelings of rejection, anger and irritability as you approach menopause, you’re not alone.
In other words, you’re not losing it, you’re just perimenopausal. Your tolerance for stress has diminished.
Stress isn’t just a feeling of being pulled in too many directions. Stress comes in many forms…
- Exercise (too much or too intense or none at all = metabolic stress)
- Nutritional deprivation and obsession (counting every calorie or macros, not eating enough food to fuel body processes, obsessing about non-GMO or gluten free)
- Sleep deprivation
- Life changes (a new job, losing a job, moving, sick parents)
- Parenting stress
If you’re doing everything “right” and not seeing results on the scale, stress is the likely culprit.
How do you know your body is under stress? Here are a few indicators…
- You’re hungry all the time
- You have lots of cravings
- You have low energy
If this sounds like you, stop being a dieter. In other words, stop letting food and exercise be your only weight loss tools.
Eating less + exercising more (the usual approach) is not going to give you results. It may work in the short run (maybe). But if stress is high, that’s the essential piece to focus on.
The body deals with all types of stress the same way. It doesn’t differentiate.
- Too much exercise = stress
- Being sedentary = stress
- Too much food = stress
- Too little food = stress
- Obsessing over calories or macros or points = stress
- Not enough sleep = stress
- Commuting in traffic = stress
- Teenagers = stress
Eating less and exercising more is exactly what your body DOES NOT need if your metabolism is already stressed out.
Instead, give your metabolism a vacation. Let it soak up some sun and read a trashy romance novel.
What does a metabolic vacation really mean? It means doing more rest-based or pleasurable activities. One activity per day is the goal. That said, start where you are – and build on.
Ideas…
- Walking at a leisurely pace
- Sleeping more or napping
- Tai Chi
- Massage
- Sauna
- Bath
- Meditation. Seriously, this is life changer. Don’t know where to start? Check out this book or this one or this podcast or the Buddhify app.
- Coloring, painting, drawing, woodworking, knitting
- Restorative or gentle yoga
- Turning off the news while you eat and listening to calming music instead
- Drinking tea
- Spending time in nature
- Funny movies
- Sex (yep, I went there)
Get off the internet. Turn off CNN. Don’t look at email. Give your brain some downtime.
The easiest way to do this? Walk every day. A nice slow leisurely walk. Walking relaxes the nervous system and provides beneficial movement.
If you like to “kill it” at the gym, consider scaling back metabolic or CrossFit type workouts to two days a week. Add more movement (walking, hiking, taking the stairs) and decrease intense exercise. Remember, intense exercise is perceived by the body as stress. We want to find that sweet spot. Not too much, not too little.
I can’t say what’s best for you, but here’s the plan I’ve been following based on the latest research…
- Walk for 45-60 minutes as many days as possible
- Two 30 minute metabolic workouts/week (boxing)
- Two strength training sessions (split squats, pullups or dumbbell rows, pushups, overhead press x 2 sets)
Sometimes the boxing or strength session gets swapped out for yoga – depending on how my body feels.
Now this is a lot. I get it. I’ve been exercising regularly for years. If it all feels way too overwhelming, just walk. Start there. Walking is perhaps the BEST way to take care our body + mind.
Once you’ve developed a solid walking habit, add a strength session or metabolic workout. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
As we get older, stress management and movement (not exercise) become more important. As our hormones begin to shift, we need to shift our priorities.
Work with your body, not against it.
XO ~Robyn
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