Does your body ever confuse the heck out of you, leaving you wondering what could possibly be going on inside you? It blows my mind how my body feels so different from day to day. It’s wild how one run can feel energizing, empowering and strong, then the very next day my body protests the entire way after struggling to get out of bed. My joints scream in pain, my brain is engulfed in sludge, energy is nonexistent, and just for fun a hot flash or two threatens to melt my brain.
Regardless of the day, the first mile of every run causes me to question what the heck I’m even doing. Each step triggers pain, especially in my hips and glutes. I can only imagine how comical I look wincing and hobbling as I embark on my morning run. Mentally it drives me crazy because I don’t know whether the pain is from perimenopause, or if it’s a symptom of lupus because stiff joints and ligaments are a hallmark of both. Maybe it really doesn’t matter what’s causing it because it doesn’t change the fact that I am annoyed and uncomfortable. The good news is that after a mile or so my body limbers up and I’m able to settle into a rhythm that (dare I say?) sometimes feels really good. Whether I like it or not, I’m being schooled in patience and persistence.
Thanks to being an obsessive reader who’s determined to fight my way through menopause and autoimmune disease to arrive on the other side even stronger, I’ve learned so much about what my body is currently going through. Researching the impact of hormones, exercise, nutrition, sleep, and stress on my body and mind has been fascinating and empowering. I’m so encouraged that there are strategies I can implement to help minimize symptoms. It’s not too late! Not enough women realize that. Menopause has historically been a taboo topic, so unfortunately no one prepares us for it and society doesn’t like to talk about it.
As a result, too many people are in the dark about what’s happening in their body during this phase of life (including doctors) and don’t realize there are things they can do (even years or decades before menopause) to increase the chances of having a positive experience.
It’s simply not true that getting sick or feeling bad is an inevitable part of aging. We don’t need to settle on crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. A doctor once shrugged me off and remarked, “Well you ARE getting older,” when I complained about joint pain. Of course I am getting older, but it’s not the end of my story. I do not need to simply accept the belief that it’s only going to get worse from here. Really? That’s it? I’m just doomed? I’ve heard so many people respond to aging like this – like it’s just all downhill from here and there’s nothing we can do to prevent or reverse any of it. Yet there are countless women out there crushing these stereotypes as well as researchers who are studying what we can do to help make this phase of life our best yet. That’s not to say we can control everything, but we can absolutely make it better and reduce the likelihood of disease.
When we were young, many of us weren’t taught about the importance of lifting weights, nutrition, and how our lifestyle (throughout our ENTIRE life) can negatively affect our bodies in the future. Because we typically don’t experience those negative consequences until years or decades later, it’s easy to blow off in our 20s and 30s and convince ourselves disease won’t happen to us. I was fortunate to grow up involved in sports and immersed in nature from a very young age. However, the 80s culture did a lot of harm to women’s health as it encouraged “thinner is better”, diet pills, fat-free everything, endless diet fads, and rail thin supermodels. (“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” Thanks Kate Moss!)
Thankfully, research specific to women’s health is finally being conducted. Historically most medical and fitness related studies have left women out as participants (because we are too complicated!) leaving scientists to apply the findings to women as if they were no different than men. That’s insane! We’re learning now (thanks to more studies specific to women) how different types of exercise, foods, supplements, and other lifestyle choices affect women’s brains, muscles, body systems, mental health, etc. I highly encourage you to check out the work of Dr. Stacey Sims, Dr. Lisa Moscani and Selene Yeager. I’m so grateful for these amazing advocates who are demanding proper research and spreading the facts that we are not simply smaller versions of men and we deserve proper guidelines based on facts from appropriate research.
Sure, my body often hurts and it’s frustrating. Some days I feel like an alien inside my own body. But I’m not giving up because I know there are things I can do to overcome that. For example I know that if I take time to stretch and foam roll before I go to bed I’m more likely to feel better and warm up more quickly on my run. But I have to keep at it. And having an understanding of why my body is stiffer (likely due to hormone fluctuations, specifically less estrogen) allows me to give myself more grace and motivates me to do the extra work.
My body has endured a lot over my 53 years of existence – crazy diet fads, smoking, disordered eating, sleepless nights, long Covid and autoimmune disease. However, I’m still running (with a newly discovered appreciation for it I must add!) and I’ve fallen in love with lifting weights and witnessing my body getting stronger. My goal is to share my experiences honestly along with everything I’m learning in order to break the typical stereotypes that go along with aging and menopause. It’s the perfect opportunity for us to embrace a healthier lifestyle and thank our body for bringing us along this far! I still have big goals, they just look a little different.
Let’s redefine the menopause transition and aging by sharing our experiences, having the courage to talk about it freely, demanding proper healthcare, educating ourselves by checking out the latest studies and showing the world that it is not all downhill from here. We get to decide how we are going to write this next chapter. Why not embrace the opportunity to unleash your best, most badass self!