bad words and taboos
I am not much of a cusser unless I’m in a mood. Well placed, I appreciate a good swear word - for emphasis, shock value, comedy.
Lately though, one of the bad words I’ve been uttering, has had people sort of disengage with our conversation, get uncomfortable, or try to allay my feelings with supportive denial (“oh, that’s impossible, you’re way too young”. )
The word is the epitome of unsexy. It implies getting old. Which as we know, our society does not do well with, especially in women.
PERIMENOPAUSE.
Is it a season of my life I’m slowly embarking on? Yup. Or so, I think I am. Either way, it deserves to be talked about right? Surely, I’m not the only one experiencing major brain fog, night sweats, feeling more vulnerable to stress, constant irritability, gaining weight? And those are only my symptoms, and there are countless since everyone experiences this differently, and yet, all of it seems under-reported, and certainly, under-treated.
I’m wanting to normalize the talking about it and empowering ourselves to learn more about how to balance our hormones and make this (long) stage of life just as full of vitality as my 30s. I also want to dialogue with those who are also in this boat, or have been through it, or are experts on it because there’s so much contradicting advice out there and honestly, most of the things I know about health, fitness, and nutrition and what’s worked for me, are. no. longer. working.
“1 gram of protein per lbs of weight to support the muscle gain/maintenance or more plant-based for longevity and reduction of inflammation?”
“Steady state cardio (when you do cardio, which should be reduced) or some high intensity training but not too much because it’ll raise cortisol?”
“Rest/recover more but make sure you lift heavy, walk 10,000 steps, do yoga/meditation, all while taking care of yourself, your family, with extreme fatigue."
The list goes on.
I don’t have the answers. I know what I can do to support my stress, sleep, and hormones. I can find moderation with little tweaks to how I fuel and move my body. But there’s a lot of throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what’s going to work for me and that’s both humbling and frustrating. And there are amazing people out there doing the work of supporting those of us who need it - the educational, empowering work that is SO criticial - though you won’t find it in network, or covered by a health plan likely. So much about women’s health and needs is backwards (and going even more backwards by the minute) , so I’m hoping to start discussion, engage in dialogue, jump on and learn from others, because in community, we don’t feel so alone or like we’re on a solo struggle island.