I have been struggling with change lately, not in my surroundings but instead, change within myself and it is not without issues. What is happening right now is something that every woman has to deal with at one point or another; menopause.

Menopausal females, we’ve all joked about the topic a lot, in reality, if you are going through it,  it is no joke.  One minute I am feeling okay, the next I feel waves of nausea and unease;  a mix of emotions on overdrive for an extra bit of fun. Something as benign as a photo depicting a pastoral scene, will bring me to tears, this part of the process is exhausting.  Other times, conversations that I would normally brush off would instead have me stewing for hours.

Caffeine, once a welcome friend, has turned against me and now can make my symptoms seem so much worse.   I have cut my coffee consumption in half at this point, anything to make the head spins and nausea go away.

As you all know I am an avid reader of Ode Magazine, I was happy to see last months issue filled with menopause stories, it seemed to be written for me.

Image via Ode Magazine: The Meaning of Menopause by Hanny Roskamp

The first article I read was “The Meaning of Menopause,” by Hanny Roskamp, really spoke to me and what I was feeling.  In the article she speaks of hot flashes being a result of blood pressure dropping and facial flushing being due to blood vessel dilation.  Much like Hanny, being someone that tends to always feel cold, the momentary hot flashes are rather welcome.

Hanny also writes in her piece that:

“The symptoms of menopause are caused by falling levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body. It begins in tiny steps around age 30. Once the ovaries definitively go on strike, somewhere between 45 and 55, things suddenly careen downhill. Hot flashes are one clear symptom, but heart palpitations are also part of the package, as are night sweats, weight gain, difficulty sleeping, loss of libido and vaginal atrophy. Mentally, we undergo significant changes, and these may be accompanied by fear, anger and feelings of depression.“

I am just in the beginning of my journey, I am not afraid of the aging process and do little to thwart aging, except for grey hair, those I have been fighting since my 20′s.  I live my life as naturally as I can, hormone replacement isn’t in my cards and I chose to deal with this crazy ride as best I can, naturally. I agree with Hanny in that the taking of medications to offset menopausal symptoms is all personal choice, I do not judge those who do so to help manage all the various issues that come up during this transition.

The other, more important, thing I have noticed in the last few months, is my ability to advocate for myself more.  In the past I would avoid confrontation, unless it was absolutely needed, now I am not afraid of speaking my mind and letting people know when they are taking advantage of me. Perhaps that is my “witchy” menopause symptom, but I enjoy the liberation of taking care of myself and my needs first, before I tend to everyone else, for me that is a big change.

The whole magazine appears to be dedicated to the topic of menopause with article after article discussing the process.  Some talk about how women dealt with this in the past compared to the now, a time with endless choices of medications.  I like “Still on the Journey’s” by Lissette Thooft, who mentions that women need time alone, or with good friends, to process their thoughts during the journey when she said this:

But how do you manage it, sailing through menopause while your busy life as a partner and mother continues unabated? Well… you don’t.

You’ll do better to take the time and space you need and to pamper yourself with quiet time and herbal teas. Time, especially, to meditate. The harder you fight against it and want everything to keep going the way it’s always gone, the worse it will be for you.

Wouldn’t it be nice if I had the time to just BE and let this process move forward without the pressures of day to day life stirring up the mix.

As for me, my past history with fitness has certainly been a tremendous help in dealing with the symptoms and/or results of menopause. My physical self has seen a few small changes, but,  due to weight training my metabolism is still running on high. Weight training also helps with bone density, which, as a coffee drinker this always concerned me, of course menopause can also cause lower bone density as well.

I still have more reading and look forward to the experience and the journey. What about you, my readers, what have your experiences with menopause been like, if you have experienced it for yourself please share?

I am a lifetime exercise enthusiast, that we have already determined, so it isn’t surprising that each day I will find a physical activity to work my body. One of my goals in writing this blog, is to encourage people ~ who do I hope to encouraging?  You, if you are on the fence about your exercise regime, I hope to help you to get started each day  until it becomes habit for you as well.

At this moment in time I am reading the Ace Personal Trainer Manual and finding a lot of nuggets of information relating to why you need to continue your physical fitness like:

“On average, previously untrained youth, adult, and older adults increase their muscle mass by 2 to 4 pounds and their muscular strength by 40 to 60% after eight to 12 weeks of standard strength training.”

and;

“Physical capacity decreases dramatically with age in non-strength training adults; an average of 5 pounds, per decade, of muscle tissue is lost due to disuse (disuse atrophy).  A woman who doesn’t strength train loses about .5 pounds of muscle each year. “

Ohhhh what does that mean and why is this important, let me explain:
Per Ace fitness:

“Susan weighs 120lbs at 30 years old and is 20% body fat, she has 24 lbs of fat and 96 pounds of lean body weight. If Susan doesn’t exercise to maintain her muscle tissue and loses 5 pounds of muscle per decade, at 50 years of age, if she maintained the same body weight, her body composition would change by 20 pounds, how does this look you ask? At 50, without strength training, Susan weighs 120 lbs,  measures at 28.3 % fat: Susan carries 34 lbs of bodyfat and 86 lbs of lean body weight. (hello batwings and cellulite)

Here is a visual example of same weight but different body compositions, below is Deb Hunter, who increased her muscle mass and has the visual composition improvements to prove it.

This is Deb Hunter, the photos span from Jan to June of 2011 after doing a challenge to improve health and fitness at her local gym. Notice her weight is the same but how her body composition has completely changed. (She also changed her hair, which I love the new do and the bright smile too)

After 20 years of inactivity, Susan weighs the same but her body isn’t going to look the same, there is more bodyfat and less muscle tissue on her body.  This is how aging makes us look and feel older if we don’t work to maintain our health.

BUT THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE, IT DOESN’T MATTER WHEN YOU START.

Per Ace Fitness:

“Numerous strength-training studies have shown that several weeks of traditional strength training result in about 3 pounds more muscle and 4 pounds less fat in adult and older adults (Westcott et al., 2009; Campbell et all., 1994; Pratley eta l., 1994) this rate of body-composition improvement appears to continue for several months (Westcott et al., 2008)”

So why is this important? For one, muscle is constantly actively maintaining it’s own muscle tissue. During sleep, resting skeletal muscles are responsible for 25% (or more) of the body’s calorie use.  It only stands to reason that when your body has more muscle it will burn more calories maintaining itself. Plus, muscle looks a lot better on your body, both dressed and undressed.

Per Ace: “The 5 pound per decade loss of muscle tissue accounts for a 3% per decade lowering of RMR (resting metabolic rate) in non exercising individuals. Strength training raises RMR resulting in more calories burned on a daily basis. Studies have shown that a 7 to 8% increase in RMR can be experienced after several weeks of regular resistance training.” (Hunter et al., 2000; Van Etten et al., 1997; Campbell et al., 1994; Pratley et al., 1994)

Ace also states that Hackney, Englels, and Gretebeck are reporting an average of 9% increase in resting metabolic rate for 3 days following an intense resistance workout in untrained individuals, and an average 8% increase in resting metabolism for three days after an intense resistance workout in trained individuals.”

Lets recap shall we:

Your muscle deteriorates due to disuse, which decreases your metabolism, the decreased metabolism decrease your resting metabolic rate; the rate of which calories are burned. Losing 5 pounds of muscle every ten years means you carry more bodyfat and less lean muscle. This leads to the decrease in agility and capacity and an aged appearance.

Returning to fitness and resistance training increases your metabolism, increases lean muscle mass and decreases the percent of bodyfat your body carries. Resistance training increases your metabolism from 7 to 9% 72 hours after a training session. This equates to a leaner more toned appearance, along with better agility and being more active.

Which reminds me of an old joke from the eighties:

Inactive person: “I’m not fat, I’m big boned”

Overheard response: “Really, I’ve never seen bone jiggle like that!” (Don’t let this be you)

I haven’t even started to address the many other benefits of resistance training, like:

• Bone density, lowering risk of osteoporosis,
• Ease is completing activities of daily living,
• Better health,
• Exercise helps stave off diabetes, this per the Scientist’s article “Exercise Alters Epigenetics“
• Lowered injury risk
• Helping to lower blood pressure
• Helps with digestion (movement helps move food through your digestive system)
• Reduced pain of Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Decreased depression
• Improved quality of life and decreasing the effects of aging

So really, what are you waiting for..   time to stop reading and start pushing play..

Regular readers know I have been told how “lucky I was” for my “thin” genes.  Many of my fitness friends actually tell me they hear the same, “you are so lucky to be naturally thin” from their friends and family as well.  Of course, my readers also know that I incorporate exercise into life on a daily basis, along with good nutrition.

I didn’t think it was luck at all, I felt I looked fit and healthy because I WAS fit and healthy. Was it luck, that I put myself in my gym, getting my butt handed to me, at 5:30 in the morning each day? This was a curiosity of mine, so what’s a girl to do?

I asked myself: was this the luck gene; or hard work and dedication to taking care of my health? I decided to run a little test to see which it was, or so I told myself, I think my Seasonal Affective Disorder might have played a hand as well, I am not sure which came first actually.

I decided to do a test: for one month I would limit my fitness and enjoy a few of those uber tempting deserts to see how “lucky” I actually was.

(Or, the fact that I was completely intimidated by the thought of starting P90X2, but that is another story)

Granted I started this process around the holiday season, I knew, to a certain degree, that I would be enjoying certain foods that I don’t eat in my every day life.

I consumed holiday meals with wanton abandon, seconds, no problem, pie for breakfast, sure, why not!

This year however, instead of one day of decadence,  I brought home a childhood favorite:  peanut butter rice krispie treats, with chocolate in the middle. I know how they are made and that I can’t resist them, they are like crack to me.  This was the start of, what I thought would be, a month of “test” eating — I was eating things I normally avoid as poor food choices..

Rice Krispie Peanut Butter Chocolate Treats: an old childhood friend (image via: goodtymes&goodfood)

Okay, I wasn’t eating processed foods or anything like that, I hadn’t gone completely over the edge, but I was eating more take out, white potato, breads and then there was the nuts mixed with chocolate after dinner each night. I have never been one to drink, we still have the same 6 pack of beer in the fridge from 2010 and a full wine rack with bottles covered in dust, this makes me an anomaly within my family unit. (in fact, my niece once commented about the dusty bottles, I wasn’t sure if she was shocked regarding the dust or that the bottles hadn’t been consumed as of yet!) I didn’t add alcohol to the mix, I just want to clarify that fact.

So what was the result of my little experiment: I gained 15 pounds – I felt — tired, listless, my back & joints ached, I felt older than my age! Not only that, I noticed that my seasonal depression became worse than in years past. Of course that might have been due to me not being able to fit into anything I owned, I didn’t have any interest in leaving the house to spend time with friends. The whole process ended with me getting a horrid cold, something that almost never happens to me, I hadn’t been sick in years!!!

The end of a 30+ day experiment of relaxing my normal eating routine. The results are obvious, I wasn't given a thin gene and have the ability to gain weight.

My annual exam happened to coincide with the completion of this event, I asked for a blood test, which I normally get through with flying colors. This time it came back with cholesterol levels that warranted a stern note from my doctor, who was unaware of my little experiment.

The experience told me a lot actually, that I hadn’t been so lucky to have been gifted the “thin” gene and I too had the potential to become obese and suffer the ill effects of this type of lifestyle.  As my readers know, my life goal was to break the chain — my parents had handicapped themselves from lifestyle diseases: obesity and heart disease.  Unfortunately, my father had been ill with a heart condition since before I was born, he died at 57 from lung cancer and complications from his heart condition. My maternal side suffers from obesity and type 2 diabetes, I say my maternal side as the remaining members of my family are obese: they are either diabetic, prediabetic or quickly racing towards that end..

At first I didn’t have the motivation to return to my previously fit lifestyle, I looked at the 15 pounds and didn’t think it was too terrible, I looked and felt okay. Then it occurred to me that this is how is must begin for so many people -  adapting to become my new normal wasn’t an option.  I feared that this adaptation would lead to the next 10 lbs adaptation, then the next and so on, until I too was a statistic.

As soon as my cold ended I was back to my normal healthy lifestyle, that was two weeks ago. I started my “return to fitness” using the 3 day shakeology cleanse and flushed 6 pounds of water retention out; that 6 pound drop in weight felt excellent.  Now I track my eating so I can see where I am during the day, this allows me to adjust my nutrition during to hit my daily goals. At this time I am not at my pre-experiment weight – things are moving in the right direction, I can wear my pants comfortably again.

I did start P90X2, it is difficult, it was designed that way and certainly is effective in its design.  I want to clarify that P90X2 isn’t for people who aren’t already preconditioned, there are many excellent programs for beginners.  (feel free to ask for suggestions) I have already completed 9 rounds of P90X, 2 rounds of Turbo Fire, one round of Insanity and countless other fitness routines before attempting this workout series.

I am back to being myself again, I not only found myself hiding from my friends and family during this process, I also didn’t feel worthy of my online family as well and promptly hid myself.  In the end I feel this was an excellent experience to help me understand and appreciate the process others are going through – this will be useful as I work toward my personal trainer certification and helpful to those I hope to guide to find their inner “fit and healthy” self..

Recently a few people I know have broken barriers, not the kind they were looking forward too however, they broke past age 50 barrier. Breaking into the golden years is a scary time and also something to celebrate. The golden years are for exploring all the finer things in life except now you can do it at a discount with your AARP card, there are advantages and disadvantages to everything we do in life.

Aging Gracefully via One Accord Pt

If you believe or think that your physical age dictates how you should look or feel then you might be fighting a losing battle.  To better explain what I mean when I say this let me share with a recent conversation I had with someone who just recently started their menopause journey, it went something like this:

Sue: (name changed to protect the innocent) I am feeling really bloated lately and I don’t know what might be causing it. I just feel so tired and drained all the time, I’ve lost all my youthful energy.
Me: Have you cut back on your sodium intake and have you been drinking enough water during this recent heat wave?
Sue: Yes I drink about two glasses of water a day and a couple cans of soda. I told my doctor that I don’t eat or use any salt when cooking so she didn’t think that was an issue. My doctor thought that now that I am in menopause I might start getting bloated; I guess this is all part of aging.
Me: Did you know that the recipe for soda is lots of salt plus enough sugar and flavoring to cover up the brine. I have also noticed that each day for lunch you eat processed meat sandwiches on white bread along with a baggie full of pretzels, chips and crackers and are eating peanut butter cracker snack packs for breakfast with your soda, did you discuss that with your doctor.
Sue: No, I did not and I really didn’t think about that as being a large source of sodium but I don’t cook with it at home or use salt on my meals so I thought I wasn’t eating much salt.
Me:  Sodium can be hidden in many processed foods as it is used to enhance flavor and as a preservative. Most people aren’t aware of exactly how much they ingest daily until they really start investigating or track their nutrition for a week or so to get a better feel for what they truly are eating.

Unfortunately this is a very common situation with many people who are suffering from the symptoms of poor nutrition. Without thinking about it they are eating foods that are a direct cause of their poor health; due to habits or lifestyle they don’t see that their diet could be the cause of their health problems and instead attribute it to their age.

On the other side of the spectrum I was introduced a couple in their 70’s of ours during a recent boating trip. We had a wonderful conversation about all the long distance bike riding they were planning and some trails we might explore when we take our summer vacation. I was very clear that this couple had spent their lifetime taking care of themselves and keeping in good physical shape.

As the water settled down it became smooth and glassy, soon the water skiing began. After everyone had their turn this older gentleman decided it was time for him to give it a go and donned a slalom ski. I was amazed to see someone with snow white hair pop out of the water with ease,  he jumped the wake and started cutting enough to send a huge roaster tail up and out with his single ski barely touching the water.

Aging is a route we all travel, our journey down this path determines how well we will handle the process. If you believe that aging means you need to sit back in your rocking chair watching life pass you by then that is exactly what you will get.  I choose to take the alternate route, staying healthy and fit so that I can amaze the next generation and perhaps inspire them to remain fit and to believe that age is just a number and not a condition.

What about you, where are you in your life journey and what steps are you taking to ensure your golden years are full of joy and exploration?

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that life is all downhill after a certain age and live your life to it’s fullest potential.

Body:

• Are you ready for “The Food Revolution”? by Mother Earth News. This is a great article regarding how people are becoming more aware of what they are eating and where it comes from.  Becoming mindful of what we are eating and steering away from cheap calories and awakening our thoughts to the pleasure of eating good wholesome foods.
• Societal Stress ~ The New Norm That’s Killing You Via: FitTalkNews Thought provoking article details the societal stresses we live under and how that might impact our health and weight struggles.  Not only is the subject discussed but with excellent detail given to explain the impact stresses might play in your health and fitness.
• Spreading Fat Stigma Around the Globe Via: The New York Times Body weight is in the forefront of the news and magazines these days as an effort to raise awareness and to curb the obesity trend. While this is an honest attempt to help “end the trend” the ugly side of the story is that cruelty which targets the obese is on the rise. There has always been an undercurrent of jokes and bullying humor directed towards heavier weighted individuals, this does nothing to help but instead makes it worse.  Now is a time when we should see obesity as the disease it is and work together to help one another to over come this hurdle.  Read this article to see how opinions and viewpoints concerning body image have changed around the globe.

It is officially spring, in most areas anyhow, here in the cooler area of the country we are still living indoors breathing the same stale air locked in from months past.  We, of course, follow a nice clean diet and drink our morning shake, detailed below, which helps keep us feeling and looking younger.  I did enjoy reading this post on the site Stylelist.com regarding which power foods to eat to revive your skin for spring, who doesn’t want to have vibrate glowing skin, that is what I strive for.

The start of a colorful dish

One thing that I did enjoy reading was the pointers on what not to eat for nice looking skin and why.. here is a snippet from the article, but I suggest you read the piece in it’s entirety.

“You really are what you eat, and your skin reflects this. Diets rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can make your skin glow, help clear up acne and fight aging and sun damage. Likewise, meals laden with trans-fats, white flour, sugar and chemicals can leave your complexion looking dry, dull and lackluster.

Try throwing a few dark greens into a smoothie (you won’t even taste them, promise). Opt for a piece of salmon instead of a burger next time you go out. And ditch the fat-filled desserts and replace with a bowl of seasonal berries. Not only will you look better, you will feel better too!…

…Just like there are certain foods to include in your diet, there are plenty of ones to avoid if you want a healthy looking complexion. Among Irwin’s worst foods for your skin are white sugar, white flour, anything with trans-fats, processed foods, sugary drinks, deep-fried foods, baked goods, pizza and simple carbs. All of these can contribute to inflammation. They also contain insulin and lepton, which are major accelerators of the aging process.“

Walnuts have always been a favorite snack in our household, so much so that my adult son will ask for a large bag as a gift for any gift giving holiday. I have never minded indulging him in his love of the walnut but always had a secret stash of walnuts hidden for my own use.  When he was a boy we couldn’t our walnut supply stocked; there is nothing worse than a baking and finding yourself nutless.

Walnut image via: Earth Times

I was happy to read that of all the nuts, it is the walnut that is the best choice for snacking, due to it being ranked having the highest concentration of anti-oxidants. In an article written by Tamara Croes for Earth Times titled “Walnuts Contain Most Healthy Antioxidants,” they discuss recent findings by the University of Scranton.   The following is a snippet from the article:

“J. Vinson, Ph.D. of the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, who carried out the study, says that they compared walnuts with pistachios, almonds, macadamias, cashews, pecans, peanuts, Brazil nuts and hazelnuts, and walnuts contain twice as much antioxidants as any of the other nuts. When compared to vitamin E, a well-known antioxidant, the antioxidants in walnuts were 2 to 15 times more effective. Another advantage to walnuts is that they are usually eaten raw, whereas most other nuts are eaten roasted. The heat from the roasting affects the effectiveness of the anti-oxidants.”