One of the most challenging aspects of menopause for women is fatigue. So many women in their forties and fifties facing years of transitioning through menopause have so much on their plates. Many are still raising children, working, and caring for elderly parents.
This is not to mention trying to maintain an active social life, engage in self-care, and keep a marriage alive. So, how do you keep those energy levels up when estrogen drops seem determined to keep them down? Here are some surefire tips.
Address Serious Issues First
Okay, before you can do anything else, you have to address the ongoing discomfort, aches, and pains you may be facing at this time. Perimenopause and menopause come with issues like frequent UTIs, vaginal dryness, which can cause painful intercourse and cramps. One of these problems is bad enough. If you’ve got multiple causes of agony, you can’t possibly be expected to jump up and race through your busy day with your usual zest for life.
So, take care of those issues first. To help you get ahead of UTIs, you can take a UTI supplement. For vaginal dryness, try using a vaginal moisturizer. For migraines and other inflammatory aches and pains, try ginger and turmeric tea, Epsom salt baths, and a pain reliever like Ibuprofen if the pain is intense. Your goal is to get yourself to where you feel more balanced and well, so you can work on your energy.
Exercise Daily
The next step is to step up your exercise game. If you’re not exercising at all, you’ve got some work to do. Even if you do exercise, you can change things up to increase your energy levels. The problem is that it feels counterintuitive. You have no energy, so how are you supposed to exercise? You might even feel lethargic. Sadly, the less you exercise, the less energy you’ll have, and the less you’ll want to exercise. It’s a catch-22.
The good news is that it often only takes a small step to get you started. If you’re out of practice, start taking daily walks for 20 to 30 minutes. Go to the park, find a nice trail, and take a friend with you. Turn it into an adventure. If you’re already active, consider hiring a personal trainer to help you get into lifting heavy weights and engaging in more mobility exercises. A professional will make sure you don’t hurt yourself. Before you know it, you’ll feel stronger and ready to run!
Prioritize Sleep
The reason exercise comes before sleep is that this area is another tricky, counterintuitive one. Many menopausal women have trouble sleeping due to aches, pains, hot flashes, and, you guessed it, lack of exercise. But if you don’t sleep, you feel too tired to exercise. And the cycle repeats itself, so you never get started. But sleep is essential to energy, so you’ll have to prioritize the activities and actions to ensure you get a great night’s sleep every night.
To make sleep a priority, exercise daily, even just a walk, and preferably outside. This move will tell your body to start your circadian rhythms, which will help your brain recognize when it’s time to sleep at night. An hour or two before bed, run a fan or your air conditioner to get your room cool enough to ease hot flashes. Relieve your aches and pains with a nice warm Epsom salt bath to calm your body. And finally, turn off your electronics at least one hour before bed.
Increase the Right Foods and Limit the Wrong Ones
You might realize that food is fuel, but you might not realize that some foods act more like sludge than petrol. Heavy, greasy, carb-laden foods definitely do not contribute to high energy levels. Why do you think everyone needs a nap after Thanksgiving dinner? Also, foods high in sugar, flour, and butter will weigh you down and make you feel too heavy to move. Plus, alcohol often sits in your bloodstream for many hours after you drink and makes you feel hungover the next day.
If you want more energy, you have to switch things up. Limit alcohol to a few glasses a week, at most, or none at all. Cut sugary treats down to occasional indulgences. And save Thanksgiving-like meals for… well… Thanksgiving. Instead, focus on drinking plenty of water, eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins, and getting your nuts, seeds, and legumes in daily. These foods will make you feel energetic and light on your feet. Ready for a workout!
Manage Your Stress
Finally, stress truly is the silent killer these days. It can drive up your blood pressure, impact your cholesterol, and make you lethargic. Humans were not meant to deal with chronic stress. And its impact is nowhere more apparent than in menopausal women running the world on a daily basis. Between school drop-offs, college campus visits, doctor appointments for aging parents, and a busy work schedule, you’re doing it all. And it’s dragging you down.
While you may not be able to cut all your responsibilities out of your life, you can do one thing many women struggle with: delegate. Yes, you can have it all. But you don’t have to do it all. Not every single thing. Have your spouse take a college visit. Ask your teenager to drop off your younger kids. Have your coworkers do their fair share. And make sure everyone is helping around the house. Then, pour yourself a cup of tea, and get in that Epsom salt bath.
Ultimately, it might feel like you’ll never get your energy levels back up, but you will. It’s just like the exhaustion women feel during the first and third trimesters of a pregnancy. It will pass. In the meantime, you can take actions like healing yourself, exercising, eating the right foods, and eating well. These steps will help you during menopause and make sure you’re strong and healthy well beyond it. The world needs older, wiser women around to show us the way.
