Nourish yourself well for better midlife health
Creating better midlife and perimenopause wellbeing with nutrition that works for you.
To feel well nourished goes beyond the food you eat, into all aspects of how you nourish your soul, your creativity, your life. It can factor in what you consume, in terms of content you read, people you spend time with, and the way you spend your time.
I know I am as nourished by doom-scrolling on my phone as I am by a packet of crisps. It’s a temporary distraction with no real substance.
It’s not complex, but can be hard to know where to start when we are SO bombarded by information.
The simplest food for wellbeing strategy
But there’s a simple strategy that goes beyond the latest food fad/diet hack/social media trend.
Hydrate with water
Include fibre with every meal
Eat a variety of plants every day.
Add simple proteins and healthy fats
Trying to factor in well-balanced meals to hectic family life, or to keep up with my mum’s changing palate in her dementia journey is a challenge. And getting the balance right often goes way beyond the food itself.
Hydrate
On average we are 60% water. Hydration is hugely important; a dehydrated body is not going to feel or perform well, physically or mentally.
When we are dehydrated our brains actually shrink, so simply adding an extra glass of water between meals can make a big difference to your focus, attention, digestion, and general feeling of wellbeing. Try it.
Rest
Similarly, if you’re exhausted, you need to nourish your body with rest. With simple downtime. Rest doesn’t always have to mean sleep or lying down. And it can help helpful to know that getting rest during the day can actually improve your sleep! You need to do what works best for making you feel rested. It can be as simple as taking a deep breath before a meeting, or drinking a cup of tea without scrolling on your phone.
You can learn more about types of rest and healthier sleep here https://www.lesleywaldron.co.uk/blog/4-essential-ways-to-rest-for-perimenopause-wellbeing.
When we’re exhausted we make different decisions. I know I have an association between being tired and needing ‘something sweet’ to keep me going. It’s a biological and a psychological signal. So my intention is always to rest first. Before exhaustion, and when I can’t. To take pockets of rest - to sit and sip, to breathe well, to meditate.
Joy
Our minds need nourishment with things that inspire us and bring us joy.
Food can be joyful. I can get excited about a great salad and my weekly veg box delivery. But that’s me. My teenagers roll their eyes.
The joy comes from slowing down and savouring. Which we don’t get from grabbing a quick bite on the run. Especially as those quick-bites tend to be ultra processed and not very nourishing. They’ll give us a quick pleasure hit, but not deep joy!
Joy comes from the company we keep, and the things we do. It’s a great stress antidote.
Stress isn’t great for digestion and nourishment, but joy can feel hard to access when we’re stressed and overwhelmed. And indeed in perimenopause when everything can feel a little dulled-down.
Stress reduction
Stress disrupts our digestion, our sleep, our rest, and our view of the world.
If only there was a simple way to eliminate stress? A magic button. If there was I probably wouldn’t be writing this blog.
Midlife is full of responsibilities and external stressors, as well as the impact of changing hormones on our stress responses and overall mood.
Keeping stress to a minimum or at least having plans in place to combat any stress is highly important, not only for our mental health, but stress hormones such as cortisol even have an impact on our ability to nourish ourselves. High levels of the stress-hormone cortisol can slow down digestion and contribute to symptoms such as bloating and constipation.
External stressors require a considered and bespoke approach (coaching can help enormously with this!). But we can also use the simplest of tools, our breath to reduce our stress response in the moment. I’ve got a blog with some ideas on how to use this here https://www.lesleywaldron.co.uk/blog/simplestressstrategy.
Gut health
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to understand more about the impact of gut health and our microbiome on our overall wellbeing, especially during the perimenopause transition. This blog has a some helpful tips and tricks https://www.lesleywaldron.co.uk/blog/perimenopauseguthealth
I run a 3 week gut health re-set as a group programme in June and July. There’s some focus on supplements but mainly on creating good long term habits around fibre, vegetables, reduced sugar, and planning meals. It always gives me an energy and mood boost. Details about that are here. https://www.lesleywaldron.co.uk/gut-health-programme
Nourishment also comes from those around you, friends, family, colleagues, your daily community interactions. I like to help my clients build a web of support around them, personal and professional, so that they’ve always got something to fall back on when life gets tough.
Ready to create a nourishing lifestyle that actually fits your real life? Book your free consultation call via the button below and let's explore whether we're the right fit to make it happen together.