The Secret to Embracing Menopause With Esther Blum

Meet Esther Blum Esther Blum is an Integrative Dietitian and Menopause Expert. In the past 27 years, she has helped thousands of women master menopause through nutrition, hormones, and self-advocacy.  Esther is the bestselling author of See ya later, Ovulator, Cavewomen Don’t Get Fat, Eat, Drink and Be Gorgeous, Secrets of Gorgeous, and The Eat, Drink, and Be Gorgeous Project. Known as Gwyneth Paltrow’s menopause mentor and by Forbes for helping women thrive through menopause, Esther was also voted Best Nutritionist by Manhattan Magazine. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC-TV, and Good Day NY and is frequently quoted in goop, Well + Good, Forbes, Time Magazine, The New York Post, The Los Angeles Times, In Style, Bazaar, Self, Fitness, Marie Claire, and Cosmo.     What Is Menopause? Ah, the ‘big pause’...as some might call it. As a female moving into the next phase of perimenopause, I’ve been rather disappointed with the lack of information shared during routine ob-gyn visits and decided to do some in-depth research. This brought me to Esther’s healing work with thousands of women in and out of menopause. So, we dove all into menopause — what it is, ways to treat it, and feel better than ever. Put on your seatbelt, my friend, there’s a lot of ground to cover, and as always, take what you like and leave the rest.   Menopause is a hormone deficiency that happens naturally for women as they start making fewer reproductive hormones. Both menstruation and fertility declines typically with women in their early to late 40s.      What Are Menopause Symptoms? Symptoms can, of course, vary from woman to woman. The good news is that 80% of the solution for menopausal symptoms can be changed and altered with lifestyle. Here’s a listing of typical symptoms many women face: periods can worsen, meno-rage (what Esther refers to as excess anger and rage), insomnia and sleep issues, anxiety, depression, irregular heartbeat, breast tenderness, brain fog, vaginal dryness, lowered libido and lighter or missed periods. If you’re feeling something is off, Esther urges you to trust yourself. You know your body and honor your own inner intuition!     How To Embrace and Overcome Menopause One of the biggest factors in managing and even overcoming menopausal symptoms is due to lifestyle habits like the foods you’re eating, the exercise you're doing, and the sleep you're getting. Esther’s book goes into much greater detail; however, I’m going to break this down into those three categories to help give you an overview and more clarity.   Nutrition You’re going to need way more protein than ever before. Esther recommends 150 grams of protein each day. A good place to start is with 30 grams of protein at each meal (which is about 4 - 6 oz/meal). You want to keep your blood sugar stable, which protein and a small amount of carbohydrates can do. Contrary to what you might have thought, eating carbs at dinner is a good idea (for example, 1 - 1 ½ cups of rice or quinoa), which will help bump up your insulin and tamper your cortisol.    Exercise Contrary to the exercise many of us do in our 20s and 30s, you’ll want to switch up your exercise routine to help support your adrenals. This means less ‘HIIT’ (high-intensity interval training) method training and more walks. Walking outside can help reset your circadian rhythm and give you a great dose of vitamin D. Using weights, with enough rest in between sets, will also help with bone density loss.    Sleep It takes 8 weeks to reshape your nervous system. Engaging in deep breathing, meditation, or yoga nidra before bed is an excellent way to rewire your fight or flight system. This takes time, so don’t give up if you don’t notice results right away with your sleep.   What Are The Options? Esther shares research in greater depth in her book; however, we did discuss healthy options to help with symptoms and support your body during these hormonal changes. All of these suggestions are FDA-approved and considered bio-identical hormones, which are most like your own hormones. A great way to test your hormone levels, in addition to a hormone blood test, is to take what’s called the DUTCH (Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones) test. Esther and other functional medical professionals can guide you so you’re not going through perimenopause and menopause alone.    You can get a list of Esther’s ‘Happy Hormone Cocktail List’ that she mentioned here: https://estherblum.com/cocktail/ref/5   Menopause Redefined  In Asian cultures, it’s also known as ‘The Second Spring.’ I love this definition because of the focus on a second chance to bloom into your most true self. Perhaps this is the time in your life when you lose your filter, own your voice, and end an era of ‘people pleasing’. You’ve not tethered to rules around your cycle anymore, and perhaps it’s a time to embrace taking exquisite care of yourself.   Some empowering questions to ask yourself might be: ‘What do I really want?’, ‘Who do I want to surround myself with?’ and ‘How do I want to feel?’. This is a time to cut out all the B.S. and honor your ‘You-est You’!      Looking To Help Others Know Who They Are and Design Their Best Life?   If you are feeling a strong urge to help other big-hearted empaths get unstuck and design their best life, you've got to check out my Life Designer Coach Academy. This world-class four-month virtual live coach certification program will give you proven tools, techniques, practices, and methodology to be a powerful coach. This coaching program is for aspiring and current coaches looking to fill in the missing pieces and gain confidence and mastery in the coaching core competencies and the integrative health modalities from a mind-body science, positive psychology, and healing arts perspective. To learn more, go to lifedesignercoachacademy.com.   You-est You Intention Cards Want your own powerful deck of 33 You-est You Intention Cards? These cards were channeled by Julie. Each card has an empowering intention and deeper questions to ask your ‘You-est You’ for greater self-awareness, higher consciousness, and spiritual growth. You can get them now at juliereisler.com/shop.    Sacred Connection As always, this community is a sacred, safe place built on love and acceptance. It was created to help you evolve and expand into your highest self. Please share your wisdom, comments, and thoughts. I love hearing from you and learning how you are being your truest, you-est you. Please join us in our Facebook group: The You-est You® Podcast Community. Join host Julie Reisler, author and multi-time TEDx speaker, each week to learn how you can tap into your best self and become your You-est You® to achieve inner peace, happiness, and success at a deeper level! Tune in to hear powerful, inspirational stories and expert insights from entrepreneurs, industry thought leaders, and extraordinary human beings that will help to transform your life. 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