Managing Menopause

Susa 0:04

Another thing that people need to realise is there's never a best moment to stop . There's only now to stop . Life is never going to be perfect . You're never going to be in a situation where there's not stuff coming to you from different angles . And if you want to postpone , I'll start on Monday . I'll start on Tuesday , because this just starts today . One percent change that's what you always say , cori . One percent change and I actually figured it out like did a little mathematical thing If you increase your steps by one percent every day , like it's amazing what you're going to accomplish over a year .

Cori 0:38

Hey guys , Cori from Redefining Strength , welcome to the Fitness Hacks podcast . Today we're going to talk about managing menopause . As early as our late thirties , we can start with the symptoms of perimenopause , and so we want to make sure that we're doing everything we can , as early on as possible , to address the symptoms and know how to handle them and adapt as our needs , as our goals , as our body changes , because we cannot avoid the hormonal changes that we're going to see . So in this episode I want to go over our mindsets to have to really get the most out of everything . Make sure that you're meeting yourself always where you're at . I want to discuss a great recipe with five amazing ingredients to help with those symptoms that we might see during menopause . I'm also super excited to share an interview I did with one of my magical manager , suza , and her menopausal experience and what she did to combat the weight gain that she saw coming on , and how she even learned to give herself grace and really embrace who and what she was as she went through this phase of life . And then I want to end with some great workout tips and a great workout design to help you build strength and lean muscle mass , because it is so important that we really focus on that body composition , that strength , that we age functionally well .

Cori 1:45

Menopause Okay , it is not an excuse , it is a reality , and the reason I say it like that is because we are going to go through menopause at some point in our life , ladies , and with those different hormonal changes , we can see different symptoms popping up . Some people experience them more , some people experience them less , and we need to own that . This is going to happen if we want to meet ourselves where we're at , to see the results that we want . So it's not an excuse to say , hey , this is a reality , these things are happening to my body which are going to change what I need to do in order to see the results that I want . Hey , this might make it harder even to see the results that I want . So it's not bad to blame things on the hormonal changes that we're seeing . However , we can't let that become our reason not to make changes , to meet ourselves where we're at , to focus on moving forward , because just because these hormonal changes are a reality , they are an excuse even for why certain things are happening . We cannot just keep blaming them and not do what is within our power to control to move forward .

Cori 2:44

So , if you are going through menopause , if you have started perimenopause in your late thirties , forties , whatever else and you're starting to see those hormonal changes , it is key that you take that step back and realize what used to work may not work any longer . You've got to change your mindset from one of just pushing harder , trying to do more , to really focusing on meeting yourself where you're at , realizing that day to day at times , what you need is going to change . The more you can embrace that mindset of giving yourself grace to meet yourself where you're at , the more you're going to be able to adjust and adapt as your body changes . And I bring this up because I also think it's really important that we note that it's not just the hormonal changes we're seeing right now that impact our results . It's also all of our previous dieting and workout practices adding up . And a lot of times we blame age , we blame those hormonal changes , when it's the fact that we've always turned doing more , cutting our calories lower , trying to train harder , instead of designing systems to all work together . So , as you're encountering those hormonal changes , take that time to step back and assess what is really going on with your body . The more you can say , hey , I'm not not sleeping as well , hey , I'm not recovering as fast , hey , the macro breakdowns are the way I was feeling is not working the way it used to , the more you can then make changes that will truly move you forward .

Cori 3:56

But if you keep that mindset of just pushing harder , just pushing through , just trying to ignore it , even trying to say , oh , I don't want to make excuses , you're not going to really realize your new reality . Because , whether or not it is even menopause or you know other lifestyle changes maybe you went from being single or , you know , without kids , and now you have kids and your schedules change . We always need to be open to adjusting and adapting , because that's the only way to allow ourselves to truly move forward . We can't just get stuck on what used to work , and we also have to realize that a lot of time , what used to work , what made us lose the weight in years past , is also why we're struggling more now . So we have to make sure that we are taking that step back to assess what is our body , what is our mind telling us and how can we best meet ourselves where we're at .

Cori 4:41

Because with this and the step back .

Cori 4:44

As much as it can feel like negative , it is really embracing , controlling what you can control to meet yourself where you're at , because moving forward might not look the same , and that's a okay , we have to accept it .

Cori 4:56

So , I think , a big thing when you're starting to encounter these changes , which can even dictate different things day to day , can mean you have great energy one day and not so great energy the next , the more you can really give yourself grace , except that you can only control what you can control and do what you can to move forward , knowing that sometimes you do even have to , you know , get out of your way , own way of push , or get out of your own way and step back , but you have to be willing to adjust and adapt the better the results that you're going to see moving forward , even if it's not exactly the way that you envisioned .

Cori 5:24

All right . Well , I'm super excited to have Suza , one of my amazing magical managers , on my podcast to talk about managing menopause . So , suza , you shared an amazing picture with me of a transformation you had during this time and I thought your story was so interesting of how you really not only embrace the changes but felt like your most fabulous self as you handle them . So can you talk a little bit about your story , about the recognition that you were going through these changes and like what you did with it ?

Susa 5:58

Yeah , so I call it my yellow skirt moment . So I had this beautiful yellow skirt that I loved and it would always pick up my spirit . So one morning I took out the yellow skirt , as I always do put it on , and it didn't fit over my waist . So , just to rewind , it's not like I haven't had this skirt on for a long time . I actually had it on the week before and it was fine . So that was the big first aha moment of oh my goodness , this middle-aged spread is really real .

Navigating Menopause Through Lifestyle Changes

Susa 6:27

You can't just carry on life as usual .

Susa 6:30

And at that stage I was active . I've always been active . I run , I bootcamp , you know , do all the stuff that you think you're supposed to do . And although the symptoms was there , like night sweats and hot flashes , you know , in your mind you're like no , I'm not that old , I'm not going to become my mom , you know that sort of argument . But I also realized that deep down , something wasn't right because I was very tired . It doesn't matter how , I just eating and whatever . So I did rush after the doctor . I had all the blood work done . I struggled a lot with high blood sugar , so I would be running up a hill and when I get to the top of the hill I would be like wanting to faint . I had to sit down . I was like , oh my gosh , I'm having a heart attack .

Susa 7:14

So after the doctor I went , we did all the tests and it basically came back the realization of I'm in that stage of my life , you know . So I think it means for everybody something else . For me at that stage it was probably like I say , a little bit of mild depression , realizing that this is where your own life may be a little bit of madness and craziness , because the hormones is not good . So just warn the husbands beforehand if you realize this is coming your way . But I also realized that it's not something to be afraid of . It's part of life , it's a journey and it's what you do with that journey and how you embrace that journey . So we can sit in the corner and feel sorry for ourselves or we can embrace this and I think we are so blessed with all the signs out there .

Susa 8:05

I think about our parents , our mothers and our grandmothers who did not have this . It was not even talked about . So here we are , talking about it . You can share your feelings , you can share where you are . Thank you very much . I think the big thing that made a big change for me was when I started researching and I mean , I was thinking about this beforehand and I'm like I also want to say that there's so much information out there that when you do research , make sure that you're researching the right people you know . So luckily for me , I found you and that made a big difference for me to realize how stuff works and how stuff fits together and how Eating the correct foods combining with your workout actually is what gives you success in life .

Cori 8:49

I Think you hit on something that's so key , even in the example of the yellow skirt and just the week before it fitting because changes can occur very quickly and there can be all these symptoms that we do tend to ignore because we say , oh yes , I'm not , I'm not this age . That's what happens when you get older , where we don't even realize that peri menopause can start as early as our late 30s . Right we're , we're denying things that are going on instead of owning the struggles , and I think the more you can say , hey , this isn't a bad thing , but if I don't handle it , I'm not going to see the results I want .

Susa 9:26

Exactly . And I always think to myself , if I can go back in time and talk to Susie at 40 , I would say prepare yourself for this stage because of all the information that's out there it's not just information for when you find a hit menopause . You can actually prepare yourself and be in such a better space when you actually hit menopause not saying that your symptoms will be less or that you will feel better or you won't get Pick up weight around your belly . I'm not saying that . All I'm saying is I think that if I Realize what is really happening to me and I started earlier I wouldn't have needed to lose 27 pounds Because that 27 pounds just scripted up on me .

Susa 10:05

I never in this whole time thought that I was overweight Until I put on the skirt . And then I think another bigger whole moment was , even though the skirt didn't fit , I was still like , yeah , dabbling . You know I was big into long distance running , long distance swimming , I was doing mini triathlon . So that long endurance stuff that I'm not saying don't do it when you go through menopause or when you in menopause , but that's not beneficial for your body at that stage . So the magic key , if I might say it now E-string strain like we .

Susa 10:38

We can like hop around this and worry about this and talk about a lot of different stuff , but I'm telling you , what worked for me was when I actually realized that if I lift weights and I Work on building lean muscle mass and I'm not telling that you need to become like the Hulk that's not what I'm saying and anyway we don't have to . Like you all know , we don't have the hormone to become like that . There's a lot of work that goes into bodybuilding and really focusing on your macros and even if you don't focus on your carbohydrates and your fats and you just start focusing on your protein intake , that is where you're gonna start seeing a difference .

Cori 11:14

I Think it's so important that , like people really do take to heart the , we can plan for a better future and control what we can control . Like you can't control the hormone changes , you can't even fully control how , like menopause and those hormones are going to impact you . Some people don't have a lot of symptoms , some do , but you can address Improper and I do say improper dieting and exercise practices , because so many of us have been brought up with the eat less , train harder , do more cardio all this attitude and it's not you shouldn't do what you love like if you love triathlons , if you love running , don't stop doing it , but Address the other aspects that can make sure that your meaning yourself where you're at with

Embracing Body Changes and Long-Term Commitment

Cori 11:57

those things . So eating enough to fuel those things , but also doing the strength training that will pay off in those ways . But there's so much you can control that won't allow those things to creep on .

Susa 12:07

I 100% . And I think the other thing that people need to realize is that it is not an overnight fix . It was something that I've been thinking a lot when you , when we were preparing for this , and I'm like , if there's something I want to emphasize is this is not a six-week fix . You can do a six-week body transformation challenge , you can do , but this is a lifestyle change and it starts with one small step and you have to remember every step you take , every day , is one step closer to the goal . Is it a hundred percent Fun journey ? No , it sometimes sucks , man .

Susa 12:42

I'm telling you these days where I would love to just down Four cocktails , but back in my mind I also know that I'm gonna pay a massive price the next morning because of that , because the days of recovering quickly after it's been our day is not that easy anymore . It takes me . Well , I can tell you an example . It was my husband's birthday a week ago . So I mean , like I had some cocktails , we had some nice food . It literally took me until this morning to really so two weeks we're looking at before I could really see the bloat is gone , the water retention is gone , the number on the scale is where it should be , because , realistically , I weight myself , because I just wanted to see and I know it's not fat , it's just everything that was going on . But it's a it's a long-term commitment and you really need to know why you want to do this .

Cori 13:34

But it's recognizing that at any point we can make those changes . And it's always about meeting ourselves where we're at , like our bodies constantly evolving . I like , if you think about like , like when you're in your 20s you see all this college kids eating and I even think about like Ryan , I saw some pictures of like Vegas trips We've had where we're like how the heck do we eat a burger , have a shake , have another shake , go out and get that fried food , then have those drinks and you're like , how did we survive the next day ? You know , like . But Instead of like lamenting that or looking back on that , just realizing that we have to meet ourselves when we're at . We can still have a lot of fun and find a lifestyle balance . I mean , no , you can't do what you want whenever you want , but that's true about every aspect of life . We can always meet ourselves where we're at to move forward and find that new balance that works for us .

Susa 14:19

Yeah , definitely . I agree with you and I'm like for me , something that I adjusted to is that I would have If we're gonna go out for supper . I don't even look . I look at the menu before I go . I make a decision on what is going to work for me , that I can enjoy . I Don't even look at the menu when I walk into the restaurant . That is the food I'm gonna eat , non-negotiable .

Susa 14:44

And if my macros is at a stage or I'm working at a specific goal and I'm not drinking at all , I would order club soda with lime . I would ask them to bring it in a wine glass . Nobody's gonna ask me . It's in a wine glass . Everybody's just gonna assume and you're away from the peer pressure as well . So if somebody asks you what you're drinking oh , just enjoying a drink you don't need to tell them that you . You don't need to go in saying oh , I'm on this diet and I'm not drinking , and Just just fall into life Easy , like you don't need to explain yourself and and your journey to anybody if you don't want to . I .

Cori 15:22

Think that's such a key thing to remember because I do think we can feel weird about the changes we're choosing to make , but it's a we need to have that recognition that we're choosing to make these decisions .

Cori 15:32

We're choosing certain priorities over another , and there's always that choice and there's gonna be an evolution . There's gonna be times where , on your husband's birthday , you do have too many cocktails and have to recover for two weeks , but then there might be other things that you're like hey , this isn't worth it for me . I want to feel good for x , y and z , so therefore I'm not gonna do it , and it's just feeling really comfortable with that choice , which I think can be hard , because we do sort of we always look back and a we look back and then there's rose color glasses , right , so things look better like , oh , we used to be able to do this . But I think we like look back and we wish for that time , which then can make us feel worse about the time we're in now . So , in terms of somebody sort of saying I'm having troubles letting go of what was , what advice would you give them ?

Susa 16:18

The nicest , thing for me in being postmenopause is the freedom that comes with it . I Don't need to plan anything around periods anymore . You know you can just do what you want . You can pack up and go . You don't need to worry about that part of life anymore . And the freedom of . I'm so comfortable with who I am Because I embrace this change . I really don't care about the satellite on my legs anymore . I weigh my shorts . If somebody wants to say something about it , you know it's their problem , not mine .

Susa 16:51

I embrace the days that I have energy . I embrace the days that I don't have energy and I think it is really being comfortable with yourself to really go and Tell yourself that you are an awesome human being and you're just going through a natural process of life . I have this philosophy that if I get up in the morning and I show and I look in the mirror and I don't have anything good to say to myself , I leave . I never try and say anything negative about my body and my body image , and even some days if I just have to say , oh my gosh , I've got very big feet , and because I've got big feet is because I've got very , very skinny , lean toes . So some days , the only thing that looks lean on me is my toes , but then I would go like you've got awesome toes , man , just rock those sandals today . So I think that is the big thing is really just embracing who you are and not worry about the rest of the world and all that advertisements .

Susa 17:51

And then , I think , the pressure from the film industry . Now you look at the Jane Fondas and the woman in the 50s and 60s , you're like , oh my gosh , jennifer Lopez , they look amazing . Do you remember ? They are surrounded by a team of experts that are there to make sure they look that way . They don't have to do all the stuff that we do . Yes , they've got challenging works , and I'm not saying that they don't work as hard as what we do . Obviously they work as hard as what we do , but they have a team surrounding them . They have people that helps them . So , coming back to what you said is , reach out for help as well . We maybe not have this massive team , but there is people like redefining strengths that will help you on this journey to decide where you need to be in life .

Cori 18:42

I think , too , it's finding that balance and you brought it up like , hey , you don't have to accept gaining weight , right . But at the same time and I think this is true at every age , at every stage of life , as we're working towards any goals . It's not just accepting that something is going to happen because we're a certain age , because of hormone changes At the same time , also embracing that things do change as we get older , things do change with different lifestyle phases , and owning who and what we are and loving ourselves in that process is so important , and especially during the hormonal change of the perimenopause and menopause we do have , we do see an impact on our anxiety levels , our depression , our body image , and I think , even being aware that this is part of that change . To then find strategies to help motivate yourself , keep yourself positive , is so important .

Susa 19:30

And I mean , if that means that you need to buy different clothes that makes you look better , then buy clothes that makes you look better . You don't need to wear the clothes you wore when you were 20 years old . You don't need to even weigh the weight . I think that's . Another thing that we can talk about is that you are not going to have the body that you had when you were 30 . You can work hard sorry , you can work hard and you can definitely have changes in your body , and there's no reason for you to give up and just become this blob of human being . That's not what I'm saying is , but I also think you need to realize that you are not 20 years old anymore and it's going to take a longer time to see all these changes happen for you .

Cori 20:17

You've potentially also done things for a longer that aren't the same . Your hormone levels are different and I think it's recognizing that our body is changing at every age , every stage . And the longer you even start doing certain habits , the more you're even going to see adjustments , even though you're not losing the weight or gaining the muscle , even though it's sort of like you seem like you're staying stagnant or like maintaining . But even in maintenance there's progression and adjustments that happen in your body and your body's constantly shifting and evolving and there's so much you can accomplish . But yes , it is embracing that as we get older , as processes change , as hormones change , things are going to take a different amount of time , and our whole life prior even contributes to how long it takes , which means just even start some of the good stuff earlier , yep exactly and , like I said earlier , if we can just start earlier , if we can just have this realization that if we start earlier in this preparation , that this change in life is going to be a more comfortable one .

Navigating Menopause

Susa 21:17

So I have to say I was very fortunate . Although I had the night sweats and the hot flashes and stuff , it was for a very short period . So it was for a very short period . It might also be because I really , when I realized this is going on , I really started addressing my nutrition . I really did . I zoomed in and I made sure that I was eating and choosing the right foods and eliminating foods that didn't make me feel good .

Susa 21:42

I just want to say that no foods are of limit . You need to decide what works for you . So I know for a fact there's foods that don't . I don't feel well when I eat it , so I just try and stay away from it . I'm not allergic to it , I'm not sensitive to it , I just don't feel well . So for me the transition was a little bit easier . There is women that will obviously have these symptoms for a longer period and will suffer with it longer , but I also think it's to embrace the fact that if you had a bad night of your symptoms , it's not to go and try and crush your personal best in the gym the next morning . It's to adjust to that level of energy that you have .

Cori 22:21

It's giving yourself grace , it's weighing the cost and reward of everything to find your balance and recognizing that one bad day doesn't have to mean two or three or four , if we choose not to allow it to , not to mention like this is a phase of life . But there are so many phases of life that we go through , whether or not it's the college phase , the family phase , the grand kid phase . There's phases to everything which , like not even talking about hormones or internal stuff , like just impact your lifestyle and how you have to schedule your training , your fueling and all that for that as well .

Susa 22:56

Another thing that people need to realize is there's never a best moment to stop . It's only now to start . Life is never going to be perfect . You're never going to be in a situation where there's not stuff coming to you from different angles . And if you want to postpone , I'll start on Monday . I'll start on Tuesday , because this just start today .

Susa 23:16

One percent change that's what you always say , gary . One percent change and I actually figured it out like did a little mathematical thing . If you increase your steps by one percent every day , like it's amazing what you're going to accomplish over a year . It's not even a big change that you need to do . One percent bet on protein . One percent bet on your step count every day . Just start there . That's already such an improvement on what you're doing and it doesn't need to be logging your food immediately , just being aware of what I'm eating and stuff . And I always think people always say like , no , I'm eating a lot of protein . And then they start logging and you're like oh , you're actually not eating a lot of protein . So if you want to log something , log protein and just see where you are and just be , just have that whole moment of oh my goodness , I'm actually not even close to what I should be doing .

Cori 24:09

It's that self-awareness that we need to build more of , to meet ourselves where we're at , because I do think it's that struggle of what used to work isn't working any longer and it's like okay , we'll get a good picture of where you're at right now to make those accurate changes . And as much as we want that perfect moment , we want to do everything that we can . I do think that is what keeps us stuck . We wait for that January where we have the New Year's resolution and we do it for 21 days . But also because we base so many of our systems and habits on that perfect span of time , all the sudden life gets in the way , we lose a little bit of motivation and it's like we can't do anything because we never learned how to actually handle life and what it's going to throw at us . And that's where we get sabotaged by our own desire to do a sort of that all or nothing attitude .

Susa 24:57

Yeah , totally . And another excuse that I hear a lot is but I have to cook for my family . Well , change the way you cook for your family so it will fit for what you need to eat . You don't need to make separate food for you . My family just adjusted to whatever and sometimes I had to make maybe a little bit extra protein or maybe make my protein in a different way . But I never changed the way my family like I , just adapted our whole lifestyle to what was good for me because , at the end of the day , it was good for them as well .

Cori 25:33

Yeah , more veggies are horrible for them . You know , more protein is horrible for them .

Susa 25:36

I mean like I just stopped buying junk food . That there was , I just stopped buying it . It wasn't in my pantry anymore . So that temptation of eating on the junk food wasn't there for me anymore . And was it beneficial for everybody in the family ? Yes , of course . So eating junk food became like a treat . It wasn't like an everyday occurrence anymore .

Cori 25:58

And also , even if you do wanna have specific family meals that you love , even putting those in first to work the rest of your day around it to have protein at other meals , there's always a way to own your priorities instead of letting them become your excuses .

Susa 26:10

Yeah , no , I totally agree , and I think the big thing is is to stop making the excuses . You know it's and I'm not saying it's easy . I wanna emphasize that again . There's gonna be hard days and there's gonna be days where you just like this is not , I don't wanna do this and I wanna be out with my girlfriends and have a bottle of wine and all of that . But you need to weigh up . It's not just about the way you look , I think it's the way you feel .

Susa 26:40

I think the thing that I like the most about myself at the moment is the fact that I have energy . Like man , I've got energy and , yes , some days I need to take a 20 minute nap . I will confess I'll come home and take a quick 20 minute power nap or 10 minute power nap , but I love the fact that I can go for walks , I can hike with my friends , I can do whatever I want . Do I have a perfect body ? No , no , it's . There's still work to be done , but I'm never gonna give up . You know , I'm gonna keep focusing and trying my best and do the best I can in every situation , because I love the way I feel , actually more even the way that I look because I like the fact that my sleep is .

Susa 27:23

I was able to get , with a lot of work , get back to a good sleeping routine . I don't sleep a lot . I sleep some nights five to six hours , but it's a solid five to six hours , so I'll take that . That's way better than the previous times in my life where I sat on the patio for hours . So it's just feeling better . If nothing else motivates you , just think about feeling better , waking up in the morning and having energy for the day . Or waking up and thinking , yes , I can do this workout because I have energy , I feel my body , I'm ready for this .

Cori 27:57

It's getting that quality sleep , improving that recovery , and I know one of the big things for you too was talking about body aches and pains and getting in that prehab work and I think so often we just feel like we can't get back to moving our best . But a little goes a long way , even in terms of that mobility work just adding in one or two minutes before that strength workout or , if you wanna sort of wind down at the end of the day , adding in a little foam rolling , stretching and activation before you go to bed to sort of decompress from the day . But it's about understanding that our body is changing and the more we can do things and control what we can control to make it move better , the more we'll feel our best , which really does pay off . So we can go on those vacations and do whatever we want .

Susa 28:38

I wanna step in and say that people realize that I've got extreme , high degree of osteofritis in both my knees , to the fact that at 42 , they wanted to do a new replacement and I said , no , I will think , and that's where the cycling and the stuff came from . So here I am . I was at 42 when I wanted to do the first new replacement . On 58 now I still didn't have my new replacement and I contribute that to really focusing on mobility work .

Susa 29:06

The best thing that I ever learned from you was the pre-app . Like my proudest moment and I show that to clients in the studio almost every day is where my runner's lunch was before I met you and where my runner's lunch is now that I've met you and I do my pre-app work , because it's actually amazing to think that what my mobility looked like where we now , 10 years ago , compared to the last four , five years , it is . And does my shoulder still hurt some mornings ? Or does my hips still hurt ? Yep , but the first thing I do if I wake up and my hip is sore , I hit the foam roller and the moment you start adding that movement , the aches and pains go away and you're ready to go on with your day .

Movement and Celebrating Wins

Cori 29:51

Movement really is medicine and we don't give it enough credit for that . We so often just think , well , I'm this age , now I can't do these things , or this hurts , so I need to avoid these things , instead of saying how can I do everything possible to retrain the movement patterns that I need to be able to do for everyday life ? How can I do everything within my control to move and feel my best and I know it doesn't feel like the sexiest thing , it's not the most fun thing , it's not the thing we wanna do . We wanna get to the good stuff , especially if we are looking to lose weight , but it's the thing that really does help us get so much more out of the workouts and out of life in general .

Susa 30:24

So something that is just now part of me is I put 15 minutes aside of my workout time . If that means that I need to cut short my strength training , I would actually sacrifice a set of my strength training , but 15 minutes of my workout time is spent foam rolling , stretching activation , I would say where I'm lacking a bit . I might be a little bit lazy to do it when I'm done , because then I'm a little bit rushed and I will pay the price the next morning . But I program my time that I have to train to make sure that I do that mobility work .

Susa 31:04

If you're not gonna do a full body workout , you don't need to do all the mobility work , but if you're gonna do full body , then I focus on all of that and really I can't emphasize enough the changes I almost wanna feel overwhelmed by . It's like when I send you that photo you forget actually the work that has gone into it and you forget actually because you get used to the way you look . You get used to the way you look now and then you look at them and you're like , oh yeah , there's a roll still hanging over my pants . And then suddenly you look at these progress photos and you're like , oh my gosh , I've actually put in the work . I should embrace where I am now and I shouldn't be critical about where you're .

Cori 31:49

It's all those systems really working together in that slow build , and we do , the longer we maintain our new results , our lean ourselves , our stronger selves , our more fabulous selves , however you wanna put it we lose that comparison to where we had been . And so I do think sometimes , in that loss of comparison , we don't feel as good about how much we've really achieved . We start to stop seeing sort of the progress we've made . But the more you can't even go back to that , the better off you're gonna be , just in terms of that reminder we all need of how much hard work we put in and the systems we're still implementing to keep moving forward .

Susa 32:24

And I think the other thing is , when you go through such a transition although my transition was over a very long period of time , we're talking at least three years of working consistently , losing the weight , seeing differences so suddenly people will start seeing and they will make compliments about it . You're like , oh my gosh , it's not so much right , I'll actually have been losing weight over the last three years , but thank you for seeing it . You don't say that to them , but you say like , just thank you , thank you for working . And then what happens is people get used to the new look as well . So people , that amount of compliments that you were getting sort of waters down .

Susa 33:00

And then you're like , did I pick a weight ? Why doesn't people say anything ? So it's like this constant battle in your head about , yeah , but actually look at the pictures , you're still there . And I mean like there is times where , like we went on a cruise , obviously when I came back I would not have taken a picture of myself after the cruise . You just don't do that to yourself . You know that it's gonna take a week or two weeks and then you'll be back to where you used to be . So you always talk about you reach a new level of leanness and once you've reached that level of leanness , even though the matter what it can go up , you usually will get back to that and if you wanna get behind that you need to put in big work again to get beneath that .

Cori 33:45

But it is . It's celebrating those wins and it's embracing that at any and every age , we can make the changes that we wanna see , by giving ourselves grace in the process and just recognizing that it really is gonna be that process .

Susa 33:59

It's a process you need to embrace and you need to feel blissed that you are able to go through this process , that you've actually reached this age where you can go through this process and experience it . And , like I said , don't focus so much on the changes . Focus on the freedom that comes with it , the fact that you are mature . You have so much more to offer life . You've got wisdom , you've got the freedom to move around your kids most of us by the time we hit men , of course , the kids are out of the house , so you have that freedom . There's so much stuff that goes with this age that we are in now that you should also focus on that and embrace that .

Susa 34:38

I think the other big takeaway of this is is that there's a lot of stuff we can do to control what we can control , if I can use your words , please . And then this never giving up . Like I think it doesn't matter how bad your day was , it doesn't matter if you ate the entire pantry , it doesn't matter , because tomorrow you just start as if yesterday never happened . You know like , just carry on , don't dwell on what you did yesterday , because it's irrelevant , it doesn't matter anymore , it's behind you . You can't change that . Just focus on what's in front of you now , and this is what we can do now , and never give up , because the moment we give up we've lost the battle . So it's just moving forward one step at a time .

Cori 35:25

Boom , that's it , that is everything .

Susa 35:29

Yeah , and you know , like you say , richard , there's amazing coaches in our program that's gone through this , that understands what you're talking about , that can have empathy and sympathy with your feelings , that can talk you off the ledge when you want to eat the entire pantry , you know , like , just just reach out , because there's a lot of people that are able to help you for sure .

Cori 35:52

Well , thank you so much , Suza . That was amazing and so many great tips , so I'm sure everybody's going to really appreciate it as they're navigating these waters , this change in life , too . So I wanted to share a great recipe with five key ingredients to help you manage the symptoms of menopause . This is a great recipe that you can include as a breakfast dish that you can make the night before . That's easy to grab and go . As much as many of us have even maybe done intermittent fasting in the past , especially for weight loss , as we enter menopause , it might not be the best strategy , especially if we're struggling to build a retaining muscle and see the body recomp that we want . Considering then adding in breakfast , even if you haven't done that prior , might be a great option to meet yourself where you're at . But these are five key ingredients and even if you use it as a snack because you choose to keep doing intermittent fasting , I think you'll really enjoy this recipe . The first ingredient is oats . Whole grains contain B vitamins that are important for your mood , and the fiber in oats helps prevent constipation of bloating that is common with menopause . We can see a lot of GI distress . Greek yogurt is the second ingredient and it contains calcium and vitamin D to help minimize bone loss that occurs in menopause . Not to mention , vitamin D is required for calcium absorption , also associated with better mood , and Greek yogurt is also high in protein when eaten in the morning , which will help regulate blood sugar and balance it , keeping your energy stable throughout the day . Ingredient number three is almond butter . Almonds contain magnesium , which helps support a balanced mood , bone health and even improve sleep . Night sweats and insomnia are common in menopause , and magnesium may help promote sleep by regulating your body's circadian rhythms by increasing muscle relaxation . Ingredient number four is chia seeds , high in omega-3 fatty acids . Omega-3s have been shown to decrease hot flashes and night sweats . Omega-3s also have been shown to help promote better mood and brain cognition .

Cori 37:43

Ingredient number five is raspberries . They're rich in phytoestrogens , which can act like estrogen in the body , reducing symptoms of menopause . During menopause , estrogen slowly decreases in the body , and eating foods like raspberries that can help mimic estrogen , once they adjusted , may help decrease negative symptoms . Try this delicious breakfast raspberry overnight oats . It's 450 calories , 35 grams of protein , 45 grams of carbs and 17 grams of fat . One half cup oats , one cup Greek yogurt , one tablespoon chia seeds , 1 tablespoon almond butter , 1 fourth cup raspberries . Mix all ingredients in an airtight container , refrigerate overnight and then stir before eating , and you can even top with extra raspberries and enjoy .

Cori 38:31

I want to share with you one of my favorite workout designs to use with clients going through metapause who are really focused on that body re comp billing lean muscle and even seeing some fat loss results . This is a great workout design , even if you're not in metapause , to really focus on strength gains and gaining muscle , and I separate those two things out because they are slightly different focuses . We're not just working on , you know , building lean muscle to look leaner , but we're also focusing on that maximal strength to be able to lift heavier loads . And while we think , oh , why do I need to lift heavy ? I'm not a power lifter Really building as much strength as possible is what is going to keep us functionally fit till our final day on this planet . It's going to make sure that we are able to lift better and more quality loads to see better muscle gains . But it's what's going to help us prevent falls and fractures and be able to react more quickly in everyday life so that we aren't having injuries related to age . And then , on top of that , we're being able to build that lean muscle so that we are , you know , really functioning well and looking our most fabulous .

Efficient Workout for Muscle Gain

Cori 39:30

So the workout design I really love to use is the 61225 . And this is such a fabulous design and was developed actually for bodybuilding , because it's so efficient at gaining muscle , because it combines three different rep ranges into one design to really push your muscles to failure and even hone in on those trouble zones . So especially if there's an area that you really want to build lean muscle in that you want to see fat loss from , this can be that way to target those trouble zones a little bit more .

Cori 39:56

And even if you aren't a menopause and you really want to focus on the strength gains , I would highly recommend that you do check this out , especially if you're entering phase where you're starting to see some of the hormonal changes of perimenopause or you want to set yourself up for success . Because I can't emphasize enough how important it is that we start those proper dieting and training practices early on as possible , because a lot of times what we associate with just menopause or just aging is improper dieting practices and workout practices catching up . A lot of us have done far too much cardio . I know I was guilty of spending hours doing cardio over focusing on that strength work and only once I really died on that strength work did I see the body recomp I wanted . But it does get harder as we get older and especially as we go through menopause , to build and retain that lean muscle . So we want to do everything we can from a training standpoint to help ourselves do that . Not to mention , more lean muscle means a higher and healthier metabolic rate , which can help us with the fat loss that can become harder during menopause and the hormonal changes .

Cori 40:51

So , going back to the 6 , 12 , 25 , okay , that is the three different rep ranges that you are going to use with three different movements . So when you're doing this , you're going to do six reps of a very heavy compound movement , then you're going to do 12 reps of an accessory but compound movement and then you're going to do 25 reps of a move that isolates one of the main muscle groups that you worked with the first two movements . So when I think about doing this and we'll use the legs for the example , you would think maybe a big barbell deadlift for that first six reps , you want to think about something that you are so challenged that you almost want to stop at four or five reps with Okay . So it's got to be a big compound movement where you're working multiple large muscle groups , you're able to really max out on those loads and then from there , if you're using the deadlift to really target your lower body , maybe even more of a glute-focused , hamstring-focused workout you might think of for the 12 reps , either doing a single leg deadlift or a reverse lunge and you might do that per side .

Cori 41:46

When you're doing the 12 reps . You want to think about a weight that you can handle for about eight to 12 reps . You don't want to be able to go over the 12 reps . If you even do eight and you have to put the weights down to finish the 12 , that's A-OK , especially for that first week . You might then keep that weight there for a little bit until you can hit the 12 . But you want to think about something that's really pushing you to max out at 12 reps most , because when you're working in that six rep range and maxing out there , you're working on maximal strength . The more we can build that pure strength , the more quality loads we can lift to work on those muscle gains , not to mention the functionally more fit we're going to be . So we want to really think maximal strength , then more that hypertrophy , rep range . So the hypertrophy is pure muscle gains , okay .

Cori 42:28

And then when we go to 25 reps , we're thinking about more isolation movements . So if this is like a glute or hamstring focused workout , you might think about an isolated hamstring curl or some sort of glute kickback , but something that's very isolated for one of the more stubborn areas you want to see grow or change , whether it's a little bit of fat elimination from that . No , we can't spot reduce , but we can mobilize more fatty acids from the surrounding tissues of the area we're working which can help with that fat loss , especially when we're doing these big compound movements , but also growing more muscle in that area . And if you're worried about becoming bulky , that's just not going to happen . We don't have the hormone levels and also your fueling is a big part of that . So if you're in that calorie deficit to lose , you're definitely not going to see it . So you need to do everything possible to even build and retain that lean muscle to keep your metabolic rate higher .

Cori 43:13

But in that 25 reps you want to think about something that you sort of have to stop at 15 to 20 reps and you really feel that pump and burn building with that isolation move to fully fatiguing area . Because you're doing that thing to work on that maximal strength . Then you're really working on that muscle growth and then with this you're working on strength endurance , which can be great if you're a runner too , but also you're fully fatiguing a muscle , because the more we can take a muscle to fatigue , the better the strength gains and the muscle gains we're going to see . So you're combining all three like primary rep ranges or traditional rep ranges into this one workout design by doing six reps of that big compound move , 12 reps of that more accessory but still compound move , and then 25 reps of that isolation move back to back . You basically want to move from one exercise to the next . Once you finish all three moves done back to back , without any rest other than switching to the next exercise .

Cori 44:04

You'll then want to take at minimum one minute , but I would highly recommend at least two to three minutes between rounds , because at that one minute , unless you're just a newbie to lifting , you're not going to see the full recovery . You might feel recovered , your heart rate might have come down enough , but a lot of times . That's where our 100% intensity starts to dip over the rounds where we're not able to lift as quality reps because we're tired , and so , while it can feel like a long time to be standing around , remember your body needs that to really truly rest so that you can recover for the next round to go at 100% intensity , because part of it's not just lifting heavier loads , it's lifting quality reps . Every single time we can feel the correct muscles working , and so you can implement this either with a hemisphere , so an upper lower split over the week , or even an anterior posterior . If you do only have three days a week to train , you can even do full body splits . Then you might want to do one of those circuits , so a 61225 for lower body and then a 61225 for upper body . But make sure that you are focusing in that one section , on one area , so you don't want to do like the six reps for your legs and the 12 reps for your back , because you're not then creating that fatigue through creating that volume over the round .

Cori 45:10

But you can use this system and technique in so many different workout designs , based on the time you have and if you push those weights so that you're maxing out before you actually hit the number that you have to stop at . This is going to be a very intense , very fatiguing design because you're going for three moves in a row , getting more and more specific to a single muscle group . So if you feel like this is easy question whether or not you're lifting the loads or doing the variation of a move you should be doing for those different exercises . Again , even though it says six reps , you want to feel like you're maxed out at four or five , even on that last round to maintain that weight . If you have to pause for 15 seconds to finish the last couple reps at the six or the 12 or the 25 , do it because that little break and that use of rest pause technique is going to help you even lift more and really see that full fatigue to encourage that muscle growth more efficiently , build that maximal strength . But try this workout design If you are going through menopause . It's a great way to build the muscle and see the results that you want , not only from an aesthetic standpoint but even from functionally aging well and feeling really in control and functionally fit to take on any challenge that you want .

Tips for Managing Menopause Symptoms

Cori 46:16

Well , that's a wrap for this episode of the fitness hacks podcast . I hope these tips helped . Remember to give yourself grace and really focus on meeting yourself where you're at as you're going through these hormonal changes . I think it's even key sometimes that we oversell the negative , so to speak , to ourselves , where we realize , hey , this is a reality , even if you're not experiencing bad symptoms . Knowing that that is possible or knowing that it is okay to talk about these things , to seek out help for these things , is so important , because I think too often we deny what's going on and then we don't address it and then things snowball and build up and then we have more that we actually have to overcome than if we had just recognized in the first place . So please be open to sharing your experience . I'd love to hear how you all are combating the symptoms of menopause and what tips you found helpful .