Nov 17, 2020

 by Susa H van

I was the owner of a beautiful bright sunshin eyellow skirt. How I loved that skirt; how empowered I felt when I wore it. It boosted my
self-esteem by 220%, and it changed a bad day into a sunshine day.

One summertime morning called for my skirt. I promise you that the week before it fitted perfectly, but that morning I could not get it around my waist.
At that moment I knew that middle-age spread was real!

There had been symptoms, of course, which I ignored. I was way too young - as all rational women will tell you - to become my mother. But quite apart from the symptoms such as night sweats, hot flashes and low energy and everything else that goes apart with “that stage”, my lovely yellow skirt was by far my loudest wake up call.

I rushed off to the doctor for every kind of test. The inevitable was confirmed - the big M had arrived: Menopause, Munchies, Madness,
Mildly depressed, Moderately overheating - pick your poison - whatever the big M means to you.

I continued life as if the news made no physical difference - running, boot camp, drinking wine, but, oh dear! Was I wrong. There was no
stopping the dreaded roll that appeared above my pants, or the out-of-control eating I succumbed to. “Twinkies moments” I called them!

My blood sugar dropped when I did High-interval cardio. I was sent for a Stress-test. There was absolutely nothing wrong with me. But I knew
deep down something big was changing; no person could eat that much and feel this tired. As Menopause became more obvious I dug for
research: I had to take back control of my life.

Now listen-up ladies! I discovered Strength training. The satisfaction of throwing and lifting heavy stuff almost out-weighs all the other great
benefits, but the most rewarding benefit of all was seeing my body change.

I can only share what worked for me. Every woman should try different options and find what is best for her.

My winning combination includes 2 to 3 strength training sessions per week which I compliment with 1 to 2 cardio sessions. I make sure I get
in either a nice and easy relaxing run or hike over the weekends. I eat a high protein diet complimented with healthy fats and carbohydrates.
Make sure to journal all food and figure out your Macro’s … meaning your calories break down.

And, Yes, I still drink wine and enjoy good food. No food is off-limits unless I know it does not make me feel good.

The most important realization that I have come to is that life is too short to worry about an expanding waist-line or the Big M, or even my
beautiful yellow skirt. So, remember, make the best of every situation, be it training, eating or relaxing. If you feel like giving up, don’t! Give
me a call. It is okay to get a little crazy or feel down sometimes. The good news is that this too shall pass.