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Summary In this episode, Victoria shares her personal journey through perimenopause and provides helpful tips and advice. She talks about the roller coaster of emotions and physical changes that come with perimenopause, such as weight gain, night sweats, exhaustion, and mood swings. Victoria emphasizes the importance of embracing these changes and staying active through daily movement. She also highlights the significance of prioritizing sleep, maintaining a balanced diet, seeking support from others, and educating oneself about perimenopause. Victoria concludes by reminding listeners that perimenopause is a phase that all women go through and that they are not alone.
Victoria (00:00.65)
Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Victoria L, your women's holistic health strategies. I am here today to talk to you about the crazy up and downs of the unpredictable phase of perimetopause and give you some honesty, some humor and a whole lot of sisterhood here. I am your host Victoria and like I said today, I'm sharing my personal journey through perimetopause along with some of the helpful tips and advice.
that I have picked up along the way. So grab your favorite cup of coffee or a cup of tea and let's get comfy and we are going to chat about this. Okay. And if you're driving, please just keep your eyes on the road. You know, when I first started to notice the signs of perimetoplasm, I felt like I was on this roller coaster.
one of those horrible means, you know, we're on the roller coaster, you see the person and their like seatbelt's not properly fastened and they're sliding all over the place and they're falling out. You know, one minute you're like, fine, you're on top of the world. And then the next you're crying because you saw a cute picture about laundry detergent on your Facebook feed, right? Can anyone else relate? I know it's not just me here, but let's rewind a bit.
This all really started for me a couple of years ago. I've shared my story many times and I remember it quite vividly. I stepped on the scale one morning and I was just in utter shock because I had all of a sudden in the span of four months literally put on 40 pounds. It felt like instantly. It felt like the weight had come out of nowhere and I was feeling really self -conscious about it. I was frustrated.
like I've shared with you guys before at the time I was doing all the right things I was doing the workouts and the eating rights and all the things the things that were supposed to be done right but yet none of my clothes fit anymore and I was really uncomfortable in my body and then the night sweats kicked in I would wake up completely like drenched it was nasty and I felt like I had been sitting in a sauna sweating my butt off but
Victoria (02:16.97)
I wasn't. So then I'd have to get up and get changed, you know, and like towel myself off. It was so gross. And then sleeves started to become this like elusive creature that I never seemed to connect with anymore. And I found myself exhausted, irritable, hungry all the time. That was another thing. It was like all these weird symptoms. And then...
After that, other symptoms started to kick in. I was noticing mood swings. My period started to get even more irregular. Things were going really wonky and I began to feel like I was a stranger in my own body. It really did. It was both kind of like baffling and frustrating at the same time. But what helped me the most was getting into social media, finding other accounts that were actually talking about this.
and connecting with other women who were willing to talk about this. It really was something that helped me. And that's why I show up here every week to try and share a little bit with you guys. And in hopes that maybe a little tidbit of what I share will go, ping, that sounds like me and I don't feel alone. You know, because just knowing that this was okay, this was a phase, this is happening and I'm not alone. It actually made a huge, huge,
difference in my life and how I started to approach it. So I wanted to share with you today, like I said, a couple of the different things that have really helped me, some of the things that I've learned along this journey so far, and I want to share them with you. So the number one thing I had to really learn was that it was okay to embrace the changes. It was okay to be
be okay with it, right? To understand, to be like this is happening, I am, my body is changing and I'm going to embrace it. And because your body is going through a lot at this time, it's, it is easy to get frustrated. It is easy to get like mad at what's happening and to have those emotions and those are totally legit emotions and you should have them. But when you try to embrace these changes as you know, a natural part of your life, this is part of our cycle. It is natural.
Victoria (04:36.458)
It really did help me to see it that way. And it is okay to have bad days. But it's also good to celebrate those good days, right? To celebrate the days when you remember why you walked in the room. The second thing that is really helping me is to stay active. You know, exercise has been a big game changer for me. But not exercise as like through...
the traditional idea of you have to work out every day. For me, it's been the acknowledgement that my body needs movement every single day in some shape or form, right? So doing my daily walks will do wonders for me. And I noticed so many other women in this phase are starting to do the same, going for those daily walks, these walks that help improve your mood and your overall wellbeing. Our bodies are meant for movement.
Right? So being able to get out and enjoy activity, whether it's yoga or dancing or those walks or even like getting up for gardening, just being aware that we weren't designed for a sedentary lifestyle. So when we hit this midlife and things start to get sore and cranky, the best thing you can do is find a way to move through those things. Right? The third thing that, my gosh, I feel like this is an old person.
some days, but prioritizing sleep. Okay? I know, easier said than done. You know, because you have those nights where the insomnia, the sleep, like the craziness of life, sleep can just be completely elusive. But since I've really stepped up into creating a bedtime routine and making sure that like I am not in bed any later than 10 PM, I don't care.
It is 10 p I am in bed. I am that old person. But I also, I am up early in the morning as well. But creating a routine that signals to your brain, hey, we're going to sleep now, right? Whatever that is for you. And looking at it as a way to help your body unwind. For me, I love to do a hot tub. I drink my magnesium in the hot tub. Maybe watch a show.
Victoria (06:55.85)
and then a meditation and then sleep. And that's how it goes, right? But finding those practices that allow you to drop into your circadian rhythms and fall, it actually help you fall asleep better. The one thing that's really helped me as well is to avoid, you know, at least an hour before bed, avoid phones, blue light screens, any of that kind of stuff, or anything that you find will like trigger you to start thinking. Try to avoid those things.
And the fourth thing I talk about this so much nutrition guys, your nutrition matters. What you feel your body with matters. It really, really does. Especially right now in this phase when your body is asking for extra support to build and create hormone systems. As your hormone systems, I mean, like start to deplete and change. So eating a balanced diet, rich,
in fruits, vegetables, those grains, proteins, all those things that can help manage these symptoms that pop up early. And it's one of the reasons why in my course guide, I give everyone a complete nutrition breakdown for each part of their cycle because each part of your cycle is a little bit different and each part of your cycle is requiring a little bit different.
And yes, as we start to move through midlife, our cycles change too. Maybe we don't have ovulation every month, or maybe we don't have menstruation every month. But knowing how you can support your body and finding a rhythm with your body, know maybe which I've talked about before, seed cycling, guys, seed cycling changed my cycle so much. And I am an advocate for it, right?
He started incorporating more flax seeds into my meals, which seemed to actually start to help with like the symptoms, the night sweats and all that kind of stuff. And don't forget staying hydrated. This is huge. I talk about this in my morning guide. If you don't have it yet, it should still be on the website. I will double check this to the recording. If not, I will make sure it's back up there. But I have a guide.
Victoria (09:13.386)
your best morning and one of the things that I really really really appreciate doing in the morning for my body my body really appreciates I mean is getting I put like a grain of Celtic salt under my tongue and then I drink some water and that boosts electrolytes so much and helps you really stay hydrated right because your body can only do so much if you're not fueling it properly.
And number five, guys, seek support, please, please, please, please. Whether it's a close friend, a support group, if you have a therapist, if you have someone you can talk to who is also going through these changes, sometimes just being able to share experiences can kind of lighten that emotional load. Because if you feel less alone, then you know you're not going bonkers crazy, right?
And number six, educate yourself. This is a huge part of why I'm offering the course, why I put this all together, why I'm doing what I'm doing. Because when you have the knowledge, you have the power. You can read up on Heri Metapause. You can listen to the podcast like this one. There's so many amazing women talking about this out there. And don't hesitate to reach out to your healthcare practitioners to ask questions too, especially if you have a really good...
healthcare practitioner that is willing to talk to you about your hormones and what's going on in your body and willing to do those tests to look and see what's happening, right? The more you know, the better prepared you'll be to handle the changes as they come. I know that I'm just starting into this. I know that it smacked me like a Mack truck coming down a highway. I totally understand that. And I know that there's going to be parts of all of these phases and changes that I'm going to have to face head on.
I'm looking forward to being able to Face them and to build knowledge around them and all the great stuff taking my own advice as well Actually While we're talking about reaching out and sharing I wanted to share a little funny story with you guys So this happened to me probably what a month ago probably about a month ago I I was in the grocery store, you know, I had actually forgot my list
Victoria (11:39.466)
not something that I normally do. I always go with my list and I had forgotten it, but I could vaguely, I could pretty much remember what it was that I had on it and what I needed. I just had left my 28 day strategy book at home and I didn't bring it with me because the book has the grocery list in it, right? I just go and pick up everything that's on that list. So here I am on walking the grocery store trying my best to remember all the stuff that I had put on the list.
And then all of a sudden, like I'm having one of those brain fog moments. I called them a brain fart. Right. I'm standing in this aisle. I'm staring at the shelves. I am completely, completely forgetting what it is that I needed. I am like, my God, I know I'm in this aisle for a reason. Why am I here? And I'm just frustrated with myself because I can't for the life of me pull up the reason why I walked into that grocery store aisle. So,
Here I am after a couple awkward minutes. There's a lady a little bit older than me, about 15, 20 years older than me standing, comes down the aisle standing there just kind of looking at me like, what's going on with you? I think I was staring at the pasta and I was like, I can't remember if I needed pasta or if it was rice. Anyways, so this lady kind of looking at me, I think she knew exactly what was happening to be honest. And I turned to the lady and I say,
Do you ever walk into a room and forget why you're there? Like, I have no idea what it was I was supposed to pick up. And she starts laughing. And all she said was, welcome to the club, honey. And honestly, it was such a relief in that moment to know that like, I'm not alone because maybe she had just done the same thing over in the cheese aisle, right? Like, who knows? But it was so nice to know that I wasn't alone that.
Other women are, are been there, done that, you know, and that it's okay. Like I said, it's okay to embrace that brain fog is a part of it. It happens. It's what, what's the part, you know, like, and so what do I need to do to, to support my body? Why am I having brain fog? That's where my, that's where my, my researchy brain goes, right?
Victoria (13:57.706)
But anyways, so before we wrap up here, I want to remind you that perimetopause is a phase, right? It doesn't define you. You are not alone. This is something that all women are gonna face at some point in another, right? And we're all in this together. We get to learn together, we get to grow together, and we get to support each other. And I really do feel that. That's why I'm here every week recording and sharing with you.
horror stories about what it is that I'm going through. So I thank you so, so much for tuning in to today's episode. And remember, if you enjoy these episodes, please subscribe, please leave reviews, and make sure to share it with your friends because remember, the more we share, the less alone other people can feel. And if you have a funny story or tips or tricks of your own that have really helped you, I would love to hear them.
You can reach out to me on social media or via my website and the information is in the show notes. You know how to grab it and just let's talk, let's share, right? So until next time, keep smiling, try to stay positive as you can about all these things that are happening and remember that we've got this and we're all in on this together. So thank you so much guys. We will see you next week.
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