79 - A Fresh Perspective on Menopause

Fitlandia | Fitness for Your Mind

Welcome back Fitlandians! Today’s episode is number 79 and my guest today is Evelyn DeDominicis and today we are talking all about having a hopeful perspective on menopause. I know it sounds crazy but Evelyn has a pretty incredible perspective and as a 45 year old woman, I was pretty excited to chat with her.

In celebration of support for menopause, if any of you ladies are perimenopausal or menopausal and want some support with your hormones, join the next 30 Days to Thriving with me! We start in just a few short days and to celebrate supporting all of you ladies with this wonderful time of life, I am giving you 50% off for 25 hours from the date that this is released! Hopefully you have subscribed to the show and you can take advantage of this offer. Just enter code MENO50 at the checkout to get 50% off for the April session

Today we are talking about menopause...but this time we are giving you a fresh and hopeful perspective! My guest Evelyn DeDominicis is a functional nutritionist and ready to talk all things menopause.

Evelyn and I first “met” when she listened to Leanne Vogel’s podcast and heard me talking about wine and how to overcome sugar, alcohol and carbs and here we are doing a podcast! Thanks to Evelyn for being an incredible addition to our online community on our Facebook group! We really connected on finding healthy relationships with alcohol and how to find out how to do that as individuals.

BUT...back to our fresh perspective on menopause. So I am 45 years old and a couple years ago my doctors told me I was perimenopausal but fast forward to when I found the ketogenic diet and my periods came back to normal as I found a hormonal balance that way but I know this is coming!

Menopause is something that all women experience but is sometimes a terrifying change! So what is this fresh perspective? Evelyn explains that she just turned 50 and that she has been menopausal (your period has stopped for a full year) for about two years now. The new perspective is that it is simply a hormonal rewiring.

Instead of ovaries producing the hormones in our bodies, our adrenal glands now pick up the job and that change can be challenging. A helpful resource is the book called The Wisdom of Menopause by Dr. Christina Northrup...she is phenomenal and has loads of information.

Her perspective is so refreshing...like it is a rite of passage! Not all that different than puberty! It doesn’t have to be dreaded one bit. In fact, perimenopause can be up to 15 or 20 years before you are actually menopausal...the average is between 4 and 14 years. There is definitely a stigma in this country about getting older and about menopause in general but understanding it is the key. It’s coming into who you are and learning to speak your truth.

With the decline of estrogen and progesterone can have an effect on many things...including our gut. This causes a lower stress tolerance and sometimes even digestive functions. So yes, learning to speak your truth is happening in your body, too!

Our adrenal glands always prioritize cortisol and therefore fights with the sexual hormones that are coming in during this time. Therefore, it is ESSENTIAL to manage our stress and listen to our bodies. We talk about how much stress we put on our adrenal glands climbing corporate ladders and we are left asking what our truths are...sometimes the passion feels passionless later on. Listening is key.

And this matters in all parts of your life...including your food and body. Take the wheel of life, you have your diet, exercise, movement, finances, relationships, spiritual, stillness, community and more...that’s a lot to balance but simply recognizing when something is OUT of balance is what it takes to know when it is time to make a change.

Embrace the journey, role with the punches, and find a state of grace in the changes of life. Spread some lightness in this world and it will ultimately reflect on you as well. Accept the support you need from those around you and it will all seem easier.

Evelyn explains that she was paleo for years and was working toward a keto lifestyle but was knocked out due to hormonal imbalance caused by perimenopause but has since understood what was happening in her body and why it wasn’t working quite right despite her best efforts. She encourages people to experiment with what feels best for your body and to always stay mindful to how you are feeling and what could be happening in your body.

So what are some top tips for managing these hormones with food for a positive experience?

Evelyn’s Top Food Tips for Menopause:

• Keto for Some: key for reducing insulin resistance.
• Don’t Fear Protein: especially if you are working out regularly (need those amino acids!).
• Intermittent Fasting for Some: use your intuition for what works for you.
  • Bonus Mantra: “I have all the fat in my fat cells to keep me going!”
• All About Mindset: what are your thought processes and why? SO important.
• Check In: honor what you are feeling and listen to your body’s signals

There are definitely symptoms associated with menopause (check out the website 34 Symptoms of Menopause) but here are a few we discussed:

• Sweats
• Lower tolerance of stress
• Insulin resistance
• Body weight changes
• Changes in tolerance to different foods

A huge thanks to Evelyn for sharing her fresh perspective on menopause with us. As she says,

“It’s not the end, it’s really the beginning!”

If you love what you are hearing from Evelyn, be sure to check her out on her website, Instagram and Facebook. She even has a free Keto Kickstart Guide as well as a Keto Fast Formula for Menopause Program coming out this month! And if you are looking for some support with intermittent fasting, check out her DIY Intermittent Fasting Facebook group program!