SO, WHAT DO I DO NOW?
Bringing It All Together: What Do I Actually Do Now?
We've covered quite a bit over the last 4 blogs.
Perimenopause.
Nutrition.
Strength.
Recovery.
There's a reasonable chance you're now thinking: Cool Kate. But what am I actually supposed to DO with all of this? Fair question. The last thing I want is for you to finish Women's Health Week with an even longer list of things you think you should be doing. So today's lesson might actually be the most important one:
You don't need to do everything.
You need to work out what matters most for you right now and start there.
The foundations are pretty simple
Strip away all the peri noise on social media and we come back to some fairly unsexy basics.
Eat well.
Prioritise protein, fibre, plants and enough food to support your body.
Get strong.
Challenge your muscles regularly and progressively.
Move.
Walk, get outside, do things you enjoy and look after your cardiovascular fitness.
Recover.
Sleep, rest and give yourself some bloody downtime.
Pay attention.
Notice what's changing. Track patterns. Ask questions. Get medical support when you need it.
No detox or banning carbs or cupboard full of expensive supplements.
The basics aren't particularly exciting. But they can be really powerful when you actually do them consistently.
Find your biggest domino
This is where women often get stuck. We decide we're going to train four times a week, walk every day, hit our protein, meal prep, stop drinking, drink three litres of water, go to bed earlier and generally become an entirely different person by Monday. Then life happens… and we decide we’ve failed.
Instead, ask:
What's ONE thing that would make the biggest difference for me right now?
Maybe it's eating a decent breakfast; starting two strength sessions each week; getting to bed earlier; actually taking a rest day; saying no more often.
Your biggest domino might be completely different from someone else's.
That's the point.
KEEP. START. STOP.
Here's your ridiculously simple plan from here.
KEEP
Acknowledge what's already working and keep it. We spend so much time looking for things to fix that we forget to acknowledge what we're already doing well.
START
What's one thing from this week you want to work on? Make it realistic enough that you can still do it when life isn't behaving perfectly.
STOP
What's no longer serving you? Skipping meals? Training because you feel guilty? Saying yes to everyone? Following 47 menopause accounts that all tell you something different?
Sometimes progress comes from removing something, not adding something.
There is no perfect perimenopause plan
There isn't one diet, training program, supplement or morning routine every woman needs. Because you're not every woman. Your symptoms, health, lifestyle, goals and capacity are different. The foundations might be similar. How we apply them to YOU is what matters. That's really what I've wanted to show you through this series. Not how to “fix” yourself in five days. But how to understand what's happening, focus on the things you can control and start making decisions that support the woman you're becoming.
One last thing...
Perimenopause can feel like your body suddenly changed the rules without bothering to give you the new handbook. Hopefully this week has given you a few pages of it.
You don't need to fix everything.
You don't need to become a completely different person.
Learn what's happening.
Build some solid foundations.
Get support when you need it.
And keep making small decisions with the woman you're going to be in mind.
Because ultimately, that's what this series has been about.
Future You.
She doesn't need you to be perfect.
She just needs you to start looking after her.
Kate x
This information is general education only and isn't individual medical, nutrition or exercise advice. Your individual needs will depend on your health, medical history and circumstances.