Health and Human Nature: Changing Habits to Support the Menopause Transition
Kristen Carter, MS, is the founder of Design for Fitness LLC and has been working in fitness and nutrition for over 30 years. She is the author of The End of Try Try Again and its companion Action Workbook, creator of the popular Design for Fitness Health & Fitness Blog, and the Psychology Today Health and Human Nature Blog. Kristen re-examines the tools we have been using to lead healthier lives by taking a fresh look at some of the challenges we face. Obstacles such as images created by the fitness industry, commercialism in gyms, pressure from those selling the latest fad, body/brain chemistry, human nature, fast food, and our own busy lives and current lifestyles. Kristen’s training and certifications include Certified Precision Nutrition Coach, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Titleist Golf Fitness Specialist, Lifestyle Management and Weight Control, Health Coaching, and a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology. Kristen has been on national podcasts, live radio, and YouTube interviews. She is a public speaker, workshop leader, and author of numerous articles through her blogs.
Leslie: Can you tell us a little about the changes associated with (peri)menopause?
Kristen: Most of the symptoms such as breast tenderness, mood swings, lack of sleep, and hot flashes can be helped with a good nutritious diet and some exercise. Obviously, it’s not a cure-all, but it can really help. Once, I was playing golf with a woman who was going through (peri)menopause, and she told me that she felt like this was a good time in life to “reinvent herself.” What does that mean? It is a good chance and, as many say, can be freeing once you get through the symptoms. This is because you are kind of a different person afterward. However, menopause takes a long time to go through, and it typically isn’t just an overnight switch. It also takes a lot of time for us to switch our habits, our behaviors, and our responses to menopause. Take your time with it. Learn to understand your body and give it a chance to do its thing.
Leslie: In terms of making changes during this time of your life, what do you recommend? How can people make those changes sustainable?
Kristen: First off, you don't want to just sign up for something that's going to help. Sustainable change comes from self-knowledge and self-compassion. This is a time to be motivated and use self-compassion as a motivator. During this time, many women are torn in different ways and tugged in different ways. Their families, parents, kids, and other things are changing. You need to learn to do what's good for you. Part of self-compassion is learning to say no, and the other part is asking yourself why your life is set up the way it is. I also like to stress that people often have certain expectations of you as a woman, a mother, and a friend. Sometimes we just respond to those things and let them roll over us and never ask a good question – Am I doing it this way, but can do it a different way? A lot of times, people will roll with it. You can set the expectations, and people will get used to it, including yourself.
Leslie: As you talk about willpower in your work, is that a good approach?
Kristen: Yes and no. Yes, you do need willpower to make some changes. You need it in order to learn a bit more about nutrition, reading labels, and what's going to help your menopause. In terms of exercise, it is kind of harder because you really need some impetus to get out the door and do something or learn something around the house that you can do to exercise. It's a little more than what you're doing. The importance in both areas is to make it something you enjoy doing. You can think about what you liked to do when you were a carefree kid. What movements did you like and how did it make you feel? Then, you realize that exercise actually does make you feel good. Most people say that is their prime motivator. To answer the question, you have to have some willpower. You have to say, “ I'm going to do this differently and that requires effort, a mindset, and willpower.” However, it's not the same kind of willpower as a diet because you’re finding something you enjoy.
Leslie: What factors does our environment have on diet and exercise choices?
Kristen: That's kind of a loaded question because our environment includes those people around us, which we are trying to accommodate and please. There is a family environment, and there's also the environment in your kitchen. Additionally, there are plenty of toxins in our environment, chemicals, and junk foods. Highly processed foods are everywhere, and they are there to try to trick our brains into eating them all the time. Our guts don't recognize them. They don't know what to do with them, so it throws off your gut and, as a result, our entire being. There are things we can do about all those things. Often you hear that a lot of people don't have access to nutritious foods or a place to exercise, so that is a factor for some people. We must be mindful that we can only try to work as best we can with what we have.
Leslie: What if people just feel like they're too busy with careers, families, and other demands on their time?
Kristen: Being busy is good, but there are ways to sit down with yourself and figure out how to carve twenty minutes a day to go to the gym. You don't have to carve out an hour and a half. That requires a certain amount of learning and mindset, but if you can just say to yourself, “ I just need to carve out twenty minutes,” that can help.
Leslie: Can you talk more about processed foods, why they're bad, and the difference between processed foods and ultra-processed foods?
Kristen: They are terrible… An ultra-processed food is basically not food. It's made up of chemicals. There are actually cosmetic additives in them that make the food taste better because the chemicals they use don’t taste good. They just add some more stuff in there to make it taste good, which is really disgusting. Ultra-processed would be items that are made out of things you can't recognize and made out of a lot of sugar, flour, and salt. Processed food would be more like something that isn’t quite as expensive as it is made up of chemicals, but it's still made up of food. It's also been processed to have more things in it that appeal to you or that add to the shelf life. An example would be some soups, which have a lot of additives in them to keep the shelf life going. Pizza often gets a bad rap, and it's up there on a lot of lists of ultra-processed foods. However, if you make pizza yourself with whole wheat crust or flour and just a few ingredients without additives or chemicals, such as natural cheese or healthy vegetables, then you're in the processed category just because of the crust. Yet, something you might get from Pizza Hut is ultra-processed because it uses anything that melts really well. It tastes great and the great taste hangs on your tongue in a certain way. They'll put the pepperoni (ultra-processed) on there because they know people love pepperoni.
Leslie: What are some other things we can ask ourselves before we try to make any big changes at this time of life? What is the thought or the strategy around approaching any changes?
Kristen: First, you want to make sure you're not doing something because you think you should. Next, you need to reflect on the last time you tried to change. Why did it work and why didn't it? What felt good and what didn't? Take note of those things and make sure you don't do them again. You want to apply some energy to it and make a different strategy. You can learn some of these things in my book, which has a little cheat sheet about bodies. Our bodies are so complex and integrated, so we need to be more cognizant of all the different systems. There are many different molecules, chemicals, and hormones that communicate constantly all over your body. Therefore, there isn't just a miracle drug or superfood. It requires a broad spectrum of good nutritious eating, which I always recommend the Mediterranean style of diet. I like to call it a style because it is great for gut and overall health.
Leslie: Where can people learn more about your book or find you online to engage with you further?
Kristen: I have a website – designforfitness.com. There you can take a free assessment and find some cheats. Additionally, I'm blogging there every other week on various topics. You can also contact me through the website if you have any questions or want me to blog about something. My book is available on Amazon. It is a book and workbook called The End of Try Try Again. It gives you lots of hot tips and mantras. The first book gives you the mindset and theoretical basis. The workbook teaches you how to implement. Every two weeks you have a chapter that covers a topic and gives you a lot of questions about your interaction with that topic. It then helps you decide what action you can take that week related to that topic. I also have some coaching available for that.
