How To Reset Your Body After a Chrissie Blowout
Ah, congrats! We all made it through another Chrissie and NY season. Go us!
We hope you had a luverly time with family, friends and loved ones these past couple of weeks and enjoyed every moment and all the fun and delish treats that go with it.
How are you feeling? Have you noticed any of your peri symptoms exacerbated as a result?
It's possible you may have indulged in food and drinks that you would usually steer clear of because you know they're not great for you especially moving through perimenopause.
Sometimes when we go down that path it can be really hard to get back on the other path to the habits that we know support our health (particularly sugar and booze given they have such an addictive impact on our poor brains).
Let's not beat ourselves up over any of it. Part of living a full and vital life is enjoying the treats, having fun and savouring special moments and times of year including the yummy food and drinks! They're fun and part of living life.
But we also know, especially during peri, that at some point, we need to draw a line under the occasional special treats not becoming a daily occurrence.
If you've noticed a flare-up of your symptoms recently, it could well be thanks to the usual suspects. Let’s remind ourselves why your peri symptoms could be flaring up....
Too Much Alcohol
We're sorry to share the news: drinking any alcohol during the the perimenopause transition is going to increase your chances of symptoms or exacerbate any you are already experiencing.
Yep. Boo. Totally sucks, but that's how it is...
None or reducing alcohol is best and here's why:
- Sleep - it stuffs up your sleep. Long term use of alcohol reduces your melatonin levels and disrupts your circadian rhythm. It will also increase night sweats and hot flashes: all of which disrupt your sleep
- It damages your gut microbiome
- Stimulates overeating the next day
- Makes it harder to build healthy bones and muscles, which is already challenging in perimenopause.
- It impairs oestrogen metabolism.
You may find no alcohol is best for you, on the other hand, you might have a higher tolerance. Having a few glasses of wine might be really enjoyable without making peri symptoms worse. It's about finding the balance for you.
Excess Ultra Processed Foods
The number one diet rule in perimenopause is to avoid ultra processed foods. Why? Because our bodies are already in an inflammatory state thanks to hormonal changes. Ultra Processed Foods increase inflammation, which in turn can worsen our symptoms and increases the chances of us experiencing chronic conditions in our post-menopause years.
What are Ultra Processed Foods?
- Chips
- Prepared desserts like biscuits/cakes
- Fast foods
- Frozen meals
- Cured meats and
- Soft drinks.
These foods are heavily processed often loaded with added sugar (high doses of fructose), salt, not-good fats (like processed vegetable oils), artificial colours, preservatives, flavours and stabilisers to make them hyper palatable.
These types of foods contain little to no vitamins and nutrients needed for vital perimenopausal health.
Another key reason for avoiding ultra processed foods, particularly for perimenopausal women, is that they often contain Omega 6 oils (derived from vegetable oils) which are inflammatory.
Want to know what perfect perimenopause meals might look like? Click here to find out.
Not Drinking Enough Water - Dehydration
The absolutely best thing to drink daily in perimenopause (apart from our Peri Chai Latte 😉) is water.
Water helps your body flush out any toxins that aren’t beneficial to your health and to help it perform vital chemical reactions for sustaining a healthy life.
Staying hydrated is important for brain health and cognition. Something so simple can make a world of difference!
Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, you need to drink approximately 2 litres of water a day (which is about 8 glasses).
The best and worst things you can drink in perimenopause.
No Daily Movement
Exercise at all stages of life is super important with the benefits being well documented. They include:
- Increasing immunity and energy
- Decreasing PMS symptoms
- Helping to control weight
- Building stronger bones
- Improving sleep and
- Reducing anxiety and depression.
In Perimenopause it’s even more important to move every day for two key reasons. To:
- Support your changing body composition and
- Reduce perimenopause symptoms.
Our body composition is changing and we are losing muscle mass and bone density. Exercise will help build strong bones and muscle mass. If you haven’t been an exerciser in the past, this is your time to shine!
How to get motivated with daily movement
- Start really small
- Have super low expectations and slowly, gradually build up what you're doing
- Buddy up with someone who is in a similar boat, hold each other gently accountable - move together or agree to check in with one another
- Give yourself permission to silence the negative voice for a while and to turn up the "Well done, I did it!"s - celebrate each and every change you make; no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential. It matters and it counts!
Need a reason to get moving? Moving will improve your perimenopause symptoms such as low energy, increased PMS symptoms, weight gain, sleep issues and mood fluctuations.
Regular exercise is a key tool in keeping us happy and healthy through the perimenopause transition. Just start 💗
How to Get Motivated To Reset After a Chrissie Blow Out
Reflect on how you feel now and how you want to feel. Journaling for some people really helps. Start with clear goals and a fridge full of the things you want to eat and drink. Maybe remove or regift the temptations. Setting yourself a reset time frame like two weeks is a good time to reset and start feeling the benefits. Decide which new habits you want to implement and bring into the new year.
Our suggestions would be:
- Drink two litres of water per day
- Ditch alcohol for two weeks - try it and see how you go
- Remove all the ultra processed foods from your diet
- Eat three serves or more of vegetables per day
- Eat a protein source at every meal - have this smoothie blend every morning for high protein and adaptogens for improved brain function, metabolism and reduced cravings
- Include good fats like olive oil, nuts and seeds
- Have two daily cuppas of Peri Chai Latte or Per Hot Choccy
You've got this! Are you ready to Feel The Whole SheBang again?
