Women have a tendency to grin and bear it through the tough times, often even through pain, so why should menopause be any different?

Are you white knuckling it through menopause? Chances are the answer is a resounding, yes. Women are famous for the grin-it-and-bear-it approach to all aspects of their life. As a sex, we are accustomed to barreling through the tough times, even pain. To make matters worse, it is innately female for us to ignore our needs in lieu of someone else’s.

Menopause is no different. Recent studies show a staggering 84% of women aged 45–55, seek no alternative therapies during menopause. The good news is, Women’s Health Concerns.org reports 95% of women surveyed would prefer natural therapies to HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) if they did.

It seems women are dubious of HRT or complicated therapies when it comes to their bodies at such a vulnerable time, so we’ve compiled seven simple life changes that women who report living well through menopause do every day.

The struggle is real, so don’t suffer in silence, ease the blow of perimenopause when it hits, or take the edge off symptoms when the menopause comes to stay with these seven simple changes to a healthier, happier you.

Remove food triggers

Food is medicine. We hear this all the time, but food is where you can make the swiftest impact on your health. During menopause and perimenopause, our hormones are unstable, often shifting around from hour to hour. Eating foods that instantly effect our body’s already shaky hormone levels, like coffee, alcohol, soda, sugar and processed foods, is just like throwing gasoline on a forest fire.

But, removing poor food choices is only half the solution. Filling your body with hormone-stabilizing leafy green vegetables, herbs with antifungal values like oregano and ginger, or low-sugar fruits, like black berries, to look after your blood sugar is key. In addition, healthy fats and lean meats help control hormone levels and build muscle.

TOP TIP: Avoid over and undereating too as both contribute to instabilities in hormone levels.

Fill up on good fats

Healthy fats like nuts, coconut and olive oils, avocado, raw seeds, oily fish, that are high in omega 3, like wild salmon and mackerel are good for the brain and reduce inflammation, which can run rampant when the body is under stress. A diet rich in healthy fat goes a long way to harmonizing the body’s HDL and LDL cholesterol, which is subject to imbalance during menopause.

TOP TIP: The brain needs cholesterol to keep you thinking clearly, so don’t reduce it from your diet without discussing a plan with your physician.

Body fat adds to hormone imbalance

The hormone Leptin is produced by the fat in our own cells, and is secreted into our blood stream. Additionally, Leptin regulates body weight, and tells the brain to eat or stop eating.

When we are overweight, Leptin is over-produced, and brain signals become confused and can often stop working all-together. Low body fat keeps our cravings in check during menopause, and helps prevent tummy fat.

Supplement

When the body goes through periods of stress, it uses up vitamin and essential mineral stores much faster than at times of harmony. Supplementing key vitamins and minerals is a great way to keep deficient stores full. Ask your doctor to include B12, D and Iron in your regular blood panels to keep current on some of your essential stores.

TOP TIP: Choose the most absorbable forms or sublingual varieties of vitamins, as our gut health is often affected by bouts of upset. Example: B12, Methylcobalamin.

Therapeutic herbs

Using naturally safe and stabilizing herbal products like the Menopause Formula, by veteran biotech company, Herbalmax are helpful in smoothing-out hormonal fluctuations. Branded herbal blends like the Menopause Formula are no accident, they are meticulously designed to relieve mood instability, which is common during dips in hormone levels.

The trusted, curative qualities of ancient herbs have been used for hundreds of years by women in and out of menopause for quick relief to sleeplessness, night sweating and provide a powerful reprieve from hot flashes, irritability, cramping, chills and more.

Because you have a choice, use a 100% bio-active Menopause Formula, designed for women by women scientists. The Herbalmax brand has been a trusted mainstay in natural therapies for 20 years.

TOP TIP: Always choose clinically tested herb blends made from herb concentrates like the Menopause Formula from Herbalmax. Concentrates, instead of extracts, maintain the true character and strong healing properties of the herb, which is uniquely chosen to address individual symptoms.

Regular Exercise

The key word here is regular. We all know exercise has many benefits for any stage of life, but there are a few gentle tweaks you should make to your routine, and even if you’re starting a new exercise program, that will make a difference to help you through your menopause journey.

Get outside. A steady walk in the open air brings multiple advantages for mood stimulation, and a low-impact, healthy walking pace, goes a long way to reduce inflammation, balance hormone levels, relieve muscle aches and relax the mind.

High impact exercise works, if you are used to it, but during menopause, the old saying, slow and steady wins the race, applies. Swimming is another effective low-impact sport, and weight resistance is vital to keep aging muscles strong.

Go often. Our bodies need regular exercise, so set a time aside for you, and you’ll enjoy better sleep at night and feel lighter during the day.

Manage Stress

We know by now that stress is a major health problem. The human body is still playing catch-up with the modern onslaught of social media, news, information, additives and chemicals bombarding us every day, it is no wonder anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.

Adopting all the above practices, along with yoga and meditation, will keep the mind focused, calm and relaxed and give you tools to fall back on when unexpected stress strikes.

So, meet menopause head-on when she knocks on your door. Be prepared with just a few simple adjustments and natural remedies. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you.

Lynda Bateman is a Health and Wellness writer living in California. She is a contributor to numerous publications in the US, Europe and Australia, is an editor, TV personality and Radio host. Lynda writes extensively on the subject of Thyroid Disease, is a patient advocate and created the very successful Thyroid Support Group and its private sister group TSG in 2007.