I was scrolling through Facebook the other day and this reel came up. This lady was creating a replica of a measuring tape, but on a big scale, I think it was to get a world record or something, which was a bit of a random thing to be watching.

But one of the things that she said on there was about how she was scaling it up and the measures that are being used.

She was American and she did make an error because she measured something in imperial and then she had it made in metric, or vice versa.

But she was talking about the measurement system that they use in America and that they use imperial, and most of, certainly the UK, we use metric.

We do use imperial for some things, but the majority is metric.

She was trying to convert it into the computer and saying how metric is much simpler to put into the computer.

It's like, why do they still use imperial? Because it's really difficult to convert from one thing to the other and to scale up.

Because they've always done it that way.

And why do they have to continue?

Like many other places, the UK converted to mostly metric and they've moved over because that's simpler.

Yes, some things are still imperial and some places in the world are still imperial, but in America she was talking about why do they have to stay with that thing that is inferior, a worse way to do it, just because it's always been done that way.

And then that got me thinking about how we could relate that to our health.

Particularly through perimenopause and postmenopause when we are continuing to do things because we've always done them, even though they are no longer the best way to do it.

And they are not necessarily getting the results that we need.

A lot of the approaches in the world, I mean there are so many things that have changed.

"This is the best way."

You know, this is the best way and fad diets and things.

But there are often things that we do that we think are the best way to do it because they've always been done or we've always done them.

Maybe we've always done really high-impact workouts and we think we should carry on doing those.

But yet now they're causing us joint pain or pelvic health issues or whatever.

But because we've always done them, that's the best way to do it and we're just going to continue.

Actually, there might be some way that we can modify it or do other things alongside it that could help.

Or maybe we need to change it.

One of the things that often comes up in conversation is putting on weight.

Now, losing weight is always difficult, or maintaining our weight.

But there are so many schools of thought about what is the best way to manage our weight.

When we were younger, it may well be that you could eat whatever you want and then just exercise loads and you would manage your weight or lose weight.

As we get older, then yes, it might be told that you need to match calories in versus calories out, so we need to have a deficit.

We are told eat less, do more.

Yes and no.

Yes, that potentially will create a calorie deficit and we may lose weight.

However, at perimenopause there is a lot more that we need to be thinking about when it comes to managing our weight.

Just because of those pesky hormones sitting around.

Our body doesn't want to let go of fat cells for one thing because fat cells create a certain type of oestrogen.

Not the type that we actually want, it's not really the healthy one, but it's still an oestrogen.

So the body's like, "I'm going to hold on to that because it's producing some oestrogen."

However, we obviously want to get rid of those fat cells quite often.

Cortisol levels, our stress hormones, if that is high, then we also hold on to fat, particularly around the middle.

Sleep is a big issue that causes us to put on weight and eat the wrong things.

Because if we don't sleep well, we produce more of a hunger hormone.

Then we want to eat more.

Also, if we are fatigued and not feeling great, then we tend to go for sugary foods, which are a quick fix, and then that's more calorific.

If we sleep well, we produce more of the hormone that makes us feel full.

Therefore, we don't eat as much.

But also we are able then to choose the food that we want to eat.

We also need to think about what type of exercise we do.

So yes, cardio is great.

But actually, we need to make sure we are including some strengthening exercise.

When we are younger and maybe our muscles are at their optimum, they are actually metabolically active, so they are burning calories.

As we get older, our muscles are becoming weaker and therefore they are burning fewer calories.

So we need to make sure that we are, for many, many reasons, doing strengthening exercise for our bone health and lots of other symptoms.

But particularly for our weight management, ensuring that we are maintaining or building muscle because that will then burn more calories at rest.

Then we will not be putting on weight in the same way.

There have been lots of diets trialled for menopause symptoms as a whole, but the one that seems to be the best is the Mediterranean diet.

Lots of healthy fats, whole foods, fruit and vegetables.

So it's not just the calories that we are eating, it's the type of calories.

Making sure we are including protein and fibre because they will keep us fuller for longer.

Not just going for simple carbohydrates, but trying to balance things out.

If we're having some fruit, having some protein with it, such as nut butter, nuts and seeds, to help keep us fuller for longer.

Fasting is often a big hit at the minute.

It's common that lots of people are trying to fast.

But actually it is shown that time-restricted eating, so if you just have a window of eating, that could be eight hours, it could be ten hours, it could be twelve hours, but staying within that window means that we consume fewer calories because we're not eating for as long.

But it also gives the body more time to regenerate the digestive system, to burn the calories that we've ingested and then helps us to lose weight or manage weight by restricting the time that we are eating.

We do need to ensure that we're doing not only the strength exercise but also the cardio as well because that helps to burn calories.

But it's making sure we've got a balance of all the different types of exercise.

But it's not just food and exercise.

That is what we've always done.

Eat more, put on weight.

Eat less, lose weight.

Do more exercise, lose weight.

Don't do exercise, put on weight.

That's generally how it worked in our teens, twenties and even thirties.

As we hit perimenopause, it's not just food and exercise.

We need to think about everything else that's going on.

Our hormone levels are going to have a massive effect.

We need to ensure that we sleep properly.

I mentioned those hormones that are produced when we're sleeping.

So sleep needs to be a big focus to improve sleep quality.

Go back and listen to all the episodes I've done about sleep. I've done a few.

We also need to think about our stress management.

I mentioned cortisol, which is our stress hormone.

If we are producing more of our stress hormone, then the adrenal glands are taking away the building blocks from what would be creating our sex hormones — our oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

As the ovaries start to decline in what they're making, then the adrenal glands are our main source of producing our sex hormones.

So if we are stressed, it's going to make more of our stress hormone and then we're not going to make as much of our oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

But also cortisol is going to affect our insulin and how blood sugar levels are regulated, how we store that sugar and how we hold on to fat.

Inflammation within the body can also have a massive effect on our weight and how much fat we keep.

So it's making sure we are looking at our stress management as well.

But it's thinking about how this can fit into your life.

Looking at sleep.

Looking at stress management.

Yes, we're looking at nutrition and exercise.

Also making sure that you are setting achievable little goals or fitting things into your life so that they become sustainable habits rather than doing a really strict diet for a week or two, then getting fed up with it and eating loads again.

If we can make it sustainable so that we just generally become more active.

Making these small little habit changes and overcoming hurdles.

For me, I wouldn't bother getting the bike out of the shed.

By the time I'd done that, I could have been in the car and there and back.

Whereas if the bike's just there, I might think, "Okay, I've got time. I'll just cycle."

It'll take me a little bit longer.

When it's not that far, by the time you've got the car and all that, it's probably not much difference in terms of time.

So what could you do to change the things that you've always done to find a better way?

Rather than thinking, "I've always done it this way."

Such as they've always measured in imperial, so therefore they're going to continue.

How can you change to a better way to fit this stage of life?

Just pick one thing maybe to try this week that would be better than what you have been doing for a long time.

Or maybe you have made some good changes, which is great.

But don't be stuck in that rut of doing it this way because it's always been done that way and it's not getting you the results that you need.

If you want to know anything more about symptoms of menopause and some ideas of how to manage specific symptoms, then check out the masterclass that I've done.

The link's in the show notes.

And if you need any more support one-to-one, then check out the website.

Take care and speak to you next time.