Menopause is a super intense time in a woman’s life, as not only are there drastic hormonal changes taking place, but it also often requires women to take on a whole new set of lifestyle habits to get through it.
One of the best ways to get through such a massive change is to get advice from people who have gone through the same thing. After all, it can be incredibly isolating to experience brutal side effects like weight gain, mood swings, and more. Luckily, a woman who managed to lose 50 pounds of the weight she gained during menopause shared some of the lifestyle tips that helped her achieve her goals and feel a lot better.
Michelle Kloese, a woman in her 40s, decided to share her story about her health journey with media outlets. After turning 40 and unexpectedly gaining weight, she discovered she had a condition that caused her to reach menopause “earlier than most women,” who typically enter the phase between the ages of 45 and 55.
After doing some research and getting advice from other women, Kloese found that there are seven easy lifestyle changes women can make, especially those who experience “early menopause,” to get through the change stronger and not let it keep them down for long. Read more about them below.
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1. Use A Habit Tracker
Sometimes, one of the most complex parts of trying to live a healthier lifestyle is keeping yourself accountable. No matter how motivated you may be, something can make you fall off the bandwagon at the drop of a hat. Kloese told Today that she likes using a habit-tracking app to help her "commit" to achieving her goals through lists.
"If I have a checklist to follow or something I write down, I know I can commit to it," she said.
There are so many habit-tracking apps available these days, including free ones, so look for one that can help remind you to hydrate, exercise, and more.
2. Do More Strength Training
While any form of exercise daily is beneficial, Kloese found that strength training every day helped her lose her menopause weight and get stronger. She would complete simple, no-fuss exercises with 5 to 10-lb dumbells and certain moves involving her own body weight like planks.
Strength training is a very beneficial form of exercise, as it can still help you shed excess weight while also building muscle in the process, helping you get stronger and do more activities.
3. Drink A Lot Of Water
While you may be tired of being told to drink water and hydrate as often as possible, it is crucial. Plus, if you're worried about feeling lousy during menopause, Kloese found that getting in a sufficient amount of water each day helped her curb headaches and stay "on track" with her weight loss.
Although Kloese is now up to an impressive 72 ounces of water a day, she has been outspoken about how starting with smaller goals, like drinking 8 ounces at a time and eventually building up your intake.
4. Go On More Walks
In addition to strength training, Kloese began walking and moving around a lot more in general while working to lose her menopause weight, setting a goal of just 15 to 30 minutes of walking a day.
"Getting in my steps was a huge piece," Kloese told Today.
She began achieving her goals by taking her dog on walks. Then, she purchased a walking pad for those days when rain and thunderstorms would get in the way of her healthy lifestyle checklist. Kloese would use the walk pad for quick workouts or hop onto it during work calls. Now, she walks up to 45 minutes each day and can manage around 9,000 daily steps.
5. Make Healthy Swaps In Your Diet
Many women believe that the only way to lose weight gained during menopause is to follow a super strict and restrictive diet. However, that's not the case! Instead, you can simply focus on swapping out certain junk food items for healthier ones each day.
For instance, if Kloese ate a cheeseburger meal, she'd only eat half of her bun and go for a small serving of sweet potato fries instead of regular fries. She also cut out soda and other high-sugar food products and replaced them with more nutrient-dense ones. Additionally, she stopped eating out as much with her husband, and the two of them focused on meal-prepping at home more often.
6. Find A Support System
As important as diet and exercise are for getting through major life transitions like menopause, other things like looking after your mental health are also crucial. To feel less isolated, Kloese spoke to different friends who were experiencing similar symptoms, and they all helped each other be held accountable.
"It helps that my friend group knows what my goals are because they can honor and respect them," she explained.
"If you surround yourself with people you trust, who you can be open and honest with, they're your best supporters."
Now, she has a friend group that she meets up with several times during the week, either for fun events or to work on their goals together by going on productive walks.
7. Focus On Slow, Steady Progress
One of the biggest reasons women often get discouraged by their weight loss journies is that it can usually be a slow process, especially when striving to lose some extra pounds in a healthy and safe way. If you want to enjoy a life that consists of balanced eating, enjoyable exercise, and consistently keeping your weight off, you'll need to prepare yourself for it to come off slowly.
Kloese told Today that by the time she started incorporating these habits into her daily routine, she almost immediately felt better mentally. Still, she also felt a little defeated six months in when she couldn't visually see her weight loss progress six months in. She ended up losing the 50 pounds almost two years into her journey and chose to focus on the smaller achievements, like how she could fit into certain clothes better and more.
"I don't want to ruin any of my habits. I worked so hard to make them habits, and the hard work is paying off," she said.
"I just want to stay active. I'll try anything. Keeping that healthy lifestyle is what I want. I don't want to go back to where I was."
