Mom in her 40s with low energy… what to do ?

Hello Mama,

are you in your 40s or even late 30s, your children are still quite little, they need you, your juggling a lot and before it seemed like you were doing alright and all of a sudden, your energy went down with no warning. Your sleep might not be the best but it seems alright but you wake up tired, you eat, it helps and then you crash and you lose your patience and you might even want to crawl back to bed because you have no energy.

I GET IT !!! This is what has been happening for the past 6 months or so: my sleep was decent, I eat fairly well, last Fall, I had covid and I had to stop working out, I could not even walk without breathing super hard… and I gained 10lbs in 6 weeks !!!! I was appalled, a little confused and really angry… what the heck was happening ? Between the anxiety that started last year and now that ?! Around Christmas, I got sick, again, my weight was not getting better and well, it was Christmas so there were cookies… iykyk !

So back in January, I started looking into what seems to be a start to perimenopause… it seems early right ? Well, yes and no.

Menopause is when you have been a full year (12 months) without any period (bleed) but prior to that menopause, there can be years of perimenopause.

It does not mean there is any change in your menstrual cycle (mine is healthy, regular, all is good there) yet but there are unspoken sneaky symptoms like random anxiety attacks, strange gain weight that seems to come out of nowhere, especially in the midsection, energy crash in the middle of the day when you seem to be getting some fresh air, sun, good food… I am not making this up… it is a whole new research interest : Perimenopause ! and it is about time that we have studies, research to support us and to speak LOUD about it so women can come together and find ways to feel better. When you are in your 40s (or late 30s) and these kinds of symptoms show up for no reason… then, there might be a chance your estrogen level is tanking and changes are happening whether we like it or not and if you happen to need all of your energy to survive the day but on top of it, you have young children (babies, toddlers, early elementary…) it might feel like you are going a little crazy, the thing, is: you are not crazy! I am not crazy and together and with the right specialists out there, we can learn how to be our new self and keep our life happy and healthy.

Disclaimer: I am not an OBGYN, a nutritionist or health professional but I have been looking into my health for years, I am not one for doing extreme diets, go all in or all out on anything, I like balance. Let me tell you it is not easy to remain balanced when these hormones seem to be playing jokes on you. What I know is based on my experience as a mom of 2, business owner and woman who is 42 and searches for what science and nutritionists have to say, I like Dr Mary Claire, she is an OBGYN who wrote The New Menopause and it has some great insight on those random perimenopause challenges.

Here is what I do to feel better as a mom in my 40s :

-I did not want to feel old but I had to agree that crazy cardio workouts were not making any difference in my weight, I was still gaining, maintaining but definitely not losing or feeling better, some workouts would even make me feel drained. So I had to switch for lower cardio exercise : walking, short running sessions, yoga, power yoga, primal movement and strength training are my jam now… nothing that is high impact and more than 30-40 mins – plus well, with young children, you might not have the time anyway.

-I eat so MUCH MORE PROTEIN: it is no joke, I thought I was eating enough honestly and then I kept seeing these articles and posts on hitting at least 100g of protein if not more per day – I even saw someone saying we should eat in grams, our weight in pounds so if you would be 140lbs, you should eat 140g of protein. I don’t know if this is real, safe or not… I think I need more research on it honestly but I looked into what I was eating and I was hardly eating 70g per day… so here I am, eating 100g per day as per many recommendations and you know what ? My energy is so much better !!!! Like crazy better. If I had known, I would have started earlier! I also make sure I eat fibers and plants from all colours for my microbiome (at least I do my best) and no, I did not go keto and suppressed carbs. First, I don’t think this is healthy for me to remove any food groups and when I tried, it led to binge eating so no thanks ! So I eat carbs, whole carbs when possible but I have to say that when you eat 100g of protein per day, you are not that hungry for crazy sugar/glucose loaded food anyway so there’s that.

-I have kept some great habits I have had for some time now like, mindful quiet solitude time in early morning (my MAMA routine is a good way to start, get it here for free), I get sunlight, movement, I hold boundaries when I am overstimulated etc

Honestly, I did not want to see my body change as early as my 40s, I always thought that the 50s were when things shift but I was wrong, I have many other women in my contacts who feel it too and well, while it might seem unfair that we have to go through another round of hardship on our body (after adolescence, pregnancies, postpartum etc), we have to face our reality and once thing will make it a little easier : going through this together, Mama !

If you feel like your life is just full of chaos, get my free checklist on 5 ways to manage the chaos.

Take care Mama, I believe in you.

With love,

Adeline