Healthy Living for Real People
Posts tagged menopause
Secrets To A Healthy Sleep
Jan 26th
In our last post, Ann shared how stress became a major factor affecting her health.
What we saved until today is that insomnia plays an important part, too!
Watch the video to see how it all works together (and how we’re finding answers the problems) — then scroll down to see Ann’s list of tips for a good night’s sleep… including the one thing almost nobody does!
Ann’s Tips For Good Night’s Sleep
- Create your own pre-sleep ritual that goes beyond your normal teeth brushing and other practical activities.
- Design your bedroom primarily to support good sleep. Keep it clean and uncluttered.
- Have complete control of the lighting in your bedroom. Be able to make the room totally dark.
- Avoid turning on the light if you have to go to the bathroom. Any bright light will shut off melatonin production.
- Listen to relaxation CDs with nature sounds such as the ocean or forest.
- Dim the lights in your house around 8:00 pm. Light stimulates the release of cortisol and shuts down the release of melatonin.
- Stop watching TV or using your computer by 8:00 pm.
- Avoid snacking just before bedtime, particularly grains and sugars.
- Keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70 degrees F.
- Wear socks to bed.
- Eat a snack high in plant-based protein several hours before bed (like Hallelujah Acres’ Raw Non-dairy Blueberry Cheesecake).
- Keep electrical devices as far away from the bed as possible; their electromagnetic fields (EMF) can disrupt your nervous system’s electrical currents.
- Avoid foods that you are sensitive to.
- Don’t drink any fluids within two hours of going to bed so you won’t have to get up to go the bathroom.
- Take a hot bath, shower or sauna before bed if you have trouble falling asleep.
- Writing in a journal may be helpful if you often lay in bed with your mind racing.
- Remove your clock from view.
- Have your adrenals checked by a good natural medicine clinician.
- If you are menopausal or peri-menopausal, consult a recommended natural medicine physician. Hormonal changes at this time may cause problems if not properly addressed.
- Make sure you are exercising regularly.
- … and the tip that almost no one does: Don’t change your bedtime (ideally around 10 pm)!
Your turn…
What’s your best tip for a good night’s sleep?
Click to comment!
Maca Is A Girl’s Best Friend
Sep 1st
Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend… but they’re useless for hot flashes!
Hi ladies, Ann here.
With the 2011 Women’s Retreat just around the corner (Oct 20-22), I thought we should dedicate one of our blog posts to just us girls.
Girls with menopause, specifically.
(Guys, if memory serves, I believe football season is about to start, so Google that for a bit while we ladies talk.)
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a rough time with this little “life change” shenanigan nature plays on us. I’ve had all the symptoms, and I’ve tried everything to stop them.
Then a little birdie told me about maca.
If you know about maca, you know it’s the greatest thing since sliced Ezekiel 4:9 bread.
If you’ve never heard of it, here’s the short version: maca is a root from the Andes mountains (Peru/Bolivia) that nourishes and strengthens your endocrine system, which in turn helps balance your hormones.
It’s a menopause God-send!
In addition to superior nutrition through The Hallelujah Diet, I take maca every day now and it has two significant impacts:
- I had been experiencing two cycles per month (peri-menopause); since I’ve been taking maca, I’m back down to one cycle per month.
- Maca balances my agitation. It improves my mood and increases my patience.
Paul says maca is best thing to happen to our marriage! (Very funny, babe.)
There are lots of maca products on the market now. So, if you decide to take it like I do, make sure you choose one that includes only pure maca root (some companies also include other parts of the plant, but only the root is medicinal).
If you want to know more, contact me and I’ll help in any way I can. 
Postmenopausal Diabetics Benefit Most From Diet and Exercise
Apr 19th
Two new studies are showing interesting correlations between a calorie restricted diet and exercise. As it turns out, the the ultimate winner of a plant-based diet and moderate exercise routine is postmenopausal women with diabetes.
First, the diabetes part. A brand new study from the Czech Republic has found that “a calorie-restricted vegetarian diet had greater capacity to improve insulin sensitivity compared with a conventional diabetic diet over 24 weeks … the addition of exercise training further augmented the improved outcomes with the vegetarian diet.”
With this in mind, another study on the effectiveness of diet and exercise for postmenopausal women becomes all the more intriguing.
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has found that, in postmenopausal women, “when it comes to losing weight and body fat, diet and exercise are most effective when done together as compared to either strategy alone.”
That’s great news for a demographic who typically has a tough time losing weight – and often has diabetes. As the second study’s director confirmed: “even [a] modest amount of weight [loss] can bring health benefits such as a reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.”
So, if you’re in the popular camp of postmenopausal women with diabetes and a few pounds to lose, we have a solution for you: The Hallelujah Diet (a vegetarian diet which also recommends moderate exercise).
In fact, we’re now filming episodes for our Exercise Essentials With Paul and Ann program. We’re combining the effectiveness of The Hallelujah Diet with a moderate exercise routine! Watch for details on HATV!
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