This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Looking for a fun beach read this summer? Well, I have something better for you. It will give you useful tips as well as make you laugh out loud. Personal Trainer Amanda Thebe recounts her horrific perimenopause experience in Menopocalypse: How I Learned to Thrive During Menopause and How You Can Too. Amanda does not hold back in this book. She is brutally honest about her lived experience and also her very real feelings about it. If you haven’t yet gone through the menopause transition, this book might scare the hell out of you. Amanda’s symptoms were quite terrible. If you have already gone through the transition, then you might be relieved that yours wasn’t so bad, at least in comparison. In the first half of the book, she defines the different stages of menopause and lists the common symptoms one might have. These range from the well-known hot flash to the lesser-known burning tongue. (Why must so many things in menopause make us feel like we're on fire?) She also discusses Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), both her personal experience with it and what to watch out for, like compounded hormones and pellets. This was refreshing to read since there is so much misinformation out there directed at women in menopause. It made me happy to know that she takes a science-based approach in her menopause management. By this point in the book, I hadn’t really learned much that I didn’t already know about menopause, but I’ve been studying this in depth for the past several years. It was, however, quite validating to read her first-hand account to make me feel like I wasn’t the only one experiencing these less common issues. She reveals some very personal details of her life, and in doing so, makes you feel like you can trust her. This is important, especially because the second half of the book consists of her advice. We don't usually take advice from those we don't trust. In the second half of the book, she outlines what she calls her menopause “hacks.” Her chapter about how to eat wasn’t revolutionary, but that’s what made it so great. It was solid, reasonable advice. It’s what I recommend to my clients when asked. She doesn’t promote low calorie diets or intermittent fasting or avoiding carbs. She does suggest prioritizing protein, complex carbs, healthy fats and limiting alcohol. She seems to subscribe to my philosophy: Live the healthiest life you can enjoy! I can respect that. She has several pages of workouts that she calls “Menopause Metabolic Resistance workouts.” There are pictures of each exercise, as well as a prescribed set and repetition range. Her workouts incorporate the basic movement patterns that I outlined in my blog post “The 6 Most Important Exercises.” If you’re in need of a strength training starter workout, this is excellent. If you’re a client of mine, these moves will look very familiar to you. No self-respecting book about how to take care of yourself during menopause would be complete without a chapter on sleep and stress-reduction. Sleep is just as important as nutrition and exercise. 61% of postmenopausal women suffer from insomnia, which is a damn shame. Estrogen and progesterone play a huge part in helping us fall asleep and stay asleep, so without them, we struggle. Will this book cure your insomnia? You might find some helpful advice in there, but it won’t do so by putting you to sleep. It’s quite entertaining, actually. Amanda is funny, irreverent and doesn’t hold back. If you need a good read to know what’s coming or to learn more about what you’re in the thick of, I recommend Menopocalypse.
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AuthorPaige Balius - a personal trainer in Austin, Texas, helping women live their best lives! Archives
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