The menopausal transition is one of the critical periods of every woman's life as it brings a lot of problems such as excess weight gain, mental concentration, and much more. In recent years, there has been a trend of fasting to keep one's body fit during this transitional period.
Firstly, every woman needs to understand what menopause is and how the process of fasting helps them maintain their health during menopause.
In simple words, menopause is the end of the fertile years in a woman's life. After menopause, the menstrual cycle of every woman ends. The process of menopause has been divided into three different parts: perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause.
Here, we will discuss some tips to help every woman take care of their health during this period.
Why has fasting gained importance during the menopausal transition?
The increasing popularity of fasting to tackle menopausal changes is that it helps in weight control and maintaining blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
We all know the link between mental and physical health. It's way easier to tackle physical disorders if you are mentally fit. Along with the physical benefits, fasting is also said to help mental well-being and concentration.
Now, let's have a detailed discussion on some tips for fasting during the process of menopause.
#Tip- 1 Don't starve for too long
If you are just at the initial stage of starting fasting to tackle menopause, remember to be slow with the process. You shouldn't jump directly into long hours of fasting as it will lead to starvation.
For the initial stage, start with a period of 12 hours or as few as you want it to be, and then slowly increase the hours to 18 or fewer. This slow movement will ensure that fasting has no negative impacts on your body.
#Tip- 2 Focus on hydration
Hydration is one of the most neglected things during fastings. A woman going through the menopausal process must have at least 6 to 8 glasses of water per day as it helps in the body's metabolic activities. Water also provides the required energy to the body while fasting.
One can also opt for some other drinks such as black coffee, plain milk, or a glass of electrolytes to restore the lost energy in their body.
#Tip - 3 Have moderate exercise
Even if you are exercising and don't feel like doing it, you should avoid it. It's important to understand the signs your body gives while you lack energy.
If you feel like exercising, you can surely go for moderate or lesser exercises just to ensure your routine is in place. Always prefer easier exercises during fasting, such as jogging or basic yoga.
#Tip - 4 Sleep is another priority
It's not possible to maintain good health without prioritizing your sleeping cycle. Sleep helps the body repair itself, and it also helps with the hormones directly related to hunger so that you feel less hungry while fasting.
A better sleep cycle ensures that your mental health is on track.
#Tip - 5 Mental Health is as important as physical health
It's well-known that Fasting is not for everyone, as food is one of the most important parts of many lives. However, if you have started fasting and had problems with your past eating patterns or habits, fasting can be problematic for you.
If you feel fasting is troubling your health, make sure you get suggestions from a good doctor. With this consultation, you might get certain ways in which you can deal with menopausal transitions differently.
#Tip - 6 Let your body speak for itself
When you go through menopause, pay attention to the changes in your body. As we have discussed earlier, it's important to understand different signs that your body gives to find the appropriate way to deal with it.
As fasting is not the only way to deal with menopausal transitions, if it doesn't suit you can find a better alternative for you.
#Tip - 7 Consulting an expert is always helpful
Expert suggestions can help you customize your fasting plans during menopause. Talk to a doctor about the changes you have been going through and how you can deal with them. The doctor will advise you based on your health history.
Learning about intermittent fasting
One of the most popular ways of practising fasting during menopause is intermittent fasting. This kind of fasting helps in all aspects of basic fasting, including blood sugar levels, cholesterol, mental focus, weight gain, and more.
Intermittent fasting includes not eating for multiple defined periods followed by a specific period for eating.
Benefits of intermittent fasting during menopause
There are several benefits of intermittent fasting during menopause, including a reduction in menopausal symptoms, boosted energy, faster cellular recovery, and much more.
Reduction in Menopausal symptoms
Menopause brings a lot of problems with itself health problems as well. Intermittent fasting has shown a reduction in almost every health problem that menopause brings to the table. It can also help women in their emotional well-being.
Decrease in Inflammation
In menopause, chronic inflammation is a common problem, and it can be very irritating as it leads to many other health issues. Intermittent fasting has shown improved results against inflammation.
Clarity in Mind
If you want to feel more lively and energetic during menopause, then intermittent fasting can be the best way to achieve it. It can make you feel less tired and less confused. Some people think it helps them be better at both physical and mental stuff.
Better mental health
When you integrate fasting into your lives, your body might release more brain-derived neurotrophic factors, a protein crucial for mental well-being.
Not eating all the time (intermittent fasting) is linked to keeping your brain healthier and reduces the risk of diseases like dementia.
Cell Repair
Skipping meals (fasting) helps cells fix themselves. It's like an autophagy cleaning job, where cells toss out broken bits and reuse them. This is super important to keep cells healthy and stop diseases like heart issues, diabetes, and certain cancers, which happen more as women grow older.
So, not eating all the time can help you live longer and have a better life as you age.
Conclusion
We can say that fasting and intermittent fasting both can help woman tackle their menopause in a better way. From better brain functioning to ease in cell repair, there are countless ways fasting can be useful for women going through menopause.
Dr Karen Pike has been researching and raising awareness about menopause for many years. Learn more about her and her initiative by clicking about me.