Perimenopause is something that I wasn’t prepared for at all. For a long time, I struggled, not knowing what was causing my symptoms and in such a dark place with it that I didn’t know where to turn to for help.
For me, HRT has been a game-changer. I use Evorel Sequi patches which are a combination of oestrogen and progesterone. They got me out of the dark hole I was in and meant I was able to start thinking of other ways to support my body through one of its biggest transformations.
There’s a lot of information available about diet and exercise to support the body during peri and menopause, but I’ve felt overwhelmed by it all and didn’t really know where to start. So, I was delighted when I met Nicola Farndell at a netwalking (the healthiest kind of networking!) event in my local park and she asked if I’d like to try her Menopause Boost 5-day programme. I was kindly gifted access to the programme so that I could give feedback on it.
Menopause Boost programme
The programme covers three core areas – nutrition, moving your body and mindset. All of these are key when it comes to supporting our bodies throughout menopause and beyond. The programme is delivered via short videos covering each of the modules daily and has a workbook to use for each stage.
I liked the format of the course because I can listen to videos on the go – I often find it hard to find the time to sit down and read something. But I don’t like long videos either, again because of lack of time to listen to them fully, so the format was perfect for me. I found the daily tasks and the programme workbook manageable in little chunks of time throughout the day.
One important thing to mention at this stage is that this isn’t a course promising to help you lose weight and be able to run marathons by the end of it. The programme is about giving menopausal women the tools to get back to feeling more like themselves with more confidence, energy and sparkle. The last one is probably the most important bit for me as I’ve definitely lost my sparkle during perimenopause.
Over the five days, you’ll get inspiration and support to eat better, balance your diet, improve your fitness, kickstart your mindset and start feeling like life is for living again.
You’ll learn how to:
- Shift your mindset and reclaim control over your health.
- Wake up with more energy knowing you have what it takes to improve the way you feel.
- Feel more confident in your body, and know you absolutely can like who you are – menopause is not the end of the road!
The Programme
The first day is an introduction to the programme and how it works with a task to get you started. The next four days follow the same format with a short video for each of the key areas. The nutrition section covers hydration and snacking, portion control, meal planning and smart substitutions giving you tips and inspiration to make tweaks to what and how you eat so that you’re giving your body the nutrition it needs.
The exercise section starts by explaining why it’s so important that we move our bodies more and do targeted work to build vital muscle which menopausal bodies need more of. The following four days then have videos of around 15 minutes covering bodyweight exercises, cardio blast, strength training and flexibility and recovery. Lack of time has been the main reason why exercise has gone to the bottom of the list for me over recent months so I was pleased to see that the sessions were short. I still felt like I’d done a workout, and around 15 minutes is a manageable amount of time for me to find in the day.
The mindset modules cover mindfulness, positive affirmations, visualisation techniques, stress reduction and celebrating progress. It’s so important to spend time on mindset because getting that part right makes the other parts much easier.
The results of Energise and Elevate: The Menopause Boost
When you’re menopausal, it can be hard to take the right action to support yourself and give your body and mind the fuel it needs to navigate this part of your life. I think there are two camps for this. The first is the one I fell into which is to feel completely overwhelmed, not knowing where to start and therefore do nothing. The second is reading everything they can lay their hands on about what to do, and trying everything.
Neither of those options is the answer. We need a balanced approach that is manageable and something we’re going to be able to maintain. For me, that’s what this programme does. It gives bite-sized chunks of information and practical support to help us navigate our way through menopause so that we can thrive and not just get through it with gritted teeth.
My takeaways
The biggest takeaways for me have been making small tweaks to what and how I eat and meal planning has been a bit of a revelation. It’s such an obvious thing to do, but something I don’t always have the headspace or time to do. But actually, it doesn’t take that long at all and saves time and money in the long run as there’s fewer last-minute dashes to the supermarket, or takeaways because we’re too tired to think of what to cook.
In terms of exercise, strength training has been the biggest takeaway. I’ve always avoided it because I tend to bulk out easily and have big shoulders which I don’t want to get any bigger! But listening to the reasons why it’s so important really helped so I have introduced some of this type of exercise into my routine.
Mindset has been a huge thing for me, not just with menopause but life in general. I’ve had a lot of big changes over the last few years and I’ve struggled a lot of the time with overwhelm. Revisiting mindfulness during the programme has reminded me of how much I enjoy it and how much better I feel when I’ve done it.
I’ve really enjoyed the programme and my biggest takeaway has been that little changes can have a big impact. As I said at the start, overwhelm has stopped me from taking action for a long time, but I now feel like I’ve got a toolkit that’s accessible and easy to dip into to help my whole body feel stronger and healthier.
Find out more about Menopause Boost
So, if you’re looking for a menopause programme that will give you practical, manageable and effective tips and advice, I’d recommend giving the “Energise and Elevate” a go. You can find all of the details about it from Nicola’s website. It costs £95 which is an excellent investment in your body and mind. If you’d like to read more about Nicola and what she does, read her article about the seasons of life.
