Exercise Your Way to a Better Mood in Menopause

Real quick, before we dive into this episode, I have a little sleep secret I want to tell you about. Look, sleep is crucial for your fitness, but it's crucial for just plain old everyday life and function. And I find I sleep great unless I have a migraine. And I've had more than my fair share since perimenopause all the way through postmenopause. My secret weapon was Blue Sky CBD sleep gels. Each gel contains 25mg of CBD and 25mg CBN for deep restorative sleep. Something about it helps to reduce inflammation, which I believe for me was key in helping me get to sleep. But the biggest thing is so many of the over-the-counter solutions, whether for sleep or migraines, can ruin gut health, and liver health. Neither one of those did I want to be problematic for me. So this option is recommended by healthcare providers worldwide and backed by thousands of happy customers, many of whom come from our Flipping 50 community. There is zero THC, so it's non-habit-forming. It's made by a trusted family-owned company that we all can feel good about. Third-party tested for purity and potency. And if you're interested, you too can try a sample for just $6. But even better, you can get 30% off forever with discount code FLIPPING50. That's FLIPPING50. Just go to flipping50.com/blueskycbd. We'll put that link in the show notes and you'll find it everywhere on Flipping 50 at My Favorites. What are you waiting for? Good night.

Feeling the mood swings that come with menopause?

You are not alone. This episode dives into how regular exercise can be a powerful tool for managing mood and reducing anxiety during menopause.

Specifically, what types of exercise are notorious based on research and science for women in midlife and beyond. Get ready to feel empowered with every step, every stretch, and every repetition. I'm Debra Atkinson. You're listening to Flipping 50. I started this podcast over a decade ago to answer questions about fitness in menopause and beyond. Before you knew to ask them. Yeah. The goal to help accelerate your results with science and the practical application of proven protocols while living your best life. There's no more powerful health influencer in the world than a midlife woman. And it's not just about you, but the 3 generations that you influence. My unique 40-year career, including being a university senior lecturer in kinesiology, an industry subject matter expert, and an international speaker, to founder of the first and the only exclusively made-for-menopause and beyond fitness membership in the world. Every week I interview experts the science of optimal hormone balancing, fitness, and longevity, and share answers to our community's questions so you can have the vitality and the energy that you want, need, and deserve. Okay, so let's just talk about the elephant in the room.

Do you know a lot of women in menopause are dealing with tolerate signs that are mostly physical— the weight gain, the belly fat, the just feeling like extra padding in the cushions, right? The puffiness, the inflammation. You can see it in your face. You know, when I was in the throes of it, I couldn't see it in the mirror. I didn't see that as much, but I saw it in photos. I was like, whoa, look at that. And sometimes now I can spot it in images of other people who have changed dramatically. And it's not just a putting on weight thing, it's literally, you can tell they seem inflamed. And maybe that's from, you know, being a coach of 40 years and needing to notice the nuances of my clients often before they noticed about themselves. But I want to focus on this— how different types of physical activity can help manage mood swings, reduce anxiety, and boost overall well-being during this transitional phase that every woman is going to go through. I mean, can we just put the elephant in the room out to pasture. Let's look at not just talking about weight loss, talking about belly fat, bloat, all of the things that may bug you physically or physiologically, but also looking at mood because sometimes it's the mood, it's the mood swing, and it's the flying off the handle at the smallest things. I catch myself doing it. I'm postmenopausal, but I can catch myself doing it to the dog, right? I mean, I didn't have another object moving target, you know, until very recently. And now it's like, oh my gosh, settle down, it's a puppy, right? And it's not, you know, that is coming out of nowhere. Like, generally the puppy triggers something, and my reaction to this thing is like, Woo-hoo, okay, hello, let's just come back in bounds. So if you're experiencing any of that, or for you it may be taking on this look and you're struggling to get motivated to exercise, and maybe that's never really been a problem before. So looking at what can you do, and first of all, let's talk about why are these mood swings happening in the first place? Why? Is this happening? So of course hormonal fluctuations are behind all of it, right? But we don't want to just throw, oh, it's hormones, throw that under the bus. Because when we say that, I think we're also giving away our power. And the real thing to pay attention to is we're in control of those hormones. We have an impact. Every action we do or don't do has an impact, positive or negative, on our energy levels, our insulin, our cortisol levels, our ability to restore fuel, restore glycogen into the muscles. We're impacting our hormones all the time. The way we exercise, the way we go, go, go, go, and/or we rest or sleep impacts our testosterone levels, our growth hormone levels. So much of what we do all day, every day, and the way we do it impacts our hormone fluctuations. So the most significant factor in mood is hormone fluctuation, particularly our estrogen and progesterone. Get our attention, they play a crucial role in regulating mood. If you're not getting your resting in in the evening, that progesterone isn't in its place, you know, you're probably not going to feel great in the morning. Your cortisol is going to be off, then your insulin is going to be off, your estrogen is already down, that's not helping things. Estrogen has a modulatory effect on neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are those feel-good hormones in your brain signaled by your brain. Serotonin, dopamine, they're directly linked to mood, feelings of wellbeing. Estrogen levels decline during menopause, and the stability of those neurotransmitters can also fluctuate, leading to mood swings and anxiety. And in other podcasts I've mentioned this, that if you're feeling like you've got a lower sense of motivation related to your exercise or wanting to do it, get started, stick with it, you know, we do have fewer dopamine receptors. And so imagine we're playing musical chairs, you know, there's lots of things that want to sit down, but there's no place to go. That's, you know, imagine that's what's happening. You don't have that attachment place. So even though you might be doing the exercise, you're not getting the feel-good as much as you used to because somebody took some chairs out of the game and didn't tell you that's how the game's gonna go from here on out. So next up is sleep disturbances. Now I gotta tell you that this short list, every single one of them comes back to hormonal disturbances, right? So sleep disturbance. Menopause often is accompanied by sleep problems because of progesterone going down and our cortisol levels going up, including difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early. So poor sleep can exacerbate our mood swings— need I say more— and increase your anxiety as well. Studies suggest that the decrease in estrogen and progesterone can disrupt normal sleep patterns. Further affecting mood regulation. I just had a chance to experiment with this in October. So new puppy, said puppy arrives, I think September 29th, you know, and it's all new puppy bliss, right? The first night it's really fun, it's entertaining, and this is gonna be great. No problem, I can get up 2 or 3 times a night and let 'em outside. And then day 4 and 5 happen and it's like, this is not going away anytime soon. And you know, it was very easy to see how some postpartum depression could set in, right? Because without sleep, we're all going to struggle. Depression, if not anxiety, can be heightened when you're in that status. So in case you're open to it, progesterone may support you. So making sure that you're getting some HTP in your system may help. Things just to consider. Psychosocial factors. Menopause can bring also a time in your life when we've got— we're in the perfect storm, right? Sandwich generation. And, and every generation that goes through menopause is going to be the sandwich generation. We cannot claim that as I'm I'm tail end of the baby boomer. We don't get to claim that. We've gotta give it up to those that are coming behind us. They're about all of it. Your role, your relationships, your jobs, concerns about aging, physical changes. Where do you wanna live? Do you wanna move closer to the kids or does that make you an obligation to the kids? It's everything. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Do you wanna move closer to the kids to help the kids? And/or do you not wanna do that on purpose? So much that are just these things, and our brains get going on them and sometimes hold on to them. Neurological changes. Research will suggest also that we have lower levels of estrogen, and that plays into brain function, leading to changes in how the brain processes emotions and stress. And this can make women more susceptible to mood swings and anxiety. So how do we get around that? One, you could look at hormone replacement. This may be a reason so many women are thinking, but I don't have hot flashes or night sweats. I don't really have symptoms anymore. That ship sailed. But you still have a brain, right? And benefits of things like creatine are also something you may want to look at. So the lower doses between 3 and 5 grams a day are associated with lean muscle mass. You also need to know we can benefit through bone density, but brain health benefits with even higher doses. Now, I personally have not experimented. Brain experts, however, talk regularly about this and the benefits and the dosages. So there are people who are much more sensitive, and I want to clarify something. Just, this is a little bit of a side note and a tangent, but while I'm talking about creatine, we should probably do an entire episode, another one on creatine. There is someone in our community who brought to my attention— she was struggling with creatine and kidney function, and there is no science documented that creatine disrupts or is, uh, negative for kidney function or causes kidney problems. Very, very high levels of protein, if you have renal function disorders, you, for instance, are diabetic, you're prone to that, you would not want to increase your protein too high without checking first with your monitoring physician. Similarly, if you have existing renal disorders, I would never support myself with a supplement without checking first. So if there's any special condition you're taking, any special medications. Interactions are always something that you want to consider. And then creatine was the other one I mentioned. The other, or number 5, is physical health changes or reasons why mood changes. Symptoms of menopause like hot flashes, night sweats, physical discomfort— they can contribute to emotional distress and anxiety, impacting overall mood instability. And those of you who are suffering, you get it. For those of you not, this is for you more than anything. And that means we've talked about, yes, sleep is a disruption. If you're having night sweats, potentially it's waking you up because you've got that physical discomfort. So many women do have phantom pain, phantom aches or pains. Fortunately, I don't. And, you know, many women in our community do not as well. So I want you to realize it may be something you can do something about. There may be a way to move. There may be a way that you're eating. There may be a way that you might want a supplement to help decrease some of those aches and pains if they're happening to you. Hormone replacement may be a way to go as well, but there are ways to help overcome some of those things. And for those of you not experiencing hot flashes, the anxiety, the mood stability or instability that might come with not being able to know what's my expectation— I'm all dressed up, I've got someplace to go, Will I be able to keep this suit, this dress on from being saturated with sweat? Will I be okay at my cubicle at work today? These are things that many women have to deal with, and there really isn't a great support and a, a way for her to cope in a workplace or in a social environment if she's dealing with those things.

Hey, this is Debra Atkinson, and there is one thing you can't do in the gym at your age, and that's get all the protein that you need. You've got to do that in the kitchen. To make it easy for myself, not only to get the protein but the fiber, the fruits and vegetables I want daily, I started drinking a smoothie a day 30 years ago. But when I realized all the junk, the sugar, and the extras that you don't want, that I don't want, hiding in most protein powders. That's when I finally caved in after years of saying I will never ever ever sell supplements. Stop skipping, skimping, and sabotaging yourself in the morning after workouts by always being prepared. Look, yep, I agree, real food first, but it's just not convenient to carry a turkey sandwich sometimes the protein, and don't forget the fiber, they kill cravings and they boost satiety. And you've got to make it easy to do the right thing. You can use code PODCAST for 10% off your first order at flipping50.com today.

So just to give anyone a background of what's causing mood swings, I think we came through that. The bottom line on the research on exercise and its positive impact in Hot Not Bothered, the 99 different research studies, different flips that you can do on a daily basis, they're little quips and quotes you can read in about 2 minutes. But in that book, I shared that Resistance training has been proven to be associated with reducing symptoms of anxiety and also of depression, but strongly associated with decreased anxiety. And one of the reasons I believe— and this really isn't like forward in the research, but I mean, if you imagine the discomfort that someone who already is having anxiety might feel if we ask them to do cardiovascular exercise, the heavy breathing, the sweating. I mean, in a way, the symptoms that you're exercising appropriately mimic the signs, the feelings that you would have if you're having an anxiety attack. When you do resistance training, you don't have to get through that breathlessness. Yes, you're gonna, you're gonna do a set of exercise for maybe about a minute, and then you'll stop and you'll rest and recover in between. So it's a little bit more I think manageable for someone with anxiety. I also think that high-intensity interval training, still extreme high intensity, like we're putting the getting breathless on steroids. And even though, yes, there is a break, it is just taking it so high that the recovery for someone who's anxious may not be there. That may be a place to progress to because it actually may help resiliency, but it's certainly not a place to start with. So the study that was titled Impact of Physical Activity on Physical and Mental Health of Postmenopausal Women— it was a systematic review, meaning they're looking at a lot of studies, a lot of literature— looked at what was the impact and the dual benefits of not only physical exercise on the physical aspect of health, but the psychological. Physical outcomes reviewed include improved cardiovascular health, improves bone density, better overall physical functioning. From a psychological perspective though, the review highlights that regular physical activity significantly helps in reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and the odds are about 63 and 80% of all older women will experience depression and anxiety. Very significant numbers, right? And it all also enhances mood. So it's not just that it decreases the negative mood states, but it actually enhances overall mood, your happiness level, reducing psychological impacts of menopause, which often include mood swings, irritability, flying off the handle at the dog who will not Behave on the Gentle Leader. Don't know who that might be. Different types of exercise programs such as aerobic exercise, strength training, flexibility routines, they were all analyzed and they were all found to contribute positively to mental health outcomes of participants. The study consolidates existing research pointing toward exercise as a comprehensive therapeutic tool for managing complex changes that affect women during menopause. So the bottom line is this: We have at Flipping 50, we have the After 50 Fitness Formula for women. But the bottom line is this: if you're not ready to do it all, doing some of it will help. I don't love anymore— for us, I don't love that statement, something is better than nothing, because something gets carried away, and oftentimes something is the wrong thing. And it may be making you feel worse, more exhausted, more moody, more craving. And I know that's not a feeling, but you get what I mean. Maybe causing you to lose sleep if you're exercising incorrectly for this moment that you're in. So I wouldn't go as far to say any exercise is better than no exercise, but exercise that you're doing that makes you feel better, not just while you're doing it, Imagine someone using heroin or cocaine. They feel really good while they're doing it. And then when they come off, not so much. And then they have to do it again because it's the only way they feel good. Exercise can be like that, but there will be a time when the exercise itself leaves you flat and you don't feel good doing it. And some of you may actually be experiencing this now. If that's true for you, it's definitely time for a reset. So, and if you are listening to this in real time, my hope is that we're still open. We're offering a 10-day challenge. It's called Hot Not Bothered. In addition to handing you the 30-minute exercise section for the day, so you have all the planning done for you, I'm going to whisper in your ear, how does this actually help my hormones? How is this different maybe than what you've ever been doing or been taught about exercise? And if you've not listened to my TEDx talk, Why Everything Women in Menopause Learned About Exercise May Be a Lie, I'll put that in the show notes too. If you are someone who's pushing through, you're doing everything you should, you're not making progress, and you're feeling worse, it's time to just step back. And I want to clarify I don't think we need to bubble wrap ourselves at 60. Look, we're stronger, we're tougher than we've ever been before in our lives. It is a time, I think, to double down on what you're doing. We need intensity, we need strength, we need to work hard. And yet, if you're not ready for it because you're trying to do it and push through it, you're not going to start feeling better by doing something that makes you feel— I'm about to swear, don't be offended— you're not going to feel better by doing something repeatedly that makes you feel like shit. All right? So we've got to make some sense. The exercise you do, yes, it might be hard for 60 seconds or 30, but as soon as you're done, you should feel good, accomplished, mastery. And you should feel like, I'm glad I did this. When you're done, immediately, you should not feel ready for a nap, should not feel more exhausted, more hungry, more hangry by the end of the day. That's how you know you've got the signs that this is working for you. All right. So I'll put those, my TEDx talk. I will put the Hot Not Bothered Challenge. If it's not open when you happen to be listening to this, but you feel like that's calling you, there will be a notifications list, even if you go and it's closed. We do it twice on either end of the summer, and it's helped so many women understand better. All right, what are you waiting for? Let's start Flipping 50 today.

Thank you for listening. To listen to a decade of episodes and to get the show notes, Visit Flipping50.com where you'll be able to find all the previous episodes. And I made it super easy to make the most of your listening time and get exactly what you want to listen to as top priority by getting the top 10 episodes in the areas you most care about, like how much protein do you need, weight loss, and other 3 ultra important topics we've identified as our community's top 5. There's no more powerful health influencer in the world than you, midlife women. So go and listen right now. Do you have a question for a podcast cast a question you'd love to ask, or maybe a story you want to tell. Did you know we have a special group just for podcast question roundups and the answers? My community coaches and I provide answers daily inside of this group, but it's also where I go when I occasionally say, okay, open call for podcast questions, or tell your story.

Would you like to be a guest?

So if you're looking for community of women who are also interested in optimizing their health, strengthening their mindset, and looking forward to every new year. Join the Flipping 50 Insiders group. That's Flipping 50 Insiders on Facebook.