1 hr 1 min

The Secret to Embracing Menopause With Esther Blum The You-est You® Podcast

    • Spirituality

Meet Esther Blum Esther Blum is an Integrative Dietitian and Menopause Expert. In the past 27 years, she has helped thousands of women master menopause through nutrition, hormones, and self-advocacy.  Esther is the bestselling author of See ya later, Ovulator, Cavewomen Don’t Get Fat, Eat, Drink and Be Gorgeous, Secrets of Gorgeous, and The Eat, Drink, and Be Gorgeous Project. Known as Gwyneth Paltrow’s menopause mentor and by Forbes for helping women thrive through menopause, Esther was also voted Best Nutritionist by Manhattan Magazine. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC-TV, and Good Day NY and is frequently quoted in goop, Well + Good, Forbes, Time Magazine, The New York Post, The Los Angeles Times, In Style, Bazaar, Self, Fitness, Marie Claire, and Cosmo.
 
 
What Is Menopause? Ah, the ‘big pause’...as some might call it. As a female moving into the next phase of perimenopause, I’ve been rather disappointed with the lack of information shared during routine ob-gyn visits and decided to do some in-depth research. This brought me to Esther’s healing work with thousands of women in and out of menopause. So, we dove all into menopause — what it is, ways to treat it, and feel better than ever. Put on your seatbelt, my friend, there’s a lot of ground to cover, and as always, take what you like and leave the rest.
 
Menopause is a hormone deficiency that happens naturally for women as they start making fewer reproductive hormones. Both menstruation and fertility declines typically with women in their early to late 40s. 
 
 
What Are Menopause Symptoms? Symptoms can, of course, vary from woman to woman. The good news is that 80% of the solution for menopausal symptoms can be changed and altered with lifestyle. Here’s a listing of typical symptoms many women face: periods can worsen, meno-rage (what Esther refers to as excess anger and rage), insomnia and sleep issues, anxiety, depression, irregular heartbeat, breast tenderness, brain fog, vaginal dryness, lowered libido and lighter or missed periods. If you’re feeling something is off, Esther urges you to trust yourself. You know your body and honor your own inner intuition!
   
How To Embrace and Overcome Menopause One of the biggest factors in managing and even overcoming menopausal symptoms is due to lifestyle habits like the foods you’re eating, the exercise you're doing, and the sleep you're getting. Esther’s book goes into much greater detail; however, I’m going to break this down into those three categories to help give you an overview and more clarity.
 
Nutrition You’re going to need way more protein than ever before. Esther recommends 150 grams of protein each day. A good place to start is with 30 grams of protein at each meal (which is about 4 - 6 oz/meal). You want to keep your blood sugar stable, which protein and a small amount of carbohydrates can do. Contrary to what you might have thought, eating carbs at dinner is a good idea (for example, 1 - 1 ½ cups of rice or quinoa), which will help bump up your insulin and tamper your cortisol. 
 
Exercise Contrary to the exercise many of us do in our 20s and 30s, you’ll want to switch up your exercise routine to help support your adrenals. This means less ‘HIIT’ (high-intensity interval training) method training and more walks. Walking outside can help reset your circadian rhythm and give you a great dose of vitamin D. Using weights, with enough rest in between sets, will also help with bone density loss. 
 
Sleep It takes 8 weeks to reshape your nervous system. Engaging in deep breathing, meditation, or yoga nidra before bed is an excellent way to rewire your fight or flight system. This takes time, so don’t give up if you don’t notice results right away with your sleep.
  What Are The Options? Esther shares research in greater depth in her book; however, we did discuss healthy options to help with symptoms and support your body during these ho

Meet Esther Blum Esther Blum is an Integrative Dietitian and Menopause Expert. In the past 27 years, she has helped thousands of women master menopause through nutrition, hormones, and self-advocacy.  Esther is the bestselling author of See ya later, Ovulator, Cavewomen Don’t Get Fat, Eat, Drink and Be Gorgeous, Secrets of Gorgeous, and The Eat, Drink, and Be Gorgeous Project. Known as Gwyneth Paltrow’s menopause mentor and by Forbes for helping women thrive through menopause, Esther was also voted Best Nutritionist by Manhattan Magazine. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC-TV, and Good Day NY and is frequently quoted in goop, Well + Good, Forbes, Time Magazine, The New York Post, The Los Angeles Times, In Style, Bazaar, Self, Fitness, Marie Claire, and Cosmo.
 
 
What Is Menopause? Ah, the ‘big pause’...as some might call it. As a female moving into the next phase of perimenopause, I’ve been rather disappointed with the lack of information shared during routine ob-gyn visits and decided to do some in-depth research. This brought me to Esther’s healing work with thousands of women in and out of menopause. So, we dove all into menopause — what it is, ways to treat it, and feel better than ever. Put on your seatbelt, my friend, there’s a lot of ground to cover, and as always, take what you like and leave the rest.
 
Menopause is a hormone deficiency that happens naturally for women as they start making fewer reproductive hormones. Both menstruation and fertility declines typically with women in their early to late 40s. 
 
 
What Are Menopause Symptoms? Symptoms can, of course, vary from woman to woman. The good news is that 80% of the solution for menopausal symptoms can be changed and altered with lifestyle. Here’s a listing of typical symptoms many women face: periods can worsen, meno-rage (what Esther refers to as excess anger and rage), insomnia and sleep issues, anxiety, depression, irregular heartbeat, breast tenderness, brain fog, vaginal dryness, lowered libido and lighter or missed periods. If you’re feeling something is off, Esther urges you to trust yourself. You know your body and honor your own inner intuition!
   
How To Embrace and Overcome Menopause One of the biggest factors in managing and even overcoming menopausal symptoms is due to lifestyle habits like the foods you’re eating, the exercise you're doing, and the sleep you're getting. Esther’s book goes into much greater detail; however, I’m going to break this down into those three categories to help give you an overview and more clarity.
 
Nutrition You’re going to need way more protein than ever before. Esther recommends 150 grams of protein each day. A good place to start is with 30 grams of protein at each meal (which is about 4 - 6 oz/meal). You want to keep your blood sugar stable, which protein and a small amount of carbohydrates can do. Contrary to what you might have thought, eating carbs at dinner is a good idea (for example, 1 - 1 ½ cups of rice or quinoa), which will help bump up your insulin and tamper your cortisol. 
 
Exercise Contrary to the exercise many of us do in our 20s and 30s, you’ll want to switch up your exercise routine to help support your adrenals. This means less ‘HIIT’ (high-intensity interval training) method training and more walks. Walking outside can help reset your circadian rhythm and give you a great dose of vitamin D. Using weights, with enough rest in between sets, will also help with bone density loss. 
 
Sleep It takes 8 weeks to reshape your nervous system. Engaging in deep breathing, meditation, or yoga nidra before bed is an excellent way to rewire your fight or flight system. This takes time, so don’t give up if you don’t notice results right away with your sleep.
  What Are The Options? Esther shares research in greater depth in her book; however, we did discuss healthy options to help with symptoms and support your body during these ho

1 hr 1 min