As a nutrition/movement/mindset coach who is spezialised in supporting women thrive through perimenopause and beyond, I often get the question “what are the most effective steps to take for a woman 40+ to feel her best”? Firstly, of course, one size does not fit all – but there are a few general points I have seen work wonders for every woman over 40. Nail those, and you are a HUGE step ahead of the game!

NUTRITION HACKS FOR WOMEN 40+

PRIORITIZE PROTEIN:
Protein helps your metabolism, your immunity, you need protein to build hormones (and everything really) – and our metabolism is less efficient in using what you take in properly. Meaning: you need to take in more protein, and you need to take it in spread out across your day. As a fantastic side effect it keeps you satiated, helps balance your blood sugar, keeps you in a good mood and helps you sleep better at night. There is no reason not to: make sure to integrate a good amount (shoot for 30g) protein in every meal!

EAT MORE VEGGIES:
Vegetables are perfect to fill you up, they give you all the nutrients, antioxidants and amazing benefits you need – plus they even support your gut health. Cruciferous vegetable are especially beneficial in perimenopause and beyond, as compounds in there support your estrogen detoxificiation, which is super important for overall hormone health. They also have tons of other health protective qualities. Eat up!

ELIMINATE/REDUCE WHAT DOES NOT SUPPORT YOU:
Many women 40+ get much more sensitive to the negative effects of alcohol, coffee, sugar and the likes. Watch how you do with those things and adjust your intake time and amount to serve you better. Some women feel much better when we eliminate additional foods from their normal rotation – but that is a super individual topic that requires deeper work – let me know if this calls you.

SUPPLEMENT WISELY:
I have not met a single woman in this period of her life where she didn’t have a deificiency of some sort that drained her energy and prevented her body from working optimally – which made this whole experience even more daunting. Be in touch if you would like support in figuring out what you might need!

MOVEMENT HACKS FOR WOMEN 40+

START STRENGTH TRAINING:
If you don’t do this one yet – please get on it. Strength Training is something of a magic pill for women over 40. We loose muscle beginning 35 – and working against that and building muscle up actively is basically an anti-aging wonder! I will post a lengthy article about this very soon – download a booklet to get you started right here!

GET UP AND MOVE ALL DAY:
Whatever you do – don’t sit around all day. It has been shown that getting up and moving frequently is extremely beneficial for our metabolism, overall health and also our spine, posture and joints. Sitting is the new smoking. Activity in between is completely under-valued in terms of benefits.

REFUEL AFTER A WORKOUT:
As mentioned above, our metabolism is less efficient once we hit perimenopause – and it doesn’t get any better later. We need to make sure to always have nutrients available to BUILD after a workout – if you run on empty, the workout contributes to negative stress on your body, which is the opposite of what you need! Please do refuel with protein and carbs within 30 minutes after your workout!

SELF-CARE HACKS FOR WOMEN 40+

SLEEP MORE:
Sleep is huge topic for women in midlife. It is crucial to sleep between 7-9 hours for optimal recovery, stress management, to fuel your energy, support your mood and keep you full of zest. Lack of sleep not only negatively impacts your wellbeing and long term health – but also makes you crave sugar and coffee – which kind of sets off its own spiral of making things worse. As sleep can be challenging with hormones shifting, be in touch or get help elsewhere to make sure you sleep well! We can work on sleep hygiene, a sleep routine, support with supplements and nutrition/movement/mindset strategies.

CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF DAILY:
So many women our age race through their days without ever taking time to see that they are happy  and well themselves. Make it a point to check in with yourself daily – take a few deep breaths or try some simple mindfulness techniques (follw @youroptimum, I can teach you a few!). Set a few priorities for your own day and check your progress. This can also be part of your morning routine – whatever fits you, we can find the best solution for you individually!

SET HEALTHY BOUNDARIES:
This is a challenging one for many women our age. We are so used to putting everybody else first, taking care of things for all – and neglecting ourselves in the process. The stress and drain that puts on you is incredible – and our stress hormone axis simply cant handle it anymore. Remember, hormones play together like an orchestra – and it gets hard to keep them all in tune once you hit perimenopause. If, as example, your cortisol starts to get out of balance – this starts messing with everything else as well… You simply HAVE to take better care of yourself.

ALL THESE STEPS ARE SMELL YET HUGELY IMPACTFUL

…SO GET ON IT!!

Go through the list and identify where you are already great, and where not so much – and start addressing things.
Pick 1-2 points to start with, DO NOT add to stress and overwhelm by going at the whole list right away.
Step by step to your success.
And if you need support – DM me on Instagram @youroptimum or sign up for my

FOUNDATIONAL COURSE:
German Version: https://courses.optimum-you.com/mini-kurs-perimenopause
English Version: https://courses.optimum-you.com/mini-course-perimenopause

All my best,
Barbara