I am textbook Gen X and I love it. Often referred to as the “forgotten generation” or the “f**k around and find out generation” we seem to be getting noticed more now than ever.. And we barely care.
We are tech savvy, but not tech addicted. We understand work life balance and are excellent problem solvers. We had busy parents and have been alone a lot. We ran the neighborhood on our bikes, watched for street lights so we knew when to go home and we avoided being kidnapped. We are fiercely independent, question authority and don’t care what people think of us.
The generation before us was one for the books though. The boomers are tough as nails and I wouldn’t mess with them now if you paid me. They had it rough and they came out alive. I’ll spend the rest of my life tipping my hat to this generation. Because, again, they had it rough.
I can remember when our boomer mothers crossed over into the menopausal stage. They didn’t talk about it much because they’re boomers. They just suffered quietly through sleepless nights, staggering hot flashes, wild mood swings and whatever else they still won’t talk about. Terms like “put out to pasture” started to circulate and best-guess hormone replacement therapies were tossed out by male gynecologists with insufficient research. Bad things were happening to good women so many of them just played it safe and suffered through symptoms until it was all over.
It didn’t look fun and I remember thinking of it as a sort of death sentence to femininity. It was this looming finish line I never wanted to cross. It was a city limit sign to a ghost town I’d be stuck in for the remaining 1/3rd of my life. ONE-THIRD.
So… there I was, in my mid forties struggling with weight gain when my primary care physician simply said “welcome to the aging process.” WTF?
I freaked out, demanded a hormone panel test and scheduled time with my gynecologist. Surely I’ll be an anomaly and menopause won’t happen to me. But there it was again.. “I’m sorry. These symptoms are very normal for your age. You’re probably perimenopausal and should just embrace this next stage of life.” Again, WTF?
So no doubt I lost it. I cried as if it were a terminal cancer diagnosis. I called my husband with the bad news (mind you, he’s younger than I am and was simply taking my word for it.) He came home with flowers.
It was over. This was it. I was being “put out to pasture” and there was nothing I could do.
This is the point of the story where I’d like to go back in time to those physicians and show them where I am now. I’d love to introduce them to regenerative medicine so they could apologize for doing that to me.
They were so wrong.
Just a couple years later, I moved to Cottonwood to escape the Bay Area and began working on myself. I started killing it at consistency; both at the gym and in the kitchen. I started getting educated and certified and experienced. I started dropping weight and mentally flipping off those doctors who told me it was the beginning of the end.
I was just getting started.
And then a new friend said, “you’re on testosterone, right?”
My first response was not awesome. I assumed testosterone meant I’d grow a beard, have a deep voice and get kicked out of the olympics. Also, didn’t that give you cancer?
(Insert the shaking head of every updated researcher today.)
“Oh you need to go see Dr. Hamilton. Call Prestige Regenerative Medicine. Just see what they say. Trust me”
I did it. I trusted her. I called. I sat down with Ron Novelli, PA and my life changed.
One testosterone pellet later and my workouts were on fire. My recovery was like that of a 20 year old. My energy was like that of a 30 year old. My sleep was like a newborn’s. The list goes on and on. And since my mother reads every one of my blogs, I’ll spare you the bedroom talk but will simply say, I was completely hooked.
Let’s fast forward one last time.. To right now.
At this moment, I am just about to turn 50. Surely, I’m perimenopausal by now but can barely tell. I am now onboard at Prestige Regenerative Medicine as their Menopause Coach. And I have created a program we call “Not Your Mama’s Menopause.”
Because it’s not.
Gone are the days of sleepless nights, staggering hot flashes and wild mood swings. There will be no more suffering our way to pasture. There is no need to simply “hang it up” and “embrace it”.
Weight gain and low libido are so last menopause.
“Welcome to the aging process” is an embarrassing cop out.
So whether you are pre, peri, post or in the thick of menopause, there’s a better way.
Let me say that again. There is a better way.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is not the HRT your mother had. We aren’t running the risks that were broadcasted prematurely to you years ago. Finding the right hormone cocktail using testosterone, estradiol and progesterone is the closest thing to the fountain of youth there is today.
But it absolutely has to be paired with lifestyle. All the BHRT in the world will not compensate for misguided nutrition. And you simply must be resistance training for all of this to work well.
“I eat healthy and I walk everyday” isn’t going to cut it ladies and I’m not sorry. I work with women in their 80s to women in their 30s and I see what we’re capable of. It's always the right time to show up for yourself in this way.
I’m not telling you that your new part time job is self care. Nobody has time for that. But I am telling you that there’s a way of putting some consistent efforts in your routine that will absolutely turn the volume down, if not completely off, on your menopause symptoms.
If you’re in your 30s, start now.
If you’re in your 80s, it’s not too late.
Everyone else, let’s go!
This last third of your life could easily be your most vibrant. The choice is yours.
I don’t know about you, but the only pasture I’ll ever be put out to has a stallion in it.
About Maggie Brown: Maggie Brown, a Certified Health Coach and Integrative Nutritionist, holds certifications from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and the Primal Health Coach Institute. With a BA in Communications and a background as a yoga studio owner, Maggie is also an accomplished athlete. Her journey into integrative nutrition began with the physical changes from pregnancy and sports, leading her to discover the importance of primal basics in lifestyle, mindset, and nutrition. Dedicated to helping others, Maggie has worked with hundreds of clients to achieve happy, healthy, and vibrant lives.
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