1. I make sure I’m properly fuelled
The first thing is proper fuel. We tend to forget that our body can only run on the food we give it, so it’s really important to make sure we’re eating the right things every day.
I never skip breakfast. Honestly, I’d be on the floor by 10 o’clock in the morning if I didn’t have a good breakfast!
Think about it: if you were going on a long journey in your car, you wouldn’t dream of setting off without filling up with fuel, topping up the water and checking your tyres.
Our body goes on a long journey every day, so that top-up of fuel first thing in the morning is really important.
What I eat to keep myself going
During the week, I always have a cooked breakfast. And I can hear some of you saying, “I don’t have time for that!”
Honestly, it doesn’t take long.
Omelettes are great and take about 10 minutes to make. I’ll sauté some onions, add mushrooms and a little bit of feta cheese, and that’s it. It keeps me going for a long time.
I tend to get up early, so I’ll usually have breakfast at around 7am.
I also need snacks. I can’t survive without them! But I make sure they’re healthy ones.
For instance, today I had an omelette for breakfast, and my mid-morning snack was half a small avocado with a little bit of cream cheese. That will keep me going until lunchtime.
I tend to make a lot of homemade soup, with loads of vegetables and plenty of flavour. Then, in the evening, I’ll have a good portion of protein with either a salad or more vegetables.
I find this works really well for me and helps keep me going throughout the day.
One thing that can happen, particularly post-menopause, is that our blood sugar control can become a little less steady. If your blood sugar dips quickly, you might experience a real slump in energy. Or, as I call it, I just get “hangry”!
So to avoid this, I make sure I eat well and pay attention to what my body needs.
2. I make sure I stay hydrated
The second thing I do is stay hydrated.
This is something I learnt a long time ago. Water is so important for all sorts of aspects of our health, including our energy, and if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know just how much emphasis I put on drinking water.
I aim for at least a litre and a half of water a day, on top of whatever else I’m drinking.
One thing I do to get the day off to a good start is to have a big glass of warm water when I get up.
Think about it: you’ve been asleep for perhaps seven or eight hours, so you may be a little dehydrated when you wake up.
For me, it’s a big glass of warm water first thing. I’ll wait about 20 minutes to half an hour, and then I’ll have my breakfast.
Honestly, the difference drinking enough water can make is something I hear about from so many people. They come back to me and say that some of their symptoms have eased simply because they’re drinking enough water.
It’s such a simple thing, but it’s one I make a point of doing every day.
3. I keep active, but I don’t push myself too hard
The third thing is to keep active.
Now, I don’t mean slogging away at the gym. It’s quite strange, because I’ve found that since post-menopause, I’m less likely to do classes or go all out with exercise.
For me, exercise and keeping fit are now about feeling good afterwards.
I don’t push myself so hard. If you’re exercising to the point where you finish feeling exhausted, achy and just not quite right, you may be doing too much.
It’s about spreading your activity out a little more and keeping active every day.
I choose activities that make me feel good
For me, that means things like yoga. I’ll get up in the morning and, because I love using YouTube, I might do 20 minutes of yoga.
I’ll try to walk two or three times a week, and I’ll also fit in a longer walk.
It’s really important to include a variety of exercises when you’re trying to keep fit, because you need to look after different aspects of your health.
You need to help your heart, keep your muscles strong to help reduce the risk of sarcopenia (the loss of muscle mass and strength), and work on your flexibility and balance to help reduce the risk of falls.
So try to build a good variety into your day. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
I’ll do 10 squats while I’m waiting for my shower to heat up. When I’m waiting for the kettle to boil, I might practise my balance by standing on one leg for a little while.
And if I’m at work, I’ll sometimes run up and down the stairs. Sometimes, that’s enough.
The important thing is to find ways to keep moving that work for you.
I listen to my body and take a rest when I need to
Just remember, don’t push yourself too hard.
There are mornings when I wake up full of good intentions and enthusiasm. But by the time I’ve got out of bed, I’m thinking, “Oh, I just don’t want to do anything today!”
So I’ll have a little day off, and that’s absolutely fine.
Your body needs rest as well.
4. I do slow, deep breathing when my energy slumps
The fourth thing I do is slow, deep breathing.
I still do a little bit of work, and I spend time in front of a computer. I’ve also noticed that when I’m driving, I very often hold my breath.
Then I wonder why I feel a little bit dizzy or why I’m experiencing brain fog!
For me, simply taking a break every now and again and doing some slow, deep breaths can make a huge difference.
I find it helps both my brain function and my energy levels.
Our body needs oxygen to help our muscles work and our brain function, so taking a moment to slow down and breathe can be a useful way of checking in with ourselves.
I start my day with 10 deep breaths
Something else I’ve learnt recently, which I’m finding really helpful, is to do 10 deep breaths before I get up in the morning.
When I wake up and the alarm goes off, instead of jumping straight out of bed, I’ll just take 10 deep breaths.
I find that I’m starting the day feeling that little bit more energised.
It’s such a simple thing to do, and it gives me a moment to ease myself into the day.
5. I protect my mental and emotional energy
The fifth thing I do is protect my mental and emotional energy.
If you think about it, we have so much going on in our lives. We’re bombarded by social media, the news and everything that’s happening in the world.
It can really pull you down. Sometimes, all you seem to see is doom and gloom.
And I’m like everybody else. I can get pulled into these things too.
That’s why I think it’s so important to protect our peace of mind.
I give myself a break from the noise
I don’t carry my phone everywhere, and I make sure I have plenty of breaks so that I’m not constantly being pulled into everything that’s going on.
I also find that I can do a lot of reading at night rather than watching television.
It’s about being a little more mindful of what you’re taking in and giving yourself some time away from the noise.
I pay attention to who drains my energy
Another thing I pay attention to is who is draining my energy.
That’s something we’re not always aware of. We can get pulled into other people’s dramas, and that can bring us down too.
So it’s really important to take a moment to think about yourself and the people you’re dealing with.
Who is annoying you? Who is draining you? Who doesn’t make you feel good about yourself?
These are the people and situations you may need to put some boundaries around to protect your own wellbeing.
It’s not about shutting yourself off from everyone. It’s about recognising what affects you and making sure you have enough space to look after yourself too.
I make sure I get a good night’s sleep
The other thing to remember when it comes to our emotional (and physical) energy is that we need a good night’s sleep.
At some point in the near future, I’m going to do a whole blog on what I do to sleep better and how my sleep has changed during post-menopause, but for now, I just want to emphasise how important restorative sleep is.
It’s during sleep that our brains process information and emotions, and getting enough good-quality sleep can help us feel more emotionally resilient.
So, if you want to look after your mental and emotional energy, make sure you’re giving yourself the opportunity to get the sleep you need.
Creating your own energy after menopause
I hope you’ve found this helpful.
These are the five things that keep me going now, and they’re all things I’ve learnt to be more mindful of since post-menopause.
Yes, it does take a little bit of work. I have to pay attention to what’s going on in my life and what’s going on in my body.
But I find that doing these things gives me peace of mind. It helps me keep fit, and it helps me feel happy too.
We might not always have the same energy we had before, but I’ve found that being more mindful about how I look after myself can make a real difference to how I feel.
So, how about you? What do you find helps to keep you going?
Have you tried any of these things yourself? How did you get on?
Please share your stories. I’d love to read them, and you could be helping someone else too.
Have a lovely week, and I’ll see you soon!
Other articles you might find helpful:
5 Things I Do in Post-Menopause to Feel Healthy, Happy and Strong at 71
