healthy and beautiful

My journey through menopause is more of an update of my "Mad at Menopause"  blog post.  Head on over and read that before diving in here to get the full story of my symptoms, frustrations, and actions to resolve them. Instead of being mad at menopause, I'm now calling it a journey through menopause. The drastic symptoms have softened thanks to research, talking with my doctors, and making treatment decisions that best fit my body. As women, we will all experience menopause and the havoc placed upon our bodies during this transition. Menopause is part of life and health and not a subject to be hushed and brushed under the carpet. There is no shame or embarrassment discussing anything that relates to health and fitness . We have lived too long with our heads tucked between our tails and still thinking how dare we use the term "vagina" in public. Come on now, we're all grown women and men for that matter and this is an important issue for women and the men wh...

Just thinking about the title is bringing on a hot flash. Well, I must admit to being mad at menopause. Turning 50 was an exciting time and I still enjoy being in the club. The hormonal changes my body is experiencing right now not so much.  Brace yourself, I will be talking very candidly about my experience with hormone changes and my body. This is not meant to offend anyone. Going through the change is a subject many are afraid to discuss out of embarrassment , fear, or the belief it should be hush-hush . We have come too far to continue this way of thinking. Health involves discussing all things relating to the human body and aging. I for one am all about sharing, learning, and getting feedback from others on the subject. LIFE SAVER I have been frantically researching hormone imbalance for a few years now. I have tried supplementation, herbals, transdermal creams, and natural moisturizers attempting to restore balance in my body.  I am very aware of foods that help with h...

I am not a fan of stress and how it can make me feel.  Unfortunately, stress is part of the life package deal with no opting out button.  Stress can become a chronic ugly thing with negative physical and emotional side effects.  Studies are also linking stress to hypertension, heart disease, and weight gain.  Who the heck wants a whole bunch of extra fat with the heart attack waiting to happen sign sitting on our stressed out shoulders? So many of us are living in a constant state of stress whether from family problems, illness, financial strain, or unhappy marriages and are accepting it as our normal way of life.  Stress places wear and tear on our body as cortisol is leaking out of the adrenal glands in abundance and causing increased blood pressure and waistlines. Stress, straight up is a fitness killer.  I for one refuse to live in a constant state of stress and do implement healthy strategies to eliminate it from my life. The way stress is handled...