The Menopause Journals

Cathy Tiffany, author

I'm 42.  I'm in menopause.  Seriously - full blown, no periods menopause.  The new period thing I dig.  The hot flashes, body changes, sleep altering stuff - I do not.  It's really strange.  I got off the birth control pill three yearsish ago.  As soon as I did, I dropped 5-7 pounds (I'm thin anyway), the nifty wave in my hair disappeared, My sleep went to hell in a hand-basket and my hot flashes went from occasional to crazy.  Oh yeah - and my breasts started leaking milk.  Really?

My next gyno visit bought me a mammogram, an internal and external ultrasound (by a male technician - great.) and blood work $$$.  Anyhoo - as suspected, all was fine, but I am one of not many my age that is in early menopause.

The thinner you are, the younger you are and the faster you go from regular periods –irregular periods – no periods, the worse your hot flashes are.

Isn’t this crazy?  What is the pits is that my gyno office was so worried that they signed me up for all these tests, but once everything was OK, they sent me on my way with no info as to how best to deal with all this crap.  Hmmmm.

My hot flashes went away for a bit but are now back and my body is changing, which is not making me happy.  I’ve been blessed with a high metabolism and don’t have to be too careful with what I eat, but choose to eat healthy.  I now better start watching or I won’t be happy L

So, as an act of sisterly love, if you happen to be facing any of this, I researched info on my own that will help alleviate these symptoms.  As I was reading these symptoms (just now) I am shocked that I see several other things that happened to me that are all associated with menopause!!  Aha – I’m NOT falling apart or crazy!!

Common and not so common symptoms:

• Hot flashes and/or night sweats
• Fatigue
• Cravings for sweets or carbohydrates
• Diminished sexual desire, vaginal dryness
• Irritability, mood swings, depression, and/or anxiety
• Insomnia or restless sleep
• Fuzzy thinking (difficulty concentrating, memory problems)
• Weight gain, especially around the middle
• Stiffness and joint issues
• Irregular periods

Other menopause symptoms include headaches, heart palpitations, thinning hair, dry skin, dry eyes, increased facial hair, urinary dysfunction, and digestive problems.

Common Treatments:

Avoid caffeine/alcohol
• Sleep 7-8 hours per   night
• Intake vitamins B,C,D,E
• Practice breathing   exercises
• Eat a balanced diet
• Exercise regularly
• Stay hydrated

Here is a link that had much more info……http://www.34-menopause-symptoms.com/treatments.htm

What's the Scoop with Poop?

Everybody Poops

Well, now our B.A.B.E Blog has really gone down the toilet.  Haha..get it?  Come on, that's a little bit funny!  Poop.  Happens to be my favorite immature word; I just think it's funny. Happens to not be so funny if you're one of those poor gals that can't "go" very often.  For some reason, poop comes up a lot at my house - not sure what that says about me!?  What I have learned is that most gals don't "go" often enough and that's not a good thing.  Seems to also appear that I go more frequently than any human being alive today...and that's not a bad thing.


The basic scoop with poop is this:  the average person goes about twice a day.  The norm is anywhere from 3 times a day to 3 times every three days, so that puts us at about once a day.  If you eat 3 times a day, but only go poop one time, that means all that food is sitting in your gut, just hanging out.  Dying a slow, smelly, un-digested death.  When your food does not come out the other end on a regular basis, you can feel bloated and uncomfortable.  Want that nice flat tummy? Then you need to be, among other thing, pooping more.  Different colors, smells or consistency is cause for you to re-evaluate what you're eating.  The list is extensive & gross of what to check for, so here is the link and you can peruse while you're "in the library"...haha...we're full of bathroom jokes.....http://altmedicine.about.com/od/gettingdiagnosed/a/stools.htm.

Point is, what goes in, must come out -  and regularly.  For that to happen, make sure you are eating regularly, drinking your water, eating lots of fiber and your greens.  To your health....

Better at 40 Than at 20 | Health, Beauty, Fashion, Love, Careers and more - MORE Magazine

This more about how you feel than you're actual looks. This author, who happens to be 41, feels fabulous! I love my life, I feel like I look better, feel better & know more who I am & what I want.

How about you?

Better at 40 Than at 20 | Health, Beauty, Fashion, Love, Careers and more - MORE Magazine

Childhood Obesity; it's a Weighty Issue

Childhood obesity, it’s a weighty issue

Is there an obesity problem in America?  Yes, there is.  Is there a childhood obesity problem?  Yes, but caused by whom?  McDonald’s?  Most fast food chains offer healthier alternatives.  Do kids buy the food at the grocery store?  So where does that leave us?  Say it with me…..parents.  I saw an ad for Anytime Fitness, actually, that was awesome.   “There is no childhood obesity epidemic” (We just need better role models).  I wish there were billboards for that everywhere!  As parents or guardians, it is our job to choose meals that are for the most part, healthy for our children.  If you serve fried foods, soda & fattening desserts most days of the week, you & your children will be overweight.  If YOU allow your kids to spend hours on the computer, Xbox, etc., your kids will be unhealthy.  I’ve actually heard people say that “they can’t get their kids to do anything other than play video games”.  Who’s the parent??  The bottom line is that we are the leaders for our kids, their role model and if we’re lucky, their inspiration.  Junk food is fun in the “once in awhile/special occasion” way and we should be the ones to show and explain that to our kids.  XBox?  Totally fun!  But again, not in place of any exercise, sport, some kind of activity, reading, etc.  

We need to get to a place as a society where we “call a spade a spade”…there is no childhood obesity problem in America…there is a role model problem.

http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/obesity/