The Better Blog

90% of all women gain 12 to 15 pounds during the stages of menopause… Ouch! Weight gain around the middle aka “Belly Fat” is associated with increases in blood pressure, fasting glucose, and cardiovascular disease, so managing weight gain is no longer about vanity, it’s about longevity. 

As we age, our muscle mass decreases so we burn fewer calories, we often have more chronic stress, and we sleep less. These factors contribute to weight gain AND can make weight loss even more difficult. Fortunately, there are choices within our control to start feeling better faster. 

Here are 3 simple but powerful levers you can push to help support midlife weight loss: what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat. You can push one, two, or all three of these levers depending on how you currently feel, how you want to feel, and how quickly you want to feel better. 

I’m Rochelle Weitzner, the founder of PAUSE Well-Aging™, a skincare line developed to find solutions to the pain points experienced during menopause, but there’s something you should know: I knew nothing about menopause before it happened to me. I vaguely knew that menopause had to do with estrogen fluctuations and periods ceasing forever. I didn’t have any idea that there were three stages of it and that once you started menopause, you were in it for the rest of your life.

I had heard about hot flashes but had no clue what one would actually feel like… until it happened to me. During the summer of 2017, I was driving to the beach and suddenly found myself sweating. I mean really sweating. So, I cranked up the A/C and was ready to crack a joke about the heat when I noticed everyone else in the car was shivering. And then it hit me: I was 48 and this was my first hot flash.

Studies have shown that many women lose confidence when they hit their 50s. It’s argued that the physiological changes of an aging body exacerbated by a culture infatuated with youth and beauty leave the 50-year-old female insecure, alone in a house once vibrant with kids and life while the husband golfs, and the kids study at college.

When we think about age-related beauty routines, we usually focus on skincare that addresses fine lines, wrinkles, dullness and age spots. We've all seen tons of ads for face creams and serums. But it's super important that we don't forget the aging skin on our scalps. When we neglect our scalps, they can become irritated, unbalanced and unable to support healthy hair. 

Enter scalp serums! 

Like skincare products made for aging skin, scalp serums for mature hair help fight common concerns of aging that happen to our scalp and hair. The main difference is that scalp serums also work hard to support an optimal environment for better hair. The best scalp serums rejuvenate the scalp using natural ingredients to encourage a balanced and toned scalp, nourish follicles and support healthy hair from root to tip.

We know that vaginal dryness is one of the most common symptoms of menopause, but that doesn’t make it any less of a pain in the, *ahem*, vag. It’s uncomfortable, disruptive, and downright annoying.

But silver linings time: There is a plethora of prescription medicines, at-home remedies, and alternative medicine practices to make things a little more comfortable down there.

Self love, self care and power at every age are inextricably linked to personal and political power.

Self-love begins with recognizing that you are a valuable, valid, holy part of nature, and part of creation.You are nature, no less than a tree or a blossom. You are worthy of being cared for, cherished and advocated for. 

One form of self love is boundaries. You come to a deep understanding of your own capacities, preferences and desires, and have a sense of your boundaries. Good boundaries increase the energy you have to give to the rest of the world. Creating boundaries doesn’t mean you’re making a tight little circle around yourself. You might have the personal capacity to have boundaries that are immense and wide and all-encompassing! Nonetheless, you know what they are—and when you approach them, you’re able to take the steps needed to take care of yourself. When you are self-loving, you know that that is a valid thing to do. When you know yourself, you also know when you have greater limits and capacities than other people, and when you can go that extra mile when others might flag.