If you are currently going through menopause or experiencing the early stages of hormonal changes in your body, then this post is definitely for you!

A lot of women following my method are 40+ and had started to notice changes in their bodies. And for many women, menopause comes insidiously – with a series of bodily sensations that can be overwhelming.

As early as 10 years before menopause (a period called "perimenopause"), you may – to a greater or lesser extent – experience interrupted sleep, hot flashes, increased sweating, flushing, numbness, itching, or a burning sensation in the mouth, cravings and disturbed eating patterns, nausea, constipation, and intestinal irritation.

These symptoms are often accompanied by pronounced fatigue and weakness, fat accumulation around the abdomen, sadness, discouragement, and even depression.

The above list is by no means complete!

And these symptoms may also flare up during other periods of hormonal change, such as those experienced during puberty and pregnancy!

However, these symptoms are NOT driven solely by hormonal changes, such as a decrease in the production of female sex hormones.

We are becoming increasingly interested in what happens in the brain and nervous system up to and during menopause*.

In a small study from 2012, researchers found that the occurrence of hot flashes was associated with impaired metabolism in the area of the brain that regulates temperature (the hypothalamus).
Additionally, they also detected a reduced ability in the brain to correctly assess your body's internal state and determine what is required for the body to perform a given task, and thus how many resources to mobilize for that task.

The changes in brain metabolism are largely about the metabolism of glucose (sugar). There are some similarities to conditions seen in connection with concussions and massive stress.

For example, elevated levels of glucose are seen in the brain – but the uptake thereof is significantly reduced. Therefore, a problem of low energy availability arises because the brain is unable to use the available energy properly.

When you experience major discomfort leading up to and during menopause, it may be due to an interoceptive imbalance.

Interoception refers to our brain's ability to detect, interpret and respond to signals from the rest of the body.

It plays an important role in many self-regulating processes, including temperature, blood sugar, blood pressure, digestion, emotional states, and so on. Interoception occurs in the insula, which is located deep in the cerebral cortex and is one of the areas of the brain affected by changes in glucose metabolism during menopause as well as puberty and pregnancy.

In women, in particular, increased attention to internal states and physical sensations combined with reduced accuracy is observed.

This means that the female nervous system is more likely to misinterpret the signals from the body and initiate reactions that are disproportionately large about the extent of the changes that occur in the body.

NOTE: It is important for me to point out that it is an unconscious process – so do not read "drama queen" into the above!

Interoception is a physiological process by which "raw" signals from our internal organs are translated into emotional and physical states. However, researchers have noted that there are cultural differences in women's interoceptive function and symptoms associated with menopause, which may be explained by the fact that menopause is not considered to be a decrease in a woman's status or value in certain cultures.

Therefore, the same emotional value is not attached to the symptoms, which reduces the overall stress load, and thus the severity of the symptoms.

With increased activity in the insula, the severity of both the physical symptoms and possible depression – a huge taboo in women 40+ which the WHO focuses on with Menopause Awareness Month – are significantly reduced.

I see big AND rapid improvements in symptoms associated with menopause, including premature and medication-induced menopause, in the clients who engage in strength training according to my method, THE 5.

We are talking about just a few days before you will start to feel the difference inside.

There will be positive changes on the outside too. Because my strength training purposefully recalibrates the region of the brain that has an impact on ALL processes in the body.

So, it becomes a kind of chain reaction. What you do NOT need is to fight your body or drastically cut calories in a misguided attempt to get back the body you had years ago. Calorie deficit and physical strain only serve to exacerbate the imbalance.

Don't fight against your body.
Embrace it!
Give yourself the exact sensory stimulation you need.

And remember! Menopause is not a hopeless situation, and you CAN do something about it.
Do NOT fear the hormonal changes that come with age.

Yes, you will experience a decline in the hormones associated with reproduction.
But other hormones will take over and – provided you stimulate your brain and muscles – you can maintain both your cognitive function and your strength and power.

Nature is not stupid or cruel and menopausal declines in estrogen and progesterone are NOT an attempt to write you off as useless because you are no longer able to produce children.

What's more, these changes give you access to a completely different repertoire of strength and wisdom, which has enormous value for you and your loved ones.

If you support your brain and your body through this phase of your life and cater to the new needs that arise, you will experience renewed drive and a sense of calm invincibility – well into old age!

* Harshaw C. Interoceptive dysfunction: toward an integrated framework for understanding somatic and affective disturbance in depression. Psychol Bull. 2015 Mar;141(2):311-363. doi: 10.1037/a0038101. Epub 2014 Nov 3. PMID: 25365763; PMCID: PMC4346391.