The one thing you can do today to help you accept your changing body during perimenopause

I know first hand how difficult it can be to watch your body change shape due to the hormonal changes of perimenopause.

It’s so frustrating to be exercising regularly and eating healthy foods and still see the changes taking place.

As a personal trainer, I had the added worry that people would think that I had let myself go and as a consequence may not want to work with me.

I know how negative thoughts about your body have the potential to ruin your day.

“Oh no, I can’t wear this dress any more.”
“I hate the shape of my stomach.”
“Why can’t I lose weight?”
“Why doesn’t my body look like J. Lo’s?”

These thoughts can stop you doing the things you want to do and from living your life to the fullest.

Making peace with my body during perimenopause has been one of the best things I’ve done not only for my physical health but my mental health too.

I no longer give my time and energy to obsessing over what diet is the best to lose weight or punish myself with 20 hours of vigorous exercise per week, which has left space for me to do bigger and better things!

So how did I go from obsessing over trying to maintain the perfect body to accepting the natural changes that occur during perimenopause?

One of the most important changes I made was fostering self-compassion through body appreciation and gratitude.

Practicing gratitude for your body is being thankful for all the amazing things that your body does for you.

Your body works hard every day just to keep you alive!

Being stuck in a cycle of yo-yo dieting and pushing your body to do more and more punishing exercise, actually backfires on the perimenopausal body, raising our cortisol levels and consequently our stress levels.

This often leads to an increase in body fat and fuels other perimenopause symptoms such as anxiety, hot flushes, night sweats and insomnia. In the worst case scenario it can lead to chronic fatigue and burnout.
Not to mention, high stress levels can also trigger more serious health problems including some chronic diseases and cancer.

By practicing gratitude and body appreciation instead, not only will it help you to start feeling better in your body right now, but it will also help you heal your relationship with your body and help you live longer and happier.

Imagine how different you would feel if you lived in awe of what your body does for you every single day?

Here is a simple gratitude activity that has helped myself and many of my clients:

- Write down 10 things that you are most grateful for and appreciate about your body that have nothing to do with the way your body looks.

Here are 10 things that I am grateful for to help get you started:

1) I am grateful for my strong legs that help me run, jump and climb tall mountains.

2) I am grateful for my arms that enable me to hug my family and friends.

3) I am grateful that I can carry all of my shopping in from the car in one go (especially when it’s raining)

4) I am grateful for my feet that allow me to dance in time with the music.

5) I am grateful for my lungs that help me take deep calming breaths when needed.

6) I am grateful for my belly that has grown 4 beautiful babies inside it.

7) I am grateful for my eyes that let me see all the natural beauty of this wondrous planet we live on.

8) I am grateful for my nose that enables me to smell freshly brewed coffee.

9) I am grateful for my breasts that gave nourishing milk to my babies.

10) I am grateful for my gluteus maximus (aka buttocks) for giving me the power to lift heavy weights.

Now it’s your turn!

If you give this activity a go please let me know if you find it useful.

This is just one of the many activities that I use to help my clients improve their relationship with their body inside my 12 week signature coaching program “Thriving Through Perimenopause”

If you’d like to learn more about the programme you can click here