Woman’s Beauty – Define it RIGHT <3

Today in this series on Menopause, we will be discussing “BEAUTY” – Beauty is a social Status for most of us and hence we want to look our BEST – But during the Menopausal years, CHANGES in our appearances make us unhappy…does that mean if we have to live that way for the rest of our days – Come join me as we learn some simple yet effective ways to STAY BEAUTY when Menopause knocks on our doors…

According to Wikipedia, Feminine Beauty ideals traits include but are not limited to: Female Body Shape, Facial Feature, Skin Tones, Height, Clothing Style, Hairstyle and Body Weight. Every woman is thus proud of her tresses, she feels great when she is appreciated for glowing skin tone and there is no end to her HAPPINESS when she is complimented for her beauty and success in maintaining her weight fabulously…

However things CHANGE with Menopause…Skin becomes DRY and ROUGH – Hair becomes THIN – Glowing skin fades away and wrinkles appear – A woman feels uncomfortable – Handling societal pressure to conform to a definition of “BEAUTY” bother her and many women slip into Depression – Life isn’t a CELEBRATION for them – Low self-esteem grips them and this has an effect on their Eating Habits and Exercise Routine – Wrong Choices further lead to complications.

Hence the need for every Woman to take time out of her BUSY SCHEDULE to comprehend the Body changes associated with Menopause much ahead of TIME.

Through this article – I will be sharing some simple strategies that women can adapt to thereby making a SMOOTH TRANSITION through the Menopausal Years – Knowing them is a MUST as it helps to CONNECT the DOTS and embrace the alterations in LIFE with ease <4

During the menopausal years, the commonly seen changes revolve around these 5 areas.

Weight issues
Hair Problems
Skin Concerns
Vagina dryness
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI)

Weight Gain During Menopause

WEIGHT GAIN and Menopause often go hand in hand. Our body undergoes changes with respect to Muscle and Fat Compositions often ending up in unwanted weight gain. With a drop in the Estrogen levels, fat redistributes itself around the stomach and is lost around the hips and breasts…Thus the body shape changes from a “pear” shape to an “apple” shape body.

The fat composition increases with menopause because our body becomes more insulin resistant, hence the carbohydrates that we eat become FAT instead of Energy…which means we need to eat our carbs with care.

The metabolic rate also slows down during this phase. This is the precise reason why in spite of maintaining the same diet and exercise program as earlier in life, women put on weight…Weight loss becomes difficult and so Diet Alterations are a must.

DIETARY CHANGES – FOR WEIGHT CHALLENGES

Eat a Balance diet – High in Fiber and Vitamins.
Restrict your intake of Refined Carbohydrates
Reduce your intake of Saturated Fats
Focus on eating healthier fats (olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil)
Proteins helps make our hair Strong and Healthy.
Chicken, fish, dairy products and eggs as excellent sources of protein along with vegetarian sources such as tofu, legumes and nuts.
Omega-3 fatty acids provide the necessary oils that keep the scalp, hair and skin hydrated.
Oily fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, trout and mackerel and plant sources including avocado, pumpkin seeds and walnuts are rich sources of omega 3 fatty acids.
Minerals and Vitamins intake is a must and these must be sourced from Natural Foods – That is the Best way to built Immunity – Say No to Artificial Boosters of Immunity.

Some Vitamins & Minerals that you must FOCUS upon during Menopause

Zinc for hair: Spinach, Pumpkin seeds, Cashews, Oysters, Beef and Eggs are rich sources of zinc.
Vitamin A for skin and hair: Animal products and orange/yellow colored vegetables, Carrots, Pumpkins and Sweet Potatoes.
Biotin for healthy hair: Whole grains, liver, Egg yolk, soy flour and yeast.
Vitamin E for skin and hair: Almonds, Avocado, Hazelnuts, Pine nuts and Sunflower and corn oils.
Vitamin C for healthy skin: Blackcurrants, Blueberries, Broccoli, Guava, Kiwi fruits, Oranges, Papaya, Strawberries.

EXERCISE ROUTINE for WEIGHT Management

Physical activity during Menopause helps to Maintain Weight – Walking, Dancing, Aerobics are excellent ways to stay fit. Exercise helps tone the muscles and also keeps our skin HEALTHY – exercise relaxes us and relieves stress – Besides this, Physical Activity boosts blood circulation, which begins to slow with age. The extra oxygen and blood flow can help skin look Brighter and Healthier.

TIP – Balance Meals are the BEST way to stay GLOWING in your Menopausal Years – So as you set yourself for NEW FOODS – Do make efforts to Modify your cooking methods. Instead of frying switch to Broiling or Grilling…Let you Meals be more of Salads and Stir fry options rather than deep fried food.

HAIR CHANGES During Menopause

During menopause, Hair changes are obvious – Hair seems to have a mood of its own – It starts growing on face and falling from scalp…Once again the culprit here is changing levels of hormones during menopause. When the levels of estrogen and progesterone drop, hair growth is slow – Also hair becomes much thinner. Hair may also fall out in large clumps during brushing and showering…this frightens a woman and can lead to unhygienic approaches of not washing and combing of hair.

In some women, a decrease in these female hormones also triggers an increase in the production of “Androgens”, or a group of male hormones. Androgens shrink hair follicles, resulting in hair loss on the head. In some cases, however, these hormones can cause more hair to grow on the face. This is why some menopausal women develop facial “peach fuzz” and small sprouts of hair on the chin.

HAIR CARE STRATEGIES DURING MENOPAUSE

RIGHT DIET – As mentioned earlier, Proteins are important for HAIR GROWTH…make sure to have them in your MEALS – Choices galore available to you.

NEW HAIR STYLE – Hair cut shorter, and having layers added, can make your hair seem fuller.

NEW COLOUR – Another simple strategy is Coloring – Color adds volume to the strands, making hair seem fuller.

TIP – The color change gives an illusion of volume whereas layer cut provides a real increase in volume. “Combining the two will give you a hairstyle full of volume!

HAIR CARE – Pamper yourself on a Regular Basis. Use gentle cleansers and hydrating conditioners to moisturize both the hair and scalp. Deep-conditioning treatment helps to boost the moisture levels of the hair. Also massaging your head when you are washing your hair, and during oil application stimulates blood flow to the scalp and hair follicles.

RIGHT SHAMPOO – Look for a shampoo that adds volume without using sulfate detergents – These shampoos aim to solve your thin hair woes by infusing your locks and scalp with a protein and vitamin to wick in moisture for added width. After rinsing away the shampoo, the coat left behind makes your strands look and feel more expansive…The key is to pick the RIGHT SHAMPOO.

HAIR COVERS – Hats and Caps are excellent ways to cover your scalp and also protect hair from sun damage…

HAIR DARE – Feeling confidence is the easiest way to look Beautiful – and here comes the need of WIGS – Wigs are an excellent way to protect your natural hair while it’s growing back to its original form…also wigs give us a chance to experiment with new hair colors and styles.

SKIN CHANGES During Menopause

Hormones – Both Estrogen and Testosterone play an important role in maintaining Healthy Skin and Beautiful Youth. However, as a woman gets closer to menopause, the following changes are noticed in her SKIN –

Dry itchy skin
Sagging Skin
Hyperpigmentation/Age Spots
Wrinkled Skin
Growth of facial hair
The epidermis layer becomes Thin

Overall, it can be said that the skin’s physiology changes completely during Menopause. The baby skin that you once admired now becomes patchy and dry – You feel annoyed and confused at the CHANGES – It is important for you to know that the CHANGE in SKIN is also directly related to the Hormonal shifts our body undergoes during Menopause.

Estrogen helps our skin to stay healthy and glowing by stimulating the production of oil and collagen – But during Menopause our body stops making as much collagen and so skin texture changes and skin’s elasticity drops. That, combined with dryness due to lack of oil leads to sagging especially around the neck, jawline, and cheeks. Wrinkles and fine lines start to appear.

Lack of estrogen make the skin more sensitive than usual. This sensitivity is the reason women get a rash or hives when they are exposed to irritating substances like Itchy Fabrics, Perfumes, And Dyes.

SKIN CARE STRATEGIES DURING MENOPAUSE

Dry skin demands Hydration – One effective way is to achieve this is to WATCH your FLUID INTAKE…

1. Drink sufficient water to avoid dehydration.
2. Reduce the intake of caffeinated drinks.
3. Carbonated drinks need to be restricted.
4. Avoid or moderate alcohol intake.

Hydration of the SKIN is a MUST during this Phase of life – Always moisturize the skin soon after a bath. Massage the skin gently to let it soak in the Creams.

Skin needs to be taken care when going out – Protection is a MUST – Always wear a sunscreen to keep you skin safe from the UV rays of the sun.

Hot water baths may be soothing but can strip the skin of its natural oils…so make sure to have them occasionally and don’t forget to moisturize thoroughly with a heavier cream while your skin is still damp. That helps boost Hydration.

Vagina DRYNESS During Menopause

When estrogen levels are low, the vagina can become drier. The vaginal wall also becomes thinner thus making sex painful and uncomfortable. A woman experiences irritation and is at an increased risk for infection…

Vaginal CARE STRATEGIES DURING MENOPAUSE

Due to DRYNESS, Chances of infection are HIGH and so should you experience any pain – Don’t feel ashamed – This is a symptom associated with Menopause – Seek a doctor to ease out complications.

STRESS URINARY INCONTINENCE During Menopause

Menopausal Women often experience a loss of bladder control resulting in Stress urinary incontinence (leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh or exercise). It is perhaps the most embarrassing symptom. Estrogen depletion is the reason for this CHANGE – The lining of the urethra becomes drier, thinner and less elastic.

EXERCISE STRATEGIES for SUI DURING MENOPAUSE

Menopausal woman can ease incontinence by some simple exercises known as the Pelvic floor exercise, or Kegel exercise to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles, which control the bladder.

MOST IMPORTANT CONNECT ❤

The ever smiling and confident BEAUTY feels insignificant – The look in the mirror gets disturbing with each passing day … Her face looks dull, she picks up a comb to straighten her tresses, only to find a bunch of hair entangled in the comb. Her body seems to belong to someone else. Appearances confuse her, as if she is seeing a stranger in the mirror and at times some changes discomfort and embarrass her to even discuss them with her own doctor…STRESS grips the BEAUTY 😦

Stress during Menopause is BAD – Really BAD – Because it can lead to more damage – It is seen that when we are stressed – we forget to Eat HEALTHY, Exercise is skipped and also, we even forget our Daily Hair and Skin Care routine 😦

These changes in Skin and Hair can be quite unpleasant but you will be happy to know that the above shared Simple Alterations with respect to DIET AND LIFESTYLE can help ease the menopausal symptoms…So don’t WORRY – YOU are in CONTROL !

Take Away Message ❤

Changes are part of Menopause but that in no way denotes that a Woman is no longer BEAUTIFUL – Beauty isn’t always about SKIN & HAIR and I personally feel that our BEAUTY is reflective of our INNER DIALOGUE. Thus, the best and easy way to be beautiful in all phases of LIFE is to keep the INNER SELF confidently Blooming…and then it becomes very easy to maintain the Outer Beauty.

Women should not only work towards their outer Beauty but should give equal importance to their inner self. Look for Balance in your LIFE – Eat Well, Sleep Well and Stay Stress Free 🙂