The Hyperink Team - Menopause: How to Prepare for the Rest of Your Life

Life involves a number of transitional stages, from birth to death. Menopause signifies the end of your reproductive years. Your ovaries stop producing enough eggs needed for stimulating estrogen production. Accordingly, your estrogen levels drop and lead to a number of physiological changes. As the term implies, the transitional stage occurring immediately before menopause is known as perimenopause.

The perimenopausal transitional life stage can start anywhere from 10 years before menopause and is a gradual progression. Perimenopause does not need to be scary, but there are secrets you need to understand to make this stage of your life more comfortable while reducing associated symptom severity.

Even though some women experience no symptoms other than the cessation of menstruation, you more than likely will experience some or all of the common symptoms associated with menopause.

Common symptoms you may experience include the following:

• mood swings
• unexplained tiredness
• depression
• anxiety
• irritability
• loss of brain functioning, including forgetfulness and difficulties concentrating
• urinary tract infections
• loss of libido or sex drive
• change in the menstrual cycle
• headaches
• weight gain
• night sweats
• heart palpitations
• hot flashes
• vaginal dryness or irritation
• sleep difficulties

All symptoms can be best controlled by using natural methods.The main secret for preparing for menopause lies in your chosen lifestyle. The healthier your lifestyle, the less severe your symptoms will be. Some women experience minimal menopausal symptoms only because they have been following a healthy diet, exercising regularly and keeping stress at bay for years before actually reaching this transitional phase of life. You can learn from this. It is never too early to start living a healthy lifestyle.

Image via FnJBnN .

Estrogen plays an integral part in your brain's functioning and signaling system by directing blood flow to more active parts of your brain. Since aging involves losing estrogen, your brain activity can be negatively affected, according to Russel Thompson . As you age, your brain processing function decreases. You can prepare yourself for menopause by keeping your brain active in a number of ways:

Pay attention to what you do. Paying attention to what you are doing increases your ability to remember. Distraction plays a key role in being disorganized and making it feel as if you are losing your mind. Instead, slow down and perform one task at a time. Concentrating on one task at a time trains your brain to operate efficiently.

Lists can help increase cognitive awareness. Begin each day by making a list of everything you want to accomplish. Lists increase organization, lower your risks of forgetting and help you avoid becoming frustrated. Keep your initial list limited to five items to avoid being overwhelmed. As you perform a task, cross it off your list. Not only will you feel a sense of accomplishment, your self-confidence will increase and you will become better organized.

Actively engage your brain in leisurely activities. As Russel Thompson mentions, a "healthy memory requires you to use it or lose it." The more favorable activities you become involved in, the lower your risks of developing memory loss and dementia.

Start playing some brain games. Add up columns of numbers without using a calculator. Puzzles are great ways to increase your cognitive thinking skills and there are a variety to choose from, both online and offline. Offline, start using some crossword puzzle books, word search games and word development games like Scrabble. Online sites like Facebook contain a number of word games that can stimulate your brain. Or, visit brain games sites like Lumosity to find stimulating games that can help your flexibility, memory and problem solving skills.

Aging results in decreased bone density, where your bones lose mass and strength. Women, in particular, are noted for developing osteoporosis due to poor bone mass caused by aging, hormonal fluctuations, poor diet, smoking and taking certain medications. Osteoporosis is another term for weakened bones. You can help protect your bone health by doing a number of things.

Weight bearing activities use your legs to support your body weight. Doing this causes your body to form new tissue that makes bones stronger, according to the National Institute of Health .

Choose from a number of weight bearing activities such as climbing stairs, dancing, jumping ropes, jogging, running and playing team sports like tennis, basketball, hockey and/or baseball. Walking can be the simplest and easiest way to get involved with exercise if you have been sedentary for an extended period of time.

Alternate your activities to prevent boredom and keep your motivation going. It is too easy to get bored when you do the same thing every day. Spice up your bone workout by forming a walking group, joining a fitness class, getting a number of friends together and/or doing your weight bearing activities on the days you do not do stretching or strengthening exercise. Listen to audio books or your favorite recordings while walking. Remember to start at a low intensity and gradually increase your time and intensity as you become better conditioned. Obtain medical clearance before starting new exercises to protect yourself from injury.

Protect your bone health by getting enough calcium . When you do not consume enough calcium, your body takes calcium from your bones to compensate enough for your body to operate properly. The more calcium your bones lose, the less strong they become and the easier it is to fracture them. So, when preparing for menopause, it is important you get enough calcium into your everyday life.

According to Bupa, if you are under 50 it is recommended you consume at least 1,000mg of calcium daily to enhance your bone density while reducing your risk of developing osteoporosis after you reach menopause.

For best results, get your calcium from these food sources:

• Dairy foods like milk, hard and soft cheeses, ice cream or ice milk, and yogurt
• Fortified cereals and breads
• Fortified orange juice
• Macaroni and cheese
• Soybeans and soy-based foods like tofu
• Broccoli
• Leafy greens like spinach, red leaf lettuce, bok choy, collard greens, turnip greens, endive and green leaf lettuce.

For more information on calcium-rich foods, go online to the National Institutes of Health .

In order for your body to absorb calcium, you need vitamin D. Get your vitamin D from natural sunlight, sardines, or take a vitamin supplement for best results.

Image via Geekpulp .

Weight gain commonly occurs during the aging process due to your bodily operations moving at a slower pace. It takes more effort to move and engaging in passive pleasurable activities, like sitting in front of the television, become more appealing. You need to maintain a healthy weight to prepare yourself for menopause.