When my beautiful 27-year-old daughter asked me, a 53-year-old in the beauty industry to write about menopause I was horrified to say the least.
After all, who wants to hear my personal journey? But then I thought, maybe there are women out there who are just like me, wanting validation for how they feel and then empowerment as to what they can do about that feeling. At a young age we are conditioned on a personal, cultural and professional level that youth, beauty, perfection and being fertile are the cornerstones of what we need to strive for as women. The beauty industry especially is guilty of perpetuating this image that we all, supposedly, need to strive for.
Starting House of Maxx, a holistic skin clinic, with my daughter 5 years ago and being 48 at the time I found myself smack bang in the middle of menopause and its symptoms. Experiencing hot flushes every 20 minutes, weight gain for no reason, brain fog that even the sun couldn’t lift, joint pain and many other debilitating symptoms. I started to doubt what contribution I could make in an industry that paid homage to everything I was no longer. Was I at the point where I had to radically change my appearance or got to extreme lengths to be a younger looking contributor to society and the beauty industry?
Well hang on a minute! My life up until this point had been about so much more than my beauty. I am a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother. I have spent my life laughing, crying, learning and growing. I have endured and been rewarded. I’ve come through life this far and even though my body is changing I am still beautiful and an intelligent contributor to life. I don’t need to subscribe to what is perceived as beauty. I do however need to look at myself so that moving forward into the next stage of life I’m contributing and not taking away from myself.
Hot flushes and all, I started a new quest for myself to ensure that this beauty is going to keep shining through until I close my eyes one last time. As I start to map out my life and make a plan, I remember the time I saw this 60-plus woman sharing a cup of tea with her friends in a café. Her hair was grey, her skin wrinkled as she laughter. She was average height, average weight, yet she stood out from the crowd. She was breathtakingly beautiful, you could see her beauty came from within, her story told on her face, yet she carried herself with such peace and contentment. Clearly the woman didn’t get the memo she has passed her expiry date. She was the wine that improved with age… that is beauty!
My life moving forward was going to be based on my knowledge, lifestyle and mindset.
These are the steps I took and will continue to follow;
- Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. Eliminate food that contribute to my symptoms. E.g. grains for hot flushes
- Reduce alcohol and caffeine, replacing it with filtered water. On the few occasions I do have a coffee it is a “real coffee”. nothing instant.
- See the naturopaths at the Health Press for testing and supplements.
- Started taking Maxx Beauty Tonic Collagen as well as support my immune system with Maxx Beauty Tonic Mucosa Powder (probiotic), taking it for the first month every season.
- Lowering the toxic load. Replacing chemical laden products with natural based products, eating organic food and using non-toxic skin care products.
- Increase my weights and lower my cardio. Engaging with a personal trainer, twice a week exercising and stretching daily.
- Create a space in my home for me to go. A personal space for meditation, journaling and creative thinking.
- Doing things that I have always wanted to do but never took the time. E.g. growing my own vegetables, attending cooking lessons or simply reading a book.
- Connect with friends who feed my soul and allow me to be me – warts and all.
- Have a health coach. Yes, even a coach needs a coach.
This has been a process and has taken time, but if you do better this week than last week then that’s progress and growth. I have come from a place of doom and gloom to a life of abundance, self-love and fulfilment.
