Where did the spring go?
Being able to realize my own limits is also a personal development for me. At least that is what I am telling myself 🙃.
This spring I had a busy agenda professionally. I allowed myself to take a break from writing here, and then one postponed month became two, and two became several. I usually really enjoy writing, which is why I have kept doing it for so long. But something had to give, and this was it.
What it has NOT meant is that I stopped living by my motto: a Vivante life, with curiosity, sparks & joy as much as feasible. I was just focusing more on doing than writing about it in the reduced spare time I had.
Here is what I have been curious about the past 6 months:
Down the hormone rabbit hole
I dug into hormones again this spring. A very hot topic 🔥, not only for me personally, but also because there is such scarcity and poor supply in many parts of the world.
Apart from the geopolitical situation, the hormone supply is also a bit of a victim of its own success. Interest in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has increased a lot since the early 2000s publications. These studies that linked estrogen to breast cancer & scared many women away from treatment have been nuanced.
For the general population the former negative conclusions does not seem to hold up the way it was reported at that time (1)
So in short: demand up, supply not so much up 👎.
Bioidentical hormones - what does it actually mean?
For myself, I am opting for bioidentical hormones (once available…).
I have read quite a lot about it (& obviously talked to a gynocologist about my personal situation), and my conclusion is that bioidentical feels safer and easier for the body to handle than synthetic. What it means, in plain language: the molecule looks exactly the same as the estrogen or progesterone your own body produces. Same shape, same key, same lock 🔑.
I have also learnt that healthy elimination of estrogen may appreciate some support: eating lots of broccoli, and potentially adding a supplement called Calcium-D-glucarate to your daily routine.
My grocery list now have broccoli as a standing order 🥦!
Taking protein seriously
Just like many others, I have been feed (& convinced) of the benefits of proteins. Protein supports almost all functions in the body. It is not only for our muscles, it's also needed for our immune system, our brain,our gut, our liver..
Nutrition guidelines in the Nordics reccommend around 0.65 g protein/ kg body weight. For avoidance of age related muscle loss an intake of 1.2 g / kg can be considered for old adults (2).
There are other voices on proteins, higher intake recommendations, different angles (such as sustainability and commercial forces) and one have to find what feels best for him/herself.
Personally I target a relatively high intake as I am both exercising & approacing menopause 😱.
What is important to remind ourselves about in regards to protein though, is that if you want to build (or keep) muscle mass, you actually have to make use of the protein you're consuming. Muscels will not arrive just by taking proteins unfortunatly..
Back to the intake, I find it quite hard to meet my target of around 100g protein/ day as I do not eat a lot of meat.
👉 My focus now is to spread it out and not lean on one single source or meal: fish, poultry, lentils, nutritional yeast, a clean protein powder or collagen, quinoa, and as many eggs as you can reasonably work into a day.
I try to avoid are the sweetened yoghurt-like protein drinks. They normally come with a long list of not-so-healthy additives.
The August Rescue plan
Just like many others, I struggled a bit with the transition. From summer, with sunny weather and no time schedules driving my life, into quite the opposite: kids' activities start, workload increases, calendar fills very quickly. Motivation on decline already week one post vacation 😬.
So I quickly came to my own rescue with a very simple plan; schedule some lunches and breakfasts with people who I am curios about and/or that inspire me.
I have already done two "dates", and I got inspired by both. Completely different directions. One made me energized about taking up my interests around investment & trading. The other one about setting a healthy morning routine.
Which is why I now get up 20–30 minutes before the rest of the family (I have manged 3 mornings the past week), to drink lightly heated lemon water and do a few yoga postures that feels good to me. I am NOT a yogi. I have never been a yogi. But this is probably what my body needs now.
I will give it some more time before I declare myself the super flexible mother I never was and probably never will be🤣 .
That's it for this restart
What is the one small thing you want to adjust for your health this fall? Once you have picked it, you can start with a mini-step. Maybe make an omelette for breakfast tomorrow?
I hope you are also ready for a beautiful fall with lots of nice food, friends and inspiring adventures.
For that Vivante fall we all deserve 🤸!
Åsa
1. Manson JE, Aragaki AK, Rossouw JE, Anderson GL, Prentice RL, LaCroix AZ, Chlebowski RT, Howard BV, Thomson CA, Margolis KL, Lewis CE, Stefanick ML, Jackson RD, Johnson KC, Martin LW, Shumaker SA, Espeland MA, Wactawski-Wende J; WHI Investigators. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Long-term All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: The Women's Health Initiative Randomized Trials. JAMA. 2017 Sep 12;318(10):927-938.
2. Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023. Nord 2023:003. Copenhagen: Nordic Council of Ministers.
