For the past three years, I’ve been on a mission. Working with my coach at Lady The F Up, I’ve completely transformed my body and my life. We’re talking a total body recomp, 758 workouts (and counting), and fueling my body with clean, nutrient-packed foods. I felt strong, unstoppable, and dare I say… thriving.
But then came April 2024. My 48th birthday. And with it, a little surprise I didn’t ask for: my body suddenly decided to audition for a role in The Hormone Chronicles.
Let me paint the picture:
- Energy? Gone. By 3 p.m., I was running on caffeine fumes.
- Brain fog? Oh, it wasn’t just fog—it was a complete whiteout. During my period, I couldn’t form a single coherent thought. It was like my brain just clocked out for the day, leaving me to stumble through conversations and tasks wondering what I was even doing.
- Motivation? Nonexistent. For the first time in years, I was running purely on discipline. The thought of skipping workouts or meal prep crossed my mind way too often, and I even entertained the idea of selling my business, By Design Media—a business I’ve poured my heart into. That’s how off I felt.
- Emotions? Anxiety decided to show up uninvited. And let me tell you, it was unsettling. I’ve always been the type to handle stress like a champ, but now I found myself questioning everything. My mind would race with worst-case scenarios that felt impossible to shake.
At first, I thought, Maybe I’m just stressed. Maybe I need more sleep or to meditate harder (is that a thing?). But then, one word kept coming up in my research: perimenopause.
Perimenopause? Wasn’t that something you worried about in your 50s? Surely, I wasn’t there yet. I felt like a teenager hearing about taxes for the first time—confused, unprepared, and very much not ready to deal with it.
And let’s talk about the elephant in the room: nobody talks about this stuff. It’s like perimenopause is this taboo subject that women are expected to just “deal with” in silence. There’s so much shame and stigma wrapped around it, like acknowledging it somehow means admitting defeat. Well, spoiler alert: it’s not defeat. It’s biology. And ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.
So, there I was, staring perimenopause in the face, completely unprepared for what it was bringing to the table. My body wasn’t just waving a flag; it was holding up a neon sign that said, “Hey, hormones are calling, and they want attention.”
What I realized, though, is that this journey isn’t about defeat. It’s about adjustment. For years, I’ve focused on showing up for my body, and this is just a new chapter in that story. One that’s about listening to what my body needs now, not what worked before. It’s about embracing change (even when it’s annoying), finding balance (again), and moving forward stronger than ever.
So here I am, diving headfirst into this next phase of my wellness journey. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s this: Your body always has your back—you just have to give it what it needs.