Oh dear, the saggy skin topic. I had a lady write me about the effects of early menopause and trouble with her skin sagging, and she also revealed she did not exercise. So, if this sounds like you or someone you know (maybe your mom, grandma or employee you care about), please do everyone a favor and help them learn these simple basics which I cover below. It can make a world of difference in your health and well being for the rest of your life. I will write this in the utmost simplest of terms so that it can reach the broadest of public.
Yes, we women need to work out for our looks and health now and later, sorry to say. If we do not we can have some lousier things occur later on. We all need to build and maintain muscle not just for looks, but to increase and balance out hormones which will make us feel and look better (think skin) and help our overall health.
If you are in peri-menopause or menopause, many women will not gain the muscle from all the hard work unless a few other things are addressed. Look at it this way, when you are in peri-menopause or menopause your body is saying “no more babies”, so we are shutting this body down slowly and the body is now aging. This is opposed to when you were younger and your body was doing all it could to grow, be strong and get ready to make babies (and keep making babies). Bodies go through this “aging” cycle in life and (yes, it sucks) but things ARE and HAVE really changed with what we know these days and we can turn many things around to enable the body to live longer with a HIGH QUALITY of life, to look beautiful, have that healthy glow and feel younger by addressing things properly. I have seen major miracles with health, hormones, how the body looks, energy, diseases and you name it!
The paleo diet did help me in many ways but paleo is only a template so I adjusted it to fit me and work with my own situation. I am Celiac. I was already 100% gluten-free for many years as I am intolerant to gluten. It would take a mini-book (which I am writing) to explain everything in detail, but for now I do have some ebooks available here. Paleo is a lifestyle so the diet helped, but the activity and diet and knowing how to work it is what changed my life, looks, body, skin tone, muscle mass, fat gain and loss and health, in a severe (very severe) way!
Going off the grains changed me mentally too. I have SO many stories about others with similar situations where they were already on a gluten-free diet, who then switched to the paleo lifestyle and all the great changes (like me).
Just last week a gal I work with wrote to me about the changes in her life after going off grains, as she has been on Class D meds for epilepsy for 20 years. For the first time ever, she feels she can go off the meds and is going to her MD to do so, and is going to try to get pregnant once she knows her body is non-dependent any longer. She’s experienced major personality changes, weight loss, better skin tone, brighter eyes, etc.
I went into peri-menopause early (late 40’s) mostly due to many years of misdiagnosed celiac disease and it severely affected my health, but luckily I did not have the hot flashes, weight gain and such. I experienced other problems – all resolved though. I resolved them through constant awareness as the body is a living organism.
Saggy arms and loose skin on legs can all be addressed but only with more attention to health, diet, sleep, hydration, the activity level and types, and possibly the hormones. With those ALL addressed it is very likely your hopes for your skin and your youth will shine through and you will look and feel more like what you desire.
You may have current food allergies that need to be addressed. So, for example if eggs are “no” for now, they will most likely be back in your life. You simply just ate too many of them or too many things that “act like them” in your body. Bodies do well/best on a variety of clean and organic foods. Maybe even the eggs you ate were not fertile and/or organic? Also, who knows what the hens were fed? And you were eating their eggs after the fact. I think you get the picture.
Your body is in the condition it is in, and you did have some part in the whole picture. It is pretty resilient but you have to make a change. There is no better time than now as the longer you put it off, or keep doing what is harming the body in some way (by either doing or not doing what you should), you are making it more difficult to turn things around.
There is a lot to learn but do so little by little, and you will soon hopefully get your body, life, looks and health the way you dream of. Just take hold of the situation and make a decision to address it NOW.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can help in any way.
Now, take a moment to enjoy some paleo recipes. 🙂
If you have any questions or suggestions just email me at Tina (at) Paleomazing.com.
I'm a cookbook-collecting, recipe-developing paleo junkie, and I live in the kitchen. I'm hooked on farmers' markets, traveling, eating healthy, and hiking until my legs scream at me. There's nothing better than hanging out with family and good friends. I have fun and sleeping is just plain boring. Read more About Tina Turbin.
