Menopause 30 Day Concierge
Programme
Introduction
While researching my first book The Menopause Secret, I spoke to so many women who were eager to have a whole ‘lifestyle concept’ tailored specifically towards the menopause. The one request that far outnumbered anything else was for a plan that showed exactly what they needed to do each day - a plan that was informative, simple to follow and outlined exactly how to make their daily activities menopause-friendly. It can be quite overwhelming reading different books and gathering information on any new topic, let alone trying to organise it into some sort of regime. Most of us are still working hard while going through the menopause, and although we want to make these changes, finding the time to establish a new routine to suit our changing bodies is not high on our priority lists.
Well, relax ladies... I have created the Menopause 30 Day Concierge Programme to complement The Menopause Secret to help make your life a little easier. I have taken the very best of knowledge from my years of experience in the beauty industry, where I worked with some of the top cosmetic houses, along with my professional training as a clinical nutritionist and fitness instructor to bring you this programme. To complement this, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the top style gurus in Hong Kong, London and Paris. I have also spent time understanding and collecting information from some of the wisest and kindest people on this planet - the beautiful Buddhist Monks of the far east, who shared with me many secrets of the soul. It is the accumulation of all of this valuable information that makes up the Menopause 30 Day Concierge Programme. I hope you find the journey interesting, insightful and above all successful.
Each day you are given:
Meal Plan - all of these easy to follow recipes have been specifically chosen to meet your body’s changing needs, including calcium to maintain bone strength, phyto-oestrogens to help balance your hormones and an array of vitamins and minerals to help keep your menopausal symptoms to a minimum. Many of the recipes go on to explain the benefits of ingredients used and how they can help with your symptoms such as hot flushes, sleepless nights or memory loss. You will have a new found respect for the power of food and the energy it can give you. The serving sizes vary between 1–4 servings to accommodate different family situations - feel free to adjust them to suit your preferences.
Although the emphasis of this programme is not on weight loss, all of the recipes are extremely healthy and by virtue of this fact you will be pleasantly surprised to notice looser waistbands without it being your main focus of attention. If you are seeking to lose weight, we advise you not to become obsessed with the scales, weigh yourself at the start of the programme if you wish and then again at the end of the 30 days. It will be far more beneficial for you to take note of your waist measurement rather than your weight. More in-depth information on this is available in The Menopause Secret, where the importance of diet control during the menopause is explained in greater detail.
Exercise Plan - the benefits of regular exercise both during and after the menopause are huge. This daily exercise programme has been specifically designed to incorporate some of the most effective exercises available for this stage of your life. You will do a full body work out once a week and then alternate your exercises daily between aerobic, muscle strengthening, toning and stretching. This ensures your fitness regime is well balanced and regular, enabling you to get the most out of your workout time.
Each day you are also given a supplementary bone strengthening exercise, these exercises can be added to your daily workout if you wish, or fit them into your day at your convenience. We have included these bonus exercises because this is one of the main areas we need to concentrate on during and after menopause. At this time we start to lose the most calcium from our bones, and by doing regular exercise and following a diet which is well- balanced with our calcium requirements, we will be doing all we can to ward off bone disease.
Exercise Tips - as well as your daily exercise plan, you will be given extra daily tips to help keep you motivated along the way. On the days you think you don’t have time to exercise or when you start putting excuses in the way, we will remind you why it is so important and encourage you to carry on.
Nutritional Tips - these daily nutritional tips offer extremely interesting thoughts and new ideas to help you get the most out of your eating plan and to encourage you to make the right choices.
Beauty Tips - we all know that true beauty comes from within, but glowing on the outside too will always lift your spirits. Use our daily beauty tips in addition to your new skin care routine and make the best of your-self every day. Remember our recommended range of Phytomone skin care products, have been especially formulated for hormonally changing skin.
Body and Soul Tips - 30 motivational thoughts and ideas to feed your soul, keep you inspired and re-energise yourself.
Style Tips - each day you are given a brand new tip to help give you that ‘put together’ look without it being too stressful or expensive, and to restore your belief that you can look magnificent in menopause.
By eating the right foods, exercising and taking charge of your well-being you may find that the intensity of many of your menopause symptoms will diminish. This should further reduce the need of taking HRT, or other various over-the-counter medications, such as headache tablets, sleeping tablets, and indigestion tablets to name but a few. We have come to expect a lot from medication - we expect the power of the pill to relieve us of our symptoms almost instantly, and sometimes it is easy to abuse the trust we put in them - maybe reaching for them a little too often! On this programme we hope to show you how to unleash the power of the human mind, how you can control and manage many symptoms connected to the menopause in a natural way, and how your attitude can help you overcome any psychological and physical issues you are having.
Use this programme as your trial period to develop new habits and bring about a positive change during your menopause transition. By cultivating these good habits in your life, you will find everything else will move in a positive direction. On the other hand be aware of your bad habits, when they creep in negative emotions will follow, possibly leading you on a downward spiral. But remember, if you do have a moment of weakness, this is not an excuse to stop the programme, just pick up where you left off and carry on - don’t be too hard on yourself, accept the fact that bad habits will take time to change and it is unreasonable to think that you can conquer them overnight. The important thing is to have a strong enough reason to want to change - because that initial enthusiasm will only last for a week or so. You need to believe in yourself and remind yourself of the negative effects these bad habits have on your life. You can change your life by changing your habits, and really what better reason is there than to start now - at this natural new beginning in your life.
To enhance your experience even further, join us online at Phytomone.com
I would like to encourage you to make notes during this programme. Record which recipes you liked and the ones you didn't like and how you adjusted them to suit your taste. I also recommend you write down your thoughts and ideas each day. You will find this type of expressive writing an invaluable reference to track your emotions, weaknesses and strengths throughout this journey. Identifying your traits - whether good or bad will help you to understand yourself a little more as you make the transition through menopause. It may also show a pattern of any menopause symptoms you are having and what may be causing them, giving you the opportunity to eliminate certain things,, rather than seeking a medical alternative. So do try to get into the habit of daily writing, you don’t have to write pages and pages, write in a style that suits you, whether in note form or a more expressive style. It is your choice. Above all, this programme gives you the opportunity to get the very best out of yourself and your time in this world. You deserve nothing less. So invest your time wisely and you will reap the rewards. By following this plan you will go beyond balancing your hormones, you will also achieve equilibrium of the mind, body and soul.
It takes 30 days for something to become a habit so before you start this programme make sure it doesn’t coincide with any family events, holidays or anything that will disrupt your schedule.
All of the morning and afternoon snacks on the programme are optional. If you’re not hungry don’t eat, alternatively, you may wish to swap the recipes around and maybe have one of the mid-morning snacks for your lunch for example. Discipline yourself with the desserts - you certainly don’t need to eat dessert every day, but for the days you do feel like one, choose from the small selection supplied in the recipe section. Like the other recipes they have all been developed specifically for the menopause and the nutritional needs your body requires - and of course they taste very good too! Drink plenty of the herbal teas that have been suggested, their beneficial properties alone may help reduce certain menopausal symptoms, and drink water when necessary to quench your thirst. You don’t need to drink excessive amounts of water thinking it to be more beneficial. Researchers have found that as you drink more water, your ability to filter toxins out of the blood actually goes down and they found no evidence that drinking a lot of water improves your skin or any other organ. Adjust the levels to suit your lifestyle and remember your body gets fluids not only from the water you drink, but also from the food you eat, especially fruit and vegetables. Enjoy the lunch and dinner recipes and take advantage of this opportunity to try a few new dishes you would probably normally overlook. Tantalise your taste buds with new flavours and textures, while at the same time providing yourself with extremely beneficial nutrients. Remember meat can be replaced with Quorn or your preferred alternative. These recipes are suitable for all your family members, so don’t worry about having to cook separate meals.
Note On Portion Sizes
Portion sizes seem to have grown along with sizes of our stomachs. As we age and our metabolism slows down, we don’t need to eat as much as we used to. The body can only utilise around 500-600 calories at a time, anything else is stored as fat. Use smaller plates at the dinner table. The average size of a dinner plate is 12 inches, try using a 9 inch plate; that way your portion size won’t look small and you will be cutting down on the amount you eat.
Make sure you read through the guides we have provided before you begin, to familiarise yourself with the activities on the programme. This information has been taken from The Menopause Secret, so you may already be familiar with it if you have read the book.
Let’s Get Started
During the first week of this programme we will explain each of your ‘Daily Activities’ and their individual benefits, this will set you up for the weeks to follow and give you all the knowledge and incentive you need to carry on.
As you enter the second, third and fourth week, the ‘Daily Activities’ programme will repeat itself, this will ensure all the activities are done on a regular basis and become habit forming.
However, you will continue to receive Brand New ‘Daily Tips’ and ‘Meal Plans’ every day throughout the programme .
Overview of the day
* Daily activities
*Daily tips
*Thoughts on the day
*Daily menu
*Notes
*Recipes
The information in this book is not intended as medical advice or to replace the care of your doctor. It is our intent to share our knowledge based on scientific research and experience. We encourage you to consult with your doctor on all matters relating to your health and to seek medical supervision before embarking on any dietary, drug, exercise or other lifestyle change.
