Improving your lifestyle during the postmenopausal phase can profoundly impact health and quality of life. Midlife women often say that they haven’t changed anything in their daily routine, yet they are riddled with weight gain, belly fat, anxiety, depression, brain fog, low sexual desire, low energy, loss of muscle mass, and hair loss. As women experience a shift and decline in their sex hormones, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, physiological changes occur. Whether you decide to go on MHT (menopause hormone therapy) or not, your lifestyle needs to shift, which means your mindset needs to shift. What if you are on MHT, wish to optimize your health, and don’t know where to start? What if you are more than ten years past menopause, not on MHT, and curious about what hormones you could possibly take? Are you eating, sleeping, and moving to optimize your health as you age? Are you setting yourself up for this next phase of your life so that you can remain independent for as long as possible? In this episode, we discuss: -the benefits of low-dose vaginal estrogen -starting MHT within ten years of menopause, versus starting outside of that timeframe -lifestyle interventions, such as nutrition, sleep, and exercise -fasted versus fed state workouts -alcohol consumption -strategies to start weight training and HIIT workouts -supplements -building your healthcare team Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, MD is back for another episode discussing all things related to postmenopausal women. She is a double Board-Certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist and Reproductive Endocrinologist specializing in caring for reproductive-age and mid-life women. Dr. Carla completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brown University Medical School/Women and Infants’ Hospital and her Reproductive Endocrinology fellowship training at the Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School. She is a North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Certified Menopause Practitioner and has been featured in multiple podcasts and speakerships at various events discussing the physiology of the hormonal changes of menopause, hormone therapy, and optimizing physical performance in elite and avid recreational female athletes. Dr. Carla has been in the fitness industry her entire life as a recreational athlete and for the last decade as a fitness professional with credentials as a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer and Certified Nutrition Coach. As a pioneer in Women’s Performance Endocrinology, her focus is on optimizing physical performance in women in high-performance professions and female athletes of all ages. She has over 17 years of experience practicing as a fertility specialist and more recently as a menopause health consultant. She has been featured in Boston Magazine’s Top Doctors in the Boston area for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Medical Disclaimer: By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice or to make any lifestyle changes to treat any medical condition in yourself or others. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having. This entire disclaimer also applies to any of my guests on my podcast. Improving your lifestyle during the postmenopausal phase can profoundly impact health and quality of life. Midlife women often say that they haven’t changed anything in their daily routine, yet they are riddled with weight gain, belly fat, anxiety, depression, brain fog, low sexual desire, low energy, loss of muscle mass, and hair loss. As women experience a shift and decline in their sex hormones, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, physiological changes occur. Whether you decide to go on MHT (menopause hormone therapy) or not, your lifestyle needs to shift, which means your mindset needs to shift. What if you are on MHT, wish to optimize your health, and don’t know where to start? What if you are more than ten years past menopause, not on MHT, and curious abou