Longevity for Females

We are all trying to keep our health for as long as we can. Longevity is important for us all but we are going to focus today on how this impacts woman because it is different than how it affects men.  Why do woman and men age differently??  This is all due to our friend estrogen.  As we age and go through perimenopause and menopause our estrogen plummets.  Usually this begins to happen around the ages of 35-45.  We have estrogen receptors nearly everywhere in the body so losing it affects most all organs in our body. 

We are going to cover some strategies to fight this so we can live longer but better!  Most importantly we are not going to wait until our health is failing!  I think this might be easier to tackle by body system. Most of you are aware menopause is not good for your bone health. Did you know we end up losing 15-20% of our bone density. This is disastrous if you have a fall.  Doing heavy lifting/strength training is a MUST to combat this.  Ladies, we should also ensure we get enough Calcium and Vitamin D. 

Next up is brain health.  Estrogen promotes glucose metabolism giving your brain the energy it needs and helps cognitive function.  Think of it this way, without glucose your brain is basically starving and has impaired memory capability and brain fog.  Estrogen also helps your neurotransmitters that function on mood.  Lastly, we are more at risk for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s.  What can we do to help? Omega 3’s from good fatty fish, like salmon, and things that challenge our thinking/brain.

We are in a higher state of inflammation without estrogen.  It now becomes critical to eliminate sugar and get a plant-based diet as much as possible.  Low estrogen wreaks havoc on our heart by causing accumulation of pro-inflammatory fat in bad places of the body and changes our cholesterol for the worse.  Get your FIBER!

If we are not sad enough, we also lose muscle mass.  Strive for getting 1g protein per pound of body weight per day. This is the minimum.  I also want to point out I am not talking about protein powers or bars as a big source.  These are processed.  Work on your flexibility with yoga and balance work. You can do simple things at home for balance such as tree pose or stand on one leg trying to squat a little.  Good balance can save you from a fall, lessen an injury, or make recovery quicker.  The good news is many of these tips are easy to incorporate in your daily life.

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