The Menopause Gut - Mix & Match Mama

Happy Wednesday, friends!

It’s another edition of WELLNESS WEDNESDAY, and this one has me extra excited because we’re combining so many of my favorite things:

WELLNESS + BOOKS + PODCASTS + COMMUNITY

The perfect combination 🙂 .

In 2024, I shared…

…an entire post on Cynthia Thurlow’s first book INTERMITTENT FASTING TRANSFORMATION.

You can (and should!) go back and read that post, but in a nutshell, in 2022, I really leaned into my own personal health and wellness more than ever before. I blogged in January 2024 a bit about the road that got me to that point, but I really, really didn’t want to just live, I wanted to live WELL. And listening to Cynthia Thurlow’s podcast, Everyday Wellness, was truly one of the driving forces for me not just wanting change but actually making changes.

I started listening to each new episode and by the time I had come home from Nantucket in 2023, I had gone back and listened to every.single.previous.episode. The wisdom, ideas, suggestions, products, and information that she and her expert guests share on each episode absolutely changed my life. She (and her guests) have a way of taking “medical” information and making it simple for the layman not just to process but implement.

Here I am, the oldest I’ve ever been, feeling the best I’ve ever felt. I absolutely give her credit for educating me via her podcast to take more ownership of my health, have better conversations with my providers, and make tweaks and adjustments in my life that have had profound results.

Needless to say, when Cynthia’s latest book was released this spring, I bought it immediately 😉 .

THE MENOPAUSE GUT is Cynthia’s latest book, and as you might have guessed, I LOVED IT!

This book is comprehensive, data driven, and covers so much more (in my opinion!) than just the gut or being in/approaching menopause all while being EASY TO COMPREHEND AND EXECUTE. This isn’t written like a medical textbook (heavens no!), it’s written like a girlfriend chatting with her other girlfriends.

But wait? I’m still not sure this book is for me?

Over the last few weeks, I have quoted it several times to both my husband and my kiddos…so if I can find application in it for a man and children, I’m betting YOU can too.

Of course, I want you all to buy the book and read every page yourself, but here are a few of my favorite details just in case you’re still on the fence…

YOU HAVE A GUT

I have had a gut my entire life and honest to goodness, it hasn’t been on my radar until recently. And then once it went on my radar, I can’t “un-think” about it.

This book dives deep into the gut and why we should be actively thinking about it, caring for it, and feeding it as it is connected to our brain. Personally, I’m really good at eating a lot of protein…I am not great at getting in fiber. This book has meal suggestions and an entire section of recipes that are easy and geared towards feeding your gut better. She even covers food sensitivities as well (something I know many of us are thinking about/dealing with).

YOU ARE THINKING (OR WILL BE!) ABOUT YOUR METABOLISM

Maybe it’s because I’m 44, but I feel like everyone I know is thinking about their metabolism. What worked for us in our 20s and 30s just doesn’t work the same in our 40s. This book dives into metabolic health markers, which labs you should be getting (and how to interpret them), and a whole big section on managing weight.

COMPREHENSIVE LISTS OF SYMPTOMS FOR SEX AND NON-SEX HORMONES

As you know, I’ve been on HRT now for over 12 years, and without a doubt, it has been the #1 best thing I have ever done for my health. Period. Full stop. Cynthia covers HRT in this book, but she also goes into specifics about other non-sex hormones too (like the thyroid!) and those are hormones I’m less familiar with. She even includes a list of symptoms for both underactive and overactive thyroid hormones, a list of symptoms for signs of insulin resistance, signs of dysregulated cortisol…it truly is invaluable information.

BONE HEALTH

Bone health is a big deal. I do not want to be a fragile senior adult, and I know that in order not to be…I have to work hard on it N-O-W. Bone health and our gut are connected, and she shares specifics on improving both with exercise, supplements, diet, decreasing our exposure to toxins…she covers it all.

DEALING WITH STRESS AND SLEEP

There are two entire chapters dedicated to stress and sleep. What I always appreciate about Cynthia’s podcast is that she doesn’t just offer information, but she gives personal, real life examples and shares practical ways we can improve. In these chapters, she speaks from her own experiences and those of her patients AND she really breaks down the specifics (not just what is REM sleep but why we need it and what happens when we don’t get it, etc).

You guys, I could truly go on and on. This book includes details on birth control, exercise training programs, supplements…it truly is a comprehensive book on health and wellness for everyone.

Two big, big thumbs up from me!

If you’ve not listened to her Everyday Wellness podcast before, here are just a few of my favorite episodes…

These are both on the same topic…

…but goodness, they’re both so good and very beneficial. After listening to these episodes, I did an entire blog post on this topic that you can read HERE.