August 13, 2012: Day 12 of 30

8/13/2012: Day 12 of 30
Morning weight: 178.2
Today's calorie count: 1513
Morning exercise: 56 minutes of Strength Training - see day 9 of 30

• Set my heart rate monitor target zone for 60% - 75% of max (light aerobic) which is 101bpm - 126bpm. 
• 8 minutes were below target zone,
• 45 minutes were in target zone, and
• 3 minutes were above target zone. 

Evening exercise: none - day off
Alcohol consumption: None
Younger Next Year pages read: 25
Notes from book: (Quotes and very near quotes are in italics)

This 25 pages covered the chapters on "The Drink" and menopause.

Harry's and Chris' opinions differ on Alcohol.  Harry, the doctor, believes that the threat of becoming dependent on alcohol is so severe that drinking any alcohol at all is just a plain bad idea.  He acknowledges the studies that indicate light drinking (for women, one five ounce glass of wine - or its equivalent - a day defines light) can have health benefits, but he feels the risk far outweighs the potential benefit.  Chris, on the other hand, happens to enjoy his nightly wine or cocktail and feels that a glass (or two - for men) of wine (or a beer or a cocktail) in the evening has many benefits and doesn't feel like the book should recommend against alcohol consumption completely.  So they comprised.  The advise in the book is this:  If you currently don't drink, don't start.  If you do drink, then assuming you are a woman reading this, one drink a night is fine, and perhaps two drinks once a week.  But as soon as you feel like you can't quit at that one drink and you feel a real drive to have more, quit.  It is not worth risking dependency over. 

The chapter on menopause was interesting and Harry quotes a lot of studies and provides some pretty valuable information on hormone replacement studies.  To summarize quickly, hormone replacement therapy is only advisable if menopause symptoms are unbearable.  And then it is recommended that estrogen be taken for a relatively short period of time, as in for the 3 - 4 years of actual menopause, not the rest of your life.  Of course, regular exercise and a healthy diet go a long way toward making menopause more bearable.  

Harry gives us a brief summary about what we do know about menopause, separating the fact from the fiction.  The facts go as follows: 

• Natural menopause starts anywhere from the early 40s to the late 50s, but on average it starts at age 51 and lasts 4 years
• Menopause itself has only a few true symptoms:
• > 50% of women will have:
• Hot flashes - caused by sudden dilation of the blood vessels in the skin, which brings warm blood to your body's surface
• Night sweats - hot flashes at night when you are under the covers, which holds in the heat.  Also, your normal temperature at night is lower than it is in the daytime, so the hot flash swing is more severe.
• Mood swings - caused by changes in the chemicals in your blood, very similar to mood swings in adolescence.  Because they are chemically related they are unpredictable and different for everyone.  Because emotion is stronger than thought, it can take on a reality independent of external circumstances.  It is important to understand that the mood swings that come about before and during menopause are actual, physical surges of chemicals flooding through the brain in response to fluctuating estrogen levels; because by knowing that a women can keep in perspective that this is a temporary physical state and not a symptom of mental illness. 
• Harry stresses over and over again that mood swings are not a mental problem, they are a physical state.  Menopause has no association with depression, anxiety, or any other psychological disorder.
• About 1/3 of women will have significant vaginal dryness
• A small % of women will have:
•  Urinary tract problems
• Problems sleeping that are unrelated to night sweats
• Sexual satisfaction dips for some women and increases for others
• The following symptoms are NOT symptoms of menopause, they are symptoms of decay, which is preventable with vigorous daily exercise and a reasonable diet:
• Depression
• Weight gain
• Mental slowing
• Sleep troubles
• Joint problems
• Fatigue
• Anxiety

To sum it up, there are real symptoms of menopause that can be very uncomfortable for many women and that can last for several years.  For some women, estrogen replacement therapy is a viable alternative, but it comes with risks.  Before opting for hormone therapy Harry recommends learning as much as you can about the benefits and risks so you can make an informed decision. 

For most women, the symptoms of menopause can be reduced and can be manageable with exercise and diet.  And for all of those other symptoms we like to blame on menopause like depression, weight gain, fatigue, mental slowing, sleep troubles, joint problems, and anxiety...well...we have to stop blaming those symptoms on something we can't control, because we can stop or significantly alleviate those symptoms with exercise and diet.  Stop the decay, start the rebuilding.  Start exercising every single day and do it for the rest of your life.  It is the best pill you could possibly take.