Let's Start with the Noise Spend five minutes on the internet and you’ll run into it: the loud, confident opinions about what peri/menopausal women should be doing. Some swear by clean eating and Pilates. Others claim HRT is the only solution worth considering. And a whole subset of wellness influencers are out here preaching that you just need to "think more positively" and your hormones will magically balance themselves. (Spoiler: they won't.)
Here’s the truth that doesn’t get enough airtime: supporting yourself through menopause is rarely an either/or decision. It’s an AND.
Nutrition AND hormone therapy. Strength training AND more rest. Mindset shifts AND actual medical care.
The Problem with Oversimplified Advice Let’s call it what it is: a lot of the "advice" floating around is either out of touch, lacking nuance, or unintentionally shaming.
Take this gem I saw recently: "Food and exercise are the first line of defense. If you can’t be bothered to eat right or move your body, don’t complain about your symptoms."
Yikes. That kind of energy isn’t advocacy and the women reading it are likely going to feel a lot of shame while drinking that awful tasting green smoothie someone posted a recipe for on social media.
There’s also the whole vibe of: "If you take HRT, you're not doing it naturally." As if using a medically-supported option makes you less resilient, less empowered, or somehow cheating. (It doesn’t. At all.)
Here’s what actually helps: A hybrid approach that honors the full scope of what your body is going through.
What Nutrition and Movement Can Do Let’s start with what movement and nutrition can do, because they absolutely matter:
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Build and preserve muscle mass, especially as estrogen drops
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Support insulin sensitivity and metabolic health
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Improve mood and energy
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Help with sleep quality
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Reduce inflammation
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Boost confidence and sense of agency
In fact, these are foundational tools in my work as a coach. I help athletes adjust their training and fueling so they feel strong, not drained. But even with a dialed-in nutrition plan and a solid strength routine, many women still struggle with symptoms like fatigue, hot flashes, insomnia, vaginal dryness, and brain fog.
That’s not a sign of failure. That’s your body saying: "Hey, something’s missing here."
What Hormone Therapy Can Do This is where HRT (hormone replacement therapy) often steps in. And for many of us—especially those of us in surgical menopause, medically-induced menopause, or entering it early due to illness—it’s not a "nice to have." It’s essential.
HRT can:
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Replenish missing estrogen and/or progesterone
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Help reduce the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease
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Improve sleep, cognition, and mood
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Address genitourinary symptoms (the stuff no one talks about enough)
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Actually give you the bandwidth to use all those nutrition and training tools more effectively
And here’s the nuance: not everyone can or wants to use HRT—and that’s valid too. But dismissing it as unnecessary or optional for everyone is where things go sideways.
The Power of AND I’m in surgical menopause. I strength train regularly. I prioritize protein, carbs, hydration, and recovery. I take my mindset seriously. And I’m also on HRT.
Because all of these things together support my health, performance, and quality of life. Not one of them alone.
And I coach women who:
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Train consistently but still need HRT to manage brain fog
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Use HRT and still have to work on dialing in their nutrition
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Can’t use HRT due to medical reasons and rely on every other tool we can bring in to support them
This is what real support looks like: personalization, nuance, options, and respect for the complex experience of menopause.
Empowerment Means Choice If you take nothing else from this, let it be this:
Empowerment isn’t found in doing things "naturally" or "gritting it out." It’s in having access to choices, information, and tools that actually help you thrive.
We need to move beyond these rigid takes and start supporting each other with a lot more curiosity and a lot less judgment.
Menopause isn’t a one-lane road. Let’s stop acting like there’s only one right way to navigate it.
If you’re looking for coaching that respects both science and your lived experience, check out my Mastering Menopause Guide or reach out to talk about coaching options. You don’t have to figure it all out alone—and you don’t have to choose between your tools. You can use them all.