Midlife Health and Wellness in 2026: Navigating the Overwhelm

You may have noticed a theme this month with the Midlife with Courage™ Podcast. All my guests talked about their stories plus different aspects of health for midlife women. I talked with Sharon Neilson about insulin resistance, Michele Folan about building strength and Anne Poirier about body neutrality. These are just a few topics that we as midlife women should be knowledgeable about.

Does it feel overwhelming?

Many of us are navigating life with so many changes happening it's hard to keep track. Kids leaving, jobs/careers changing, relationships evolving, parents aging and oh yes, let's throw in perimenopause on top of it. I feel like I woke up one day and overnight I had all of this belly fat that was not there before. And don't get me started about the mood swings.

Sound familiar?

Some days it feels easier to just go with it, shut up and suffer because trying to feel better sounds like a lot of work.

Based on my conversations with women who help, it IS a lot of work AND it is worth it.

Instead of focusing on the overwhelm, I am making baby steps in the areas that feel most aligned with me. Maybe what I am doing will help you or maybe it will spark some ideas that you can try.

My three areas that are getting my attention right now: eating better, supplements and moving.

Eating better

Of those three, eating better is really difficult. I want to eat more fruits and vegetables and less carbs, more fiber and protein. Getting fresh fruits and vegetables in the winter in Wisconsin is not always easy (or inexpensive) so frozen is my go-to. I eat blueberries every morning and try to get an apple or orange in too. (I know that's not enough but it's a start.) Protein is tricky too, we need to consume 90-100 grams of protein every day so I add a little protein powder to my coffee in the morning and choose foods higher in protein whenever possible. Paying attention to labels has helped me increase my protein intake.

Supplements

Taking supplements should be done after consulting with a healthcare provider, especially if you have any underlying conditions or illness. (And just to be clear, I am not recommending or prescribing any of these directly to you. This is for informational purposes only through sharing what is working for me at this moment.)

I have found that Estroven™ which is an over-the-counter supplement for women, is very helpful for my peri-menopause symptoms. My hot flashes have greatly subsided and my mood is more stabilized. This product contains rhubarb root extract and it does take awhile for it to take effect-the package says up to 30 days but I found I felt better within a week or two. I ran out of it over the holidays and a few days later I was feeling those power surges (hot flashes) again in full force so I decided to never run out again.

I also take Vitamin D, Magnesium Glycinate and l-Theonine specifically for peri-menopausal fun.

Speaking of fun, I have also learned that acid reflux can get worse in peri-menopause which explains a lot. I did a little research which included asking an herbalist for suggestions and found another supplement that has been helping in that area too.

Move

Now to the moving part of my health focus. This means that I need to move my body more in case you were wondering. It is way too easy to sit on the couch with my laptop and work.

So what has made me start moving again? You will need to wait to hear more details in my upcoming podcast episode that drops on 1/27/26, but let's just say I had an "aha" moment. A-gasping-for-breath-I-think-I'm-going-to-die-aha-moment.

Anyway...I decided that signing up for a gym membership was not going to work for me, that involves going out of the house and driving somewhere and it costs money. So I did the next best thing and asked my friend "chat" to help me. I told chatgpt what exercise equipment I have, how long I want to workout and my goals and it spit out a weekly exercise routine that I can repeat every week. It started out simple and easy and I have been adding weight and reps to my regimen as I feel stronger and it gets easier. I can tell you that I feel good about this and it only takes me about 15-20 minutes a day.

Now I realize that AI is not the best resource for exercise and movement so this is my plan: I need to prove that I will make this a habit and then invest in some sort of program with a real person who will help me. I am giving myself 90 days and when I keep this up and progress with more weights and reps then I know I am in it for the long haul.

So far, things are going great, I have not skipped any days although I did switch a couple because of my schedule and it was still ok. I am also telling a lot of people about this to help me be accountable so if you see me in-person in the next few weeks, ask me about it. I need the accountability.

What are you doing to help yourself feel better?

If you want some help through connecting with other women who are going through this journey too, come to my Skool Midlife with Courage™ community. It's a great place to chat with other women and learn more about how to care for yourself when everything feels so overwhelming. It's free to join and there are no annoying ads or algorithms. You can participate by commenting or posting, taking a course or two or just watch and read what others are saying, whatever you feel is right for you is OK with me.

Until next time, take care of your beautiful self.

~Kim~