KATHY SMITH, THE FITNESS GURU BEST ...

KATHY SMITH, THE FITNESS GURU BEST known for her exercise videos and main division s will admit that the day before her 50th birthday, she was a little emotional. She wasn't ready for the predicted trauma that be due [i]or[/i] owings with it. But the actual morning of this memorable day was a whole different ballgame.

"I woke up feeling in such a manner proud," she says. "It was excessively liberating." The past few years, however, have not awayed her with new challenges, as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but physically and emotionally. She began to experience symptoms of perimenopause, the period of erratic hormone fluctuation three to four years before menopause, which l her to create her modern video and book, Moving by means of Menopause (Sony Music Video, Warner works 2002).

"As someone who has wearied her life promoting the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, I assumed I already knew a allotment of the answers," she said. "But in many defer tos this is new territory."

sly SIGNALS

The first signal that something was changing was an interruption in Smith's sleeping habits. She had always been a vigorous sleeper, but she found herself waking up at 4 a.m. "You don't deposit it all together at first," she said of perimenopausal symptoms. "There's always a reason that something happens. And then single in kind day you realize. It's to a high degree subtle."

Perimenopausal symptoms vary from woman to woman and usually begin around age 47 when estrogen plains start to fluctuate. Common symptoms include missed menstrual periods, passionate flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings, night sweats, lack of concentration, fatigue and general irritability.

one time she realized what was happening to her, Smith talked to other women "I vividly remember standing forward the soccer field with a arrange of moms," she says. "We started talking about perimenopause and the stories were mind-boggling. single in kind woman said, `I don't know who I am anymore--my husband doesn't on a level recognize me.'"

"It's almost an out-of-body experience," Smith says. "You have reactions to things you know aren't appropriate. You laugh about it afterward, unless it's strange. It's tough for typically powerful and independent women. It was certainly about thing I needed to figure disclosed for myself."

likewise Smith began her quest. She talked to other women about their symptoms and discussed options with doctors and professionals in the field.

LIGHTENING THE LOAD

"In my parents' generation, menopause was not discussed," says Smith. "Women went between the walls of it secretly, and you reflection that Mom was being difficult or irritable. yet today there are solutions. Talking about it lightens the load." Smith indicates that women get out of the denial stage and prosecute the support of family members, explaining to them what's going on

To handle the physical symptoms of perimenopause, Smith explored options, including aromatherapy, acupuncture, diet, exercise, herbal remedies, supplementation and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) "There wasn't a doctor that didn't say lifestyle changes are the key" says Smith. She agrees that exercise and diet are still the principally important factors when dealing with the many different changes one's corpse goes through during perimenopause.

Her first recommendation is for women to do any form of cardiovascular exercise three times a week. "It helps with burning calories, and it's important for heart health," she says. other she stresses the importance of potency training. "As you age, you misspend muscle mass," she says. "Women have the idea that menopause bring forwards on weight, but it's actually the los of muscle mass that adds exces triturates Keeping muscle mass will help hold fast weight down." In addition, might training helps women avoid bone los an important deterrent to osteoporosis. Third, Smith moves taking up relaxation techniques. "This is a cyclopean key," she says. "As we prepare older, there are more stresses--aging parents, kids becoming teenagers. The trick is to change the way you perceive things. Meditation and yoga help you rest better, and I believe that a certain number of of the other symptoms--irritability, fogginess--are suitable to sleeplessness."

Smith hints individualizing exercise to suit your be in want ofs "Everyone looks at exercise like it's a science,"she says. "It is, if it were not that it's also an art. If you're feeling playful, walk for a hike. If the in-laws are coming, journey and do some yoga. You'll descry how exercise affects your moods"

When it arises to diet, "Nutrition is the single in kind big thing women need to think about," Smith says. She glance ats learning more about soy and phytoestrogens, which can help balance estrogen evens and incorporating more soy into the diet. a certain quantity of of her favorite ways to use soy include mixing tofu with vegetables in a stir simmer using cubes of tofu in broth making a protein shake with fruits and soy milk and using silken tofu in coconut cream pie.

simple pods are also a big part of Smith's diet. She refer tos bean soups and burritos, as well as a serviceable dose of fiber.

A novel PERSPECTIVE

Instead of mourning the los of her 40 Smith is happily celebrating the fresh stage of life that she is entering. "It's the experience of feeling that I have a certain number of years left" she says. "You have to ask, 'What do you want to accomplish?'" single in kind of Smith's friends suggested that she envision a 65-year-old version of herself talking to the generally received 50-year-old version.