Guest post

Fun fact about the women on the Asian side of my family: my mom/aunt/grandma are obsessed with death. And I know that sounds super morbid, but they talk about it in almost a comical way. Saturday night dinners at my obachan’s house are spent with the women clucking like chickens about wanting their grave to have an ocean view, what songs they want played at their funerals (my mom’s choice is Somewhere Over the Rainbow, because I’m sure all of you guys are dying (see what I did there?) to know), and what they want us to do with their ashes (I want you to carry me everywhere you go and have me perched by the living room…. They joke).

Another topic they LOVE to talk about? Menopause. And hormones. My mom loves to remind me that it’s still possible for me to be an older sister *shudder*.

However, they aren’t always too up to date on their facts, which is why this guest post is definitely something that they could find useful!

Source

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and I received compensation by the author.

Understanding Menopause and Testosterone
Hormonal balance is vital to physical and emotional health. This concept is considered ‘gender neutral’, but the perception changes when discussing certain hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen.
Estrogen is viewed as a staple of femininity, while testosterone signifies masculine traits. Although men and women produce different amounts of these hormones, each is present in the bodies of both sexes.

Causes of Low Testosterone during Menopause:
Aging:
The aging process is the most common cause of low testosterone in women and men. Testosterone levels in women can begin drop in pre menopause years and accelerate after age 40.

Ovarian Surgery:
Most female testosterone is produced in the ovaries. Women of all ages who have had their ovaries removed are prone to low T.

Stress and Lifestyle:

Cortisol is a stress hormone that can lower T production. Menopausal women with excess stress may see faster drops in testosterone.

Effects and Treatments of Low Testosterone during Menopause:
For women, menopausal systems can include depression, lower energy and reduced sexual desire. Aside from personal effects, menopause can take a toll on relationships.

Sexual Desire and Pleasure:
Menopausal treatments often focus on treating physical symptoms, such as dryness or hot flashes. Unfortunately, estrogen and progesterone do little to restore libido that suffers from menopause. Prescriptions that replace these hormones but do not address low T can increase imbalances.
Low T is most correlated with drops in sexual energy and enjoyment. Testosterone is helpful to restoring sensation in the nipples and clitoris for sexual arousal. By doing so, an increase in female orgasms could also result.

Relationships:
Beyond personal effects, menopause can take a toll on relationships. This most applies to physical and emotional intimacy. Hormone balances affect mood and energy. Spouses may feel neglected by emotional distance that stems from disinterest or depression.
A lack of sexual desire often makes a partner feel unattractive or inadequate. Testosterone contributes to the libido and energy that can revitalize relationships.

Body Composition:
Women of all fitness levels can experience changes in body composition during menopause. Those with typically active lifestyles may notice declines in endurance and drops in strength. Women during menopause could have reduced results from workout routines.
Despite intense workouts, rises in underarm fat and drops in muscle tone may affect self-image. Testosterone is crucial to building lean muscle mass and reducing body fat. The effects beyond appearance also raise health concerns for women with low T.
Bone strength may decline with age and increase the risk of osteoporosis. Testosterone strengthens bones to reduce the threat of breaks.

Treating Low Testosterone during Menopause:
Changes to hormone levels are unique and determine the extent of testosterone replacement for each woman. Hormone replacement therapy is frequently used during menopause. Therapies may add testosterone to estrogen replacement for otherwise healthy women. Women who have had their ovaries removed may require special considerations.
Since men produce T in greater amounts, many males turn to testosterone boosters during ‘manopause’. The female body produces much smaller portions, so women must use discretion in choosing testosterone supplements and dosages.
Considerations:
Working with a medical professional is advised to ensure effective results. It is important to customize testosterone therapy in women. Despite body and mind benefits, excess testosterone can negatively affect female health during menopause or other life stages.
Oral T supplements may cause drops in HDL cholesterol that offset heart benefits from replacing estrogen. Taking too much testosterone may also result in masculine effects for some women.

Hey everyone! Happy 4th of July! I’m taking a short trip up to Santa Barbara with Kyle for a friend’s party and won’t be able to post for a couple of days. I’m so excited that Beth from Mangoes and Miles accepted when I asked her to write a guest post! She’s an AWESOME blogger and has such a unique and enjoyable writing style and takes amazing pictures to boot. I look forward to reading her posts immensely every day! Head on over to her blog if you don’t follow her already, I promise you’ll love her as much as I do!

Hey guys! I’m Beth from Mangoes and Miles, where I talk about food, running, my adorable puppy, and my (dreadfully boring) life in general. I’m a daily ~~stalker~~ reader of Christine’s blog—I love her upbeat attitude, her California adventures, and she and Kyle are just the cutest things. (Amirite?)

So when Christine asked me to write a guest post, I was the happiest little clam. She’s been wanting to run a half marathon for a while now, but hasn’t quite mustered the courage. I’m hoping that I can nudge her a little in the right direction through this post. 😉

In March of this year, I decided I wanted to run a half marathon. I’m not really sure why; I didn’t really like running prior to it (although I did it every now and then for kicks and giggles), but I wanted to give myself a performance-based workout goal to motivate me to get off my butt and do something.

I trained diligently above and beyond what my schedule called for the first seven and a half weeks of my training, and then I didn’t run at all the last two and a half weeks…and I almost didn’t even run my half. I was tired, overtrained, and burnt out.

Thankfully, I did finish, I enjoyed myself immensely (though I was cursing myself at mile 9), and it made me realize how much I truly love running. (I’m now registered for two more halves and planning on my first marathon in May next year!)

But there were a few things that I wish I knew before I started training, and I’m here today to share them with you so that you don’t end up like me.

1. Build up some kind of endurance base before you start training.

When I first started training, I had only been running about 2 miles every other week. Not exactly in the best shape. Attempting to move from that to the training weekly mileage was a strugglefest.

Most plans start with the weekly mileage in the teens, and it’s very, very hard to do that week after week (and keep building on that!) if you haven’t trained your body for it. (Yes, you may need to train your body to train.)

2. Stick to your plan.

I never thought a two mile run was a “real” run. And I wanted to push my long runs, so I would add a mile here and there on those. Those extra miles quickly added up, and ended in plantar fasciitis (inflammation in the heel) and a few hip injuries.

Once you decide on a training plan, stick to it. It’ll be really tempting to try to push your mileage one, two, three miles every run, but don’t. Adding too many miles too quickly will lead to overuse injuries, and possibly even sideline you for your race—and that would just be a bummer.

3. Get decent shoes—or even better, get fitted for shoes.

The one thing I think is an absolute necessity for any runner is a good pair of shoes. Any quality running store will analyze your gait and fit you for free. I started off running in Nike Free 3.0’s, which, while they have their uses, are not meant for long distance running.

Trust me on this one, the investment you make now will pay off later when your feet and legs are happy and well-supported.

4. Every run doesn’t have to be at breakneck speed.

Until very recently, I always had the mentality that I would need to run faster than the day before, and if I didn’t, it was a terrible run. But, just like adding miles too quickly, this can easily lead to burn out and injuries.

Your body needs rest. It can’t function at its maximum effort, day in and day out, for weeks on end without any sacrifices.

Now, almost all of my runs are at a comfortable pace, enough that I have to work to maintain it, but not to the point where I’m breathing heavily—or even audibly. Not only does my body feel much better, but I enjoy my runs a lot more, too. And then when it comes to speedwork days? I end up running much faster than I ever thought I could.

5. A little anxiety is natural.

Full confession: part of the reason I didn’t want to run my race anymore was because I didn’t know if I could finish. What if I didn’t? What would my parents, my friends, think of me?

The truth is, if you’ve put in the work, you will finish. Even if you have to walk. (I had to walk. There’s no shame in it.)

So get your butt out there, get your runs in, believe in yourself, and have the time of your life. The feeling of crossing that finish line after 13.1 hard-fought miles is so incomparable to anything I’ve ever felt before. It’s so worth every hard run, every moment of self-doubt, every early morning. It’s a feeling I wouldn’t trade for anything else.