If you’ve been feeling like your body has changed overnight, you’re not imagining it. For me this happened the minute I turned 40, but for you it may be a little earlier or a little later (perimenopause can start as early as your late 30s to late 40s and go on for way too long… or about 10 years to be more specific).
Perimenopause can bring shifts in your hormones, energy, sleep, mood (apologies to our loved ones!), digestion, and even the way your body responds to the habits that used to work. It’s no wonder so many women feel frustrated or wonder where to start!
The good news? You don’t need to overhaul your entire life to feel better. Unless you want to. In which case, consider this your permission to quit your job and move across the world to open a wee little coffee shop or bookstore (or coffee shop in a bookstore… not me manifesting anything with this… midlife crisis anyone?)
Ok, but in all seriousness, small, consistent changes are often the ones that make the biggest difference. Here are 10 simple habits that can support your health without adding more stress to your already full plate (and without having to move across the world to start over).
(Includes the odd Amazon affiliate link, because coffee and books don’t buy themselves you know).
1. Prioritize Protein at Every Meal
Protein helps support muscle, keeps you fuller for longer, and can help stabilize energy throughout the day. Try including a source of protein at each meal, whether it’s eggs, Greek yoghurt, chicken, fish, tofu, beans, or cottage cheese. This does not mean that you have to make getting enough protein a full time job, just start with incorporating a little bit more than you are currently eating if you think you aren’t getting enough. For those of you that love math, aim for 30g of protein per meal. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Consistency matters more than hitting an exact target every time.
2. Drink More Water
Even mild dehydration can leave you feeling tired, headachy, or less focused. Before reaching for another coffee (and I’m pointing a finger at myself here), pause and ask whether you’ve had enough water today.
Keep it simple: have water nearby, drink regularly throughout the day, and remember that foods and other beverages also contribute to your fluid intake. Just watch your sugar intake with those.
After a particularly sweaty workout, on a very hot day, or when you’ve lost fluids through illness, adding trace elements may be helpful. But for everyday hydration, plain water usually does the job just fine. Grab yourself a cute spill proof water bottle that you can throw in your bag to take with you everywhere. My favourite emotional support water bottle has a straw, because I’m a toddler and I drink more that way.
3. Take a 10-Minute Walk
Movement doesn’t have to be intense to be effective. A short walk after meals or during your lunch break can boost energy, help stabilize blood sugar, improve digestion, reduce stress, and support overall health. If you don’t have 10 minutes, do a few body squats or jumping jacks after meals… and if you don’t want to look like a crazy person at work, go take the stairs.
4. Focus on Fibre
While protein gets a lot of attention (and for good reason!), fibre deserves just as much love. Fibre supports gut health, helps keep you feeling full, stabilizes blood sugar, and feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut, all of which play an important role in your overall health.
There are two main types of fibre:
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- Soluble fibre dissolves in water and forms a gel-like substance in your digestive tract. It can help lower cholesterol, support healthy blood sugar levels, and keep you feeling satisfied. You’ll find it in foods like oats, barley, beans, lentils, apples, pears, berries, chia seeds, and flaxseed.
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- Insoluble fibre adds bulk to your stool and helps keep things moving through your digestive system. It’s found in vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and the skins of many fruits.
If you tend to be a “volume eater” (someone who likes a full plate to feel satisfied) fibre is your friend. Fill at least half your plate with colourful vegetables, pair them with a good source of protein, and add whole grains or legumes when you can.
Here’s something that often surprises people: 2 cups of iceberg lettuce contain only about 1 gram of fibre, while 1 cup of raspberries has around 8 grams, ½ cup of black beans provides about 7–8 grams, and 1 medium pear has about 5–6 grams.
Lettuce absolutely has a place in a healthy diet, but if your goal is to increase your fibre intake, think beyond salads. Adding beans to soups, berries to your breakfast, or lentils to pasta sauce can make a much bigger impact.
Aim to include a variety of fibre-rich foods throughout the day; your gut (and the rest of your body) will thank you.
5. Protect Your Sleep
Sleep affects everything from your mood and appetite to your energy, focus, and overall well-being. Aim for a fairly consistent bedtime (not so easy if you’re a shift worker like me, but do your best), and create a calming evening routine, even if it’s just 20 minutes of winding down.
And please don’t hate me for this, but it may be time to put the electronics away before bed. Bright screens and stimulating content can make it harder for your brain to recognize that it’s time to rest, especially if you’re answering emails, scrolling the news, or getting pulled into something stressful.
Try giving yourself a screen-free buffer before bed, even if a full hour doesn’t feel realistic yet. Dim the lights, read a few pages of a book, journal, stretch, or make a cup of tea. The goal isn’t a perfect nighttime routine, it’s simply to help your body shift out of “go mode” and into rest. One of my now favourites (and something I actually fought for a while) is guided meditation. I use the free app called Insight Timer and have a couple favourite Yoga Nidra meditations that I cycle through. Some nights I’m sound asleep in as little as 5min into the meditation. This is also where supplements really come in handy too, my favourite are magnesium bisglycinate and l-theanine. You can also speak with your health care provider to see if starting progesterone therapy is right for you.
Getting outside even if it’s for 10 minutes at various parts of the day especially early morning and early evening helps with your cortisol/melatonin production as well. Go take your morning coffee out on the porch, and an evening walk after dinner:)
6. Stop Chasing Perfection
One healthy meal won’t transform your health, just as that one indulgent meal won’t undo all your progress. What matters most is what you do consistently, not what happens occasionally.
Start with one small change and give yourself time to practice it before adding another. Over time, those small shifts begin to feel natural and gradually become part of how you live.
You don’t need to change everything at once. You just need to keep building, one habit at a time.
7. Learn to Manage Stress
Stress is part of life, in fact, some stress can actually be good for you, but chronic stress can affect your sleep, digestion, hormones, and overall well-being. Deep breathing, stretching, journaling, time outdoors, or simply taking a few quiet minutes each day can help.
In fact, if you are going to start making changes, start here. Do an honest inventory of where stress is showing up in your life (it could even be something like too much HIIT training!), and see if you can slow it down a little bit, delegate some of the stressful tasks, switch out one intense workout a week for yoga…whatever you can do to decrease your cortisol even just a little bit. If you need a bit of extra support, Ashwagandha may help, but use only as an adjunct to other stress managing strategies.
8. Strengthen Your Body
Strength training isn’t just about building muscle, it’s about supporting healthy aging, protecting bone health, improving balance, and helping you stay active for years to come. You don’t have to get a gym membership if time and money is a constraint though. You can find used free weights on Facebook marketplace for cheap, or even body weight exercises count. My favourite app FitOn is free, or you can get the premium version for $45/year. If all you have is 10min, you can search for quick workouts and focus on one particular area such as upper body.
9. Be Kind to Yourself
Your body is changing, and that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Midlife isn’t about trying to get back to who you were 20 years ago, it’s about learning what your body needs now in this season.
Instead of fighting against those changes, try getting curious about them. Your body may be asking for more rest, more protein, more strength training, or simply a little more grace.
This season of life isn’t about striving for perfection or chasing a younger version of yourself. It’s about supporting the woman you are today so you can feel strong, healthy, and confident for the years ahead. And hey, this is the perfect opportunity for a new wardrobe!
10. Don’t Try to Do It Alone
One of the biggest predictors of success isn’t finding the perfect diet or exercise plan, it’s having support. Whether it’s a coach, a friend, or a community of women who understand what you’re going through, support makes healthy habits easier to maintain.
And yes, I’ve got you. Whether you’re looking for personalized 1:1 coaching or the encouragement of a supportive community, there’s an option to help you move forward in a way that feels right for you. Read more about that here.
Final Thoughts
If you’re already juggling work, family, and everything else life throws at you, remember this: your wellness journey shouldn’t become another source of pressure.
Choose one small change from this list and focus on it this week. Once it feels natural, add another. Small steps really do add up, and over time they can make a remarkable difference in how you feel.
Midlife isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters most, and doing it consistently.