Struggling With Menopause Symptoms? 8 Smart Health Moves for Grand Rapids Women

May is Women’s Health Month. It’s an especially meaningful time at GenAge Center, a medical practice serving the Grand Rapids Area, because we specialize in helping midlife women with their health – including menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, fatigue, brain fog or weight gain. We help women with proven strategies like hormone therapy, targeted nutrition and fitness, and diagnostic testing. Sadly, a 2024 Gallup poll revealed that 63% of women find themselves too busy to prioritize their own health and that 72% of women feel overwhelmed by it.1

But there’s no need to feel overwhelmed. Just Women in Ada, Grand Rapids, and West Michigan can apply the GenAge approach, which we call the eight smartest moves for women’s health:

1. Love yourself. Women, including those who are in perimenopause or menopause, face tremendous pressure from society and social media. Resist those expectations and feel positive about who you are, where want your health to be, and how you will get there.

2. Optimize your hormones. Hormones – especially cortisol, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone & thyroid – really drive you, so take action to fight hormonal imbalance. The goal is to to keep them in not just the so-called normal range, but in the range that’s optimal for you. Optimizing your hormones can help with menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes, sleep disturbances,  mood swings, libido changes, brain fog, and weight gain.

3. Take your vitamins. Vitamins – especially magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins B12 & D – support your most critical functions, so keep them at optimal levels through nutritional intake or medical-grade supplements.

4. Muscle up. Experts agree that lifting weights and consuming protein is not just for men – women also need muscle mass and strength. And remember, gaining muscle will help you lose fat, but not the reverse.

5. Eat up. Starving yourself to lose weight is counterproductive. It also ignores your body’s changing nutritional needs, which change during ages 40-60. Give your body the fuel it needs to feel and look how you want for the long term.

6. Sleep. Sleep affects everything – not only how energetic and mentally sharp you are, but also how you look, feel and eat. It even hurts your hormonal balance. Give yourself the opportunity to get 8 hours of good sleep.

7. Stress Well. Everyone faces stressful situations, and most view stress as negative. But the latest research shows that a positive, mindful attitude about stress can improve your cognition, bodily functions and your success & happiness.

8. Know your levels. Demystify and dial in your health and wellness by tracking a few especially important metrics – like key hormones (estrogen and progesterone levels) and micronutrients – and knowing the levels where you feel and perform at your best.

This May – Women’s Health Month – is the perfect time to start taking action in these eight areas to improve your health and wellness. Want helpReady to take control of your menopause symptoms? GenAge Center offers hormone therapy and personalized health plans for midlife women in Grand Rapids. Visit GenAge Center online at GenAgeCenter.com, in-person at 6745 Fulton Street East in Ada/Grand Rapids, or call us at 616-737-1710 to tell us about yourself and learn how we can help.

1 Fioroni, S., Majority of U.S. Women Struggle to Prioritize Health, Gallup Inc, July 9, 2024.

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Dr. Hyung Kim is a devoted family man, former hospital system president, and a physician at GenAge Center, a medical practice specializing in longevity, health and wellness. He is triple board-certified by the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Board of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, and the American Board of Internal Medicine. His M.D. is from Johns Hopkins, and his M.B.A. from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!).