Today’s episode is for any woman who feels like perimenopause has hijacked their mind, body, and spirit. Between sleepless nights, weight gain, brain fog, mood swings, hot flashes, and the list goes on you’ve been feeling helpless and out of control. Maybe you’ve tried all the diets, intense workouts, and quick fixes, but nothing seems to work anymore. Or maybe you’re entering the new year afraid to set goals because you’re worried about failing again. You can regain control! I’m going to break it down for you in today’s episode so you can step into 2025 with the tools you need to navigate this stage of life with clarity and dare I say confidence. Tune in here!
Regain Control Today
Welcome to Small Daily Habits, the podcast that focuses on creating small, sustainable habits that fit into your busy lifestyle. I’m Christine, your host and certified menopause coach. Today I’m here to help you ditch the old way of thinking and give you the tools you need to reclaim your energy, lose stubborn belly fat once and for all, so you can get back to feeling like yourself again.
By the end of this episode, you’ll learn my blueprint for creating goals that work with your body and fit seamlessly into your busy lifestyle. And if you still have questions or just need some accountability, join me for a live 30 minute Thrive in 25 Webinar where we workshop the strategies we’re going to talk about in today’s episode.
Why Traditional Goals Don’t Work in Perimenopause
- Symptoms like brain fog, mood swings, stubborn weight gain, and fatigue can make sticking to big goals feel impossible. That’s because you are focused on outcomes instead of taking good care of yourself daily and listening to what your body needs.
- Common goals like “lose 20 pounds” or “workout more” often fail because they don’t account for the changes your body is experiencing at this stage in life. They feel daunting amongst all the symptoms you are experiencing. AND they don’t provide a clear plan, so you end up spinning your wheels and burning out.
- This leads to feelings of constant failure and not being “good enough” which only adds to the overwhelm.
The truth? It’s not your fault!
Goal setting is often approached using outdated methods. Perimenopause is a stage in life that requires new strategies that focus on building habits designed for your changing body.
What Are YOUR Goals?
Perimenopause and beyond is a very unique experience for each woman. Knowing your specific symptoms and goals at each stage is important because no two women will have the exact same experience. However, there are a few general things to consider when setting out to make changes that last AND support your current needs.
- Focus on daily actions that align with your unique needs, rather than an end result that you desire.
- Instead of setting a goal to lose weight you can set a goal to eat a protein-rich breakfast to start your day with food that energizes, keeps you full, and reduces cravings. This will definitely help you lose weight; however, the difference lies in the clear action you need to perform daily to get you there. Once eating a protein-rich breakfast feels achievable on a daily basis you can add something like add more protein to my lunch, then dinner. Before you know it, you will have lost that 20 pounds you set out to lose.
- Habit based goals create consistency. They also help you manage perimenopausal symptoms like mid-day energy drops, mood swings, and weight gain. Losing 20 pounds might have you exercising more intensely and restricting calories. That is not what your body needs right now during this menopause transition.
Key Mindset Shift:
Focus on habits that support your body’s continued health. NOT on results like the number on the scale or the size of your clothes.
Why This Works in Perimenopause
- Adapts to Your Changing Needs: Small, sustainable habits give you the flexibility to adjust as your symptoms and needs change.
- Rebuilds Confidence: Goals that focus on what you can do each day, create consistent small wins that restore your sense of control as well as confidence.
- Supports Your Hormones: Habits like balanced eating, gentle movement, and sleep hygiene directly impact how you feel day to day and keep your hormones happy which in turn helps you stay motivated toward your ultimate goal.
How to Set Goals for Perimenopause
There is A LOT going on in perimenopause to the tune of 45ish symptoms affecting things from the top of our heads like hair loss to the tips of our toes with bone density and joint pain. You CANNOT focus on all of them at once. It’s impossible to be successful that way. So, here’s what I recommend.
1. Identify Your Biggest Pain Points
Are you struggling most with sleep, energy, focus, mood, or something else entirely? Choose ONE to prioritize. When that one is under control you can move on to the next most important one on the list. If it helps, list all the symptoms you currently have and prioritize them so you know the order in which you will be tackling them.
2. Choose 1–2 Small Habits to Support a Solution to that Pain Point
- For better sleep: Create a calming bedtime routine with herbal tea, a relaxing bath, or some reading time to unplug from electronics and start to prepare the body for rest.
- More energy: Move for 10 minutes first thing each morning to jumpstart your day.
- Improved mood: Add protein and healthy fats to every meal to balance your blood sugar and keep you full longer.
3. Track Progress, Not Perfection:
Celebrate every small step you take, whether it’s a walk around the block or prepping one balanced meal. Each healthy thing you do in a day counts. Some days will be better than others. We are human after all. Life happens, and you will get through it. Be kind to yourself and celebrate small wins along the way.
4. Adjust as Needed:
If something feels too hard, it’s okay to scale back. The key is consistency over time. If it’s too hard you will eventually quit so back off a bit, then when it feels easy you can adjust accordingly. Ditch that “all or nothing” mindset. Something is always better than nothing even if today that means taking a nap to catch up on sleep. Rest is important too.
Why You’ve Struggled Before
- You’ve been trying to push through symptoms or worse ignoring them instead of working with your body and figuring out new solutions.
- You’ve been stuck in the all-or-nothing mindset, where one “off day” feels like failure and you end up quitting. Make habits easy at first and when you can show up consistently make them more challenging until you reach your ultimate goal.
Here’s the good news: Habit based goals like we have been discussing today help you focus on what’s possible with small consistent effort. This in turn creates a clear action plan that works with your body and busy life—not against it. It also creates confidence in your ability to keep showing up.
What Goals Are You Setting to Thrive in 2025?
If you’ve been feeling helpless in perimenopause and beyond, I want you to know that you do NOT have to stay stuck. I am here to be your guide. It’s not about trying harder; it’s about working smarter by focusing on habits that support your body through this stage in life.
That’s exactly what I’ll be discussing in my free 30-minute Thrive in 25 webinar taking place on Sun Jan 5th at 8am and 1pm.
In this webinar, I’ll walk you through a proven method for tackling your biggest health goals in 2025. Whether that be to sleep better, feel happier, or lose that stubborn weight once and for all. You’ll leave with a clear action plan to take control of your perimenopause symptoms so you can thrive in 2025.
Sign up today—it’s only 30 minutes and it’s completely free! Can’t make the times? Register anyway and I will send you the replay.
As always thank you for tuning in to today’s episode of Small Daily Habits. If this topic resonated with you, please share it with a friend who’s also navigating perimenopause and feeling lost and out of control. Don’t forget to follow so you never miss an episode.
Remember, BIG changes, begin with Small Daily Habits. Happy New Year! Until next time….
Missed last week’s episode with my friend and mental help therapist Katie Myers? Tune in to New Year, New Mindset: Tips from a Mental Health Therapist here and check out the show notes here.
Wishing you the very best in 2025,
Christine
