Why Perimenopause is Like a Wombat
Why Perimenopause Is Like a Wombat
She's muscular, metabolically clever and doesn't give a fuck about your plans.
If you've ever been camping in Australia and encountered a wombat, you'll know one thing.
Wombats don't give a fuck.
They want your food? They'll help themselves. Your tent's in the way? They'll rearrange it. Something interesting in your rubbish bin? They'll knock it over and investigate.
Put something in their path and they'll go straight through it.
They're basically furry little bulldozers with absolutely no interest in your personal boundaries.
Which brings me to perimenopause.
Because I reckon perimenopause is a wombat.
Meet your hormonal wombat
For years, your hormones have been operating with a reasonably predictable rhythm. Sure, there have been ups and downs, but you've generally known what to expect.
Then perimenopause arrives.
Oestrogen starts fluctuating. Progesterone becomes less predictable as ovulation changes. Sleep gets interrupted. Your internal thermostat starts behaving like someone has given a toddler the remote control.
Your jeans are suddenly negotiating different terms and conditions, you're awake at 3 am thinking about something you said in 2007, and the things you've always done to feel good aren't necessarily working anymore.
And what do we do?
We fight.
Eat less. Exercise harder. Push through the tiredness. Try to get our old bodies back.
Meanwhile, the wombat has knocked over the bin, eaten your snacks, taken down your tent and gone to sleep in her burrow.
But here's where I think we could actually learn something from her.
Wombats are little metabolic machines
Underneath that rather round, cuddly exterior is a seriously muscular animal.
Wombats are built for digging. Powerful shoulders, strong limbs, impressive claws and enough determination to excavate an underground apartment complex.
They also have a remarkably slow metabolism, which helps them conserve energy in an environment where food can be scarce.
They use their energy wisely.
And then there's the poo.
Wombats produce cube-shaped poo. Actual little cubes. They deposit them on rocks and logs to mark their territory, and the shape helps stop them rolling away.
Efficient, practical and a rather memorable way of announcing you've arrived.
I'm not suggesting we aim for square poo or a wombat's slow metabolism, but there's something to learn here.
Muscle matters. Energy matters. And how your body uses and regulates energy matters.
Especially during menopause.
Your metabolism is changing. So should the conversation.
When we talk about menopause, we tend to focus on hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings and periods doing whatever the bloody hell they like.
But there's another conversation we need to have.
Metabolic health.
Oestrogen influences far more than reproduction. It plays a role in insulin sensitivity, fat distribution, blood vessel function and how our bodies use and store energy.
As oestrogen changes through perimenopause and declines after menopause, we can see changes in body composition, cholesterol, insulin sensitivity and where fat is stored.
And while ageing, genetics, sleep and lifestyle all contribute, the menopause transition can add another layer.
Which brings us back to our wombat.
Lesson one: Build your digging muscles
Wombats have serious muscle because their survival depends on it.
And while I'm not suggesting you start tunnelling underneath your house, muscle is one of the most valuable things you can build and maintain as you move through menopause.
Muscle helps your body use glucose, supports insulin sensitivity, maintains strength and protects your ability to do the things you love as you age.
And yes, it also contributes to your energy expenditure.
This is why I want women thinking about strength, not just weight.
Resistance training, adequate protein, regular movement and proper recovery become increasingly important.
Your goal isn't necessarily to be smaller.
It's to be stronger, metabolically healthier and capable of living the life you want.
Lesson two: Stop wasting energy fighting yourself
Wombats are rather good at energy conservation.
Their slow metabolic rate is an adaptation to their environment, allowing them to survive on relatively low-energy food.
Humans work differently, of course. We aren't trying to slow our metabolism to wombat speed.
But we can learn something from the principle of working with our physiology rather than constantly pushing against it.
If you're sleeping poorly, skipping meals, running on coffee, stressed to the eyeballs and then expecting yourself to smash out a workout and function beautifully all day, something eventually has to give.
Your body needs energy. It needs nutrients. It needs recovery.
And it needs enough muscle and metabolic flexibility to manage changing demands.
Supporting your metabolism isn't about forcing your body to burn more and more.
It's about helping it regulate energy, blood glucose and appetite, while supporting the systems that keep you healthy.
Lesson three: Know what matters to you
A wombat knows where she's going. And she's quite prepared to move whatever is in her way.
There's something in that for women navigating midlife.
Because alongside the physical changes, there's often a whole lot of questioning going on.
What do I want? What matters to me now? Why am I still doing things that exhaust me? And why does everyone think I'm the bloody campsite manager?
Menopause can be a time to reassess how you're living, what you're carrying and where your energy is going.
Perhaps healthier menopause isn't just about improving your blood sugar, cholesterol, muscle mass and sleep.
Perhaps it's also about recognising that your needs have changed and giving them some space.
Why I brought Metabolic Balance® into my clinic
After years of working with women through perimenopause and menopause, I kept seeing the same things.
Women who were exhausted, sleeping poorly, struggling with their weight, feeling hungry or craving sugar, and wondering why the things that used to work for them suddenly didn't.
And so much of the conversation was about losing weight.
Eat less. Move more. Try harder.
But I wanted to look at what was happening underneath.
How was their body regulating blood sugar? What was happening with insulin? Were they getting the nutrients they needed? How could we support their metabolism through this hormonal transition?
That's why I brought Metabolic Balance® into my clinic.
It's a personalised 12-week nutritional program built around your health history, blood results and individual food plan.
The focus is on creating structure around eating, supporting metabolic health and helping your body respond more consistently to food.
And yes, weight loss can be a very welcome side effect for women who need or want to lose weight.
But for me, that's not the whole story.
I want women feeling stronger, having more consistent energy, supporting their long-term metabolic health and feeling more comfortable in their bodies.
Metabolic Balance isn't a treatment for menopause itself, and it's not a substitute for medical treatment when that's needed. It's one of the tools I use to support nutrition and metabolic health during this stage of life.
Because there's a lot more to a healthier menopause than what the scales say.
So, do we fight the wombat or work with her?
We can spend years trying to make our bodies behave exactly as they did at 30.
Or we can get curious about what they need now.
That might mean building more muscle, eating differently, supporting blood glucose regulation, improving sleep or checking your metabolic markers.
It might mean changing the way you exercise, eat, rest and respond to your own needs.
And it might mean letting go of the idea that your body should stay exactly the same while everything inside it is changing.
A healthier menopause isn't about winning a fight against your body. It's about building the strength, metabolic health and capacity to thrive in the body you have now.
The wombat isn't going anywhere.
You might as well learn how to live together.
And maybe admire her magnificent muscular backside while you're at it.
Ready to work with your metabolism?
My 12-weekMetabolic Balance® Precision Protocol is a personalised nutrition program designed to support your metabolic health, with individualised food planning and naturopathic guidance along the way.
Weight loss may be part of the journey. Better metabolic habits and long-term health are the bigger picture.
