Five goals to focus on in January.
On average, women spend 25 percent of their lives in poorer health than men, largely due to the gender health gap and conditions that disproportionately affect them, like osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and dementia. To close this gap and improve long-term health, we must shift our focus to building strength over pursuing thinness and prioritizing the quality of our nutrition over simply counting calories.
I know it’s not easy, but shifting your mindset from “dieting” to thinking about your overall health can be a game-changer. And it’s never too late to do this, especially if you’re in menopause. When I work with patients, I see how focusing on building sustainable habits and making thoughtful daily choices transforms not just their health but their entire outlook on life.
The way you live shouldn’t leave you feeling deprived, and caring for your health should never be a short-term effort to reach a certain size — it’s about creating a life that truly supports your well-being. A health mindset allows you to think of what you can add instead of fixating on what you can restrict. This simple shift can make life so much sweeter and make you a whole lot stronger as your body changes during menopause.
Gone are the days of endless hours of cardio and calorie restriction. Menopause is a transition — like any other, it’s challenging and draining for your mind and body. It’ll be easier if you fuel your body with adequate nutrition, preserve and protect your muscles and bones with resistance training, and move your body to maintain and improve your cardiovascular health. What you do today will affect the woman you are in 20 or 30 years, so it’s time to get serious.
Of course, this is all easier said than done — especially if you don’t know where to start. That’s why I created a 28-day challenge that’ll help you set and stick to healthy goals in 2025.
A Five-Pronged Approach to Becoming Meno-Strong
For the next four weeks, focus on the following five lifestyle changes. If you’re already hitting those goals, fantastic. I’ve added bonus targets, so you can level up your healthy habits. Let’s go!
1. Consume adequate protein each day
Challenge: Aim for 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of healthy body weight.
Bonus: Aim for 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of healthy body weight.
Note: We’ve created a great protein calculator tool for you to use. Once you’ve identified a healthy body weight for you and your lifestyle (ideally with the help of your doctor), this tool converts your preferred weight in pounds to kilograms and provides a range based on your activity level. Staying within the suggested range is a success — no need to be exact.
2. Consume adequate fiber each day
Challenge: Aim for at least 25 grams of fiber each day.
Bonus: If you’re already consuming around 25 grams of fiber each day, work to slowly increase your intake to 30 to 45 grams per day. This is where we see the biggest cardiovascular benefit.
3. Daily journaling for stress reduction
Challenge: Put a few minutes aside each day to journal. Journaling gives you space to examine your thoughts and feelings, and has been shown to help you gain control of your emotions, manage anxiety, destress, and improve your overall mental health. (There’s space for you to jot down your daily musings in The ‘Pause Strong Challenge guidebook.)
Bonus: Begin meditating with an app, or find some free guided meditations on YouTube.
4. Consume 30 types of plants each week
Challenge: Try to consume a diverse array of plants. Some research shows that eating 30 different plants throughout the week can help your gut microbiome flourish. Try different types of nuts, seeds, veggies, fruits, herbal teas, and grains to add some diversity to your diet.
Bonus: Keep a list to track your plant intake. If you’re already hitting 30 a week, aim for 40!
5. Exercise five days a week
Challenge: Take walks for at least three days and lift weights as part of a full-body workout at least two days each week.
If you’ve been completely sedentary, start small over the next four weeks: Focus on walking for five to 10 minutes daily and either lifting light weights or performing exercises with your body weight alone. I highly recommend checking out the two free 30-minute, full-body workouts that my trainer — and founder of The LIFTED Method — Holly Rillinger, created specifically for The ‘Pause Strong Challenge. Her careful instruction will teach you how to lift with proper form, and the workouts can be repeated over the course of this challenge and beyond.
(KCM tip: We’ve got bodyweight workouts galore! Try these or these.)
Bonus: Try walking with a weighted vest, increasing your total steps, and/or adding another day of weight training to the week.
My hope is that this 28-day challenge will help you create habits and develop strategies to build a foundation of health. There are no magic pills, but with patience and determination, you’re likely to increase not only your lifespan, but your health span too.
