It’s not just about what you eat, it’s about how. That’s what Lisa Snowdon, 54, has discovered about her body, and she says that one simple daily habit has made a real difference to her sleep since hitting the menopause.
‘I try to eat by 6pm, 7pm at the latest, and it just works for me,’ she tells Good Housekeeping. ‘I sleep better. That was something that my Oura Ring showed me. When I eat late, because my body’s digesting through the night, or if I have a couple glasses of wine late, I don’t get that REM sleep, that deep sleep.’
As a knock-on effect of eating earlier, she wakes up energised and finds that extending the break between meals works with her body’s natural rhythm. ‘I like exercising in the morning and I don’t find that having food [first] helps me with that,’ says Lisa. ‘Especially if you do Reformer Pilates, you’re in a plank and you’ve had a smoothie. I’m like, “Oh I’m going to vomit the smoothie up!”’
While it works for her, Lisa is keen to emphasise there’s no one size-fits-all with either food or exercise. ‘That’s me, other people might be different,’ she says of her early dinner habit. ‘But I know, because I’ve taken the data from the Oura Ring, that my body operates better if I eat earlier and eat lighter. And if I don’t drink, then I’ll sleep better.’
Equally, other people may not do as well as her on a daily mini fast and her advice is to listen to your own body. ‘Some people get really shaky if they don’t eat, so have a few nuts and a banana. Find out what works for you,’ she urges. ‘I’ve always said you should keep a food diary as you get a bit older because certain foods might not agree with you anymore. Don’t follow other people’s fads and diets, you need to figure out what your body type likes.’
But for her personally, leaving a longer gap between meals overnight is something that just works. ‘I think giving it a break for a longer time every now and then is probably quite healthy because it gives your digestion a chance to just chill,’ she says. ‘And then your body can work on other things, sort of swiping through and helping it to heal, rather than constantly being bombarded by stuff that it has to digest.’
Good gut health has become a real focus in her menopausal years, she says. She cooks from fresh to minimise processed food, and takes Symprove probiotics daily. ‘I’ve got my little routine down now, but it’s been about finding out what works for me, from being told “right, you’re definitely perimenopausal and going into menopause” in 2020. Before that, I was navigating it by myself.’
The experience of entering menopause in her early 40s inspired Lisa to write her book, Just Getting Started: ‘I wanted to help women to fast-track their diagnosis of menopause or perimenopause and get the right help because it cost me a fortune on doctors and they didn’t give me the help I needed. So for the last six years, it’s been, “What works for me? What do I need? More exercise? More sleep? All of the above?”’
After a bumpy start to her menopause journey, Lisa says she’s now found her groove. ‘I’m super-happy. I haven’t had a period for six years, so I’m post-menopause now and it definitely gets easier,’ she smiles. ‘The perimenopause can be a bit of a b*tch and your hormones are going all over the place, but then it does start to calm down a bit. So I promise you, it gets better and better and better.’
And no, Lisa certainly isn’t saying that becoming a health zealot is the way to reach that light at the end of the tunnel. Far from it.
‘I try not to deny myself too much, because life is about having fun. I think the rules are: have a good life, don’t restrict yourself too much,’ she says. 'Balance is good. We all know when we’ve had too much bread and pasta and too much wine, but we go, “Okay, my jeans are a bit tight, I need to break for a few weeks”. It’s not rocket science. It’s just eat better quality food, eat less. And when you’re on holiday, eat everything and just have fun! When you come home, deal with it!’
She’s also a huge advocate of using good skincare and treatments to offset the visible signs of the menopause years. Bodywise, she has lymphatic drainage on her legs with ‘a brilliant Brazilan nurse, Ana Trida; her massage really opens up the lymph nodes and helps with the puffiness,’ she tells us.
For her face, Lisa has seen impressive firming results with Sculptra, a bio-stimulating injection which boosts collagen production.
‘It’s unbelievable,’ she enthuses, of her glowy before and after photos with Sculptra. ‘I look like myself, but just... 10 years ago. It’s about getting that youthful glow back. My jawline is much more lifted, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t want that?’
Wellness technology is something she loves to get behind, telling us she swears by her Correxiko LED mask. ‘It helps with collagen production, inflammation and pigmentation, but I also just really enjoy using it,’ she says. ‘I just find it really relaxing.’
Correxiko LED Light Therapy Face Mask
And that’s the key for Lisa – only using the things that make her feel good. Remember that Oura Ring she mentioned? ‘We’ve broken up with each other,’ she laughs. ‘It served its purpose when I was training for a trek, but then I felt like I was competing with myself, and I was seeing stress [in the data]. I was like “I already know I’m stressed! I don’t need you to tell me!”
A life lesson any menopausal woman will agree with.
Lisa Snowdon had Sculptra treatments at the The Soni Clinic. Prices start from £750 per session. The nationwide price starts from £350, depending on the area treated and the practitioner. Always see a registered practitioner for a consultation
