Stress and Energy in Menopause: The Hidden Half of Your Metabolism

Are you doing everything right but still exhausted in midlife? The scale keeps going up, too?

In this episode, Cam Allen breaks down the hidden connection between stress, hormones, and energy and why stress is actually the second half of your metabolism.

Learn how to identify your hidden stressors (it’s not just emotional-it’s physical, chemical, and lifestyle too), plus a simple “Drains + Charges” experiment to help you recharge instead of just push harder.

Inside, you’ll discover:

• Why your body treats stress from workouts, work, or relationships the same way
• How chronic cortisol changes metabolism and recovery
• Simple ways to restore your energy through sleep, movement, and awareness
• How to build resilience during menopause and midlife transitions

🎧 If you missed the first episodes in the Biofeedback Series:
Ep 1: How to Listen to Your Body in Menopause
Ep 2: What Your Sleep Is Trying to Tell You
Next up: Digestion — what your gut says about your energy and hormones.

Free Home Gym Guide: https://www.camoyler.com/gym-equipment-guide
Free Menopause Sleep Guide: https://www.camoyler.com/pl/2148586038
Get the Menopause Mini Workouts: https://www.camoyler.com/meno-minis.

👉 Try Cam’s 10-Minute Menopause Minis workouts: use code CAMYOUTUBE to save $20.

Chapters:
00:00 Stress, Energy, and Metabolism
05:14 Real Strength: Listening to Body
08:09 Recharge Yourself, Restore Your Power
10:36 Craving Sugar or Life Balance?
13:51 Stress as Spiritual Signal
16:57 Unlock Energy Through Listening

#MenopauseHealth #StressAndHormones #MidlifeEnergy #WomenOver40 #MenopauseFitness #Biofeedback

Transcript

0:00

You ever wake up already tired like before your feet even hit the floor? You slept kind of, and you ate pretty well yesterday, and maybe you even got a workout in, but somehow your energy is flat. It's kind of like your body saying, not today. I have been there that running on fume season where tired just was the normal. Welcome back to the Menopause Method. My name is Kim Allen, and we are in our middle of our biofeedback so series where we've been talking about listening to your body and how the heck do we even do that? So we're going to talk about stress today and energy and what I didn't realize when I was running on stress that I was messing with the second half of my metabolism. See, we know about calories in, calories out. That's the first half of our metabolism. And believe me, diet culture tattooed that in our brain, that all we are are calorie calculators. Calories in, calories out. But did you know how your body actually processes life? That's the second half of your metabolism. Because if your stress system is overloaded, your body cannot absorb nutrients, it cannot recover from life, and it can't regulate any of it. So today we're talking about the kind of stress that doesn't just make you tense and, like, make your shoulders shrug up. It actually drains your energy and it rewires your metabolism without you even realizing it. So when most people think of stress, they think of mental pressure, deadlines, anxiety, tension. And younger you, if you were like me, actually viewed all of that, like, as a badge of honor. I was going to be the mom that did it all. I had two young kids. I was teaching school. I was going to handle all of the stress with my hands tied behind my back, with a smile on my face. Was that you? But here's how I define stress as a health coach today. Stress is anything that pulls your body out of balance, and that could be physically, mentally, emotionally, or even chemically. So where does your body feel the pressure? Your body doesn't separate them. It just knows it's under pressure. Here's what it looks like in real life, and I want you to notice that these are, like, opposite ends of the extremes. Maybe it's skipping meals or eating in such a rush that you don't even get to taste the food or chew it. Maybe it's over training. Maybe it's never taking a day off from the gym. Maybe it's too much caffeine and actually not enough recovery. Saying yes to something when you really Wanted to say no. Maybe it's scrolling before bed or going through life transitions like divorce, career shifts or kids leaving home while still trying to hold it all together. I want you to know that all of that is stress and all of that is burden on your metabolism. It's different sources, I know, but it has the same impact. Your body cannot tell the difference between I'm being chased by a tiger or I'm running late and I haven't eaten and I'm just angry. The chemistry inside your body looks exactly the same. So let me tell you about my on season. There was a stretch throughout my 40s when I thought exhaustion was just part of being productive. At the time, I was going through a separation and a divorce. My kids were heading off to college. So my identity as a mom was definitely shifting. And at the beginning of my 40s, I had left my elementary school job where I had taught for 18 years. So all of these like changes in my identity were turned upside down. So what did I do? I threw myself into being CrossFit Cam. It was easier to be in my body instead of all those uncomfortable thoughts. I had coffee in the morning, I had coffee in the afternoon. I remember when the Starbucks opened down the street from the gym. I thought like, is this what it means to be a grown up? Drink coffee all day? I was totally on that. And maybe I had a glass of wine at the end of the day to wind down. That was my rhythm. Go hard, recover harder. Or at least I thought so. And I'd go from hyper focused to totally fried. Kind of like that wired and tired feeling. Because I wasn't falling apart physically. Actually I had a lot of muscle on my body at that time. I just convinced myself I was fine. But by the end of my 40s, my late 40s, my body was telling a different story. In an 18 month period, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I tore my bicep tendon and it just would not heal. I had an injury on my pinky finger that would just bleed and bleed and bleed and would not heal. And finally I was diagnosed with fibroids, which resulted in a complete hysterectomy days before I turned 50. You see, my body was telling a different story. Although physically I looked okay on the outside, the inside was a hormonal wreck. My cortisol must have been sky high. My sleep was shallow because I didn't learn how to sleep until 2020. And all of this adrenaline, I was like living off adrenaline instead of like true nourishment it really didn't matter if the stress came from the heartbreak of a divorce, from my workout where I laid on the ground in a puddle of sweat, or from all the identity shifts, like how I was as a mom and I wasn't like a wife. All of my identities changed. My body treated all of those things exactly the same. And when your body lives in survival mode long enough, it starts to whisper louder and louder. Something's off. Back then I thought that strength meant pushing through it all. Cause you know, I'm going to wear that badge of honor. Now I know real strength means slowing down enough to really listen to my body. So let's talk about the stress cascade, because what in the heck's going on? Here's what's happening really under the hood, inside your body. Your body releases cortisol when it senses stress. It's short term and it's actually very helpful. And did you know that cortisol, like a small amount of cortisol, is actually anti inflammatory? It's like part of our health. Our cortisol naturally rises in the morning with the sunlight, and that's the get up and go hormone. It gives us focus, it gives us energy, it gives us our drive in the right amount. But when it stays too high for too long, things start to backfire. First of all, when cortisol rises and never drops, then our melatonin can't. Melatonin helps us sleep. Be sure to go back to that episode to learn about sleep. Here's the other thing that happens. Insulin gets less effective. So insulin is a hormone released from your pancreas. And insulin's job is to actually clean up the blood sugar in your blood and send it to the cells. So insulin gets less effective. So that means our blood sugar swings and our cravings really show up when we're too stressed. This also happens, and I know this was my first official diagnosis, your thyroid slows down. And when your thyroid slows down, your metabolism drops. I find that the thyroid is like the first thing to fall. It's very sensitive. Thyroid gland is right in your neck. And also I have to say this, that during my 40s, I was not using my voice and I was not speaking up for my needs. And I believe that is also part of thyroid health. So I had the emotional body, not using my voice, and then I had the physical body. I was over exercising and under nourishing myself. The other thing that happens, when cortisol is high for too long, your digestion slows and that means more bloating. And less absorption. And actually next week's episode is all about digestion. So we'll get to that next week. But all of this is why stress just isn't mental, it is also metabolic. I need you to hear that. All of these things outside of your life that put pressure on your body, put pressure on burden on your body, it is messing with your stress hormones. Your hormones, your hunger, your recovery, all of that live downstream from your nervous system. So I want to compare this to your phone. Think of your body just like your phone. Do you plug your phone in every night so it works the next day. You don't expect for it to run on 10% battery, do you? And still perform at its optimal self? No, you don't. But often we run just like an app, work, workouts, family, food, emotions, without ever plugging ourselves in. And then we wake up the next day wondering why our battery's dead or it doesn't feel fully charged. Believe me, that is not lack of willpower, that's just a lack of recharging yourself. Your body needs downtime just like your phone needs a charger. Sleep, food, rest, laughter, stillness, purpose, faith, those are some of the things that help recharge your system. And if you missed last week's episode on sleep, go back and listen to it after this one. Because sleep is your first line of recovery. Let's put this biofeedback practice into place. Let's make this real for you. Your body is constantly giving you clues. It's what I call biofeedback. And here is a simple way to tune in to what actually is going on. I want you to take a piece of paper and draw a line right down the middle. And on one side, on the left hand side, I want you to write drains at the top. And on the other side, on the right hand side, I want you to write charges. Drains are things that leave you feeling depleted, tense, and just absolutely blah. Even if it may look healthy. For example, like over exercising when you're exhausted and you haven't eaten and you haven't slept, that would be an example. Exercise normally should go on the charge side. But if your body's in an environment where you're at this deficit and you're not getting recharged, workouts may actually be a drain. That's an example. Here's some other things rushing in the morning when I wore a glucose monitor and I got out of bed with my to do list in my brain, like ready to go, I spiked my glucose. That's amazing. My thoughts and My attitude towards my day changed my blood sugar. That's how powerful our brain is. So over training, skipping rest days are some ideas. Eating when you're anxious. Did you know that? I believe when you crave sugar, what you're really craving is more sweetness in your life. That's one idea. Or did you just not sleep and your body's calling on some cheap and easy carbs to give you fake energy that gives you a spike and then a crash. Maybe it's focusing on productivity when you really just need a pause. Maybe it's conversations that drain your peace. This happens if you leave a group of people or you get off the phone or you leave a training. I go to class all the time. And you're exhausted. Your body's telling you something. Or what about this one? You're scrolling social media and you feel so blah and blah and bad about yourself afterwards. That would be a drain. Charges, on the other hand, are things that fill you up, that fill your bucket. Maybe it's getting outside. In fact, I wrote the script for this podcast. Sitting on my deck, listening to the birds in the waterfall in my backyard. That is health. Maybe it's strength training that feels so good that actually gives you more energy. Maybe it's taking a beat, taking some breaths before you react to something. Maybe it's laughing with someone who totally gets you. Maybe it's listening to worship music on your walk. Or maybe your favorite podcast. Maybe it's the menopause method. Journaling, praying before you go to sleep, finding gratitude. All of this stuff will recharge you. And when you start tracking this, you're going to see some patterns fast. Your energy is feedback. Energy cannot be created or. Or destroyed. It can just change forms. And your body is keeping score. So let's pull stress through your four bodies because I love talking about this. So your physical body looks like this. Fatigue. You're exhausted. In my late 40s, I was exhausted. Tension. Maybe your shoulder is hiked up to your ear. I also did that one. Bloating, believe it or not, is a sign, a physical sign, that your body's under stress or maybe just slow recovery. And let me tell you, I had every single one of those things when I was CrossFit cam. When they show up today, I'm 56 now. I'm more wise to it. And I'm like, don't. Don't go down that long, scary road where it leads to not good things. Okay? What does stress look like in the emotional body? Short cues, like, you just don't have the patience, low patience and maybe emotional eating, because I think that's part of it. I think sometimes our cravings are more about our emotions than like a physical thing in our mental body. Stress shows up as foggy thinking. For me, it feels like busyness behind my eyes. Like my brain is on, like, extra high. That's what it feels like. Overanalyzing, seeking perfectionism. I see this sometimes with Coach when I'm working with clients, they're so worried about doing it right. They just don't do anything that is overwhelmed. You don't need to be in overwhelm. Just try one little thing and then say, oh, did that work for me or did that not work for me? Like, there's no wrong here. But being stuck and not doing anything is not going to serve you. What does it look like spiritually when we are overwhelmed and in stress? Maybe you just feel disconnected from yourself. You're like, what's the purpose? Totally remember that. In my 40s, don't know what your purpose is. And I just want you to know that feeling. Any of these things that I just talked about, none of them are failures. They are simply signals your body is trying to get your attention. So when you catch yourself thinking, I'm just so tired, try reframing it instead of saying, what's wrong with me? Because, like, what is that gonna do? Ask yourself, what's draining me? And then ask yourself, what's really charging me up? Because stress isn't bad. It is just information. And if you catch it early enough, it's not gonna mess with your metabolism and you can go your joyful midlife life that you dream of. When your body is saying, hey, something's off. Let's fix this together. That is a beautiful message. The moment you start seeing it that way, you're going to shift your burnout to awareness. And you got to be aware of anything before you actually change those habits. Awareness changes everything. You know, I love to keep this real life. So let's make this a conversation. What's one thing right now that's been draining your energy? Or what's one thing that really recharges you? If you're watching on YouTube, drop it in the comments. And if you're listening to this on the podcast, send me a quick message on Instagram. Hey, mama. Underscore Cam. Tell me you're listening to the podcast. Tell me what's draining you and what's charging you. Because here's the thing. Your body is always giving you feedback. And when you start noticing those patterns. Everything's going to change for you. So here's your experiment for the week. I want you to make a drains and charges list. Track it for at least three days. Pick one small shift that helps you recharge. For me, I know it's going and sitting outside in my backyard. I got the birds, my dogs are out there. I hear the moving water. There's sunshine and fresh air and I love it. It recharges me. Maybe it's turning off your phone earlier or walking without your AirPods. Or maybe it's just saying no more than you say yes to something because your energy isn't something you find, it's actually you create energy. So far in this series, episode one was all about listening to your body because, like, where do you even start? Episode two taught you why sleep is the first domino for health. And today we talked about stress and energy. And I need you to hear this. Stress and energy is the second half of your metabolism. It is the biggest reason midlife energy feels unpredictable. And it certainly helps explain the unexplainable weight gain. In fact, I'm going to say this. I feel like most clients I work with, it's not the exercise and the calories in, calories out part of the formula. It's actually the burden on their body. It's the stress part of the metabolism. So next week we're gonna go deeper into digestion and nourishment. What's your gut trying to tell you about energy, hormones and emotions? If this episode helped you at all and helped you see stress differently, let me know in the comments or share it with a friend who's running on empty. Don't forget to try the menopause mini workouts for real life energy. I did one today and I just feel great. Use the code TAM YouTube in the description to save $20 on these workouts because your body isn't fighting you, it's actually talking to you. And when you start listening, you're finally going to have the energy you want to live the life that you're building. Thanks for being here and I'll see you next week.