Suggested Reading: The Menopause Makeover by Staness Jonekos

Woman who suffer from menopausal symptoms – like hot flashes, insomnia and weight gain — know that it can take months of trial and error before you find the right supplements or HRT regimen to put you back on an even keel.   Well, what if you these symptoms clobbered you suddenly just months before your wedding day?  That’s what happened to Staness Jonekos. At 47, she felt miserable and moody when she should have been joyful at having found the love her of life after years of dating in Los Angeles.  So using her wedding planner book as a template, she created a twelve-week plan of her own to “regain control of her health and beauty” before her wedding day.   She used it to track her symptoms, diet and exercise regimen and keep her focused on her goals (including fitting into her wedding gown) and imminent deadline. You know how the story ends, of course: she feels like new, fits into her dress, marries her prince charming and…. turns her 12 week plan into a makeover book for the rest of us.

Staness wrote The Menopause Makeover: The Ultimate Guide to Taking Control of Your Health and Beauty During Menopause with Dr.Wendy Klein, described as a national leader in women’s health, who co-founded the Women’s Health Residency Program at Virginia Commonwealth University.  So if you’re thinking that any book with the word makeover in the title is too lightweight for your taste, rest assured that you’re getting substantive information that’s well packaged and useful to women at all stages of the menopausal transition.

The book is divided into three parts.  It begins with “The Survival Guide,” an overview of the 8-step program. Staness and Dr. Klein use this section to explain what happens in a woman’s body before, during and after menopause. You’ll learn about treatment options, complementary therapies that could help, and how to fight off the “menopause middle.” They provide a diet and exercise plan and  include their version of what a food pyramid should look like for menopausal women.  Part two is called “Your Menopause Makeover: Planning your Transformation,” which provides the blueprint for creating a personalized makeover. This is where you set personal goals for a 12 week makeover.  The final section, the “Menopause Makeover Essential Planner,” is a hands on workbook that includes forms, planners, journal pages and progress reports along with recipes and suggested menus.

If you’re just entering the peri-menopause phase of the mid-life transition, you’ll learn a lot from the overview of the symptoms and physical changes that typically occur as a result of hormonal changes.  I was glad to see that she included many that aren’t often mentioned  in “top ten symptoms” type of articles and that catch women by surprise, such as heart palpitations, migraine headaches, incontinence  and changes to skin and hair.  Also important to know are the many tests that are available to help your doctor prescribe the right treatment options.  For post-menopausal women still complaining of belly fat they can’t get rid of, moodiness, or fuzzy thinking,  Staness’ approach just might be the key to a breakthrough.  She attributes her own makeover success to good medical advice, documenting her journey and  charting her progress to keep her motivated.   If it worked for her, it’s worth modeling her success if you’re wallowing in your own menopause misery.

Staness will be appearing on The Today Show on Tuesday morning (4/27) in the 10 am hour.