#1: Menopause and midlife health with Michelle Bridges

From The Biggest Loser to 12 week body transformations, Michelle Bridges has been transforming and helping people become healthier versions of themselves for decades. Michelle Bridges started teaching fitness classes at the age of 14, hit our TV screens on The Biggest Loser in her 30s and had her first child at the age of 45. She’s always been a hard worker, but acknowledges how difficult it is for women to fit everything in. Growing up as the youngest daughter of a single mum in an era where kids weren’t allowed to get in the way of work, she knew from the start that she wanted to raise her son Axel differently. So she’s worked doubly hard to be a present parent; being there for school pick ups, sporting events and even coaching Axel’s soccer league at one point (lucky kids!).Watch the episode hereClick here for the video transcriptMichelle says she was flippant about her fertility and feels blessed to have been able to get pregnant at 44, an age when she was likely experiencing perimenopause. The trainer says she knew remarkably little about perimenopause and menopause, until she began diagnosing her own symptoms after she experienced brain fog and problems sleeping. She talks to The Midlife Shift about what midlife wellness really means to her, including the importance of protein, strength training and dealing with different perimenopause symptoms. Michelle also explains how she manages diet, nutrition and supplements – including a rundown on those she takes herself – before diving into the money lessons she wishes she’d learned earlier. Michelle explains how her upbringing geared her towards financial independence – she now contributes to a self-managed superannuation scheme. She  shares her hopes for retirement income and how she'll spend it all on physio and fitness to stay as well as she can for as long as she can.Find Michelle hereMichelle Bridges 12WBTBooks by Michelle Bridges’We Have a Situation’ podcastCitro is here to helpMastering menopause - a Citro guideCould delaying menopause help women live longer?How to exercise during menopause and beyondHello muscles: 10 benefits of strength trainingFurther readingMenopause and cholesterolVitamin D and perimenopauseMenopause and proteinVitamin B6 toxicityCreatine for women’s healthDebunking the myths about HRT/MHTPlease fill out our survey to let us know what you think. 🙏