Name: Natasha Roa

Menopause phase: Perimenopause

Place you call home: Always moving/military wife (currently living in the DMV)

What you’re creating: A community of peri/meno educated women at MenoLabs

Age: 42

1. Rituals can be deeply personal. Share a specific ritual that has helped you embrace the changes of menopause with enthusiasm or resilience?

Sleep is a priority to me. Every night I go to bed at around 9:30 or 10pm (even on the weekends). As much as I want to stay up late and enjoy a movie or a TV show, my body can’t handle it I’m now ok with that and have given up trying to stay awake to hang out.

2. How have you redefined beauty as you’ve aged? Do any of your rituals support this new definition?

My hair is greying and instead of dying it, I’ve decided to let it grow out naturally. I’ve noticed that my curls are changing as I age so I have to take the time to take care of them with oil, deep conditioning and maintenance.

3. Is there a particular practice—whether it’s movement, meditation, or something else—that has become essential to your well-being during menopause?

I like to get my work out done in the morning so that I don’t have the pressure to work out for the rest of the day. It feels good to know I’ve completed the task and started my day on the right foot.

I like to work out Mon-Fri, so I know that the weekend is time to take off from everything. Three days a week I do HIIT workouts and two days a week, I do strength training.

4. What role does your community or your sista circle play in your menopausal and aging experience, and do you share any rituals with other women that support this journey?

I’m a military spouse and I grew up as a military dependent, so I have family and friends all over the world. My community is really connected online. I like to share my peri story virtually and have had friends and family members reach out to me with questions online and over the phone.

I like to think that I’ve created a safe space for my friends and family to share what they are experiencing, and they know that I’ll share everything I can to help them with their journey. It’s also good to know that you’re not alone and you have someone you can talk to.

5. What does ‘sacred’ mean to you in the context of aging and menopause? Do you have any sacred rituals that honor this stage of life?

For me, I’ve realized that what I put into my body is sacred. I used to work out and felt like I could eat anything I wanted because I exercised. In my mid-30s, I was diagnosed with prediabetes and high cholesterol. Through changes in my diet, I’ve been able to improve my numbers, all without feeling deprived or like I’m missing out.

Now, I view what I consume as medicine. I choose foods that are not only delicious, but beneficial for my body. I listen to my body and it tells me when foods I eat are not for me-something I never did when I was younger.

6. Looking back on your pre-menopausal years, is there anything you wish you had known or done differently to prepare for this transition? How does this wisdom shape your rituals now?

I wish I would’ve been taught about perimenopause and menopause in school. I wish that I had taken care of my future self with my diet, exercise and how I took care of my mental health. I wish I wouldn’t have been scared of weightlifting. I wish I knew how to listen to my body/hormones, and I wish I took the time to take care of them through the different stages of my life.

I feel that knowledge is power. Now that I’ve been armed with all of this knowledge, I want to share it with everyone I can so that they can be ready for this stage in their life and take care of their future self.

7. How do you define well-aging, and what does it look like in your life?

Well-aging is taking care of myself from the inside out. I think that it’s a combination of taking care of your body and your mind. You can’t do one without the other. I’ve gotten really good at eating right and working out. I’m still working on the mental part of well-aging by mediating, journaling, and having quiet time. That’s an essential part of the equation and I need to create a routine to prioritize that.

8. Everyday Rituals: Share one ritual that you’ve not shared above:

• Daily Ritual: Evening walks-sometimes with a weighted vest.

• Weekly Ritual: Sunday soothing bath routine. I like to turn on music, light candles and turn off lights and sit there and soak for a while.

• Monthly Ritual: When time permits, I like to schedule massages, or other new selfcare experiences. A few months ago, I did a Korean head massage. Last month, I went to a hammam in Morocco. It’s fun to get pampered and experience something new from another culture.

• Yearly Ritual: Travel is essential for my wellness routine. It’s a reset for my mind and body.

Connect with Natasha, HERE: