Empowering Filipinas through menopause and muscle health

 Across generations, Filipinas have been the quiet strength holding families and communities together. They are the mothers who rise before dawn for their families, the daughters caring for aging parents, and the professionals balancing demanding careers with life at home. In every role, Filipinas show resilience—constantly enduring, giving, and caring.

Yet one essential form of strength often goes unnoticed: muscle health – the physical foundation that allows women to move freely, stay independent, and live life fully. As women enter menopause, this foundation is quietly challenged. Understanding how menopause affects muscle health can empower women to take intentional, proactive steps to remain strong through midlife and beyond.

Understanding the change

Menopause marks a significant life transition for women. It is a natural biological process signaling the end of menstrual cycles and typically unfolds in three stages: perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause. Each woman’s experience is unique, influenced by genetics, lifestyle, and overall health. 

This transition is primarily driven by a natural decline in estrogen, a hormone that affects many systems in the body¹—including muscles.² Estrogen helps maintain muscle mass and strength by supporting tendons, ligaments, and the repair of muscle tissue.² When estrogen levels drop, women may notice: 

 

·        Reduced muscle mass and strength³

·        Slower recovery after activity

·        Lower energy levels, and

·        Increased risks for osteoporosis and cardiovascular conditions.⁴

“While these changes are normal, they do not have to limit a woman’s quality of life. Midlife is a critical window for women to prioritize their muscle health. By intentionally building and maintaining strength during this stage, women can protect their independence, mobility, and overall quality of life. Strength-building remains valuable at every stage, even long after the reproductive years,” said Dr. Rowena Auxillos, former President of the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society.

 

Building strength through daily habits

Women typically reach menopause at an average age of 48, often accompanied by symptoms such as headaches, mood changes, sleep disturbances, and joint discomfort.⁵ While these symptoms can feel overwhelming, these are also gentle reminders to invest in one’s health. 

 

Here are practical habits every woman can adopt:

 

Daily movement. Because metabolism naturally slows during menopause, staying active is crucial.⁶ Simple exercises—like walking, morning stretches, or dancing—can offer meaningful benefits for muscle maintenance and mood. 

Resistance training. Resistance or strength training is the most effective way to rebuild and protect muscle mass.⁷ This can include using free weights, resistance bands, or bodyweight exercises like squats and push-ups. Just two to three sessions a week can make a noticeable difference.

 

A nutritious diet. Protein-rich foods help repair and build muscles. Aim for 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily.⁸ Great options include eggs, lean meats, and dairy like milk, yoghurt and cheese.⁹ Plant-based foods such as edamame, dried fruits, tofu or sesame and flax seeds are high in phytoestrogens, which help ease menopausal symptoms by mimicking estrogen’s effects.¹⁰

 

Additionally, foods rich in calcium and vitamin D—like sardines, salmon, mackerel, tuna, and leafy greens—also support bone health, which becomes increasingly important during this life stage.¹¹

 

Supportive supplements. Incorporating clinically proven nutrients into daily diet can improve muscle mass and overall resilience. For example, Ensure Gold contains CaHMB (Calcium β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate) which supports muscle repair and maintains muscle mass, and YBG (Yeast Beta Glucan) which helps strengthen immunity within four weeks, when combined with proper diet and exercise.

 

Quality sleep. A study has shown that 40% of women in their late 40s and early 50s experience sleep difficulties.¹²To improve sleep quality, avoid caffeine and alcohol near bedtime and focus on establishing a regular nighttime schedule. Good sleep supports both muscle recovery and emotional balance.

 

“From a medical nutrition perspective, muscle health cannot be supported by physical activity alone—particularly during and after menopause. During this transition, women’s nutritional needs increase at a time when appetite and nutrient absorption may decline. Without adequate intake of high‑quality protein and essential micronutrients, muscle loss can accelerate. Clinically formulated nutritional supplements such as Ensure Gold are designed to help address these nutritional gaps, supporting muscle mass and functional strength as women age,” said Dr. Gamaliel Tayao, Abbott’s head of medical affairs in the Philippines.

 

Midlife is not about slowing down—it is an opportunity to refocus on strength that supports everyday living. When women are informed and proactive about muscle health, they are better equipped to grow into stronger, healthier versions of themselves.

Ladies give yourself the gift of health and wellness with LifeFood

 

Listen up ladies: Don’t let premenstrual syndrome or PMS, menopause, and other women’s health concerns keep you from reaching your full potential and living life the way you want to. Now that the new year is here, give yourself the gift of health and wellness. Start taking better care of yourself at gawing mas buhay na buhay ang buhay with LifeFood.

 

LifeFood, a line of food supplements with natural ingredients derived from plants or marine life, is encouraging you to put yourself and your needs first. This 2022, give yourself something that can help maintain your wellbeing and achieve your specific health and wellness goals like improving hormonal balance, improving skin health, and managing weight. 

Below are four food supplements that LifeFood recommends women should add to their self-care must-haves.  

 

Evening primrose oil for hormonal balance. A natural source of omega-6 GLA (gamma linolenic acid) that aids in hormonal balance, evening primrose oil comes with several benefits for women’s health: from improving the skin to providing relief from PMS symptoms like hormonal acne and breast tenderness. Obtained from the evening primrose plant through cold-press oil extraction, LifeFood Evening Primrose Oil retains most of the plant’s nutrients while keeping the product chemical-free.

 

Hyaluronic acid for great skin and strong joints. A substance that’s naturally produced in the body, hyaluronic acid can help improve your skin’s elasticity and moisture content and decrease the appearance of wrinkles. It’s also known to provide hydration to the connective tissues, particularly the joints, and also speed up wound healing. LifeFood Injuv® Hyaluronic Acid is easily absorbed and clinically proven effective, as it acts as a sponge to hold onto water within the cells of the skin, connective tissue, and cartilage. 

 

CLA for maintaining healthy weight.  Not all fats are bad. Some, in fact, can be good for you. One of these include polyunsaturated fats like safflower oil, which is a great source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) that can aid in maintaining a healthy weight by breaking down fats and increasing muscle mass. Combined with a balanced healthy diet and exercise, LifeFood Tonalin® CLA can help reduce up to 9% of body fat and increase the body's total lean muscle mass. A proprietary extract derived from safflower oil containing CLA, Tonalin® is the only CLA that’s been backed by 18 separate research studies, ensuring safety and effectiveness. 

  
EstroG-100 for more antioxidants. Antioxidants may be most known to slow down aging and lower your risk of health issues like heart diseases and cancer, and studies have shown that they can also help with the effects of certain biological processes like menopause by getting rid of free radicals and preventing or slowing down cell damage. 

 

Get more antioxidants to improve overall wellbeing and life during menopause with LifeFood EstroG-100 with Oxxynea. EstroG-100® is a proprietary standardized herbal root extract that’s clinically proven to alleviate common menopausal symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, sleeping problems, and nervousness. Meanwhile, Oxxynea® is a whole food concentrate of fruit and vegetable extracts from antioxidant-rich red and white grape, bilberry, grapefruit, papaya, pineapple, strawberry, apple, apricot, cherry, orange, blackcurrant, green tea leaf, carrot, tomato, broccoli, green cabbage, onion, garlic, olive, cucumber, and asparagus.  

 

What’s more amazing about LifeFood supplements is that the brand carefully chooses the best ingredients that are supported by clinical research to prove their efficacy and to ensure that consumers get all the value and benefits each of these products provide. They are also standardized and undergo stringent product testing following pharma standards, making these supplements extra safe for every consumer. 

Dealing with PMS and menopausal symptoms may be a common occurrence, but they can affect you in many ways, impacting your confidence and keeping you from living your life to the fullest. You don’t need to suffer in silence and shrug off these concerns—make it your new year’s resolution to add LifeFood to your daily health routine now para mas maging buhay na buhay ang buhay!

 

Lifefood is available at leading Mercury Drug Stores, and online at the Synnovate Store in Lazada and Shopee. Follow @LifeFoodPH on Facebook and Instagram for health info and life-enriching tips. Get to know more about LifeFood at lifefood.com.ph.