8 Things I Wish I'd Started Sooner When Perimenopause Began

Looking back, I wish someone had warned me that perimenopause was coming.
(Read more about the signs of perimenopause - How Do I Know If I'm in Perimenopause? 15 Signs Most Women Miss)

But even more than that, I wish someone had told me that the habits I built in my forties would shape how I felt in my fifties.

I wish someone had explained that healthy aging is less about one big decision and more about small choices that quietly compound over time.

When we're younger, it's easy to believe our bodies will always recover.

We bounce back after late nights.

We eat whatever we want.

We skip workouts and make up for them later.

Our bodies are remarkably forgiving.

Until, one day, they aren't.

If I could go back and talk to my younger self—not to change who I was, but simply to prepare her for the years ahead—these are the investments I would encourage her to start making much sooner.

1. Build Muscle Before You Think You Need It

I used to think strength training was mostly about looking toned.

Now I see it completely differently.

Muscle is one of the best long-term investments you can make in your health. It supports metabolism, protects bones, improves balance, helps regulate blood sugar, and makes everyday life easier as we age.

The wonderful thing is that it's never too late to begin. Women can build strength and muscle well into their fifties, sixties, and beyond.

But just like saving for retirement, the earlier you start, the more time those benefits have to compound.

New to strength training? Strength Training After 50: The Most Important Exercise You're Not Doing explains exactly how to get started.

2. Make Walking Part of Everyday Life

For years, I thought of walking as exercise.

Now I think of it as a lifestyle.

One of the biggest realizations I had was that I wasn't just going through hormonal changes—I had also quietly stopped moving.

Working from home eliminated my daily commute, walks to lunch, and countless small moments of movement that once happened naturally.

I don't believe one long workout can completely replace an entire day of regular movement.

Now I try to build walking back into my mornings, after lunch, and in the evening whenever I can.

Those small walks don't just burn calories.

They remind my body that it's meant to move.

Learn more - The Movement We Lost Without Realizing It (And Why I'm Bringing It Back)

3. Think About Skin as Preventive Care

This isn't about chasing youth or trying to look thirty forever.

It's about taking care of your skin consistently over time.

Daily sunscreen, good skincare habits, and protecting your skin from years of sun exposure are investments that pay dividends later.

If preserving a youthful appearance is personally important to you, it's also worth learning about treatments such as Botox or laser procedures before feeling like you're trying to reverse years of accumulated change.

There's no right or wrong choice.

The goal isn't to meet someone else's standard of aging gracefully.

It's to feel comfortable in your own skin.

Learn more - Menopause Skin Changes: Why Your Skin Looks Different and What You Can Do About It

4. Learn About Hormone Therapy Before You Need It

Hormone therapy isn't the right choice for every woman.

But understanding it earlier gives you more options when symptoms begin to affect your quality of life.

I wish I had spent less time being intimidated by the conversation and more time learning from reliable sources.

Knowledge doesn't obligate you to choose treatment.

It simply helps you make informed decisions if and when the time comes.

Learn more - What Every Woman Should Know Before Starting Hormone Therapy (HRT)

5. Prioritize Sleep Like It's Part of Your Healthcare

Sleep isn't a luxury.

It's one of the most important recovery tools your body has.

Muscle repair, memory, hormone regulation, immune function, and emotional resilience all depend on getting enough quality sleep.

It's easy to borrow from tomorrow by staying up late.

Eventually, though, those withdrawals become harder to repay.

6. Eat to Support the Body You Want in Ten Years

I spent far too many years thinking almost exclusively about calories.

Now I think much more about nourishment.

Protein to preserve muscle.

Fiber for gut health.

Colorful fruits and vegetables.

Healthy fats.

The goal isn't simply to weigh less.

It's to build a body that stays strong, energetic, and resilient over the decades ahead.

7. Stay Curious About New Science—Without Chasing Every Trend

Healthy aging is one of the fastest-moving areas of medical research.

New ideas about longevity, supplements, hormones, and metabolism seem to appear every week.

I've become genuinely fascinated by topics like longevity medicine and emerging therapies.

At the same time, I've learned that not every exciting headline becomes a lasting breakthrough.

I'd rather build my health on habits with decades of evidence—strength training, walking, good nutrition, quality sleep, and meaningful relationships—while keeping an open but thoughtful mind about newer approaches as the science evolves.

8. Think of Healthy Aging as a Long-Term Investment

When I look back, the best analogy I've found for healthy aging isn't a marathon.

It's a retirement account.

Every walk you take.

Every strength workout.

Every nutritious meal.

Every good night's sleep.

Every time you choose to take care of your body instead of putting it off until tomorrow.

They're all small deposits into your future.

Individually, they don't seem life-changing.

Over years and decades, they compound.

The opposite is true as well.

Most of us don't suddenly wake up one morning feeling old. The changes happen quietly, accumulating over many years until everyday activities that once felt effortless begin to require more energy, more recovery, or more planning.

The encouraging news is that it's never too late to start investing in your health. Research shows that women can improve strength, balance, and physical function well into their seventies, eighties, and beyond.

But the earlier we begin, the more we build what I like to think of as our health reserve—the strength, mobility, and resilience we'll draw upon in the decades ahead.

When I think about the women who continue hiking, traveling, carrying their own luggage, playing with grandchildren, and living independently well into later life, I don't imagine they arrived there because of one extraordinary decision.

I imagine years of ordinary ones.

One walk.

One workout.

One healthy meal.

One good night's sleep.

Repeated again and again.

Healthy aging isn't built in a single year.

It's built one small investment at a time.

The Bottom Line

If I could leave my younger self with one thought, it would be this:

Don't wait until something feels broken before taking care of it.

The best time to invest in your future health is long before you think you'll need it.

The next best time is today.

We can't stop time.

But we can influence how we move through it.

Healthy aging isn't about trying to become younger.

It's about giving your future self every possible advantage—and I can't think of a better investment than that.

Trusted Sources

The Menopause Society
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
National Institute on Aging
Office on Women's Health

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