Menopause isn't just hot flushes and it isn't just a hormone deficiency. It's a full-body change.

If you've noticed that what worked at 40 has stopped working at 50, you're not imagining it, and you're not failing. Your body is the same body, but it's following different rules.

What shifts at menopause

As oestrogen and other hormones change, the effects reach far beyond the ovaries.

• Bone: bone loss speeds up. You can't feel it happening, which is why it's so easy to miss.
• Muscle: it becomes harder to build and keep and muscle matters for strength, balance, metabolism as well as your bones.
• Brain: brain fog, word-finding trouble and memory slips are common during this stage.
• Metabolism: your body handles blood sugar differently and weight can settle in new places, often around the middle.
• Sleep: sleep can become lighter and more broken, with that familiar 3am wake-up.

These changes are connected. Poor sleep makes blood sugar harder to manage and blood sugar swings affect sleep, not to mention energy and mood. Less muscle means less load on your bones. It's a whole-body picture, which is why isolated fixes often dont't work.

Why the old rules stop working

The light breakfast, the cardio-only routine and pushing through on less sleep may have been fine in your thirties and early forties. In midlife, your body responds differently to all three because of the changing levels of hormones. The answer isn't to try harder. It's to change the rules and start doing things differently.

Five things to focus on:

1. Eat more protein, and spread it through the day
Protein supports muscle and the framework your bones are built on. Many women eat little at breakfast and lunch, then most of their protein at dinner. Protein can't be stored in the body so it's important to spread your intake across the day. This is one of the simplest changes you can make.

2. Strength train, not just steps
Walking is wonderful for heart, mind and mood, but muscle and bone respond to load. Resistance training and impact where appropriate, is one of the most helpful things you can do at this stage. Build up gradually, work with a qualified trainer if you're going to lift weights to ensure correct form and check with your GP if you have osteoporosis or other health concerns.

3. Steady your blood sugar
Balanced meals with protein, fibre and healthy fats help avoid the peaks and dips that can worsen energy, cravings and mood. Lower hormone levels mean that we can't process carbohydrates as well as we used to.

4. Support how your body makes, uses and clears hormones
Hormones aren't like petrol in a tank. They can't just be topped up - they have to be made, transported, activated, metabolised and eliminated to function properly. Nutrition and lifestyle factors influence every step and your gut and liver play a big part in that clearing process.

5. Take sleep and stress seriously
They aren't extras or nice to have luxuries. Poor sleep and high stress feed into almost every symptom on the list.

Hormones are one piece of the puzzle
Hormone levels matter, but they're only part of the story. HRT can provide an answer for some women, but not all women want to or can take it. But it isn't the whole picture and getting the good foundational pillars of nutrition and lifestyle in place can be sufficient for many women.

If you'd like a holistic, personalised approach to managing your menopause transition, that's exactly what The Menopause Method is for. We look at the big picture, from blood sugar and protein to gut, liver, sleep, stress and exercise and together build a personalisead plan that fits your lifestyle.

Find out more about The Menopause Method at http://ritchnutrition.com/method