Jennie Garth, 52, has been open and honest about her health journey, starting with when she was diagnosed with early onset osteoarthritis a few years ago and now that she’s going through menopause at 52. Like her fellow 90210 costars Tori Spelling and the late great Shannen Doherty, Jennie also has a podcast called I Choose Me, which focuses on self care and self love. In her most recent episode she talked with OBGYN Dr. Mary Claire Haver, the author of The New Menopause. The episode is an hour and I haven’t listened to the whole thing yet, but I wanted to talk about the excerpt where they talked about brain fog, which Jennie posted to Instagram. Jennie also shared a video working out with a trainer. In the caption, which is in the quoted text below, she said that her body hurts and that she has to force herself to work out, which I sadly relate to. Here’s more:
Jennie: I feel like the brain fog is another silent struggle that people just don’t understand. It happens to me at least three times a day where I walk into a room and I have no idea why I’m in there. That’s brain fog.
Dr. Haver: Or you can’t find a word or you can’t remember a name… one in five women are quitting their jobs at our age because of this. Especially in high paid positions who require lots of cognitive ability… they are really struggling and hitting a wall.
i’ve been struggling with working out recently. my travel and work schedule, my body pain , not to mention menopause is a daily minefield, both physically & mentally.
here’s the deal… i stay motivated by FORCING myself to workout. i know i’ll always feel better from doing it. but recently it just feels like my body is fighting against me at times. i forget that there’s so much happening inside me, causing so many changes, that of course i’m not always gonna feel or be able to perform how i’d like to (or expect to).
i have to remind myself to give myself some grace! i’m doing the best i can & that makes me feel a little better.
[From Jennie Garth on Instagram]
While Jennie may seem preachy to some, this resonates with me and I think she’s just being honest. This helps remind me that I need to exercise even though I don’t feel like it! (Sidenote: I recently watched a great YouTube video from Therapy in a Nutshell that explained motivation. Essentially you shouldn’t wait until you feel like it to do something. Doing the thing will help motivate you.) I actually really enjoy working out, but I’ve been so tired and sore recently that I haven’t done it as much. There’s a difference between giving yourself a break though and giving up, and I know I just need to keep moving. Weight training would also help!
As for the brain fog, that is definitely something I experience at 51. I usually just take an index card and write down the next 3 to 4 things I want to do, even if they’re not work related, so I can focus and get them done. There’s an index card in front of me right now. It really helps.
photos credit: Tatiana/Backgrid, Getty and via Instagram
In my early forties but have had that forgetting why I’ve gone somewhere and what I’m doing all my life due maybe to as yet undiagnosed ADHD, can’t imagine how awful it will be when menopause is added to the mix…
Mid forties here
I keep going to basement and half the time, whenI get there, I have no idea what I was coming down to get.
I can’t finish my sentences because I forget the words which is pretty annoying to the people listening lol (and myself!!!)
I put stuff 30 seconds in the microwave and forget it there.
Probably undiagnosd adhd/premeno?
vive la quarantaine
ohhh, yes, the forgetting what I’m saying half way through the sentences! and the microwave thing, this is why I no longer trust myself to use the oven 😒
It is not Hoover but Haver in the gray box. Please look into HRT – it is not just about hot flashes, but it is about how estrogen is needed for long-term heart, bone and brain health. The misogynistic system misinterpreted the risk of breast cancer and have denied women HRT for years – women live longer in worse health because of cognition decline and increased frailty. Please, please read Dr. Haver’s book or Lisa Mosconi, who just had an article published in nature. Think about it – they spend all the $$ on our reproductive health but don’t give a rats a$$ about our later years. It is slowly changing, but not fast enough.
💯 with you 👆
We’re only at the tip of the iceberg when it’s about medical knowledge and access on menopause today.
Oh, I’ve done the walking into a room for what reason? thing before, albeit not three times a day. I’ve done the left hand-right hand thing a time or two; you know, put the cereal in the fridge & the milk in the cupboard. Infuriating, but so far at least I catch it right away!
Ugh! This is me lately and it drives those around me, especially my husband crazy. Before I go to bed at night I have to write a very structured list on what I have to do the next day. I’ll be in a conversation and forget a very basic word or name. I’ll go back and forth, back and forth into a room (drives my husband crazy). My doctor has not been very helpful she keeps telling me I’m healthy and my tests are coming back fine. It makes me weary of trying to learn new things like languages or skills. I’m going to research this more (if I can remember to put it on my list).
I get it. I’m 57 and have those brain fog moments quite frequently. I am trying not to stress over them but my mom has Alzheimer’s disease and sometimes I wonder if these glitches are a glimpse of my future. I am trying everything to reduce the odds – my doctor said exercise and good sleep need to be priorities in preventing dementia, so that’s what keeps me motivated to exercise. I also try to take fun classes like art and dancing to keep y brain engaged in learning new things. My mom was a terrible insomniac and also pretty sedentary. This is the time to get our physical and mental health in order to age as gracefully as possible.
Appreciate the nutshell explanation of motivation. I always told myself I should feel differently and *want* to do things, this really helps change how i look at things and changes how I treat myself. It even helps me not feel bad about my feelings, not wanting to do things
I turned 50 last year and brain fog is right up there with hot flashes. I was standing next to my co-worker of 20+ years and for at least 10 minutes was looking at him trying to remember his name. Its scary.
I follow Jennie on Instagram and I wish I had the get up and go that she has. Her workouts are next level especially for me as I have cervical spine issues so no weight lifting, no jumping, no sprinting etc.
Im post menopausal now and believe me the brain fog, lack of motivation, tiredness, forgetfulness etc etc dont seem to get any better. I didnt have hot flushes in the way most women do, mine were more of my face and neck got hot for 5 mins or so but I never had any sweating nor did I wake up during the night with them, mine were all day time early morning til bedtime and even then they were fairly sporadic. The weight gain has been insane, I was already obese before menopause and after talking with my GP & the surgeon im starting the journey for bariatric surgery which will take up to & over a year. Hope you ladies going into perimenopause. menopause & post menopause have an easy time with it.
Oh man, I’m 45 and two years into perimenopause. Clothes I bought last September no longer fit because apparently looking at food makes me gain weight along with experiencing various other issues but I really started to struggle finding words in the last few months. I’m bilingual and it’s like when I have it in my head but in the wrong language and just can’t quite find the one I want for a few seconds. I’m a month and a bit into HRT and amazingly my brain already seems to be doing better.
I follow this lady on IG and also Dr Louise Newson who seems to be her British counterpart.