I grew up in the foothills of Tucson, Arizona for most of my life. I was taught that cougars were something to stay away from! Beautiful, yet dangerous beasts of the desert!
Today we have a whole new definition of a cougar. Cougars are shmirshkies who are 40 or 45+ who are interested in dating or marrying younger men. We even have cougar dating sites, mugs, t shirts and TV shows like Desperate Housewives and Cougar Town depicting older women with younger men. (However, it seems Cougar Town may be changing the title of the show to something more comfortable like Friends with Beverages, Wining and Whining, Pounding Grapes, or Drinking Buddies!?!? Apparently picking out the name change for this show is quite the situation (look out Snooki!):
.http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/05/31/cougar-town-name-change-bill-lawrence/
Women are fabulous in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and beyond. Perimenopause usually begins between the ages of 38-48. It is the 6-10 year symptom laden time before you reach menopause which is when your period stops for a full year (There are about 34 menopause symptoms). The average age for menopause is 51. So what happens when the cougar collides with perimenopause? Who is going to take the first bite???
Relax no need to lose the tigress inside you. You can still be sexy, exciting and excitable! We all know you are hot, but you don’t want to look like you ran a 10K while having a quiet romantic dinner for two. Here are some very easy tips:
- Be sure you have a PM&M (perimenopause and menopause) specialist to guide you through your perimenopause experience. I can’t stress this enough. (If you don’t have a specialist, pages 47-50 of Shmirshky: the pursuit of hormone happiness will help guide you with this research).
- Trust how you feel. Listen to your body – it will talk to you. If you are experiencing sleepless nights (not the ones caused by passionate love making), memory loss, irritability, anxiety, depression, and the dreaded crashing libido with a shmirshky that seems to have taken a trip to the dessert (I am not talking about Las Vegas!) – Do not hide your shmirshky under a bush – DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT (Yes I am yelling)!!!! Do not ignore these symptoms!
- Get the help and support you deserve! Make an appointment with your perimenopause and menopause specialist. Use the Shmirshky Daily Symptoms Chart on pages 168-69 to chart your symptoms. Take the chart in with you to your appointment with your menopause specialist and ask for the blood tests that you need (pages 57-64 has a blood test guide). You do not have to be without the O in your life (and I’m not talking about Oprah!).
I like to think of myself as a “cougar” although my husband is 4 years older than I am!
http://www.fox5sandiego.com/videobeta/df1dd413-7a15-4221-8d84-293d83dd98de/News/Find-your-inner-cougar
We all want to feel sexy, alive and vibrant. You can keep your groove on – even i f your name is not Stella and you do not have to fly to Jamaica to do it!!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
