Hot flashes - what are they and why do they happen?

Hot flashes are the sudden, intense streaks of warmth which usually happens in the upper body — usually most intense over the face, neck and chest. 

Your skin might redden, followed by a large amount of sweating. If you sweat too much and lose too much body heat, you might feel clammy & chilled afterwards. 

Hot flashes may even happen at night. Also known as night sweats, these pesky streaks of heat may even disrupt your sleep.

Although other medical conditions like high inflammation can cause them, hot flashes mainly happen during menopause — when major hormonal changes take place. In fact, hot flashes are the most common menopausal symptom women face.

Now, if you’ve been wanting to do something about hot flashes...

Today’s your lucky day! In this article today, we will be sharing:

• Exercises
• Dieting Tips
• Lifestyle Hacks 

...that’ll definitely help manage hot flashes and keep you calm, cool and dry throughout the day!

Exercises that’ll lessen the frequency of hot flashes!

Strength training is perfect for reducing hot flashes because they can help your body regulate temperatures better.

In a study done on postmenopausal women who averaged 7.5 hot flashes or night sweats a day…

After 15 weeks of strength training, three 45-minute sessions per week, their hot flash occurrences went down to an average of 4.4 episodes a day.

This is because by doing strength training, you can train your body’s ability to regulate and dissipate heat properly, as well as a better reaction to sweat sensitivity.

Another benefit is the weights you lift increase serotonin and dopamine, feel good chemicals which can help alleviate stress, a big factor in causing hot flashes.

The Workout

How to do it: Do a full-body strength-training routine — like this one — two days a week.

Then, on top of that, you may add the other components of fitness like yoga, dance, walking, or swimming.

You can complete all of these moves in one workout, or you can split them up if you're short on time. 

What you'll need: While the gym is a great place to weight train, you can do these moves right at home. All you'll need is a chair, hand weights, and a mat.

Exercise #1: Squat to Chair

Squats works out the major leg muscles you use daily, and is the number one exercise for muscle and bone health for the lower body.

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes turned out slightly. 

• Extend your arms forward and keep them parallel to the floor throughout the movement. 

• Bend your knees and reach your hips back as if to fully sit down on the chair. Lower your hips until you feel the chair underneath you, but don't fully sit. 

• Touch the chair with your butt, then immediately press into your heels and stand back up to the starting position. That's one repetition. 

• Aim to complete 10 to 15 reps.

Exercise #2: Reverse Lunges (w/ dumbbells)

Lunges strengthen the entire lower body, keeping the muscles that the body uses for walking, climbing stairs and standing up strong and healthy.

• Hold a dumbbell in both your hands, with your arm hanging next to your side.

• Step back with your right foot and slowly lower your body until your front knee is bent 90 degrees.

• Pause, and then push back up to the starting position with your legs.

• Do the same motion, but with the other foot. That’s one rep.

• Aim for 10 to 15 reps.

Exercise #3: Seated Overhead Press

This move increases the lean muscle mass around your shoulders, reducing the risk for neck, shoulder, and lower back injuries when carrying heavy loads.

• Begin seated with your back supported and 5 to 8 lbs dumbbells resting at your shoulders. 

• Sit up tall and ensure that your elbows are below your wrists. 

• Press upward so that your elbows are in front of your body, and not out to the sides. 

• End with the dumbbells directly over your head, palms forward, with elbows fully extended, but not locked. 

• Slowly release down following the same pattern of movement, ending at the start position. That's one repetition. 

• Aim for 10 to 12 reps.

Exercise #4: Standing Calf Raise 

This move improves the stability and mobility of your feet and lower legs, helping you keep your balance easily. 

• Hold a 5 to 8 lbs dumbbells dumbbell in both your hands, and keep them rested by your sides.

• To do a calf raise with dumbbells, hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. 

• Let your arms hang straight below your shoulders. Rise up onto your toes, then slowly return to the starting position. You'll feel tension in the muscles in the back of your lower legs.

• When you're doing calf raises, keep your back and knees straight. If you have trouble balancing, use a chair or pole for added stability.

Exercise #5: Bent Over Row

This move strengthens all of the muscles in your back, improving back strength and helps keep your posture upright.

• Hold a 5 to 8 lbs dumbbells in each hand, bend over at about a 45-degree angle (no farther). 

• Keep the back straight throughout the exercise. Brace your abdominals and breathe in.

• Lift the weights straight up, exhaling. While lifting, the arms should go no higher than parallel with the shoulders — slightly lower than the shoulders is fine. 

• While lifting, try to keep the wrists from excessive extra movement down or to the side. Do not squat down and up after the initial pose. No movement of the legs occurs throughout the exercise.

• Lower the weights in a controlled manner while inhaling. That’s one repetition.

• Aim for 12 to 15 reps. Remain bent over until all repetitions are complete.

The Best Cooling Foods For Hot Flashes

The same way a hot & spicy dish can bring a flush of heat throughout your body, there are foods that can cool you right down. 

Keeping your body chill with these “cooling” foods is important to limit hot flashes during menopause

Here is our list of five cooling foods for hot flashes that you need now:

Food #1: Melons

Melons aren’t only juicy and delicious, it also has a diverse nutrient profile which gives it many health benefits:

Beta-carotene: Did you know cantaloupes contain as much carrots? Beta-carotene is important for eye health, immune system function, and red blood cells.

Vitamin C: Just by eating 1 cup of cantaloupe you can meet your daily Vitamin C requirements. Vitamin C is essential for the maintenance of blood vessels, which helps with the intensity of hot flashes.

Melon is about ninety-five percent water, making the ultimate cooling food. They are also a diuretic, which helps your body expel toxins.

Food #2: Coconut

The tropical fruit is a great source of digestion-friendly and satiating fiber. It is also full of vitamin B6, iron, and minerals, including:

• Magnesium
• Zinc
• Copper
• Manganese, and
• Selenium

Having not enough minerals & nutrients can essentially increase your frequency and intensity of hot flashes — which the coconut helps with.

You can enjoy the cooling coconut in a myriad of ways, such as:

• Coconut milk
• Coconut oil
• Coconut water
• Shredded coconut
• Coconut flour

Coconut helps boost metabolism and stabilize blood sugar . Both of these help keep your hormones in balance during this wild time

Food #3: Leafy-Greens

Big, leafy vegetables like:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Collard greens, and
• Romaine lettuce

… are packed full of water content, making them cooling & easy to digest.

This easy digestion means your body saves energy and stays cool.

The vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients available in green leafy vegetables may even help rebalance hormonal levels, reduce inflammation & promote overall health.

Food #4: Juicy Vegetables

If you’re less inclined towards leafy-vegetables, why not try these water-based vegetables:

• Lettuce
• Mushrooms
• Eggplant
• Green leafy vegetables
• Asparagus
• Cucumber, and
• Spinach

They all have a high water content that may help with hot flashes, plus they’re also phytoestrogenic in nature, which can help replenish hormones naturally as well.

As we age — especially during menopause — we lose our ability to retain water. The more well-hydrated you are, the less likely you are to have a hot flash.

Food #5: Green Tea

Technically not a food, but we’re sure a nice hot glass of green tea after your meals hits all the right spots.

Green tea is minimally oxidized, making it the most cooling amongst brewed tea.

Amongst the 4 types of teas (White Tea, Green Tea, Oolong Tea, and Black Tea)  green tea contains the most flavonoids — powerful antioxidants that promote better health.

Lifestyle hacks for keeping calm, cool and dry throughout the day!

Along with the exercises & diet tips, we’ve compiled a list of lifestyle hacks that can save you some hot flash misery, or you can pay it forward for a friend who is swimming in her own sweat:

Hack #1: Sip on a cold drink

A swig of ice water can cool you down and bring your core temperature back to normal when a hot flash strikes. 

Tip: Keep some refillable water bottles on hand, fill them with lots of ice and water, and store a few in the freezer. Swap it with a chilled one whenever it gets lukewarm.

Hack #2: Be mindful of triggers

Sometimes hot flashes may be triggered or made worse by the things we eat or drink. Avoiding hot beverages, alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods may reduce hot flashes.

Tip: If you do have to consume these trigger foods, pay attention to which particular foods cause hot flashes and avoid it completely in the future.

Hack #3: Dress for the occasion

Be always ready for any situation, from shiver-me chills to a major hot flash, by wearing several layers. 

Start with a tank top, then add a light blouse or a button-down cotton sweater. Avoid pullovers, which can be difficult to remove when the heat comes knocking.

Hack #4: Choose a cooler bedding

Pay attention to your bedding because the materials used can help reduce night sweats. 

Cotton sheets are pretty standard and can be lightweight and cool, but there are other beddings that can cool and regulate your temperature, like:

• Percale
• Eucalyptus fibers
• Microfiber
• Bamboo

There are mattress pads and pillows available that are filled with cooling gels that can also provide a nice cooling touch.

Hack #5: Consider natural or alternative treatments

We all know the jury is out on hormonal or bioidentical hormone treatments — and if you’re wary of those...don’t worry! 

There are many women who successfully manage their hot flashes naturally with:

• Phytoestrogenic herbs
• Soy
• Flaxseed
• Acupuncture
• Vitamins

PS. Over 716,700 women can now stay cool and dry throughout the day, free of hot flashes, thanks to our Hot Flash Bundle.

Menopausal hot flashes & night sweats are no joke. In fact, hundreds of thousands of women listed ‘hot flashes’ as the most annoying symptom during menopause… and for good reason. 

The moment menopause hits, you get these hot, intense streaks of heat that makes you start sweating profusely, regardless of time and place. 

If you’re tired of having to deal with hot flashes & night sweats all day long...

Don’t worry sister, we got your back!

Introducing the Hot Flash Bundle!