“Not Like It Used To Be”: Michelle Obama Breaks An Intimate Taboo Topic

Almost every woman will have to deal with it at some point in her life, but very few talk about it publicly. Menopause, the period of hormonal changes at the end of a woman’s fertile phase, is still often considered a taboo. Michelle Obama wants to change that: The former US First Lady is campaigning for more openness in dealing with this stage of life – by sharing her own, very personal experiences.

“Not much is said about menopause. I’m working on it now and the information is scarce,” the 58-year-old says in a new interview with “People” magazine. That’s why she mainly talks with her friends. Although Michelle Obama has been spared common symptoms such as severe mood swings, she struggles. with other side effects, including weight gain.

“I’ve never weighed myself. I try not to stick to numbers, but when you go through menopause, you have a creeping weight gain that you just don’t notice. Suddenly you don’t fit into the clothes you wore last year. I now know that I need to pay more attention to it – not compulsively, but more consciously,” she sums up.

Michelle Obama is known for her fitness awareness and toned physique, but her exercise habits also changed. “I find I can’t push myself as hard as I used to,” she admits, emphasizing, “You have to do the balancing act to be fit enough and take care of your body to stay in the game.”

She’s still very active, but “my goal is no longer to have ‘Michelle Obama arms,’ but just to keep moving,” says the mother of two. “If I can walk, I don’t have to run. I don’t have to hit everyone,” she says today, but “I had to change my view of myself first.” (t-online, jdo)