The Red Flags Every Woman Over 35 Should Know

✨ Big Idea:

Many women feel like something’s off — but they get brushed off by doctors, told “labs are normal,” or assume it’s just aging. You’re here to show them the clear signs their hormones need TLC and that they can start fixing this without getting lost in test results.

Okay, tell me if this sounds familiar — you’re exhausted but can’t sleep, you’re bloated after eating basically air, your jeans feel tighter every week, and you’re wondering, ‘What is going on with me? I’m here to tell you that it’s probably not JUST ‘getting older’ — your hormones are trying to tell you something. And today, I’m gonna teach you how to read the signs — before you even think about getting labs done.

Welcome to the fitness…

I know a lot of you listening feel like your body’s turned on you since you hit your 30s or 40s – and while you might feel like you’re doing a lot of things “right” like following the strict 1000-1500 calorie diet, getting your sweat on multiple times per week, maybe you’re even following a solid strength training program and eating  quote unquote clean” but the scale still isn’t moving in the direction you want it to. That’s your red flag. 

Listening to your body is not always easy, but if you want different results – you have to try something different.  When I lost my period during my bodybuilding competing days, I thought it’d come back if I just ate some salad or took a vitamin. Spoiler: it didn’t. And what I learned was, your body always talks to you — you just have to learn how to listen. Which I’ll be honest, has been a process even for someone who’s educated in it. 

So today I want to share five clear signs your hormones — and not just your sex hormones, but the whole network that runs your metabolism, stress response, thyroid, and gut — might be out of balance.

Because here’s what so many women do: they feel exhausted, bloated, or stuck at the same weight, and instead of asking why, they double down on restriction, longer workouts, and “trying harder.” And that’s often the exact thing making it worse.

Alright, here’s what to watch for:

✅ Number one — You’re exhausted no matter how much you sleep.
This isn’t just a busy week or one late night. It’s that deep fatigue that doesn’t lift, even when you get your 7–8 hours. Chronic tiredness like this is a classic sign your stress hormones or thyroid are running low — your body is trying to conserve energy because it feels depleted.

✅ Number two — You crave sugar, salt, or caffeine just to get through the day.
Daily cravings are your body’s signal that something is off with your blood sugar balance or adrenal function. It’s not about willpower — it’s about your body asking for quick fuel to keep you going when you’re running on empty

✅ Number three — Your weight won’t budge, or you’re gaining especially around your belly, even when you’re eating “healthy.”
If you’re eating clean, exercising, and still seeing the scale creep up, that’s not just “bad luck.” Stress hormones like cortisol can keep your body in fat storage mode, especially around your midsection. It’s one of the most common signs that your metabolism feels under threat.

✅ Number four — Your cycle is irregular, missing, or has shifted dramatically.
Your period is like a report card for your hormones. If it’s suddenly heavy, painful, all over the place, or gone completely, it’s your body’s way of telling you that it doesn’t feel safe enough for normal hormone production. And yes, if you feel extra irritable or like you’re on an emotional rollercoaster every month, that’s real too.

✅ Number five — You’re dealing with bloating, constipation, or unexpected hair loss.
Your gut and thyroid health are directly connected to your hormones. Digestive issues and hair thinning are often early signs that your body’s under stress or not getting the nutrients it needs to function properly. These can show up before any lab result does.

✅ Number six — Random ringing in your ears, or a sense of being sensitive to noise and light.
This can be a subtle sign of stress overload, mineral depletion (especially magnesium or potassium), or adrenal fatigue. Your nervous system gets stuck in “fight or flight,” and normal sensory input feels overwhelming.

✅ Number seven — Anxiety that seems to come out of nowhere.
We’re not talking about big life stressors — this is the sudden wave of jitters, racing thoughts, or that “butterflies in the chest” feeling that hits when you’re just… sitting there. Blood sugar dips, mineral imbalances, or high cortisol can all create this out-of-the-blue anxiety.

✅ Number eight — New or worsening food sensitivities.
If you feel like you keep having to cut out more foods because they suddenly make you bloated, gassy, or break out in hives, that’s often a gut barrier or immune system red flag — not just your body “getting picky.”

✅ Number nine — Waking up feeling puffy, with swollen fingers, or having fluid retention that comes and goes.
This can signal inflammation or poor lymphatic drainage — both connected to hormonal shifts, stress, or sluggish detox pathways.

✅ Number ten — You catch every little cold going around — or you get infections that keep coming back.
When your metabolism is under stress, your immune system takes a hit too. Recurrent UTIs, sinus infections, or slow healing wounds are your body’s way of saying its defenses are stretched thin.

Here’s how you could blend these into your episode without losing your clear, grounded vibe:

These signs might not sound like “hormone problems” on the surface. Ears ringing, random anxiety, feeling puffy, or catching every cold in sight — most women brush that off or just try to push through it. But your body is always communicating. None of these things are “just part of aging” — they’re your check engine light saying, “Hey, something’s draining my resources and I can’t keep up.”

When you notice these patterns, it’s your invitation to ask why, instead of pushing harder. Because I promise — ignoring them doesn’t make them go away. Listening and supporting your body does.

These signs are your body’s way of asking for help — not punishment.

And this is exactly what I’m going to walk you through in my free training this Monday. We’ll break down how to bring your hormones back into balance, so you can finally see results that last — without over-exercising, under-eating, or burning out.

So let’s talk about why these signs show up in the first place — because you’re not broken, and this isn’t just about “bad luck” or “getting older.” It’s about the stress your body’s been carrying for years — often without enough support to recover.  Every woman I talk to says something along the lines of “it feels like this came out of nowhere”, but I can promise you that based on the lifestyle most of them are living – their bodies have been running on fumes for a lot longer than they realize.  

When you’ve been under-eating, over-exercising, or burning the candle at both ends for too long, your body starts to adapt. It’s actually trying to protect you — by slowing down your metabolism, shifting your hormone production, or holding onto body fat for energy reserves.

Add to that all the modern stressors: poor sleep, blood sugar swings, mineral depletion from restrictive dieting, gut imbalances, or inflammation that’s never really been addressed. It’s like expecting your car to run smoothly while ignoring the check engine light, skipping oil changes, and driving with a flat tire — eventually, something’s got to give.  

And eventually something does.  But most times, women are feeling like they HAVE to keep going no matter what so if they go to their doctor they’re handed a pill for the symptoms — like birth control for cycle issues or anxiety meds for exhaustion — or told, “Just eat less and move more,” which often pushes their body further into burnout.  They’re taking tums for their heartburn, on omemprazole for years for stress induced ulcers despite the fact that it’s supposed to be a short term drug. If you’re covering up your symptoms with a pill, even if it’s over the counter…that is your body trying to tell you something.  That annoying eczema you’ve dealt with for years, recurring headaches, yeast infections and UTI’s, anxiety…these might be common, but they’re not NORMAL.  This is your body’s communication system. 

But here’s the good news — these things are fixable. This is exactly why I created my Metabolic Optimization Method — because most women don’t need another detox plan or quick-fix meal plan.  Weight gain is a SYMPTOM, not a root cause. They need a phased approach that rebuilds a strong foundation of true health FIRST and once you have that, fat loss becomes easy. 

When we do this the right way — when you nourish your body instead of deprive it, when you build back your minerals, balance your blood sugar, and actually work with your hormones instead of against them — your body feels safe enough to let go of the weight, the bloat, the fatigue, all of it.

If you’re nodding along to these signs thinking, ‘Well, this is literally my life right now,’ you’re not alone. And more importantly — you can fix this. Monday I’m hosting a free training called The 3 Keys to Midlife Fat Loss. I’ll break down exactly how to get your hormones back on your team so you can finally lean down without starving, over-exercising, or losing your mind. The link’s in the show notes — I’d love to see you there.

Coach Brooke Davis Links: 

Website: elysianwomen.org 

LinkedIn: Brooke Davis – Owner – Davis Fitness

Facebook: Brooke Davis, CPT 

Instagram: Brooke Davis  (@brooke_elysian)

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