Dr. Sara Kinnon - ND, MSCP

12/27/2025

Let’s normalize this: your health plan should fit you, not the latest wellness trend.

What’s in? Individualized care, evidence-based strategies, and habits that actually support your hormones and metabolism long-term.

What’s out?
Random influencer advice, trends that don’t change outcomes, and spending $$$ on supplements without a real reason.

Your body deserves more than guesswork.
Personalized care > trends every single time.

12/26/2025

Menopause isn’t just about getting through hot flashes — it’s a window into your long-term health.

This stage comes with shifts in heart health, bone density, and metabolic risk… but it also comes with opportunity.

The choices you make now can dramatically lower your risk of age-related chronic illness.
Strength training, good sleep, balanced nutrition, stress support, and regular check-ins all compound over time.

Your longevity starts today.

12/23/2025

We all know babies need a wind-down routine… but somewhere along the way, adults decided they didn’t.

Here’s the truth: your brain needs a transition period too.
You can’t go from emails → TV → scrolling → bed and expect deep, restorative sleep.

A wind-down routine matters because it tells your nervous system, “Hey, it’s safe to power down now.”

Try building a simple ritual with things like:

A warm bath or sauna session

Reading

Deep breathing

Journalling

Dimming the lights

Gentle stretching

Make the time. Protect the time.
Your sleep will be so much better for it.

Your brain deserves the same bedtime care you’d give a toddler.

12/19/2025

Progesterone is one of my favourite supports in perimenopause — and here’s why.

As progesterone naturally declines, many women start experiencing:

Poor sleep

Heightened anxiety

Mood changes

Heavier or irregular cycles

Feeling “wired but tired”

Prescribing bio-identical progesterone can help calm the nervous system, support better sleep, regulate cycles, and create a sense of emotional steadiness that women often haven’t felt in years.

It’s gentle, it’s supportive, and for the right person, it can make an enormous difference in daily quality of life.

When used thoughtfully, progesterone is one of the most powerful tools we have for navigating perimenopause with more ease.

12/18/2025

That one hour at the gym? Great.
But what you do during the other 23 hours is what really moves the needle.
Daily movement — NEAT — is one of the biggest drivers of metabolism, energy, and weight balance.
Simple shifts you can start today:

Take the stairs

Park farther away

Use a standing desk

Stretch or fidget when you can

Walk during calls

It all counts.
It all adds up.
Move more throughout the day — your body will thank you.

12/16/2025

Merry Christmas — especially to my perimenopause ladies navigating sleep shifts, hormone changes, and the ups and downs of this season.
Here’s to rest, joy, and knowing that HRT, strength, and balanced blood sugar can support you into a healthier new year.

12/12/2025

Before you spend hundreds on testing, here’s how we really know you’re in menopause.
It’s not one fancy lab.
It’s not a $500 hormone panel.
It’s the clinical picture — your symptoms, your cycle history, and where you are in the transition.
Menopause is diagnosed by:

12 months without a period

The pattern of symptoms leading up to it

The changes you feel day-to-day

Labs can be helpful in certain situations, but they don’t always reflect the hormonal ups and downs happening behind the scenes.
If you’re noticing shifts in sleep, mood, cycles, metabolism, libido, or energy — those clues matter more than a single test.
Menopause is a clinical diagnosis, not a lab score.

12/11/2025

Keep drinking your coffee.
Seriously — I’m not here to take your joy away. ☕️

There’s a trend right now telling women to give up coffee for hormones, perimenopause symptoms, weight loss, cortisol, metabolism… the whole list.

Here’s what the research actually shows:
For most healthy adults, moderate coffee intake (1–3 cups/day) is not harmful to hormone health, metabolic health, or longevity. In fact, large cohort studies associate coffee with lower cardiovascular risk and improved metabolic markers.

So what actually matters?

• Your sensitivity to caffeine
Some women in perimenopause notice more anxiety, palpitations, or sleep disruption because our nervous system becomes more reactive as estrogen fluctuates.

• Timing
Caffeine within 8–10 hours of bedtime can affect sleep architecture — and sleep is what actually influences metabolism and appetite hormones.

• Blood sugar stability
Coffee doesn’t need to be consumed with food, but many women feel less jittery or nauseous when they’ve had some protein or something small to anchor their system.

• Dose
Four cups before noon? Probably not your nervous system’s love language.

Coffee isn’t the enemy.
Oversimplified hormone advice is.

Enjoy your cup — just weave it into a morning routine that works with your physiology, not against it.

Coffee stays.
Your sanity stays.
And your hormones? They can handle this one.

12/09/2025

“My weight keeps rising no matter what I do.”
I hear this all the time. And the first place I look? Macro balance.
You can eat “really well” — whole foods, home-cooked meals, high-quality ingredients — and still not see the results you expect if:

Your meals are carb-heavy without enough protein

Your plate is full of “good food”… but the portions are larger than your body needs

You’re not getting enough fibre to keep blood sugar steady

Snacks are sneaking in to fill energy dips

It’s not about restriction. It’s not about cutting out foods you love.
It’s about balancing what’s already on your plate so your metabolism, hormones, and blood sugar have a fighting chance.
Start here. Adjust the macros. Pay attention to portions of the “good stuff.”
Small tweaks create big momentum.
Balance first — the rest follows.

12/05/2025

01/10/2025

Taking charge of your menopause journey doesn’t always mean hormone therapy. You have OPTIONS!

This episode of Pause, Please! is dedicated to empowering you with knowledge and CHOICE. We’ll explore a range of non-hormonal options for managing your symptoms and feeling your best.

Listen now and discover:

Hot flash help: Learn how to manage hot flashes and night sweats naturally, including lifestyle changes and supplements that can provide relief.

Mood & Sleep Support: We’ll discuss ways to improve sleep and mood without hormones, including CBT techniques and specific supplements.

Overall Wellness: I’ll share insights into supplements and lifestyle strategies that can support your overall health and well-being during menopause.

Find it on your favorite podcast app! 🎧