Marilen Elizalde: The Graceful Shift

Marilen Elizalde shares some wellness, wisdom, and tips for thriving through perimenopause

All women are the same and yet unique; the same can be said about mothers. There is a connection between all mothers, yet each is different in her own way. We shine a light on perimenopause—the transition period that happens before menopause, when a woman’s ovaries stop producing eggs. While this process is part of natural biology and simply how women’s bodies work, it is not without its challenges.

The first step toward overcoming any challenge is awareness, followed by understanding. A wellness coach whose personal journey through hormonal upheaval, Marilen Elizalde has made it her life’s work to help women navigate through the profound changes that their bodies undergo. In celebrating her story, we celebrate maternal resilience and the community that uplifts women when they need it the most.

From Fitness Enthusiast to Women’s Health Advocate

In her twenties and thirties, Marilen was the picture of discipline. She chased the latest aerobics craze, logged hours on weight machines, and monitored every calorie as though her body were a finely tuned instrument.

“I began my wellness journey unknowingly. Although I was always into fitness—like aerobics and gym machine workouts—I was always conscious of making sure I was physically fit and, more importantly, my clothes still fit me!” Marilen shares.

“In my younger years, when aerobic workouts and calorie control were the craze, I was right there.”

But as she grew older and had children, Marilen noticed changes she wasn’t sure she liked in her body. “I couldn’t understand why the same workouts and food intake were no longer working for me,” she muses.

Yoga entered her life almost by chance—a gentle experiment that grew into a lifeline. Its blend of fluid movement, breath awareness, and inner stillness offered not only physical benefits but a more profound sense of balance. A decade later, when hormone shifts deepened, it was yoga and its breathing practices that steadied her through what she calls a “lonely storm” of shifting cycles and mounting symptoms.

When Perimenopause Hits

Perimenopause is the lengthy, often surprising bridge between a woman’s reproductive years and menopause. Unlike menopause, which is marked by a clear milestone of twelve consecutive months without a period, perimenopause can stretch from four to ten years—sometimes beginning as early as the late thirties.

During this phase, the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen and progesterone—hormones that influence everything from menstrual cycles to mood, sleep, metabolism, balance, and bone density.

Fluctuations can bring hot flashes that wake you at night, mood swings that seem out of character, sleep disturbances that leave you unrested, and even sudden weight gain caused by changes in metabolism.

Understanding The Perimenopause “Tsunami”

Imagine the body as a symphony, each system playing harmoniously under the conductor’s baton of hormonal signals.

Perimenopause jostles that conductor, causing a jarring, often chaotic feeling. Joint aches, inflammation, heart palpitations, digestive woes, and urinary changes can emerge, often sending women from specialist to specialist to treat symptoms rather than root causes.

“Many doctors will say it can be genetic— and sometimes it can be,” she explains. We often start taking medications for isolated symptoms. This can go on and on as you keep trying to figure out why your body is falling apart. But one major system that’s overlooked is the body’s communication network. When the brain-ovary connection completely stops, the whole body gets confused. We think we’re dying because our bodies are literally going through a major tsunami! But there is a way to feel better and balance out hormones again.”

Marilen teaches that by tuning in early and nurturing the brain-ovary communication line, women can calm the storm long before true menopause sets in.

Simple Home-Based Wellness Practices

Some of the most potent shifts begin at home—without fancy gadgets or expensive supplements. Marilen’s first recommendation? ”Rest” the digestive system by extending the overnight fast: aim for thirteen to fifteen hours between dinner and breakfast. Clients who adopt this simple rhythm often report feeling lighter, less bloated, and more energetic within days.

But Marilen stresses that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. “All women are the same, yet uniquely different. We all have cycles, but each of us follows our own. That’s why it’s not sustainable to follow someone else’s diet or training plan. You have to listen to your body—eat, move, and live according to your unique cycle.”

Crafting a Personalized Wellness Blueprint

Before prescribing any plan, Marilen begins with a holistic intake that feels more like conversation than a questionnaire. Clients describe their daily rhythms: how they move, what they eat, how they sleep, where stress accumulates, and what small self-care rituals already bring them joy.

From there, the foundation of a bespoke roadmap is co-designed to be achievable and meaningful. Together, the coach and client set realistic milestones.

She also suggests simple daily practices such as moving breakfast later to allow the digestive system and liver to rest, taking a short walk after dinner to aid digestion and relieve stress, and giving yourself 10-15 minutes of quiet time each morning to set a mindful and intentional tone for the day. These small, incremental wins build momentum and confidence, fostering long-term change that endures well beyond the coaching sessions.

Community, Compassion, and Emotional Support

Perimenopause can feel like a solitary voyage, but Marilen emphasizes that it’s one best shared. She curates community through informal coffee meet-ups, virtual workshops, and small group intensives—creating safe spaces where women speak openly about hot flashes, mood dips, or body image struggles.

Stories shared around a kitchen table or in a video call cultivate empathy and reduce shame, reminding women that their experiences are valid and worthy of compassion. “We rise by lifting others,” Marilen affirms, weaving threads of solidarity for women at every phase of their cycle.

Balancing Family Life and Advocacy

Marilen’s empathy and discipline are rooted in her early years as a middle-school history teacher, and in the lessons she learned in raising three children, each with distinct needs and temperaments.

Marilen’s guiding philosophy is simple yet powerful: “You are the CEO of your own health.” To any woman feeling lost amid the waves of the perimenopause tsunami, Marilen offers this reassurance: “You are not alone. Reach out. Ask questions. Share your story. Take one small step today—and honor yourself by acknowledging just how far you’ve come. You’ve weathered storms before, and the best days of your journey lie ahead.”

Want to read the cover stories?

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To read the full article, grab a copy of Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day and Father’s Day 2025 Print Edition—available on sarisari.shopping. Download the e-magazine from Readly or Press Reader for more exclusive features and stories.