BOSTON -- Are there days you feel like you're having an outer body experience and can't explain to yourself, or anyone around you, how you feel?

Have you noticed the scale creeping up despite efforts to increase your exercise routine, and that your waistline has a mind of its own and seems to be expanding with each passing day? Do you ever find yourself wondering, "Exactly where did I leave? What am I looking for?"

Well, welcome to menopause -- or more accurately, perimenopause! So, what's a woman to do during this sometimes out of control period of time that can last for more than a decade?

Actually, there are many things that you can do, but, first things first. Check with your personal physician or health care provider to make sure that what you are experiencing is normal, despite the fact that you may feel anything but normal.

Also check out your local bookstore or library -- there is a wealth of information available ranging from some very traditional treatment to some not so traditional and more of a holistic nature. The choices of hormones, vitamins, diet, etc. will be as varied as each of you, your symptoms and/or your medical history.

Each of us needs to decide which approach is within our own comfort zone and works best for us. The good news is that this is a time to re-evaluate lifestyle choices and begin to take control of the things that you can manage. These decisions can start you on the road of looking and feeling better than you ever have before.

There is a magic formula of things that you can control and it includes nutrition, exercise and stress reduction. Each of these contributes to how you feel and look during this time of change in your life.

So, stay tuned as I write more about each next week. In the meantime. check out books like Body for Life for Women by Dr. Pamela Peeke, Dr. Christine Northrup's Women’s Bodies, Women's Wisdom and The Window of Menopause, or Suzanne Somers' book, Slim & Sexy Forever -- The Hormone Solution for Permanent Weight Loss and Optimal Living.

Each book is quite different in set up and approach and should provide you with some valuable information.