Grits and Grace

09/18/2026

😁Fun Fact Friday😁

❓Did you know?

👉🏻Menopause can directly affect your oral health.

Hormonal changes during menopause may contribute to:

🦷Dry Mouth: Reduced saliva flow increases the risk of tooth decay and infections.

🦷Sensitive Gums: Fluctuating estrogen can cause bleeding, swelling, or gum sensitivity.

🦷Bone Density Loss: Changes in jawbone density can impact overall tooth stability.

Your mouth is a crucial part of your menopause health, too! 💕

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😁Quick Tips for Oral Care:

1. Stay Hydrated: Sip water throughout the day to combat dry mouth. 💦

2. Brush & Floss: Maintain a strict daily routine with a soft-bristled toothbrush. 🪥

3. Visit Your Dentist: Keep up with regular cleanings and inform your dentist about any hormonal changes. 👄

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Till next time… Stay sassy, love your body, and carry a little Grit with a whole lotta Grace! 💜🌸🌞

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**The content shared on Grits and Grace is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health, medical condition, or treatment options. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you’ve read here.

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**Post shared with research and approval by Michelle Bridges OQuin 👍🏻



— with Michelle Bridges OQuin.

09/17/2026

Did you know?

67% of women say perimenopause affects their quality of life.

You are not imagining it, and you are not alone.

This is the part that gets lost when perimenopause is described as a list of symptoms. What women actually report is the accumulation of them. Sleep that no longer restores. Anxiety with no obvious trigger. Words that go missing mid sentence. Each one sounds minor on its own. Together they change how a day feels.

Recent survey data shows the same pattern. In Bonafide Health's annual State of Menopause Survey of more than 2,000 US women, 60% said their symptoms negatively affected their emotional or mental health, rising to 65% among women in their forties. Nearly half said symptoms had affected their income.

None of that is a failure of effort or attitude. It is what happens when hormones stop following a steady rhythm, and it is worth bringing to a provider rather than absorbing quietly.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please speak with your healthcare provider about your personal risk and history.

At Evernow, we are here to help you every step of the way. Visit https://www.evernow.com/.

09/17/2026

🍂🍷 Fall W**e Dinner 🍷🍂

Hi ladies, no regular post today so I wanted to share the upcoming fall w**e dinner at Jacmel Inn Restaurant! If you need a nice girls night or date night before the upcoming busy holiday season, here’s your sign! 😍

09/16/2026

🎀 WELLNESS WEDNESDAY 🎀

In anticipation of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, this is a great reminder to put your health on the calendar. 💗

Mammograms are an important tool for detecting breast cancer early, sometimes before you can feel a lump or notice a change.

Early detection can mean:
✨ More treatment options
✨ Earlier intervention
✨ Better outcomes

Don’t put off your screening because life is busy. Your health deserves a spot on your calendar, too. 🩷

Schedule your mammogram and encourage the women you love to do the same.

🎀 Early detection matters. Prevention starts with awareness.

📌CALL TO ACTION: Are you due for your mammogram? Does it need to be scheduled? We challenge you to get it scheduled today! 👏🏻

Til next time…stay sassy, love your body, and carry a little Grit with a whole lotta Grace! 🤍✨🌿

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**The content shared on Grits and Grace is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health, medical condition, or treatment options. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you’ve read here.

**Post shared with research and approval by Michelle Bridges OQuin 👍🏻

09/15/2026

09/15/2026

💪🏻Muscle, Bone & Midlife: Why Strength Becomes Even More Important💪🏻

💡One of the conversations I think we need to have more often during perimenopause and menopause is about muscle and bone.

🦴The years surrounding menopause are important for skeletal health. The FIGO menopause position paper notes that bone mineral density can decline rapidly during the first several years following the final menstrual period. At the same time, loss of muscle mass and muscle tone can contribute to fall and fracture risk.

✨That is one reason I want women thinking about strength before they are older.

‼️Resistance training places a demand on the muscles and skeleton. Our bodies adapt to those demands. Evidence reviewed in the FIGO paper supports physical activity during menopause and notes that higher-intensity exercise can benefit lumbar spine bone mineral density and that combining resistance training with impact/aerobic activity may be particularly useful for muscle and bone mass.

👏🏻And no—you do not have to become a CrossFit athlete.

🏋🏻‍♀️Strength training can look very different depending on your age, experience, health, mobility, injuries, and starting point. For one woman it may mean learning basic movements with body weight or resistance bands. For another, it may mean dumbbells. Someone else may enjoy a gym, CrossFit, machines, or structured strength programming.

‼️The goal isn't to compete with anyone.

✨The goal is to progressively challenge your body in a way that is appropriate for you.

✨And one of the biggest mindset changes I'd love to see in midlife women is moving away from:

❌"I exercise because I need to lose weight."

➡️toward:

✅"I train because I want a strong body that will carry me through the rest of my life."

That's a very different goal!😍

📌CALL TO ACTION: what is one new wellness goal you can set for yourself this week, big or small? Let us know in the comments below. 👇🏻

Til next time…stay sassy, love your body, and carry a little Grit with a whole lotta Grace! 🤍✨🌿

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**The content shared on Grits and Grace is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health, medical condition, or treatment options. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you’ve read here.

**Post shared with research and approval by Michelle Bridges OQuin 👍🏻

**Crossposted from the private Grits & Grace page!

09/14/2026

More amazing news to share! This is a wonderful article in the local publication “A Cup Of Joy.” Thank you for everything you do for the local women in our community! Let’s give Michelle a round of applause in the comments! 🥰👏🏻✨

09/14/2026

🏋🏻‍♀️Why I Talk to My Patients About Lifting Weights🏋🏻‍♀️

🩷If you've ever talked to me about perimenopause or menopause, there's a pretty good chance I've brought up strength training somewhere in the conversation.

✨There's a reason for that.

➡️For years, women were often encouraged to focus heavily on cardio, weight loss, and making the number on the scale smaller. But as women move through midlife, I want the conversation to shift toward something else… 👇🏻

❓What are we doing to preserve muscle, bone, strength, and function?

📈Research supports exercise as an important component of health after menopause. A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis by Khalafi and colleagues included more than 100 studies and thousands of postmenopausal women. Exercise training was associated with improvements in body-composition measures, including muscle-related outcomes and reductions in measures of body fat.

💃🏼International menopause guidance also emphasizes physical activity as part of healthy aging and prevention. The FIGO position paper discusses the importance of physical activity during menopause and notes evidence supporting resistance training and impact/aerobic exercise for muscle and bone health.

🩷This is why I don't want women thinking about exercise only as a way to burn calories.

‼️Muscle is valuable tissue.

💪🏻Strength matters when you're 45. It matters when you're 55. And it will matter tremendously when you're 75.

👍🏻We want to be able to carry groceries, lift grandchildren, get up off the floor, climb stairs, travel, garden, work, play, and continue doing the things that make life enjoyable.

✨So when I encourage a woman to pick up some weights, I'm not simply thinking about what she looks like.

🩷I'm thinking about the woman I want her to still be able to be 20 or 30 years from now.

📌CALL TO ACTION: are you interested in lifting weights or strength training? Or becoming more active in a different way? Let us know in the comments below. 👇🏻

Til next time…stay sassy, love your body, and carry a little Grit with a whole lotta Grace! 🤍✨🌿

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**The content shared on Grits and Grace is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health, medical condition, or treatment options. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you’ve read here.

**Post shared with research and approval by Michelle Bridges OQuin 👍🏻 Cross-posted from our private Grits & Grace group!

08/05/2026

🌿 WELLNESS WEDNESDAY 🌿

💗 Don't Skip Your Well-Woman Exam!

Life gets busy.

Between work, family, kids, grandkids, and everything else on your to-do list, it's easy to put yourself last.

But today I want to remind you that your annual well-woman exam is about so much more than a Pap smear.

Many women think:
"I had a hysterectomy, so I don't need to come anymore."

Or...

"My Pap smear was normal last year, so I can skip this year."

The truth is, your annual visit allows us to evaluate so much more than your cervix.

Depending on your age, medical history, and individual needs, your visit may include:

💗 A pelvic exam to evaluate for abnormalities of the v***a and va**na

💗 A clinical breast exam to look for concerning breast changes

💗 Screening for skin changes, lesions, or masses

💗 Discussion of bladder, bowel, and sexual health concerns

💗 Menopause and hormone health

💗 Contraception or family planning

💗 Screening recommendations for breast cancer, cervical cancer, osteoporosis, and other preventive health needs

AS HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, WE'RE NOT JUST CHECKING BOXES—WE'RE LOOKING FOR ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT.

Throughout my career, I've diagnosed cervical cancer, breast cancer, v***ar cancer, va**nal cancer, and many other conditions during routine well-woman visits. Many of those women came in feeling perfectly healthy.

Early detection saves lives!!

Please don't wait until something hurts, bleeds, or feels abnormal.

Sometimes the most important appointment you'll keep all year is the one you almost canceled.

💜 Take care of yourself the same way you take care of everyone else.

You deserve that!

One routine exam has the potential to change—or even save—a life.

Make yours a priority!

Til next time…stay sassy, love your body, and carry a little Grit with a whole lotta Grace!



**The content shared on Grits and Grace is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health, medical condition, or treatment options. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you’ve read here.