If you’re having regular periods (and also over 40), here’s what I would do:

If you’re having regular periods (and also over 40), here’s what I would do:

by | Aug 5, 2020 | menopause, peri-menopause

August 2020

1.) Look past the horror stories you might have heard, or what you remember your mum / aunt / sister, going through.
It’s different for every woman, and you have much more control than you’re often led to believe.

2.) Start to put some time aside each week for fun, me-time and mini-adventure.
This might be a walk with a podcast, a cup of tea on the beach / garden, prepping veg and dancing in the kitchen every Sunday, or something more daring.
It doesn’t matter, as long as it feels like effortless fun to you and is FOR YOU.

3.) Upgrade your meals
Vegetables are a priority now. Eating for your hormones doesn’t need to be complicated – and you don’t need to be vegan – but you do need to put more veg on your plate, than anything else.

4.) Detox (your head) like a mofo.
When you notice your thoughts and internal / external conversations are less than helpful – do what you can to change them.
Don’t buy into everything your head comes up with.

5.) Accept that you have a choice.
You can do this on your own, or you can get some help (whatever that means to you).
‘Put up and get on with it’ is as dry and outdated for your health, as eating weetabix and low fat yoghurt.

6.) Start to get savvy on what hormones are really all about.
I mean, beyond the horror stories, the symptoms and beyond the messy periods.
You could even buy the Womanual, instead of trying to navigate the eleventy billion hits you get from Dr Google.

I’m giving you this advice, not just because I’m qualified to give it, not just because I’ve SEEN it help my clients,
but also, because this first line above, describes ME.

I only ever give advice that I myself would be willing to follow, and advice that will actually make a difference.

 

There are more than two characters in your menopause story. Can we talk about that?

There are more than two characters in your menopause story. Can we talk about that?

by | May 26, 2020 | menopause, peri-menopause

Menopause is not just a conversation about ovaries and oestrogen.

[May 2020]

It’s also adrenals, thyroid and digestion, testosterone, insulin, cortisol, HGH and more.

And most importantly, there’s YOU – who you are, and all of the other things going on in your life right now, right in the middle of it all.

You are MORE than your hormones!

If we only talked about ovaries and oestrogen, we’d be missing out HUGE pieces of the jigsaw puzzle.

The very same puzzle that brings you back to you, the real you underneath all the hormonal crap.
You’re still under there by the way.

Yeah, I’m well aware of how confusing and overwhelming it sounds, but don’t reach for that search engine just yet!

All the women I’ve helped so far (I lost count in the hundreds), all found their symptoms were improved by taking some action on a ‘base’ of:

  • Drinking more water than anything else
    Even if you end up drinking coffee later, let’s at least set the intention for more water.
  • Taking practical steps to improve sleep quality
    I know you don’t want to hear it, but the bedtime habits really do count!
  • Appropriate exercise
    Not all exercise is ‘right’ for every woman
  • Eating for hormonal balance
    Instead of fixating on calories or weight loss, the latter comes as a nice side-effect when we do the above
  • Doing some ‘life laundry’ and addressing stress
    Just start with the smaller piles that feel manageable, ok?

I’m not saying your problems aren’t bigger than this, I’m saying that if we’re really going to alleviate the layers of symptoms you might be experiencing, we need to start with the big rocks first.

It may be that along the way, we discover you need a little extra help with something. That might lead onto supporting you for digestive health, or hormonal therapy, or herbal supplements.

I’ve never met anyone who didn’t feel some improvement from fine-tuning their ‘base’ strategies, starting with the above.
Which starts to build the confidence and belief in yourself, that you have got what it takes to work on the rest.

I know that it seems a bit ‘far fetched’ for this to be true, and I know that nobody really wants to be doing it.
Drinking water and eating vegetables instead of hobnobs is BORING!
(if you don’t know how to make it enjoyable, that is)

Most people overlook the 5 points above. I’ve had clients tell me they didn’t think it would work for them, that my approach sounded too simple.

I get it.

But the low moods, sleep problems, hot flushes, belly fat, heavy periods, PMT, emotional outbursts, they really DID improve.
Take a quick scroll through this page to see what they said themselves.

Daily actions form the basis of survive or thrive. Sink or swim.
It’s the basis, not the everything. We have to start somewhere, and this is it.

Even with medication (which I’m not against btw), we can’t take a detour around the base habits.

If it sounds simple, surely that’s a reason to give a go, not a reason to dismiss it?

If you’ve not yet joined my online community – Finding Yourself In Menopause – then check it out by clicking the link below.

It’s available to all women at any age or stage of menopause.

If you want support not just information, proper answers and discussions about what really matters to you, here’s the link:

Finding Yourself In Menopause