WEBVTT
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Welcome to Menopause Dinners.
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My name is Sarah and I'm your host.
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Not only to me, but I have some incredible guests with me today.
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You can expect real stories, laughter, a few tears, and some facts to help you feel not alone in this ship storm called the Menopause.
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So sit tight and let's ride this storm together.
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Welcome to Menopause Dinners.
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Got a brilliant episode today, and we are online, which obviously reaches so many other people, which is fantastic.
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And I have got a guest with me today, but before I introduce her to you, I'm going to explain to you what the subject is.
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So first of all.
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Functioning in perimenopause.
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Okay, so that's the subject.
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So we're going to talk about how the hell do you function in perimenopause apart from just going to bed and hoping it's over within five minutes, which unfortunately it's not.
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But before we do that, I'm going to explain to you briefly what perimenopause is.
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I'm just going to break down the stages for you.
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So my opinion is that there's four stages.
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So there is three perimenopause.
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There you are, there's a big word to say.
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Starts when you first get your cycle.
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So if you think about it, ladies, when you're born, you're born with approximately about a million eggs in your ovaries, okay?
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And when you get to your cycle, it literally halves how many eggs you've got.
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So already your body is changing.
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You start your period, and then as every time you have a period and um eggs are released, that number goes down.
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So what that means is at some point there's going to be a lack of estrogen, lack of progesterone, and lack of testosterone.
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So what that means is by the time you get to the age of 30, your uh eggs, your follicles, there's going to be less of them.
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Okay, so again, that means that you can have less of these substances, of these hormones in your body, which is why perimenopause can start ever so early and you won't even know that you're in it.
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Now, if you go to a doctor, at some point they will test you and they'll test your FSH, which is your uh follicle stimulating hormone, or your LH, which is your lutensin hormone, and that will give them an understanding of the hormonal levels.
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But they normally test this when it when you're quite late in your peri.
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So this can this whole transition of perimenopause can go on for about eight to ten years.
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So some women get perimenopause really early, okay, some even in their 20s.
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But if you think about it, sometimes, as I mentioned, you don't even know that you're in it.
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These symptoms start and you'll go by your periods.
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I won't talk about the other symptoms because we're going to talk about that throughout today.
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But symptoms like heavy bleeding, uh missing periods, shorter periods, longer periods, completely irregular, all over the shop, clotting, um, lots of different types of periods going on, which is giving you the understanding that you are in perimenopaules.
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But for some women, they don't have any periods.
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So, what happens there?
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There's so much to talk about.
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But the the idea of today is to really get to grips with how do you get yourself ready for perimenopaules, how do you uh navigate that when you when you hit it?
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So, we're gonna be talking to a lady that absolutely has uh great vibes about her.
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I've seen her on Instagram, and I thought we must get this lady on to chat to us today.
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And she actually works with perimenopause women.
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Uh, she's a health coach, and I'm gonna introduce her now, and she's gonna tell us as much as she can about how the hell you get through it.
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So let's welcome uh little Imogen in.
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I say little, I don't know how if you're tall.
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I'm not tall.
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Hi Imogen, how are you?
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Hi, Sarah, I'm fine, thank you.
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It's nice to be here.
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Oh, we're so happy to have you here today.
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Thank you for taking the time.
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It's really, really kind of you to come onto the podcast.
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And you know, the idea for today is uh if anyone's listening, if they can pick up one thing from you, then then that's uh a win-win, right?
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Absolutely, yeah.
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I shall uh I can talk about my own experiences and uh hopefully give some handy hints on the way.
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Perfect.
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So um we always start off with a quiz.
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Okay.
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Wouldn't be uh menopause dinners without a quiz.
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So what we're gonna do, we're gonna shout out symptoms of perimenopause.
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Now we've got done the period, so that would be a bit naughty to go through that again.
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Um, but you can start if you want and I'll follow your lead.
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Ready?
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Are you ready?
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I'm ready.
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20 seconds start now.
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Uh anxiety, uh, joint pain.
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AlphaTations.
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Problem sleeping.
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Timmy tests.
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10 seconds for me.
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First you go.
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Uh constipation.
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Nice.
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Four dryness.
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Oh three.
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Hair problems.
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Two.
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Oh, um, yeah.
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One.
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Um times up.
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It's tough, isn't it under pressure?
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It is.
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And there's yet there's so many of them.
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We could have we could have gone for hours with the list.
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I think we could have done.
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We could have done a whole podcast on symptoms just by shouting them out, I reckon.
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And I and I and I do think there's quite a lot that we don't even know.
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Um, all right, so um I think our ladies at home would love to know about you.
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So why don't we just talk about uh first of all, are you on inner perimenopause?
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Are you there at the moment?
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Okay, I am.
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I probably started in perimenopause in about 2019 when I was about 39.
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Um, but it took a long time to get to get diagnosed.
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I don't know what the correct term is, you know, for someone to confirm that that this was what was going on.
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So I would say for two years I was in that strange limbo land of not really knowing what was going on.
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Um, but I'm now 45, so we are six years down the line.
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And I I feel I feel more settled in perimenopause.
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So um yeah, I'm definitely definitely there.
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Okay.
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And uh feel more knowledgeable.
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But yeah, it took a long time to to get there to know what was happening.
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Well, that's really good because I do think on these podcasts we haven't had many perimenopause.
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We seem to be attracting menopause and post, so this is really, really good for us.
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Um, I am post-menopause.
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I say it's three years, but I've got a feeling I'm lying.
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I think it might be four.
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Um but it's definitely it's definitely three at point some days.
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It's brain fog.
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Oh, that's brain fog.
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See, we didn't say brain fog.
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We forgot it, that's why.
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Um, so let's talk about you professionally.
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Um, what is it?
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Explain to everyone at home what you actually do.
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Okay, so I am a health coach.
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Um, I was I was working in universities when um my children were young and COVID struck.
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And this is all very much linked to the perimenopause, but I hit a point where I thought I just cannot do this anymore.
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I cannot have small children and work.
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It just wasn't wasn't happening.
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So I left work, which is such a common thing that happens to women in perimenopause.
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I took some time out with the kids um and then began thinking, you know, I think I'm at a point, I've got my HRT sorted.
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So I got to a point where I thought, I need to do something, I'm ready to do something.
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My brain is functioning now with my HRT.
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Um, so I was I was scrapping around really looking for something to do and considered counselling and then stumbled on health coaching, which really suited me because it is such a practical way of supporting people.
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So um took my diploma, doing my training, managed to get through that with the brain fog.
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And um I now work with women who are feeling overwhelmed, who are feeling exhausted, perimenopausals of late 30s, 40s, that's my real area of you know interest.
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Um, and we work together to help them boost their energy, to help them feel more in control, and just to get on top of all those health areas that we may neglect.
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So, you know, things like stress and sleep, you know, gaining nutrition in check, finding time to exercise, not necessarily sort of following, you know, a complex health program, but um just finding that that time in your day to go and get to your class because you may feel too overwhelmed.
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So that's where I am, working with um, you know, working with women and uh just just sort of talking through what they need and helping them to create a plan for how to get them.
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That sounds amazing.
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Good for you.
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Yes, I'm really enjoying it.
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Would you say that it's helping you at the same time with your perimenopause?
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Absolutely, yeah.
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No, it really is.
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I mean, I I did some research recently um and spoke to to so many women just to just to find out a little bit more about what was was going on for them.
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And um, if anything, it's just made me it's made me sort of realize that we're all in the same boat and you know that that we're all struggling with the same things.
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And actually, one of the things that so many women need is that connection and you know that that um just having time to get together with other other women as well.
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And so I'm trying to do that a little bit more as well, and you know, just not not go through this journey as it is, um, on my own, and just try to connect with other women and and find out what's happening for everyone else as well.
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Yeah, so yeah, it's it sounds great.
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It sounds great because uh it's really interesting.
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Like we talked about before we started recording, you know, just the fact of you know, talking to other women and getting to know um other, you know, what's going on with everyone else in their lives.
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And so you mentioned working.
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We've actually when this is when this comes out, there will be a podcast just before yours that is about working.
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And that's all about women changing their jobs.
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And that's a really, really interesting subject, actually.
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I think it is.
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I I think it's it seems so common now that that women just can't deal with the symptoms when they're at you know in the workplace.
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And and I'm sure there is I'm sure there's a lot of research in in it, but there must be so many women leaving the workplace just because they're perhaps not supported, you know, the symptoms are hard to handle when they're there.
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And um I know that we have a lot of health coaches who go into businesses and and do that um, you know, that men menopause support and help help help workplaces understand what women need as well.
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So yeah, really fascinating area.
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Yeah, it's a good it was a good topic, actually, really good.
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And uh the lady that come down, uh I'll just plug it for a second, was uh from uh XHR and uh she's got lots of experience in that, so it was mainly talking about uh what should be happening in your workplace, and if it's not, uh what you can do about it.
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And then we talked about women changing their jobs.
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Uh so yeah, so if you haven't listened to that, definitely go back.
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But um, but let's focus on today.
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So, when did you really think that that was the right route for you to go?
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Because health coaching, I think, is quite quite can be quite difficult because obviously you've got your own problems on perimenopause and you are going to be dealing with other people's problems.
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Some people can thrive off that and some people can find that overwhelming.
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Um, yeah, so why why do you think you you chose that particular profession?
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Oh, that's a good question.
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Um I think it was it was having that opportunity to use my own experiences.
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Um, I mean, obviously in health coaching, we're not telling people what to do, we're helping them to explore what they need, to explore, you know, what's going wrong and what they might need to help support them.
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Um, but I I think just having this personal knowledge of almost like the toolkit that I had to uh reach for um to help me to navigate perimenopause, um, you know, that's that's really interesting to me is is to help women to find what their toolkit is, you know, so whether that is adding some more um exercise in, you know, improving balancing blood sugar, we might touch on that later.
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Yeah.
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Um so yeah, so I I felt like my own um, you know, my own experience could be really valuable to women.
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But I think also it was that because I hit perimenopause when I was sort of 38, 39, I really wanted to kind of reach out to those women at that stage of life.
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So, you know, whether they've got young kids, whether they're at the top of their careers, whether they've got elderly parents, you know, uh in your late 30s, 40s, you're juggling a lot, whatever your situation.
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Um, and I wanted to use my experience and my knowledge to kind of promote that to women, that you know, feeling feeling a bit chitty, um, shouting at the kids, feeling a bit ragy, it might be perimenopause.
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It might not just be that, you know, you're a bad mum or you're doing too much.
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Or um, so yeah, so that's another area that I'm really trying to highlight is is just how much this impacts women in their 30s, late 30s, and it isn't, you know, menopause isn't just something that happens when you're mid-50s.
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It's got paramenopause goes on for a long time.
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Yes, yes, and you know, as I mentioned earlier, some women don't even know that they're in it.
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Absolutely no, you know, it's like that when you have a period and you wonder to yourself, you know, I'm feeling really grumpy, what's wrong with me?
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And then someone tells you you've got your period coming.
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It's the same thing with perimenopause, you can't you can't see it, um, but it's just there.
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So typical client that would come to you, what are we talking about?
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Someone that is a certain age between the perimenopause, you get anyone that comes in that's in early perimenopause?
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Loads that come in with early perimenopause.
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So um I think I've had a lot of confused clients in that late 30s, 40s bracket, who are, you know, we've alluded to feeling pretty awful.
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Um, and so yes, though they would be my ideal, my ideal client, late in their 40s, struggling too much, overwhelmed, snacking, snacking throughout the day to keep them going, you know, relying on caffeine, sleeping badly, don't know what's happening, think they might be in perimonopause, and sometimes they just need a bit of coaching to work out where they, you know, where they go next.
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Um the the chances are, and absolutely no respect, no disrespect to um, you know, the GPs out there who I know are completely overloaded, but the chances are they've been fobbed off by the doctor, yeah, and they've been told you've got I don't know, anxiety, yeah, you might be a bit depressed, you've got too much going on, um, maybe you need the contraceptive pill.
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That seems to be another one.
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So so they're just in that flux of of uh not knowing where they're going next.
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Um and often they they just need that space.
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They need the space to chat through, you know, what's what's going wrong?
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What what do I actually need?
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Yeah and how am I gonna how am I gonna get there?
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Yeah, yeah.
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And I think by providing that space they they start to see things more clearly because the chances are they've not talked to someone about this for a long time.
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They may have had a fleeting conversation with a friend, but no one sat down and listened and talked and and helped them to see to see the path really about uh where they need to go and what it is that they need to to feel better, start feeling energized again.
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No, I think I think you've hit the nail on the head because uh sometimes unfortunately GPs have diagnosed women with depression or anxiety, and it's actually their their perimenopause.
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Um and that's that's difficult because it doesn't make a difference when they go on you know, if they do go on antidepressants, it doesn't make a difference.
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So there is a mixed communication, and I think it's really, really difficult if if you have these symptoms, and you know, like we've said before, they don't all come in a truckload.
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I mean, Christ, if they all come together, you wouldn't be able to move, would you?
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You wouldn't be able to move at all.
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But you know, um they come sporadically, so you won't always have a hot flush, you won't always have a mood.
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It will be now and again, and so that's that could be seen as something else, right?
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Yeah, yeah.
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And then uh I know you mentioned the the blood tests as well.
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Um, I mean I was I was looking at my blood tests, I was looking that they were so awful that I was able to get diagnosed with um perimenopause very quickly and given HRT straight away.
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There was there was no messing once we did those blood tests.
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Um, but they can you know they can vary throughout the cycle.
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So it may be that you have the a blood test on a day and everything shows up fine.
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So that it's quite an inconclusive way to um you know, sort of conclude what's happening for people.
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Um so yeah, it's a and I I completely necessarily say a tricky area to to find out, but I think being able to trust trust your gut that you know there's something not not right, you know there's something not I think you know you know your body, and uh I always say to people, if you think something's wrong, then you need to advocate for yourself.
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And if the doctor you go to see doesn't listen to you, well you can go and see someone else.
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You know, you should be able to get some sort of understanding about what's happening with you.
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Uh but it's a trick tricky time, and some women, when they're not in that age bracket and they come on, uh they're going to their perimenopause, let's say in their 20s, it can happen.
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Again, they won't know anything about it because they won't have anyone around them.
00:18:57.920 --> 00:19:09.279
I'll take if if you've got friends around you having children, you know, get married and you're navigating an early perimenopause in your late 20s, that's that's a really difficult place to be.
00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:09.680
Yeah.
00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:18.079
Um I would love to see more recognition that um you know menopause the average age of menopause is fifty about 45, 55?
00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:18.720
Yeah.
00:19:19.039 --> 00:19:22.319
Um, but perimenopause is kicking in 10 years prior.
00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:27.279
So there are a lot of women in their late 30s, 40s whose symptoms are creeping in.
00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:33.119
And I'd love to see it just acknowledge that you know, this is for many people, this is the norm.
00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:34.559
Yeah, no, definitely.
00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:39.759
I mean, I've always said that I think that we get educated at school about periods.
00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:52.480
We should have an education at some point, like when you go for a smear test, they give you a leaflet, maybe, for you to read because it's um every every woman needs to know about it.
00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:55.680
And lucky for them now, there's so much on socials.
00:19:55.839 --> 00:20:03.119
Yeah, um, when me and my friend were going through Perry, we didn't talk about it because we and that was a while ago now.
00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:13.279
Obviously, that I'm 21, 21 every year, but that must have been about four 14 years ago.
00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:14.400
I don't mind, miss it.
00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:17.680
I'm 54, so you know, that's we're going back a while then.
00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:21.200
If you think about how long we've come since then, it's changed.
00:20:21.359 --> 00:20:22.559
It's changed a lot, isn't it?
00:20:23.039 --> 00:20:23.839
It's changed so much.
00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:30.160
I think also for um, you know, for kids, for teenagers, female or male, they need to know what's happening in their house.
00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:35.920
You know, if if them if their mother is really crabby, then it you know, it's good to have this understanding.
00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:36.960
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:37.519
That's right.
00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:46.000
You need to sit down with your kids and tell them I'm not being an arsehole because I'm not an arsehole, it's because I can't control my hormones.
00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:46.799
No, I couldn't.
00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:49.039
So just like we've just had teenage hormones, you know.
00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:53.519
Oh, I completely, completely agree.
00:20:53.759 --> 00:21:00.720
So, so with the work that you do, because it's I I love uh watching you on Instagram, Imogen.
00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:03.839
You come up honestly, I'm a little stalker of yours.
00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:05.279
I just I just love watching you.
00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:07.759
You've got a lovely way of you, you're so friendly.
00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:09.839
Oh, it's not my natural habitat.
00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:11.920
I'm sure you're nasty.
00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:15.039
I'm sure you're really nasty behind doors.
00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:22.880
But um, what I want to ask you is obviously there are symptoms in perimenopause, but what do you like to focus on?
00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:25.920
Oh, what do I like to focus on?
00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:30.559
I'm quite big on women prioritizing themselves.
00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:34.400
So that's that's um probably a much broader thing than just perimenopause.
00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:44.240
But I I think there is a lot of women who just put themselves to the bottom of the pile and you know, say I'll just keep going, I'll just keep showing up.
00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:48.799
I'm you know, I I need to do this for this, and I can't possibly I don't have time.
00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:57.839
So there is so much of that, and until you can make that time, it's it's very difficult to make time for everything else.
00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:04.400
Um, so that's one of my my big Areas because I hear it so often from people, you know, I I just don't have time to do that.
00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:05.759
But can I just ask?
00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:10.160
Sorry, is that because they've got kids or is that in general?
00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:18.720
I mean some of them have kids, some of them have careers, some of them may you may have you know elderly parents, caring responsibilities.
00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:25.759
Um it's it's just it seems to it seems to be across the board from from the clients I've spoken to.
00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:31.200
Um or they just don't know how to how to sort of find that time for themselves and how what to do.
00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:35.839
So whether to do some exercise, whether to go to a class, whether to connect with people.
00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:40.720
Um so it's so I I really enjoy exploring that with them.
00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:48.799
And just seeing those little nuggets that sometimes appear, you know, just saying, actually, I used to go to a Pilates class and I really enjoyed that.
00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:56.240
And I noticed I didn't have joint pain when you know when I went to did my stretching, and I I felt better and I felt calmer and I slept better.
00:22:56.400 --> 00:23:02.640
Um so the knock-on effects from these little little things that they do can have such a big impact.
00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:07.039
So that that is one is is just helping them to kind of explore that.
00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:10.319
Sleep as well, it's a big area, yeah, yeah.
00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:15.119
That we talk about because obviously sleep can be so disruptive in pen perimenopause.
00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:18.480
Um, I mean there's lots of things that that can help.
00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:36.559
Phones are showing up a lot for uh for women um as a sort of way of escaping and um yeah, and they're affecting people's sleep, so they're not um they're not getting having that calm time in the evenings and then they're not sleeping well.
00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:42.880
So sleep is big too that seems to show up a lot, and um and nutrition and snacking.
00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:48.000
I know you had an a really interesting episode a couple of weeks ago about nutrition, yeah, yeah.
00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:55.119
Um but just hearing how how many people are relying on sugar to get sugar through the same.
00:23:55.359 --> 00:23:56.400
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:23:56.720 --> 00:24:12.480
And and I'm I really like looking at sort of the knock-on effects of and we could talk about breakfast in a bit, but breakfast and you know how you start your day and what the effect of that is for the rest of the day, that seems to come up a lot for um for clients as well.
00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:18.880
So lots of different areas that show up, and often people will arrive thinking they're gonna talk about one thing, yeah.
00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:21.680
And when they start unraveling, it it all comes out.
00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:23.039
No, I really like that.
00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:30.319
I do really like that because it is about prioritising yourself because uh like you said, a lot of women don't do that.
00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:34.960
And uh especially if you've got a busy job, that comes first.
00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:37.200
Uh if you've got kids, they come first.
00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:44.160
If you've got a dog who just came in the room and I've got a cushion on the floor, I had to move the cushion because she likes running off with the cushions and destroying them.
00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:46.480
So that's what I was doing just a second ago.
00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:48.799
Uh little bugger.
00:24:49.119 --> 00:24:50.400
Yeah, no, I really like that.
00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:52.720
And the sleep And I think I'm sorry, it's interesting.
00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:58.240
I think in perimenopause, if you don't start to look after yourself, it it spirals, you know.
00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:07.599
You you start to feel worse, you you might I don't know, you may have no energy, then you have no energy to exercise, and yeah, you it all has a knock-on effect.
00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:16.880
So there is so much around just making that little bit of time for you, and then it gives you the energy to move on and you know improve a different area of your life.
00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:18.480
So I really like that.
00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:26.640
And in part two, we are gonna come back to those, and Imogene might have some tips for you at home.
00:25:26.880 --> 00:25:30.079
So um don't don't worry about that, we'll come back to it.
00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:32.480
But yeah, sleep, very important.
00:25:32.799 --> 00:25:37.440
Um, I personally find that if I don't get sleep, good sleep, that's it.
00:25:37.599 --> 00:25:42.240
My my food's not on point the next day, everything's not on point.
00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:46.000
It's um it's a it's a big deal sleep.
00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:53.039
Um, and you don't realise it, you do not realise it because before it's almost like you you got away with it.
00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:56.799
Remember, you used to go out clubbing and coming in at 6 a.m.
00:25:57.039 --> 00:25:58.640
and going straight out to work.
00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:02.000
Yeah, yeah, two hours sleep.
00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:03.599
Try and do that now.
00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:06.880
I'd be I'd be gone for about two months after, I reckon.
00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:07.359
Oh yeah.
00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:10.000
Wouldn't be able to do that, I'd fall asleep in the club.
00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:15.039
It's a two-day recovery now, I think, isn't it, from a um from a bad night's sleep.
00:26:15.119 --> 00:26:25.279
And alcohol, and I know you know the intolerance of alcohol as well in in uh perimenopauses, just changes, changes how people can can deal with it, really.
00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:26.720
I've got to ask a question.
00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:29.599
I I'm not I'm not a parent, I'm a dog mummy.
00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:38.480
But what is it with women and wine when they is it like a stress, stress, does it do they use it to relax overnight?
00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:43.359
I've got this image of women coming home and getting a bottle of Planck out the out of the fridge.
00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:46.480
I don't think it's happening as much af after 40.
00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:55.279
Um I mean I I know that in in COVID when I was uh at home with my toddler, I I occasionally could swig it from the bottle from the fridge.
00:26:55.440 --> 00:26:58.400
So um yeah, that did that did happen.
00:26:58.880 --> 00:27:01.920
And then I think I had a word with myself, you know, yeah, enough.
00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:03.519
Four o'clock a Tuesday.
00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:05.359
This is not uh not the way for it.
00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:06.880
Okay.
00:27:07.440 --> 00:27:09.119
So it's changed out.
00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:10.079
Yeah, yeah.
00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:12.400
You don't you can't get away with it.
00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:14.400
You've got to get this skin looking good.
00:27:14.559 --> 00:27:19.759
It's not gonna it's gonna take a good couple of days' sleep, not just two hours.
00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:25.279
So I know at the moment you're doing a big thing on blood sugar.
00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:40.079
So can we talk about that for a for a little bit and uh maybe save all the the good stuff for part two, like how women can control their blood sugar, but um I'd like to ask you why you're delving into that?
00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:41.279
What's the what's the reason?
00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:44.160
Yeah, I'm really interested in blood sugar.
00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:53.200
When we've got level blood sugar, our energy is level, we're not having those kind of dips and those slumps that tend to happen at like two o'clock in the afternoon.
00:27:53.359 --> 00:28:04.640
Um mood can be improved, um, and also we just eat so much sugar, you know, there's so much sugar in pasta, in breads, um that can raise our blood sugar and then make it drop again.
00:28:04.880 --> 00:28:09.440
And those it's those unsteady levels throughout the day that could have such an impact on us.
00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:20.960
So if we have level blood sugar starting at breakfast, um then you know we're not gonna get that 11 o'clock hunger level that that really you know makes you want to reach for a biscuit.
00:28:21.119 --> 00:28:26.319
Um, we're not gonna have those ragey kind of crossings when we're really hungry.
00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:33.119
So um, yeah, so there's a lot a lot to be said for having level balanced blood sugar um throughout the day.
00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:38.559
So let's go back to breakfast because I mean I've always been a breakfast girl.
00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:39.119
Always.
00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:44.400
I've never skipped breakfast, never, unless I'm unless I'm ill or got diarrhoea.
00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:46.880
The only two times.
00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:53.039
Because I mean, so that's me, but I also know that a lot of women skip breakfast.
00:28:53.839 --> 00:29:01.279
And um not because they're trying to lose weight, but because they're rushing or they just eat something not at the right time.
00:29:01.359 --> 00:29:05.519
Is some is that something that you've uh found in your experience?
00:29:05.839 --> 00:29:10.319
Yeah, I've I've seen a lot of women who are pretty bad breakfasts.
00:29:10.559 --> 00:29:18.480
Um, you know, they may be having maybe having nothing, they may not be until 11 o'clock and then they're starving, so they grab whatever they can.
00:29:18.640 --> 00:29:25.839
Um yeah, there's there's a lot around breakfast and people just not quite approaching it the way they could they could do better, I guess.
00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:27.359
They could do better with breakfast.
00:29:27.440 --> 00:29:27.599
Yeah.
00:29:27.759 --> 00:29:41.440
Um but if you um, you know, so if you're having a piece of white bread and jam, then your sugar levels are gonna raise and then they're gonna drop again at 11, which is when we talked about that kind of slump that you get and that hunger.
00:29:41.599 --> 00:29:48.640
Um, but getting a bit of protein in at breakfast can help keep your blood sugar levels right going level right through to lunch.
00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:48.880
Yeah.
00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:52.079
So you you know, you're not you're not hungry mid-morning, you're not angry.
00:29:52.160 --> 00:29:54.960
So I that's the place that I would start with women.
00:29:55.279 --> 00:30:04.559
Okay, so we're looking at breakfast and blood sugar levels kind of symptoms you mentioned mood, obviously that's that's a massive one with with blood sugar.
00:30:04.720 --> 00:30:12.240
I think we've all been there when we've gone past the time and we start getting a little bit aggy with other people around us.
00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:19.440
Um so, yes, we will talk about this in part two, but for what are we looking at roughly?
00:30:19.599 --> 00:30:26.480
I mean, how many hours apart from a meal before blood sugar levels can start to get a bit erratic?
00:30:27.359 --> 00:30:29.839
I guess it depends on what you've eaten as well.
00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:34.400
Um I mean the advice would be to have to try and eat something every sort of three to four hours.
00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:41.920
But I know that if I I don't know, if I ate something carby for breakfast, I would be hungry in two or three hours.
00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:43.359
That would say.
00:30:44.480 --> 00:30:50.319
But if we're having a a decent breakfast, the chances are we'll get through to dinner with with no problem.
00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:58.400
So um yeah, it varies massively, but yeah, blood sugar, um unbalanced blood sugar can affect sleep as well.
00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:09.279
So if you're having something sugary at bedtime, the chances are you're gonna wake up at three o'clock feeling starving or you know, feeling a bit wired and things because your blood sugar is is playing havoc throughout the night.
00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:14.720
Um and then there's obviously the long-term kind of chronic conditions that can start like diabetes as well.
00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:22.000
So when we um you know, when our body works to lower blood sugar, then that's where cortisol can be released as well.
00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:28.160
So that's a lot of that is responsible for the um you know your fat around the tummy, cortisol release.
00:31:28.240 --> 00:31:37.680
So yeah, so that's when you start getting the the menobelly, as everyone calls it, or as I call it the you know, the one pack.
00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:41.839
We had a conversation the other day, me and Paula, we call it the one pack.
00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:43.440
Because it can be quite impressive.
00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:48.799
I mean, if you see a guy with a a menobelly, it's like that's like years of work, isn't it?
00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:50.559
Lots of beer drinking and everything.
00:31:50.640 --> 00:31:57.039
But if you see a woman, it's you know, it's it's you can see that they have got a meno belly.
00:31:57.119 --> 00:32:06.240
We're not talking about if someone's overweight, we're talking about how it forms, where it starts forming for just under the rib cage, and then all the way through the abdominal.
00:32:06.400 --> 00:32:08.640
It's it's scary stuff, really.
00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:18.319
And women don't understand how bad that is for them, you know, and what complications it can it can cause them.
00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:21.200
So I mean what would you say is comes from nowhere.
00:32:21.359 --> 00:32:23.839
I mean it could it comes from nowhere sometimes, that belly as well.
00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:28.240
Just you know, one one day it's not there and then the next it's just formed.
00:32:28.480 --> 00:32:29.440
Um yeah.
00:32:30.319 --> 00:32:33.839
What you wake up and you're like, what's happened to my belly?
00:32:33.920 --> 00:32:35.359
But yeah, I suppose so.
00:32:35.519 --> 00:32:47.359
Yeah, I mean I had them I've never had um fat on my tummy, a lot of fat, but in my postmenopause, I kind of had depression for a little while.
00:32:47.519 --> 00:32:58.160
So I was reaching for stuff and I developed a menobelly, and I absolutely I looked at myself in the mirror and I first of all and I thought, what the hell?
00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:05.359
And second of all, I was like, this is what everyone's talking about because it literally, like I said, it came from under my rib cage.
00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:27.680
I look like one of those guys that's been out, you know, drinking lager, and I thought, this is just like bizarre, but that's because all those foods that I started eating to get through my um mood, if you like, uh will not do me any good and obviously cause me a lot of harm, uh, which I've managed to kind of like get under control now.
00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:29.119
So the meno's gone.
00:33:29.359 --> 00:33:32.480
Still got, I haven't got a six-pack yet, but who who cares about that?
00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:34.319
But at least it's not a one-pack anymore.
00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:35.519
Ah, good for you.
00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:38.240
I mean a lot of it is is stress-related as well.
00:33:39.359 --> 00:33:42.720
They talk a lot about the cortisol that can cause that tummy fat.
00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:47.680
And as you say, it's not is not a good place to carry fat around your tummy, it can be quite dangerous.
00:33:47.839 --> 00:33:53.279
So um, yeah, getting stress levels under control is is one one area that can help as well.
00:33:53.440 --> 00:33:56.160
Just just think about what is causing you stress.
00:33:56.319 --> 00:33:58.640
You know, is it is it lack of sleep as well?
00:33:58.799 --> 00:34:02.559
Um, I'm having too much sugar, it's is that not helping?
00:34:02.720 --> 00:34:04.319
So lots of different areas.
00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:13.360
I know that there is some um evidence, I think I'm not very glued up on this, about estrogen and and the kind of meadow belly and how estrogen can help.
00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:18.000
Um, so you know, it may be that HRT may play an impact and support things.
00:34:18.400 --> 00:34:18.800
Maybe.
00:34:19.039 --> 00:34:23.519
I mean, I do know that estrogen controls the way where the fat moves in the body.
00:34:23.840 --> 00:34:28.320
So if you do lose the estrogen, it will it will stop it.
00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:34.239
Um it will it will go to one place where it's where it's battled before to get it.
00:34:34.480 --> 00:35:08.800
But I think what's also interesting is that lots of these um cravings that we get, we develop uh when before menopause, or perimenopause, I say menopause, but I just mean everything in general, really, when I say that, um, is that before when we would get these noises in our brain, I'm not talking fruit noises, I'm talking about cravings and feeling full, they they tend to go down as well, which is why a lot of women start to get all these cravings and start reaching for stuff because the stop button's not there anymore.
00:35:08.960 --> 00:35:12.719
So, like you said, lack of sleep is not gonna help.
00:35:12.960 --> 00:35:19.679
These these hormonal imbalances are gonna stop you from feeling fuller, they're gonna, you know, stop you from feeling great.
00:35:19.840 --> 00:35:23.440
So it is it's a it's a really big deal, isn't it?
00:35:23.679 --> 00:35:24.719
Yeah, yeah.
00:35:24.960 --> 00:35:33.360
And and really, I I mean I would always just support just eating well, just thinking about you know what what is the stuff in my diet that I I can cut out?
00:35:33.599 --> 00:35:35.039
Is it the processed foods?
00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:36.400
Am I eating too much sugar?
00:35:36.480 --> 00:35:38.880
Am I having too much caffeine, alcohol?
00:35:39.039 --> 00:35:48.800
Um, and just going back to a really sensible way of eating, getting your proteins in, balancing your blood sugars, um, and yeah, just you know, no fancy diets.
00:35:48.960 --> 00:35:51.440
I I don't I don't generally go in for fasting.
00:35:51.519 --> 00:35:53.760
I know some people really rate fasting.
00:35:54.000 --> 00:36:06.079
Um but yeah, just just thinking about what could change, you know, what could be a more sensible way to approach approach my diet in my forties because it's much harder to shift the weight.
00:36:06.480 --> 00:36:31.679
Yeah, and I think that's that's the key factor is in your in your forties because what you did in your twenties you know, I think when you get to a certain age you you you forget how uh difficult it is to eat something that you used to eat in your 20s, it has a different response now, um, and you don't understand the damage that it does as well.
00:36:31.920 --> 00:36:44.000
But um okay, so we've talked about a little bit about cravings and blood sugar, and you mentioned uh lifestyle, you like focusing on that.
00:36:44.079 --> 00:36:46.559
So let's talk about that uh briefly.
00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:50.719
So why is that such a big thing for you?
00:36:51.199 --> 00:37:02.719
Um is that from your own experience or because when you talked about your when you talked about yourself earlier, you mentioned that you changed, you changed what you were doing.
00:37:03.360 --> 00:37:05.119
I did change what I was doing, yes.
00:37:05.280 --> 00:37:27.039
So when I when I realized that apparently it was perimenopause, everything that was going on for me, um terms of the anxiety, the um you know, all the strange symptoms that were happening, um the palpitations, high blood pressure because I was so anxious, you know, there was loads going on, and it took such a long time to work it out.
00:37:27.599 --> 00:37:36.719
Um and then once I got my HRT, that was when I felt at a point that I could actually start making some lifestyle changes.
00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:45.519
And I knew from my reading, because obviously I had, you know, I didn't have many friends who had hit a similar point as me, so I was having to really find things out myself.
00:37:45.679 --> 00:37:51.199
Um than most of my friends who, you know, had were going through paramedic pause.
00:37:51.599 --> 00:37:56.719
Um then I I came to realise that lifestyle was the way that I was going to feel better.
00:37:56.880 --> 00:38:03.840
The HRT helped me get to that point that I could start to make some actual changes, have that energy to do things.
00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:18.480
So um, yeah, so so I think it was then that I discovered exercise, and I was doing little bits and bobs before, but I realized that exercise wasn't just about you know doing a class so that I looked a bit thinner and you know felt better about myself.
00:38:18.719 --> 00:38:23.679
It was to get that headspace and to you know have that time for me to help with the anxiety.
00:38:23.920 --> 00:38:27.039
Um, so that was one um massive lifestyle change.
00:38:27.119 --> 00:38:35.599
And then do things like yoga and Pilates and having that um that space and that quiet and that breathing as well.
00:38:35.920 --> 00:38:44.800
You know, I think with perimenopause, I was such an anxious person, and and breathing was all over the show, and um my joints hurt.
00:38:44.960 --> 00:38:53.119
So doing little things like that began to kind of tick off the symptoms, you know, to to give me something that that helped.
00:38:53.360 --> 00:38:56.000
Um, and just to feel like I was functioning again.
00:38:56.079 --> 00:39:03.119
I think so long in perimenopause, you sit with all those symptoms and and that anxiety and that worry and thinking, you know, what's wrong with me?
00:39:03.199 --> 00:39:04.400
What have I got today?
00:39:04.639 --> 00:39:06.480
Is this something awful?
00:39:06.719 --> 00:39:14.800
Um so it it took a long time though to to build up that that toolkit and and to work out what I needed.
00:39:14.960 --> 00:39:24.880
Um and I think that's why I'm so passionate about working with women now, because I know what it feels like to be a bit lost in there, to just to just know I need to do something.
00:39:24.960 --> 00:39:28.800
I know I need to do something, but I don't know what it is, I don't know how to do it.
00:39:28.960 --> 00:39:32.960
I just feel really lost in the fog of of perimenopause.
00:39:33.039 --> 00:39:44.639
So um there is so much to be said for lifestyle changes that that support stress and anxiety, um energy, and and and to help that that overwhelm as well.
00:39:44.719 --> 00:39:50.719
If if you've got the if you've if you can go swimming, we have an outdoor pool uh near us, which is really nice.
00:39:50.800 --> 00:39:53.679
So if um you was gonna say you had an outdoor pool.
00:39:53.840 --> 00:39:57.199
I was gonna So like we should have come to you.
00:39:57.920 --> 00:40:00.320
I'm not I'm not in that set, I'm afraid.
00:40:00.480 --> 00:40:02.639
Um in the north.
00:40:02.800 --> 00:40:04.880
Um no, we have an outdoor pool near us.
00:40:04.960 --> 00:40:09.119
So um I know when I need a reset, I go to that outdoor pool because it's bloody freezing.
00:40:09.280 --> 00:40:17.599
Um i'm okay.
00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:24.880
But just to reset the nervous system, you know, if if you can have that half hour, just come out and just think, oh, do you know I can deal better with things today?
00:40:25.119 --> 00:40:26.320
This, this, and that.
00:40:26.480 --> 00:40:33.760
So it's uh for me, it's about helping helping women or you know, helping myself to identify what I need, what do I need today?
00:40:33.920 --> 00:40:42.079
What is the lifestyle change, you know, that I can put into place just to just to help me get through if my symptoms are all over the place.
00:40:42.320 --> 00:40:42.960
I love that.
00:40:43.280 --> 00:40:48.639
I love that because I it's I think that's quite similar to uh what doctors are trying to do now.
00:40:48.800 --> 00:40:56.239
So if someone goes in and I says I feel depressed, you know, they say, Okay, here's some tablets, but also go out and do so.
00:40:56.400 --> 00:41:02.480
I think they're prescribing exercise uh now, they're getting trying to get them into gyms, uh do stuff.
00:41:02.719 --> 00:41:05.199
So yeah, there's a lot to be said for lifestyle.
00:41:05.360 --> 00:41:09.440
And we were style medicine, I think it's it's it's known as Oh, is that what it's called?
00:41:09.519 --> 00:41:10.320
Oh, it's got a name now.
00:41:10.639 --> 00:41:11.360
Yeah, that's amazing.
00:41:11.519 --> 00:41:18.320
Yeah, and and there's the social prescribing as well, where you know they're prescribing sort of groups and you know, connection and getting out to things as well.
00:41:18.480 --> 00:41:21.840
So um and this is where I I guess health coaching comes in.
00:41:21.920 --> 00:41:26.400
Um because you know, the NHS you get what's it seven minutes in with your GP now?
00:41:26.719 --> 00:41:27.599
If you're lucky.
00:41:27.840 --> 00:41:33.920
I mean I mean I got about 60 seconds after waiting 40 minutes the other week.
00:41:34.159 --> 00:41:41.280
And uh so it must be an up north thing because your bum don't even touch the seat and you're done.
00:41:42.320 --> 00:41:43.760
I think it probably varies, doesn't it?
00:41:44.159 --> 00:41:44.800
Yeah, no, it varies.
00:41:45.840 --> 00:41:52.559
Um, but you know, in seven minutes you can't chat through what exercise could you do, how can you approve your nutrition, are you sleeping okay?
00:41:52.719 --> 00:41:57.280
There's so many different elements um that make such a big difference to people.
00:41:57.599 --> 00:42:08.880
And it may be that they don't need certain sets of tablets because they perhaps need somebody to sit with them and help think about what could change and where where they can bring in extra elements to support themselves.
00:42:09.039 --> 00:42:16.639
Um yes, I mean, sadly, we're not all some some areas do have health coaches within their GP practices, but um not in everyone.
00:42:16.960 --> 00:42:17.360
Not yet.
00:42:17.760 --> 00:42:17.920
No.
00:42:18.239 --> 00:42:19.760
But that's why you're here, Imogen.
00:42:20.159 --> 00:42:21.360
That's why you're here.
00:42:21.679 --> 00:42:25.840
Um so uh thank you very much for that first half.
00:42:26.000 --> 00:42:32.559
I've thoroughly enjoyed talking to you, and I'm just gonna let everyone know what's coming up in part two.
00:42:33.199 --> 00:42:36.960
So, uh, part two, we are menopause dinners, as you know.
00:42:37.039 --> 00:42:39.119
So, yes, there's gonna be some food.
00:42:39.440 --> 00:42:48.719
Imogen has supplied a recipe, and uh I've made it, and we're gonna reveal next time whether I liked it or not, what score I gave it.
00:42:48.800 --> 00:42:49.920
So sit tight for that.
00:42:50.079 --> 00:43:01.920
We've got some questions from our audience and also some lifestyle tips um to help you improve your perimenopause on stuff that we've talked about today, and if there's anything else, we'll throw that in too.
00:43:02.159 --> 00:43:04.880
Um, so yes, it will be a good subject.
00:43:04.960 --> 00:43:07.119
So please do come back.
00:43:07.440 --> 00:43:10.159
So I just want to say thank you to Imogene.
00:43:10.639 --> 00:43:11.840
You're very welcome.
00:43:12.159 --> 00:43:14.239
I hope you've enjoyed yourself in part one.
00:43:15.679 --> 00:43:17.360
We've enjoyed having you.
00:43:17.599 --> 00:43:19.920
Um, two two claps there.
00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:22.400
You're lucky, not everyone gets two clapped.
00:43:24.320 --> 00:43:28.719
Okay, oh she's uh someone's putting a clap clap in the text for you there.
00:43:31.760 --> 00:43:37.039
Okay, so don't forget to like, rate, or subscribe on any of the platforms you are listening to.
00:43:37.280 --> 00:43:41.199
Did you know you can also send us a text function for the podcast?
00:43:41.360 --> 00:43:44.159
You can send us a text guest to let us know how we're doing.
00:43:44.239 --> 00:43:45.679
So please do let us know.
00:43:45.840 --> 00:43:48.239
Or even on the socials, get in touch.
00:43:48.400 --> 00:43:52.960
There's now a monetisation button as we are a non profit that every little bit helps.
00:43:53.360 --> 00:43:59.840
So before you go, my final thought for you is manifold sucks, but with friends, it sucks.
00:44:00.320 --> 00:44:01.280
A whole lot less.
00:44:01.440 --> 00:44:04.000
We'll see you next time on Menopause Dinners.
00:44:19.679 --> 00:44:23.119
Menopause Dinners is sponsored by Fitness Therapy for You.
00:44:23.599 --> 00:44:33.599
I would like to remind everyone that anything that we talk about today to do with supplementation or medication, please do check with your GP if it's suitable for you.
00:44:33.760 --> 00:44:34.719
Take care.
00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:18.160
Welcome to Menopause Dinners.
00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:20.559
My name is Sarah and I'm your host.
00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.079
Not only to me, but I have some incredible guests with me today.
00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:32.079
You can expect real stories, laughter, a few tears, and some facts to help you feel not alone in this ship storm called the Menopause.
00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:35.039
So sit tight and let's ride this storm together.
00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:37.039
Welcome to Menopause Dinners.
00:00:56.880 --> 00:01:05.040
Got a brilliant episode today, and we are online, which obviously reaches so many other people, which is fantastic.
00:01:05.359 --> 00:01:12.480
And I have got a guest with me today, but before I introduce her to you, I'm going to explain to you what the subject is.
00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:13.840
So first of all.
00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:18.000
Functioning in perimenopause.
00:01:18.719 --> 00:01:20.719
Okay, so that's the subject.
00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:32.640
So we're going to talk about how the hell do you function in perimenopause apart from just going to bed and hoping it's over within five minutes, which unfortunately it's not.
00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:38.640
But before we do that, I'm going to explain to you briefly what perimenopause is.
00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:40.879
I'm just going to break down the stages for you.
00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:44.480
So my opinion is that there's four stages.
00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:46.480
So there is three perimenopause.
00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:48.159
There you are, there's a big word to say.
00:01:48.879 --> 00:01:51.280
Starts when you first get your cycle.
00:01:51.519 --> 00:02:00.239
So if you think about it, ladies, when you're born, you're born with approximately about a million eggs in your ovaries, okay?
00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:05.680
And when you get to your cycle, it literally halves how many eggs you've got.
00:02:05.840 --> 00:02:08.560
So already your body is changing.
00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:15.199
You start your period, and then as every time you have a period and um eggs are released, that number goes down.
00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:22.240
So what that means is at some point there's going to be a lack of estrogen, lack of progesterone, and lack of testosterone.
00:02:22.479 --> 00:02:30.560
So what that means is by the time you get to the age of 30, your uh eggs, your follicles, there's going to be less of them.
00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:43.759
Okay, so again, that means that you can have less of these substances, of these hormones in your body, which is why perimenopause can start ever so early and you won't even know that you're in it.
00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:57.680
Now, if you go to a doctor, at some point they will test you and they'll test your FSH, which is your uh follicle stimulating hormone, or your LH, which is your lutensin hormone, and that will give them an understanding of the hormonal levels.
00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:02.080
But they normally test this when it when you're quite late in your peri.
00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:08.800
So this can this whole transition of perimenopause can go on for about eight to ten years.
00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:14.400
So some women get perimenopause really early, okay, some even in their 20s.
00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:19.120
But if you think about it, sometimes, as I mentioned, you don't even know that you're in it.
00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:22.879
These symptoms start and you'll go by your periods.
00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:27.039
I won't talk about the other symptoms because we're going to talk about that throughout today.
00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:44.560
But symptoms like heavy bleeding, uh missing periods, shorter periods, longer periods, completely irregular, all over the shop, clotting, um, lots of different types of periods going on, which is giving you the understanding that you are in perimenopaules.
00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:47.039
But for some women, they don't have any periods.
00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:48.479
So, what happens there?
00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:50.240
There's so much to talk about.
00:03:50.560 --> 00:04:02.960
But the the idea of today is to really get to grips with how do you get yourself ready for perimenopaules, how do you uh navigate that when you when you hit it?
00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:09.439
So, we're gonna be talking to a lady that absolutely has uh great vibes about her.
00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:14.159
I've seen her on Instagram, and I thought we must get this lady on to chat to us today.
00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:17.759
And she actually works with perimenopause women.
00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:26.240
Uh, she's a health coach, and I'm gonna introduce her now, and she's gonna tell us as much as she can about how the hell you get through it.
00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:30.160
So let's welcome uh little Imogen in.
00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:32.480
I say little, I don't know how if you're tall.
00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:35.120
I'm not tall.
00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:38.959
Hi Imogen, how are you?
00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:40.959
Hi, Sarah, I'm fine, thank you.
00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:41.759
It's nice to be here.
00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:44.319
Oh, we're so happy to have you here today.
00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:45.839
Thank you for taking the time.
00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:49.519
It's really, really kind of you to come onto the podcast.
00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:59.439
And you know, the idea for today is uh if anyone's listening, if they can pick up one thing from you, then then that's uh a win-win, right?
00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:00.879
Absolutely, yeah.
00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:05.920
I shall uh I can talk about my own experiences and uh hopefully give some handy hints on the way.
00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:09.279
Perfect.
00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:12.879
So um we always start off with a quiz.
00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:13.600
Okay.
00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:17.279
Wouldn't be uh menopause dinners without a quiz.
00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:22.319
So what we're gonna do, we're gonna shout out symptoms of perimenopause.
00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:27.279
Now we've got done the period, so that would be a bit naughty to go through that again.
00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:33.839
Um, but you can start if you want and I'll follow your lead.
00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:34.319
Ready?
00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:35.040
Are you ready?
00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:35.920
I'm ready.
00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:37.759
20 seconds start now.
00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:41.600
Uh anxiety, uh, joint pain.
00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:42.800
AlphaTations.
00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:44.639
Problem sleeping.
00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:46.160
Timmy tests.
00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:47.199
10 seconds for me.
00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:48.319
First you go.
00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:50.399
Uh constipation.
00:05:50.720 --> 00:05:51.199
Nice.
00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:54.879
Four dryness.
00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:55.759
Oh three.
00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:57.120
Hair problems.
00:05:57.519 --> 00:05:58.000
Two.
00:05:58.240 --> 00:05:59.279
Oh, um, yeah.
00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:00.000
One.
00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:01.839
Um times up.
00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:04.800
It's tough, isn't it under pressure?
00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:05.839
It is.
00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:07.759
And there's yet there's so many of them.
00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:09.920
We could have we could have gone for hours with the list.
00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:11.120
I think we could have done.
00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:16.319
We could have done a whole podcast on symptoms just by shouting them out, I reckon.
00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:20.480
And I and I and I do think there's quite a lot that we don't even know.
00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:28.480
Um, all right, so um I think our ladies at home would love to know about you.
00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:34.800
So why don't we just talk about uh first of all, are you on inner perimenopause?
00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:36.240
Are you there at the moment?
00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:38.240
Okay, I am.
00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:45.680
I probably started in perimenopause in about 2019 when I was about 39.
00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:50.000
Um, but it took a long time to get to get diagnosed.
00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:54.160
I don't know what the correct term is, you know, for someone to confirm that that this was what was going on.
00:06:54.240 --> 00:07:00.800
So I would say for two years I was in that strange limbo land of not really knowing what was going on.
00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:06.240
Um, but I'm now 45, so we are six years down the line.
00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:09.680
And I I feel I feel more settled in perimenopause.
00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:12.240
So um yeah, I'm definitely definitely there.
00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:12.720
Okay.
00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:14.480
And uh feel more knowledgeable.
00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:18.079
But yeah, it took a long time to to get there to know what was happening.
00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:24.079
Well, that's really good because I do think on these podcasts we haven't had many perimenopause.
00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:29.360
We seem to be attracting menopause and post, so this is really, really good for us.
00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:31.120
Um, I am post-menopause.
00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:33.920
I say it's three years, but I've got a feeling I'm lying.
00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:35.439
I think it might be four.
00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:39.839
Um but it's definitely it's definitely three at point some days.
00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:41.759
It's brain fog.
00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:42.639
Oh, that's brain fog.
00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:43.839
See, we didn't say brain fog.
00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:45.759
We forgot it, that's why.
00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:49.120
Um, so let's talk about you professionally.
00:07:49.279 --> 00:07:50.240
Um, what is it?
00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:53.279
Explain to everyone at home what you actually do.
00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:56.560
Okay, so I am a health coach.
00:07:56.800 --> 00:08:03.759
Um, I was I was working in universities when um my children were young and COVID struck.
00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:09.040
And this is all very much linked to the perimenopause, but I hit a point where I thought I just cannot do this anymore.
00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:11.199
I cannot have small children and work.
00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:13.199
It just wasn't wasn't happening.
00:08:13.279 --> 00:08:17.600
So I left work, which is such a common thing that happens to women in perimenopause.
00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:24.319
I took some time out with the kids um and then began thinking, you know, I think I'm at a point, I've got my HRT sorted.
00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:28.480
So I got to a point where I thought, I need to do something, I'm ready to do something.
00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:30.959
My brain is functioning now with my HRT.
00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:43.919
Um, so I was I was scrapping around really looking for something to do and considered counselling and then stumbled on health coaching, which really suited me because it is such a practical way of supporting people.
00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:49.360
So um took my diploma, doing my training, managed to get through that with the brain fog.
00:08:49.840 --> 00:09:01.440
And um I now work with women who are feeling overwhelmed, who are feeling exhausted, perimenopausals of late 30s, 40s, that's my real area of you know interest.
00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:12.639
Um, and we work together to help them boost their energy, to help them feel more in control, and just to get on top of all those health areas that we may neglect.
00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:29.600
So, you know, things like stress and sleep, you know, gaining nutrition in check, finding time to exercise, not necessarily sort of following, you know, a complex health program, but um just finding that that time in your day to go and get to your class because you may feel too overwhelmed.
00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:39.919
So that's where I am, working with um, you know, working with women and uh just just sort of talking through what they need and helping them to create a plan for how to get them.
00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:41.440
That sounds amazing.
00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:42.240
Good for you.
00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:43.840
Yes, I'm really enjoying it.
00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:48.639
Would you say that it's helping you at the same time with your perimenopause?
00:09:49.279 --> 00:09:50.399
Absolutely, yeah.
00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:51.360
No, it really is.
00:09:51.519 --> 00:10:00.320
I mean, I I did some research recently um and spoke to to so many women just to just to find out a little bit more about what was was going on for them.
00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:09.120
And um, if anything, it's just made me it's made me sort of realize that we're all in the same boat and you know that that we're all struggling with the same things.
00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:18.559
And actually, one of the things that so many women need is that connection and you know that that um just having time to get together with other other women as well.
00:10:18.639 --> 00:10:30.320
And so I'm trying to do that a little bit more as well, and you know, just not not go through this journey as it is, um, on my own, and just try to connect with other women and and find out what's happening for everyone else as well.
00:10:30.639 --> 00:10:32.639
Yeah, so yeah, it's it sounds great.
00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:35.279
It sounds great because uh it's really interesting.
00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:48.399
Like we talked about before we started recording, you know, just the fact of you know, talking to other women and getting to know um other, you know, what's going on with everyone else in their lives.
00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:50.799
And so you mentioned working.
00:10:50.879 --> 00:10:58.399
We've actually when this is when this comes out, there will be a podcast just before yours that is about working.
00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:01.120
And that's all about women changing their jobs.
00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:05.039
And that's a really, really interesting subject, actually.
00:11:05.440 --> 00:11:06.320
I think it is.
00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:13.200
I I think it's it seems so common now that that women just can't deal with the symptoms when they're at you know in the workplace.
00:11:13.279 --> 00:11:24.559
And and I'm sure there is I'm sure there's a lot of research in in it, but there must be so many women leaving the workplace just because they're perhaps not supported, you know, the symptoms are hard to handle when they're there.
00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:36.399
And um I know that we have a lot of health coaches who go into businesses and and do that um, you know, that men menopause support and help help help workplaces understand what women need as well.
00:11:36.559 --> 00:11:38.480
So yeah, really fascinating area.
00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:41.519
Yeah, it's a good it was a good topic, actually, really good.
00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:59.279
And uh the lady that come down, uh I'll just plug it for a second, was uh from uh XHR and uh she's got lots of experience in that, so it was mainly talking about uh what should be happening in your workplace, and if it's not, uh what you can do about it.
00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:02.480
And then we talked about women changing their jobs.
00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:07.120
Uh so yeah, so if you haven't listened to that, definitely go back.
00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:09.919
But um, but let's focus on today.
00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:15.279
So, when did you really think that that was the right route for you to go?
00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:25.600
Because health coaching, I think, is quite quite can be quite difficult because obviously you've got your own problems on perimenopause and you are going to be dealing with other people's problems.
00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:29.519
Some people can thrive off that and some people can find that overwhelming.
00:12:29.679 --> 00:12:34.799
Um, yeah, so why why do you think you you chose that particular profession?
00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:36.960
Oh, that's a good question.
00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:43.200
Um I think it was it was having that opportunity to use my own experiences.
00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:53.759
Um, I mean, obviously in health coaching, we're not telling people what to do, we're helping them to explore what they need, to explore, you know, what's going wrong and what they might need to help support them.
00:12:53.919 --> 00:13:18.000
Um, but I I think just having this personal knowledge of almost like the toolkit that I had to uh reach for um to help me to navigate perimenopause, um, you know, that's that's really interesting to me is is to help women to find what their toolkit is, you know, so whether that is adding some more um exercise in, you know, improving balancing blood sugar, we might touch on that later.
00:13:18.159 --> 00:13:18.480
Yeah.
00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:26.080
Um so yeah, so I I felt like my own um, you know, my own experience could be really valuable to women.
00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:36.480
But I think also it was that because I hit perimenopause when I was sort of 38, 39, I really wanted to kind of reach out to those women at that stage of life.
00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:46.799
So, you know, whether they've got young kids, whether they're at the top of their careers, whether they've got elderly parents, you know, uh in your late 30s, 40s, you're juggling a lot, whatever your situation.
00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:59.840
Um, and I wanted to use my experience and my knowledge to kind of promote that to women, that you know, feeling feeling a bit chitty, um, shouting at the kids, feeling a bit ragy, it might be perimenopause.
00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:03.919
It might not just be that, you know, you're a bad mum or you're doing too much.
00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:18.960
Or um, so yeah, so that's another area that I'm really trying to highlight is is just how much this impacts women in their 30s, late 30s, and it isn't, you know, menopause isn't just something that happens when you're mid-50s.
00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:22.159
It's got paramenopause goes on for a long time.
00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:28.320
Yes, yes, and you know, as I mentioned earlier, some women don't even know that they're in it.
00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:38.720
Absolutely no, you know, it's like that when you have a period and you wonder to yourself, you know, I'm feeling really grumpy, what's wrong with me?
00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:41.360
And then someone tells you you've got your period coming.
00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:46.799
It's the same thing with perimenopause, you can't you can't see it, um, but it's just there.
00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:51.120
So typical client that would come to you, what are we talking about?
00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:57.759
Someone that is a certain age between the perimenopause, you get anyone that comes in that's in early perimenopause?
00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:01.200
Loads that come in with early perimenopause.
00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:12.399
So um I think I've had a lot of confused clients in that late 30s, 40s bracket, who are, you know, we've alluded to feeling pretty awful.
00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:37.440
Um, and so yes, though they would be my ideal, my ideal client, late in their 40s, struggling too much, overwhelmed, snacking, snacking throughout the day to keep them going, you know, relying on caffeine, sleeping badly, don't know what's happening, think they might be in perimonopause, and sometimes they just need a bit of coaching to work out where they, you know, where they go next.
00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:58.399
Um the the chances are, and absolutely no respect, no disrespect to um, you know, the GPs out there who I know are completely overloaded, but the chances are they've been fobbed off by the doctor, yeah, and they've been told you've got I don't know, anxiety, yeah, you might be a bit depressed, you've got too much going on, um, maybe you need the contraceptive pill.
00:15:58.559 --> 00:16:00.000
That seems to be another one.
00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:04.639
So so they're just in that flux of of uh not knowing where they're going next.
00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:08.240
Um and often they they just need that space.
00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:13.919
They need the space to chat through, you know, what's what's going wrong?
00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:15.840
What what do I actually need?
00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:18.080
Yeah and how am I gonna how am I gonna get there?
00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:18.799
Yeah, yeah.
00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:26.799
And I think by providing that space they they start to see things more clearly because the chances are they've not talked to someone about this for a long time.
00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:40.799
They may have had a fleeting conversation with a friend, but no one sat down and listened and talked and and helped them to see to see the path really about uh where they need to go and what it is that they need to to feel better, start feeling energized again.
00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:54.799
No, I think I think you've hit the nail on the head because uh sometimes unfortunately GPs have diagnosed women with depression or anxiety, and it's actually their their perimenopause.
00:16:55.519 --> 00:17:05.440
Um and that's that's difficult because it doesn't make a difference when they go on you know, if they do go on antidepressants, it doesn't make a difference.
00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:16.720
So there is a mixed communication, and I think it's really, really difficult if if you have these symptoms, and you know, like we've said before, they don't all come in a truckload.
00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:21.119
I mean, Christ, if they all come together, you wouldn't be able to move, would you?
00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:23.279
You wouldn't be able to move at all.
00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:32.079
But you know, um they come sporadically, so you won't always have a hot flush, you won't always have a mood.
00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:37.680
It will be now and again, and so that's that could be seen as something else, right?
00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:38.640
Yeah, yeah.
00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:41.759
And then uh I know you mentioned the the blood tests as well.
00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:52.400
Um, I mean I was I was looking at my blood tests, I was looking that they were so awful that I was able to get diagnosed with um perimenopause very quickly and given HRT straight away.
00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:55.599
There was there was no messing once we did those blood tests.
00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:58.079
Um, but they can you know they can vary throughout the cycle.
00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:02.640
So it may be that you have the a blood test on a day and everything shows up fine.
00:18:02.799 --> 00:18:08.880
So that it's quite an inconclusive way to um you know, sort of conclude what's happening for people.
00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:30.319
Um so yeah, it's a and I I completely necessarily say a tricky area to to find out, but I think being able to trust trust your gut that you know there's something not not right, you know there's something not I think you know you know your body, and uh I always say to people, if you think something's wrong, then you need to advocate for yourself.
00:18:30.480 --> 00:18:36.559
And if the doctor you go to see doesn't listen to you, well you can go and see someone else.
00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:41.759
You know, you should be able to get some sort of understanding about what's happening with you.
00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:52.559
Uh but it's a trick tricky time, and some women, when they're not in that age bracket and they come on, uh they're going to their perimenopause, let's say in their 20s, it can happen.
00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:57.440
Again, they won't know anything about it because they won't have anyone around them.
00:18:57.920 --> 00:19:09.279
I'll take if if you've got friends around you having children, you know, get married and you're navigating an early perimenopause in your late 20s, that's that's a really difficult place to be.
00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:09.680
Yeah.
00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:18.079
Um I would love to see more recognition that um you know menopause the average age of menopause is fifty about 45, 55?
00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:18.720
Yeah.
00:19:19.039 --> 00:19:22.319
Um, but perimenopause is kicking in 10 years prior.
00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:27.279
So there are a lot of women in their late 30s, 40s whose symptoms are creeping in.
00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:33.119
And I'd love to see it just acknowledge that you know, this is for many people, this is the norm.
00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:34.559
Yeah, no, definitely.
00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:39.759
I mean, I've always said that I think that we get educated at school about periods.
00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:52.480
We should have an education at some point, like when you go for a smear test, they give you a leaflet, maybe, for you to read because it's um every every woman needs to know about it.
00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:55.680
And lucky for them now, there's so much on socials.
00:19:55.839 --> 00:20:03.119
Yeah, um, when me and my friend were going through Perry, we didn't talk about it because we and that was a while ago now.
00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:13.279
Obviously, that I'm 21, 21 every year, but that must have been about four 14 years ago.
00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:14.400
I don't mind, miss it.
00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:17.680
I'm 54, so you know, that's we're going back a while then.
00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:21.200
If you think about how long we've come since then, it's changed.
00:20:21.359 --> 00:20:22.559
It's changed a lot, isn't it?
00:20:23.039 --> 00:20:23.839
It's changed so much.
00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:30.160
I think also for um, you know, for kids, for teenagers, female or male, they need to know what's happening in their house.
00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:35.920
You know, if if them if their mother is really crabby, then it you know, it's good to have this understanding.
00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:36.960
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:37.519
That's right.
00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:46.000
You need to sit down with your kids and tell them I'm not being an arsehole because I'm not an arsehole, it's because I can't control my hormones.
00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:46.799
No, I couldn't.
00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:49.039
So just like we've just had teenage hormones, you know.
00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:53.519
Oh, I completely, completely agree.
00:20:53.759 --> 00:21:00.720
So, so with the work that you do, because it's I I love uh watching you on Instagram, Imogen.
00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:03.839
You come up honestly, I'm a little stalker of yours.
00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:05.279
I just I just love watching you.
00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:07.759
You've got a lovely way of you, you're so friendly.
00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:09.839
Oh, it's not my natural habitat.
00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:11.920
I'm sure you're nasty.
00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:15.039
I'm sure you're really nasty behind doors.
00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:22.880
But um, what I want to ask you is obviously there are symptoms in perimenopause, but what do you like to focus on?
00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:25.920
Oh, what do I like to focus on?
00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:30.559
I'm quite big on women prioritizing themselves.
00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:34.400
So that's that's um probably a much broader thing than just perimenopause.
00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:44.240
But I I think there is a lot of women who just put themselves to the bottom of the pile and you know, say I'll just keep going, I'll just keep showing up.
00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:48.799
I'm you know, I I need to do this for this, and I can't possibly I don't have time.
00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:57.839
So there is so much of that, and until you can make that time, it's it's very difficult to make time for everything else.
00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:04.400
Um, so that's one of my my big Areas because I hear it so often from people, you know, I I just don't have time to do that.
00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:05.759
But can I just ask?
00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:10.160
Sorry, is that because they've got kids or is that in general?
00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:18.720
I mean some of them have kids, some of them have careers, some of them may you may have you know elderly parents, caring responsibilities.
00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:25.759
Um it's it's just it seems to it seems to be across the board from from the clients I've spoken to.
00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:31.200
Um or they just don't know how to how to sort of find that time for themselves and how what to do.
00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:35.839
So whether to do some exercise, whether to go to a class, whether to connect with people.
00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:40.720
Um so it's so I I really enjoy exploring that with them.
00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:48.799
And just seeing those little nuggets that sometimes appear, you know, just saying, actually, I used to go to a Pilates class and I really enjoyed that.
00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:56.240
And I noticed I didn't have joint pain when you know when I went to did my stretching, and I I felt better and I felt calmer and I slept better.
00:22:56.400 --> 00:23:02.640
Um so the knock-on effects from these little little things that they do can have such a big impact.
00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:07.039
So that that is one is is just helping them to kind of explore that.
00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:10.319
Sleep as well, it's a big area, yeah, yeah.
00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:15.119
That we talk about because obviously sleep can be so disruptive in pen perimenopause.
00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:18.480
Um, I mean there's lots of things that that can help.
00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:36.559
Phones are showing up a lot for uh for women um as a sort of way of escaping and um yeah, and they're affecting people's sleep, so they're not um they're not getting having that calm time in the evenings and then they're not sleeping well.
00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:42.880
So sleep is big too that seems to show up a lot, and um and nutrition and snacking.
00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:48.000
I know you had an a really interesting episode a couple of weeks ago about nutrition, yeah, yeah.
00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:55.119
Um but just hearing how how many people are relying on sugar to get sugar through the same.
00:23:55.359 --> 00:23:56.400
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:23:56.720 --> 00:24:12.480
And and I'm I really like looking at sort of the knock-on effects of and we could talk about breakfast in a bit, but breakfast and you know how you start your day and what the effect of that is for the rest of the day, that seems to come up a lot for um for clients as well.
00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:18.880
So lots of different areas that show up, and often people will arrive thinking they're gonna talk about one thing, yeah.
00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:21.680
And when they start unraveling, it it all comes out.
00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:23.039
No, I really like that.
00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:30.319
I do really like that because it is about prioritising yourself because uh like you said, a lot of women don't do that.
00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:34.960
And uh especially if you've got a busy job, that comes first.
00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:37.200
Uh if you've got kids, they come first.
00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:44.160
If you've got a dog who just came in the room and I've got a cushion on the floor, I had to move the cushion because she likes running off with the cushions and destroying them.
00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:46.480
So that's what I was doing just a second ago.
00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:48.799
Uh little bugger.
00:24:49.119 --> 00:24:50.400
Yeah, no, I really like that.
00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:52.720
And the sleep And I think I'm sorry, it's interesting.
00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:58.240
I think in perimenopause, if you don't start to look after yourself, it it spirals, you know.
00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:07.599
You you start to feel worse, you you might I don't know, you may have no energy, then you have no energy to exercise, and yeah, you it all has a knock-on effect.
00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:16.880
So there is so much around just making that little bit of time for you, and then it gives you the energy to move on and you know improve a different area of your life.
00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:18.480
So I really like that.
00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:26.640
And in part two, we are gonna come back to those, and Imogene might have some tips for you at home.
00:25:26.880 --> 00:25:30.079
So um don't don't worry about that, we'll come back to it.
00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:32.480
But yeah, sleep, very important.
00:25:32.799 --> 00:25:37.440
Um, I personally find that if I don't get sleep, good sleep, that's it.
00:25:37.599 --> 00:25:42.240
My my food's not on point the next day, everything's not on point.
00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:46.000
It's um it's a it's a big deal sleep.
00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:53.039
Um, and you don't realise it, you do not realise it because before it's almost like you you got away with it.
00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:56.799
Remember, you used to go out clubbing and coming in at 6 a.m.
00:25:57.039 --> 00:25:58.640
and going straight out to work.
00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:02.000
Yeah, yeah, two hours sleep.
00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:03.599
Try and do that now.
00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:06.880
I'd be I'd be gone for about two months after, I reckon.
00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:07.359
Oh yeah.
00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:10.000
Wouldn't be able to do that, I'd fall asleep in the club.
00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:15.039
It's a two-day recovery now, I think, isn't it, from a um from a bad night's sleep.
00:26:15.119 --> 00:26:25.279
And alcohol, and I know you know the intolerance of alcohol as well in in uh perimenopauses, just changes, changes how people can can deal with it, really.
00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:26.720
I've got to ask a question.
00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:29.599
I I'm not I'm not a parent, I'm a dog mummy.
00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:38.480
But what is it with women and wine when they is it like a stress, stress, does it do they use it to relax overnight?
00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:43.359
I've got this image of women coming home and getting a bottle of Planck out the out of the fridge.
00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:46.480
I don't think it's happening as much af after 40.
00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:55.279
Um I mean I I know that in in COVID when I was uh at home with my toddler, I I occasionally could swig it from the bottle from the fridge.
00:26:55.440 --> 00:26:58.400
So um yeah, that did that did happen.
00:26:58.880 --> 00:27:01.920
And then I think I had a word with myself, you know, yeah, enough.
00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:03.519
Four o'clock a Tuesday.
00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:05.359
This is not uh not the way for it.
00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:06.880
Okay.
00:27:07.440 --> 00:27:09.119
So it's changed out.
00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:10.079
Yeah, yeah.
00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:12.400
You don't you can't get away with it.
00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:14.400
You've got to get this skin looking good.
00:27:14.559 --> 00:27:19.759
It's not gonna it's gonna take a good couple of days' sleep, not just two hours.
00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:25.279
So I know at the moment you're doing a big thing on blood sugar.
00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:40.079
So can we talk about that for a for a little bit and uh maybe save all the the good stuff for part two, like how women can control their blood sugar, but um I'd like to ask you why you're delving into that?
00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:41.279
What's the what's the reason?
00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:44.160
Yeah, I'm really interested in blood sugar.
00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:53.200
When we've got level blood sugar, our energy is level, we're not having those kind of dips and those slumps that tend to happen at like two o'clock in the afternoon.
00:27:53.359 --> 00:28:04.640
Um mood can be improved, um, and also we just eat so much sugar, you know, there's so much sugar in pasta, in breads, um that can raise our blood sugar and then make it drop again.
00:28:04.880 --> 00:28:09.440
And those it's those unsteady levels throughout the day that could have such an impact on us.
00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:20.960
So if we have level blood sugar starting at breakfast, um then you know we're not gonna get that 11 o'clock hunger level that that really you know makes you want to reach for a biscuit.
00:28:21.119 --> 00:28:26.319
Um, we're not gonna have those ragey kind of crossings when we're really hungry.
00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:33.119
So um, yeah, so there's a lot a lot to be said for having level balanced blood sugar um throughout the day.
00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:38.559
So let's go back to breakfast because I mean I've always been a breakfast girl.
00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:39.119
Always.
00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:44.400
I've never skipped breakfast, never, unless I'm unless I'm ill or got diarrhoea.
00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:46.880
The only two times.
00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:53.039
Because I mean, so that's me, but I also know that a lot of women skip breakfast.
00:28:53.839 --> 00:29:01.279
And um not because they're trying to lose weight, but because they're rushing or they just eat something not at the right time.
00:29:01.359 --> 00:29:05.519
Is some is that something that you've uh found in your experience?
00:29:05.839 --> 00:29:10.319
Yeah, I've I've seen a lot of women who are pretty bad breakfasts.
00:29:10.559 --> 00:29:18.480
Um, you know, they may be having maybe having nothing, they may not be until 11 o'clock and then they're starving, so they grab whatever they can.
00:29:18.640 --> 00:29:25.839
Um yeah, there's there's a lot around breakfast and people just not quite approaching it the way they could they could do better, I guess.
00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:27.359
They could do better with breakfast.
00:29:27.440 --> 00:29:27.599
Yeah.
00:29:27.759 --> 00:29:41.440
Um but if you um, you know, so if you're having a piece of white bread and jam, then your sugar levels are gonna raise and then they're gonna drop again at 11, which is when we talked about that kind of slump that you get and that hunger.
00:29:41.599 --> 00:29:48.640
Um, but getting a bit of protein in at breakfast can help keep your blood sugar levels right going level right through to lunch.
00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:48.880
Yeah.
00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:52.079
So you you know, you're not you're not hungry mid-morning, you're not angry.
00:29:52.160 --> 00:29:54.960
So I that's the place that I would start with women.
00:29:55.279 --> 00:30:04.559
Okay, so we're looking at breakfast and blood sugar levels kind of symptoms you mentioned mood, obviously that's that's a massive one with with blood sugar.
00:30:04.720 --> 00:30:12.240
I think we've all been there when we've gone past the time and we start getting a little bit aggy with other people around us.
00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:19.440
Um so, yes, we will talk about this in part two, but for what are we looking at roughly?
00:30:19.599 --> 00:30:26.480
I mean, how many hours apart from a meal before blood sugar levels can start to get a bit erratic?
00:30:27.359 --> 00:30:29.839
I guess it depends on what you've eaten as well.
00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:34.400
Um I mean the advice would be to have to try and eat something every sort of three to four hours.
00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:41.920
But I know that if I I don't know, if I ate something carby for breakfast, I would be hungry in two or three hours.
00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:43.359
That would say.
00:30:44.480 --> 00:30:50.319
But if we're having a a decent breakfast, the chances are we'll get through to dinner with with no problem.
00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:58.400
So um yeah, it varies massively, but yeah, blood sugar, um unbalanced blood sugar can affect sleep as well.
00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:09.279
So if you're having something sugary at bedtime, the chances are you're gonna wake up at three o'clock feeling starving or you know, feeling a bit wired and things because your blood sugar is is playing havoc throughout the night.
00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:14.720
Um and then there's obviously the long-term kind of chronic conditions that can start like diabetes as well.
00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:22.000
So when we um you know, when our body works to lower blood sugar, then that's where cortisol can be released as well.
00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:28.160
So that's a lot of that is responsible for the um you know your fat around the tummy, cortisol release.
00:31:28.240 --> 00:31:37.680
So yeah, so that's when you start getting the the menobelly, as everyone calls it, or as I call it the you know, the one pack.
00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:41.839
We had a conversation the other day, me and Paula, we call it the one pack.
00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:43.440
Because it can be quite impressive.
00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:48.799
I mean, if you see a guy with a a menobelly, it's like that's like years of work, isn't it?
00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:50.559
Lots of beer drinking and everything.
00:31:50.640 --> 00:31:57.039
But if you see a woman, it's you know, it's it's you can see that they have got a meno belly.
00:31:57.119 --> 00:32:06.240
We're not talking about if someone's overweight, we're talking about how it forms, where it starts forming for just under the rib cage, and then all the way through the abdominal.
00:32:06.400 --> 00:32:08.640
It's it's scary stuff, really.
00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:18.319
And women don't understand how bad that is for them, you know, and what complications it can it can cause them.
00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:21.200
So I mean what would you say is comes from nowhere.
00:32:21.359 --> 00:32:23.839
I mean it could it comes from nowhere sometimes, that belly as well.
00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:28.240
Just you know, one one day it's not there and then the next it's just formed.
00:32:28.480 --> 00:32:29.440
Um yeah.
00:32:30.319 --> 00:32:33.839
What you wake up and you're like, what's happened to my belly?
00:32:33.920 --> 00:32:35.359
But yeah, I suppose so.
00:32:35.519 --> 00:32:47.359
Yeah, I mean I had them I've never had um fat on my tummy, a lot of fat, but in my postmenopause, I kind of had depression for a little while.
00:32:47.519 --> 00:32:58.160
So I was reaching for stuff and I developed a menobelly, and I absolutely I looked at myself in the mirror and I first of all and I thought, what the hell?
00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:05.359
And second of all, I was like, this is what everyone's talking about because it literally, like I said, it came from under my rib cage.
00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:27.680
I look like one of those guys that's been out, you know, drinking lager, and I thought, this is just like bizarre, but that's because all those foods that I started eating to get through my um mood, if you like, uh will not do me any good and obviously cause me a lot of harm, uh, which I've managed to kind of like get under control now.
00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:29.119
So the meno's gone.
00:33:29.359 --> 00:33:32.480
Still got, I haven't got a six-pack yet, but who who cares about that?
00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:34.319
But at least it's not a one-pack anymore.
00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:35.519
Ah, good for you.
00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:38.240
I mean a lot of it is is stress-related as well.
00:33:39.359 --> 00:33:42.720
They talk a lot about the cortisol that can cause that tummy fat.
00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:47.680
And as you say, it's not is not a good place to carry fat around your tummy, it can be quite dangerous.
00:33:47.839 --> 00:33:53.279
So um, yeah, getting stress levels under control is is one one area that can help as well.
00:33:53.440 --> 00:33:56.160
Just just think about what is causing you stress.
00:33:56.319 --> 00:33:58.640
You know, is it is it lack of sleep as well?
00:33:58.799 --> 00:34:02.559
Um, I'm having too much sugar, it's is that not helping?
00:34:02.720 --> 00:34:04.319
So lots of different areas.
00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:13.360
I know that there is some um evidence, I think I'm not very glued up on this, about estrogen and and the kind of meadow belly and how estrogen can help.
00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:18.000
Um, so you know, it may be that HRT may play an impact and support things.
00:34:18.400 --> 00:34:18.800
Maybe.
00:34:19.039 --> 00:34:23.519
I mean, I do know that estrogen controls the way where the fat moves in the body.
00:34:23.840 --> 00:34:28.320
So if you do lose the estrogen, it will it will stop it.
00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:34.239
Um it will it will go to one place where it's where it's battled before to get it.
00:34:34.480 --> 00:35:08.800
But I think what's also interesting is that lots of these um cravings that we get, we develop uh when before menopause, or perimenopause, I say menopause, but I just mean everything in general, really, when I say that, um, is that before when we would get these noises in our brain, I'm not talking fruit noises, I'm talking about cravings and feeling full, they they tend to go down as well, which is why a lot of women start to get all these cravings and start reaching for stuff because the stop button's not there anymore.
00:35:08.960 --> 00:35:12.719
So, like you said, lack of sleep is not gonna help.
00:35:12.960 --> 00:35:19.679
These these hormonal imbalances are gonna stop you from feeling fuller, they're gonna, you know, stop you from feeling great.
00:35:19.840 --> 00:35:23.440
So it is it's a it's a really big deal, isn't it?
00:35:23.679 --> 00:35:24.719
Yeah, yeah.
00:35:24.960 --> 00:35:33.360
And and really, I I mean I would always just support just eating well, just thinking about you know what what is the stuff in my diet that I I can cut out?
00:35:33.599 --> 00:35:35.039
Is it the processed foods?
00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:36.400
Am I eating too much sugar?
00:35:36.480 --> 00:35:38.880
Am I having too much caffeine, alcohol?
00:35:39.039 --> 00:35:48.800
Um, and just going back to a really sensible way of eating, getting your proteins in, balancing your blood sugars, um, and yeah, just you know, no fancy diets.
00:35:48.960 --> 00:35:51.440
I I don't I don't generally go in for fasting.
00:35:51.519 --> 00:35:53.760
I know some people really rate fasting.
00:35:54.000 --> 00:36:06.079
Um but yeah, just just thinking about what could change, you know, what could be a more sensible way to approach approach my diet in my forties because it's much harder to shift the weight.
00:36:06.480 --> 00:36:31.679
Yeah, and I think that's that's the key factor is in your in your forties because what you did in your twenties you know, I think when you get to a certain age you you you forget how uh difficult it is to eat something that you used to eat in your 20s, it has a different response now, um, and you don't understand the damage that it does as well.
00:36:31.920 --> 00:36:44.000
But um okay, so we've talked about a little bit about cravings and blood sugar, and you mentioned uh lifestyle, you like focusing on that.
00:36:44.079 --> 00:36:46.559
So let's talk about that uh briefly.
00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:50.719
So why is that such a big thing for you?
00:36:51.199 --> 00:37:02.719
Um is that from your own experience or because when you talked about your when you talked about yourself earlier, you mentioned that you changed, you changed what you were doing.
00:37:03.360 --> 00:37:05.119
I did change what I was doing, yes.
00:37:05.280 --> 00:37:27.039
So when I when I realized that apparently it was perimenopause, everything that was going on for me, um terms of the anxiety, the um you know, all the strange symptoms that were happening, um the palpitations, high blood pressure because I was so anxious, you know, there was loads going on, and it took such a long time to work it out.
00:37:27.599 --> 00:37:36.719
Um and then once I got my HRT, that was when I felt at a point that I could actually start making some lifestyle changes.
00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:45.519
And I knew from my reading, because obviously I had, you know, I didn't have many friends who had hit a similar point as me, so I was having to really find things out myself.
00:37:45.679 --> 00:37:51.199
Um than most of my friends who, you know, had were going through paramedic pause.
00:37:51.599 --> 00:37:56.719
Um then I I came to realise that lifestyle was the way that I was going to feel better.
00:37:56.880 --> 00:38:03.840
The HRT helped me get to that point that I could start to make some actual changes, have that energy to do things.
00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:18.480
So um, yeah, so so I think it was then that I discovered exercise, and I was doing little bits and bobs before, but I realized that exercise wasn't just about you know doing a class so that I looked a bit thinner and you know felt better about myself.
00:38:18.719 --> 00:38:23.679
It was to get that headspace and to you know have that time for me to help with the anxiety.
00:38:23.920 --> 00:38:27.039
Um, so that was one um massive lifestyle change.
00:38:27.119 --> 00:38:35.599
And then do things like yoga and Pilates and having that um that space and that quiet and that breathing as well.
00:38:35.920 --> 00:38:44.800
You know, I think with perimenopause, I was such an anxious person, and and breathing was all over the show, and um my joints hurt.
00:38:44.960 --> 00:38:53.119
So doing little things like that began to kind of tick off the symptoms, you know, to to give me something that that helped.
00:38:53.360 --> 00:38:56.000
Um, and just to feel like I was functioning again.
00:38:56.079 --> 00:39:03.119
I think so long in perimenopause, you sit with all those symptoms and and that anxiety and that worry and thinking, you know, what's wrong with me?
00:39:03.199 --> 00:39:04.400
What have I got today?
00:39:04.639 --> 00:39:06.480
Is this something awful?
00:39:06.719 --> 00:39:14.800
Um so it it took a long time though to to build up that that toolkit and and to work out what I needed.
00:39:14.960 --> 00:39:24.880
Um and I think that's why I'm so passionate about working with women now, because I know what it feels like to be a bit lost in there, to just to just know I need to do something.
00:39:24.960 --> 00:39:28.800
I know I need to do something, but I don't know what it is, I don't know how to do it.
00:39:28.960 --> 00:39:32.960
I just feel really lost in the fog of of perimenopause.
00:39:33.039 --> 00:39:44.639
So um there is so much to be said for lifestyle changes that that support stress and anxiety, um energy, and and and to help that that overwhelm as well.
00:39:44.719 --> 00:39:50.719
If if you've got the if you've if you can go swimming, we have an outdoor pool uh near us, which is really nice.
00:39:50.800 --> 00:39:53.679
So if um you was gonna say you had an outdoor pool.
00:39:53.840 --> 00:39:57.199
I was gonna So like we should have come to you.
00:39:57.920 --> 00:40:00.320
I'm not I'm not in that set, I'm afraid.
00:40:00.480 --> 00:40:02.639
Um in the north.
00:40:02.800 --> 00:40:04.880
Um no, we have an outdoor pool near us.
00:40:04.960 --> 00:40:09.119
So um I know when I need a reset, I go to that outdoor pool because it's bloody freezing.
00:40:09.280 --> 00:40:17.599
Um i'm okay.
00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:24.880
But just to reset the nervous system, you know, if if you can have that half hour, just come out and just think, oh, do you know I can deal better with things today?
00:40:25.119 --> 00:40:26.320
This, this, and that.
00:40:26.480 --> 00:40:33.760
So it's uh for me, it's about helping helping women or you know, helping myself to identify what I need, what do I need today?
00:40:33.920 --> 00:40:42.079
What is the lifestyle change, you know, that I can put into place just to just to help me get through if my symptoms are all over the place.
00:40:42.320 --> 00:40:42.960
I love that.
00:40:43.280 --> 00:40:48.639
I love that because I it's I think that's quite similar to uh what doctors are trying to do now.
00:40:48.800 --> 00:40:56.239
So if someone goes in and I says I feel depressed, you know, they say, Okay, here's some tablets, but also go out and do so.
00:40:56.400 --> 00:41:02.480
I think they're prescribing exercise uh now, they're getting trying to get them into gyms, uh do stuff.
00:41:02.719 --> 00:41:05.199
So yeah, there's a lot to be said for lifestyle.
00:41:05.360 --> 00:41:09.440
And we were style medicine, I think it's it's it's known as Oh, is that what it's called?
00:41:09.519 --> 00:41:10.320
Oh, it's got a name now.
00:41:10.639 --> 00:41:11.360
Yeah, that's amazing.
00:41:11.519 --> 00:41:18.320
Yeah, and and there's the social prescribing as well, where you know they're prescribing sort of groups and you know, connection and getting out to things as well.
00:41:18.480 --> 00:41:21.840
So um and this is where I I guess health coaching comes in.
00:41:21.920 --> 00:41:26.400
Um because you know, the NHS you get what's it seven minutes in with your GP now?
00:41:26.719 --> 00:41:27.599
If you're lucky.
00:41:27.840 --> 00:41:33.920
I mean I mean I got about 60 seconds after waiting 40 minutes the other week.
00:41:34.159 --> 00:41:41.280
And uh so it must be an up north thing because your bum don't even touch the seat and you're done.
00:41:42.320 --> 00:41:43.760
I think it probably varies, doesn't it?
00:41:44.159 --> 00:41:44.800
Yeah, no, it varies.
00:41:45.840 --> 00:41:52.559
Um, but you know, in seven minutes you can't chat through what exercise could you do, how can you approve your nutrition, are you sleeping okay?
00:41:52.719 --> 00:41:57.280
There's so many different elements um that make such a big difference to people.
00:41:57.599 --> 00:42:08.880
And it may be that they don't need certain sets of tablets because they perhaps need somebody to sit with them and help think about what could change and where where they can bring in extra elements to support themselves.
00:42:09.039 --> 00:42:16.639
Um yes, I mean, sadly, we're not all some some areas do have health coaches within their GP practices, but um not in everyone.
00:42:16.960 --> 00:42:17.360
Not yet.
00:42:17.760 --> 00:42:17.920
No.
00:42:18.239 --> 00:42:19.760
But that's why you're here, Imogen.
00:42:20.159 --> 00:42:21.360
That's why you're here.
00:42:21.679 --> 00:42:25.840
Um so uh thank you very much for that first half.
00:42:26.000 --> 00:42:32.559
I've thoroughly enjoyed talking to you, and I'm just gonna let everyone know what's coming up in part two.
00:42:33.199 --> 00:42:36.960
So, uh, part two, we are menopause dinners, as you know.
00:42:37.039 --> 00:42:39.119
So, yes, there's gonna be some food.
00:42:39.440 --> 00:42:48.719
Imogen has supplied a recipe, and uh I've made it, and we're gonna reveal next time whether I liked it or not, what score I gave it.
00:42:48.800 --> 00:42:49.920
So sit tight for that.
00:42:50.079 --> 00:43:01.920
We've got some questions from our audience and also some lifestyle tips um to help you improve your perimenopause on stuff that we've talked about today, and if there's anything else, we'll throw that in too.
00:43:02.159 --> 00:43:04.880
Um, so yes, it will be a good subject.
00:43:04.960 --> 00:43:07.119
So please do come back.
00:43:07.440 --> 00:43:10.159
So I just want to say thank you to Imogene.
00:43:10.639 --> 00:43:11.840
You're very welcome.
00:43:12.159 --> 00:43:14.239
I hope you've enjoyed yourself in part one.
00:43:15.679 --> 00:43:17.360
We've enjoyed having you.
00:43:17.599 --> 00:43:19.920
Um, two two claps there.
00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:22.400
You're lucky, not everyone gets two clapped.
00:43:24.320 --> 00:43:28.719
Okay, oh she's uh someone's putting a clap clap in the text for you there.
00:43:31.760 --> 00:43:37.039
Okay, so don't forget to like, rate, or subscribe on any of the platforms you are listening to.
00:43:37.280 --> 00:43:41.199
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00:43:41.360 --> 00:43:44.159
You can send us a text guest to let us know how we're doing.
00:43:44.239 --> 00:43:45.679
So please do let us know.
00:43:45.840 --> 00:43:48.239
Or even on the socials, get in touch.
00:43:48.400 --> 00:43:52.960
There's now a monetisation button as we are a non profit that every little bit helps.
00:43:53.360 --> 00:43:59.840
So before you go, my final thought for you is manifold sucks, but with friends, it sucks.
00:44:00.320 --> 00:44:01.280
A whole lot less.
00:44:01.440 --> 00:44:04.000
We'll see you next time on Menopause Dinners.
00:44:19.679 --> 00:44:23.119
Menopause Dinners is sponsored by Fitness Therapy for You.
00:44:23.599 --> 00:44:33.599
I would like to remind everyone that anything that we talk about today to do with supplementation or medication, please do check with your GP if it's suitable for you.
00:44:33.760 --> 00:44:34.719
Take care.
