Functioning in Perimenopause part 1

In part one I am joined by Health Coach Imogen who works with ladies during their peri menopause. In this episode we are discussing all things from lifestyle to menopause belly, blood sugars and sleep. The effect they have and how to function with good foods and great lifestyle habits. Come back for part 2 which is released on Thursday where we keep chatting, audience questions, some tips and of course it wouldn't be menopause dinners without the food! 

Please get in touch if you would like to be on the podcast, either as a guest or in the audience.  There is absolutely no experience needed, no professional talking, I am looking for the average female who is going through their menopause and would like to talk openly about it.  If this sounds like you or you would like to be around other women to feel supported, then please get in touch through any of the details below.  This can be online, in person or at IG6 3HD

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Imogen details: Instagram Imogen_healthcoaching

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:16

Welcome to Menopause Dinners. My name is Sarah and I'm your host. Not only to me, but I have some incredible guests with me today. 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. So sit tight and let's ride this storm together. Welcome to Menopause Dinners. Got a brilliant episode today, and we are online, which obviously reaches so many other people, which is fantastic. 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. So first of all.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

Functioning in perimenopause.

SPEAKER_03 1:18

Okay, so that's the subject. 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. But before we do that, I'm going to explain to you briefly what perimenopause is. I'm just going to break down the stages for you. So my opinion is that there's four stages. So there is three perimenopause. There you are, there's a big word to say. Starts when you first get your cycle. So if you think about it, ladies, when you're born, you're born with approximately about a million eggs in your ovaries, okay? And when you get to your cycle, it literally halves how many eggs you've got. So already your body is changing. You start your period, and then as every time you have a period and um eggs are released, that number goes down. So what that means is at some point there's going to be a lack of estrogen, lack of progesterone, and lack of testosterone. 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. 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. 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. But they normally test this when it when you're quite late in your peri. So this can this whole transition of perimenopause can go on for about eight to ten years. So some women get perimenopause really early, okay, some even in their 20s. But if you think about it, sometimes, as I mentioned, you don't even know that you're in it. These symptoms start and you'll go by your periods. I won't talk about the other symptoms because we're going to talk about that throughout today. 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. But for some women, they don't have any periods. So, what happens there? There's so much to talk about. 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? So, we're gonna be talking to a lady that absolutely has uh great vibes about her. I've seen her on Instagram, and I thought we must get this lady on to chat to us today. And she actually works with perimenopause women. 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. So let's welcome uh little Imogen in. I say little, I don't know how if you're tall.

SPEAKER_02 4:33

I'm not tall.

SPEAKER_03 4:37

Hi Imogen, how are you?

SPEAKER_02 4:39

Hi, Sarah, I'm fine, thank you. It's nice to be here.

SPEAKER_03 4:42

Oh, we're so happy to have you here today. Thank you for taking the time. It's really, really kind of you to come onto the podcast. 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?

SPEAKER_02 5:00

Absolutely, yeah. I shall uh I can talk about my own experiences and uh hopefully give some handy hints on the way.

SPEAKER_03 5:08

Perfect. So um we always start off with a quiz. Okay. Wouldn't be uh menopause dinners without a quiz. So what we're gonna do, we're gonna shout out symptoms of perimenopause. Now we've got done the period, so that would be a bit naughty to go through that again. Um, but you can start if you want and I'll follow your lead. Ready? Are you ready?

SPEAKER_01 5:35

I'm ready.

SPEAKER_03 5:36

20 seconds start now.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

Uh anxiety, uh, joint pain. AlphaTations. Problem sleeping. Timmy tests. 10 seconds for me. First you go.

SPEAKER_03 5:48

Uh constipation. Nice. Four dryness. Oh three. Hair problems. Two. Oh, um, yeah. One. Um times up. It's tough, isn't it under pressure?

SPEAKER_02 6:05

It is. And there's yet there's so many of them. We could have we could have gone for hours with the list.

SPEAKER_03 6:10

I think we could have done. We could have done a whole podcast on symptoms just by shouting them out, I reckon. And I and I and I do think there's quite a lot that we don't even know. Um, all right, so um I think our ladies at home would love to know about you. So why don't we just talk about uh first of all, are you on inner perimenopause? Are you there at the moment?

SPEAKER_02 6:36

Okay, I am. I probably started in perimenopause in about 2019 when I was about 39. Um, but it took a long time to get to get diagnosed. I don't know what the correct term is, you know, for someone to confirm that that this was what was going on. So I would say for two years I was in that strange limbo land of not really knowing what was going on. Um, but I'm now 45, so we are six years down the line. And I I feel I feel more settled in perimenopause. So um yeah, I'm definitely definitely there. Okay. And uh feel more knowledgeable. But yeah, it took a long time to to get there to know what was happening.

SPEAKER_03 7:18

Well, that's really good because I do think on these podcasts we haven't had many perimenopause. We seem to be attracting menopause and post, so this is really, really good for us. Um, I am post-menopause. I say it's three years, but I've got a feeling I'm lying. I think it might be four. Um but it's definitely it's definitely three at point some days. It's brain fog. Oh, that's brain fog. See, we didn't say brain fog. We forgot it, that's why. Um, so let's talk about you professionally. Um, what is it? Explain to everyone at home what you actually do.

SPEAKER_02 7:53

Okay, so I am a health coach. Um, I was I was working in universities when um my children were young and COVID struck. And this is all very much linked to the perimenopause, but I hit a point where I thought I just cannot do this anymore. I cannot have small children and work. It just wasn't wasn't happening. So I left work, which is such a common thing that happens to women in perimenopause. 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. So I got to a point where I thought, I need to do something, I'm ready to do something. My brain is functioning now with my HRT. 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. So um took my diploma, doing my training, managed to get through that with the brain fog. 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. 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. 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. 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.

SPEAKER_03 9:40

That sounds amazing. Good for you. Yes, I'm really enjoying it. Would you say that it's helping you at the same time with your perimenopause? Absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:50

No, it really is. 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. 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. 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. 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.

SPEAKER_03 10:30

Yeah, so yeah, it's it sounds great. It sounds great because uh it's really interesting. 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. And so you mentioned working. We've actually when this is when this comes out, there will be a podcast just before yours that is about working. And that's all about women changing their jobs. And that's a really, really interesting subject, actually.

SPEAKER_02 11:05

I think it is. 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. 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. 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. So yeah, really fascinating area.

SPEAKER_03 11:38

Yeah, it's a good it was a good topic, actually, really good. 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. And then we talked about women changing their jobs. Uh so yeah, so if you haven't listened to that, definitely go back. But um, but let's focus on today. So, when did you really think that that was the right route for you to go? 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. Some people can thrive off that and some people can find that overwhelming. Um, yeah, so why why do you think you you chose that particular profession?

SPEAKER_02 12:35

Oh, that's a good question. Um I think it was it was having that opportunity to use my own experiences. 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. 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. Yeah. Um so yeah, so I I felt like my own um, you know, my own experience could be really valuable to women. 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. 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. 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. It might not just be that, you know, you're a bad mum or you're doing too much. 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. It's got paramenopause goes on for a long time.

SPEAKER_03 14:22

Yes, yes, and you know, as I mentioned earlier, some women don't even know that they're in it. 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? And then someone tells you you've got your period coming. It's the same thing with perimenopause, you can't you can't see it, um, but it's just there. So typical client that would come to you, what are we talking about? Someone that is a certain age between the perimenopause, you get anyone that comes in that's in early perimenopause?

SPEAKER_02 14:58

Loads that come in with early perimenopause. 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. 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. 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. That seems to be another one. So so they're just in that flux of of uh not knowing where they're going next. Um and often they they just need that space. They need the space to chat through, you know, what's what's going wrong? What what do I actually need? Yeah and how am I gonna how am I gonna get there? Yeah, yeah. 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. 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.

SPEAKER_03 16:41

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. 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. 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. I mean, Christ, if they all come together, you wouldn't be able to move, would you? You wouldn't be able to move at all. But you know, um they come sporadically, so you won't always have a hot flush, you won't always have a mood. It will be now and again, and so that's that could be seen as something else, right?

SPEAKER_02 17:37

Yeah, yeah. And then uh I know you mentioned the the blood tests as well. 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. There was there was no messing once we did those blood tests. Um, but they can you know they can vary throughout the cycle. So it may be that you have the a blood test on a day and everything shows up fine. So that it's quite an inconclusive way to um you know, sort of conclude what's happening for people. 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.

SPEAKER_03 18:30

And if the doctor you go to see doesn't listen to you, well you can go and see someone else. You know, you should be able to get some sort of understanding about what's happening with you. 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. Again, they won't know anything about it because they won't have anyone around them.

SPEAKER_02 18:57

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. Yeah. Um I would love to see more recognition that um you know menopause the average age of menopause is fifty about 45, 55?

SPEAKER_04 19:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:19

Um, but perimenopause is kicking in 10 years prior. So there are a lot of women in their late 30s, 40s whose symptoms are creeping in. And I'd love to see it just acknowledge that you know, this is for many people, this is the norm.

SPEAKER_03 19:33

Yeah, no, definitely. I mean, I've always said that I think that we get educated at school about periods. 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. And lucky for them now, there's so much on socials. 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. Obviously, that I'm 21, 21 every year, but that must have been about four 14 years ago. I don't mind, miss it. I'm 54, so you know, that's we're going back a while then. If you think about how long we've come since then, it's changed. It's changed a lot, isn't it? It's changed so much.

SPEAKER_02 20:24

I think also for um, you know, for kids, for teenagers, female or male, they need to know what's happening in their house. You know, if if them if their mother is really crabby, then it you know, it's good to have this understanding.

SPEAKER_03 20:36

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right. 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. No, I couldn't.

SPEAKER_02 20:47

So just like we've just had teenage hormones, you know.

SPEAKER_03 20:51

Oh, I completely, completely agree. So, so with the work that you do, because it's I I love uh watching you on Instagram, Imogen. You come up honestly, I'm a little stalker of yours. I just I just love watching you. You've got a lovely way of you, you're so friendly.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

Oh, it's not my natural habitat.

SPEAKER_03 21:10

I'm sure you're nasty. I'm sure you're really nasty behind doors. But um, what I want to ask you is obviously there are symptoms in perimenopause, but what do you like to focus on?

SPEAKER_02 21:23

Oh, what do I like to focus on? I'm quite big on women prioritizing themselves. So that's that's um probably a much broader thing than just perimenopause. 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. I'm you know, I I need to do this for this, and I can't possibly I don't have time. 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. 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.

SPEAKER_03 22:04

But can I just ask? Sorry, is that because they've got kids or is that in general?

SPEAKER_02 22:10

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. Um it's it's just it seems to it seems to be across the board from from the clients I've spoken to. Um or they just don't know how to how to sort of find that time for themselves and how what to do. So whether to do some exercise, whether to go to a class, whether to connect with people. Um so it's so I I really enjoy exploring that with them. 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. 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. Um so the knock-on effects from these little little things that they do can have such a big impact. So that that is one is is just helping them to kind of explore that. Sleep as well, it's a big area, yeah, yeah. That we talk about because obviously sleep can be so disruptive in pen perimenopause. Um, I mean there's lots of things that that can help. 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. So sleep is big too that seems to show up a lot, and um and nutrition and snacking. I know you had an a really interesting episode a couple of weeks ago about nutrition, yeah, yeah. Um but just hearing how how many people are relying on sugar to get sugar through the same. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 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. So lots of different areas that show up, and often people will arrive thinking they're gonna talk about one thing, yeah. And when they start unraveling, it it all comes out.

SPEAKER_03 24:21

No, I really like that. I do really like that because it is about prioritising yourself because uh like you said, a lot of women don't do that. And uh especially if you've got a busy job, that comes first. Uh if you've got kids, they come first. 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. So that's what I was doing just a second ago. Uh little bugger. Yeah, no, I really like that.

SPEAKER_02 24:50

And the sleep And I think I'm sorry, it's interesting. I think in perimenopause, if you don't start to look after yourself, it it spirals, you know. 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. 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.

SPEAKER_03 25:17

So I really like that. And in part two, we are gonna come back to those, and Imogene might have some tips for you at home. So um don't don't worry about that, we'll come back to it. But yeah, sleep, very important. Um, I personally find that if I don't get sleep, good sleep, that's it. My my food's not on point the next day, everything's not on point. It's um it's a it's a big deal sleep. Um, and you don't realise it, you do not realise it because before it's almost like you you got away with it. Remember, you used to go out clubbing and coming in at 6 a.m. and going straight out to work. Yeah, yeah, two hours sleep. Try and do that now. I'd be I'd be gone for about two months after, I reckon. Oh yeah. Wouldn't be able to do that, I'd fall asleep in the club.

SPEAKER_02 26:10

It's a two-day recovery now, I think, isn't it, from a um from a bad night's sleep. 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.

SPEAKER_03 26:25

I've got to ask a question. I I'm not I'm not a parent, I'm a dog mummy. 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? I've got this image of women coming home and getting a bottle of Planck out the out of the fridge.

SPEAKER_02 26:43

I don't think it's happening as much af after 40. 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. So um yeah, that did that did happen. And then I think I had a word with myself, you know, yeah, enough. Four o'clock a Tuesday. This is not uh not the way for it.

SPEAKER_03 27:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 27:07

So it's changed out.

SPEAKER_03 27:09

Yeah, yeah. You don't you can't get away with it. You've got to get this skin looking good. It's not gonna it's gonna take a good couple of days' sleep, not just two hours. So I know at the moment you're doing a big thing on blood sugar. 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? What's the what's the reason?

SPEAKER_02 27:41

Yeah, I'm really interested in blood sugar. 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. 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. And those it's those unsteady levels throughout the day that could have such an impact on us. 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. Um, we're not gonna have those ragey kind of crossings when we're really hungry. So um, yeah, so there's a lot a lot to be said for having level balanced blood sugar um throughout the day.

SPEAKER_03 28:33

So let's go back to breakfast because I mean I've always been a breakfast girl. Always. I've never skipped breakfast, never, unless I'm unless I'm ill or got diarrhoea. The only two times. Because I mean, so that's me, but I also know that a lot of women skip breakfast. 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. Is some is that something that you've uh found in your experience?

SPEAKER_02 29:05

Yeah, I've I've seen a lot of women who are pretty bad breakfasts. 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. 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. They could do better with breakfast.

SPEAKER_04 29:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:27

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. Um, but getting a bit of protein in at breakfast can help keep your blood sugar levels right going level right through to lunch. Yeah. So you you know, you're not you're not hungry mid-morning, you're not angry. So I that's the place that I would start with women.

SPEAKER_03 29:55

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. 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. Um so, yes, we will talk about this in part two, but for what are we looking at roughly? I mean, how many hours apart from a meal before blood sugar levels can start to get a bit erratic?

SPEAKER_02 30:27

I guess it depends on what you've eaten as well. Um I mean the advice would be to have to try and eat something every sort of three to four hours. 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. That would say. But if we're having a a decent breakfast, the chances are we'll get through to dinner with with no problem. So um yeah, it varies massively, but yeah, blood sugar, um unbalanced blood sugar can affect sleep as well. 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. Um and then there's obviously the long-term kind of chronic conditions that can start like diabetes as well. So when we um you know, when our body works to lower blood sugar, then that's where cortisol can be released as well. So that's a lot of that is responsible for the um you know your fat around the tummy, cortisol release.

SPEAKER_03 31:28

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. We had a conversation the other day, me and Paula, we call it the one pack. Because it can be quite impressive. I mean, if you see a guy with a a menobelly, it's like that's like years of work, isn't it? Lots of beer drinking and everything. But if you see a woman, it's you know, it's it's you can see that they have got a meno belly. 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. It's it's scary stuff, really. And women don't understand how bad that is for them, you know, and what complications it can it can cause them. So I mean what would you say is comes from nowhere.

SPEAKER_02 32:21

I mean it could it comes from nowhere sometimes, that belly as well. Just you know, one one day it's not there and then the next it's just formed. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:30

What you wake up and you're like, what's happened to my belly? But yeah, I suppose so. 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. 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? 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. 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. So the meno's gone. Still got, I haven't got a six-pack yet, but who who cares about that? But at least it's not a one-pack anymore.

SPEAKER_02 33:34

Ah, good for you. I mean a lot of it is is stress-related as well. They talk a lot about the cortisol that can cause that tummy fat. And as you say, it's not is not a good place to carry fat around your tummy, it can be quite dangerous. So um, yeah, getting stress levels under control is is one one area that can help as well. Just just think about what is causing you stress. You know, is it is it lack of sleep as well? Um, I'm having too much sugar, it's is that not helping? So lots of different areas. 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. Um, so you know, it may be that HRT may play an impact and support things. Maybe.

SPEAKER_03 34:19

I mean, I do know that estrogen controls the way where the fat moves in the body. So if you do lose the estrogen, it will it will stop it. Um it will it will go to one place where it's where it's battled before to get it. 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. So, like you said, lack of sleep is not gonna help. These these hormonal imbalances are gonna stop you from feeling fuller, they're gonna, you know, stop you from feeling great. So it is it's a it's a really big deal, isn't it? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:24

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? Is it the processed foods? Am I eating too much sugar? Am I having too much caffeine, alcohol? 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. I I don't I don't generally go in for fasting. I know some people really rate fasting. 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.

SPEAKER_03 36:06

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. 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. So let's talk about that uh briefly. So why is that such a big thing for you? 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.

SPEAKER_02 37:03

I did change what I was doing, yes. 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. 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. 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. Um than most of my friends who, you know, had were going through paramedic pause. Um then I I came to realise that lifestyle was the way that I was going to feel better. The HRT helped me get to that point that I could start to make some actual changes, have that energy to do things. 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. It was to get that headspace and to you know have that time for me to help with the anxiety. Um, so that was one um massive lifestyle change. And then do things like yoga and Pilates and having that um that space and that quiet and that breathing as well. 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. So doing little things like that began to kind of tick off the symptoms, you know, to to give me something that that helped. Um, and just to feel like I was functioning again. 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? What have I got today? Is this something awful? Um so it it took a long time though to to build up that that toolkit and and to work out what I needed. 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. I know I need to do something, but I don't know what it is, I don't know how to do it. I just feel really lost in the fog of of perimenopause. 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. 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.

SPEAKER_03 39:50

So if um you was gonna say you had an outdoor pool.

SPEAKER_02 39:53

I was gonna So like we should have come to you. I'm not I'm not in that set, I'm afraid. Um in the north. Um no, we have an outdoor pool near us. So um I know when I need a reset, I go to that outdoor pool because it's bloody freezing.

SPEAKER_03 40:09

Um i'm okay.

SPEAKER_02 40:18

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? This, this, and that. 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? 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.

SPEAKER_03 40:42

I love that. I love that because I it's I think that's quite similar to uh what doctors are trying to do now. 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. I think they're prescribing exercise uh now, they're getting trying to get them into gyms, uh do stuff. So yeah, there's a lot to be said for lifestyle.

SPEAKER_02 41:05

And we were style medicine, I think it's it's it's known as Oh, is that what it's called?

SPEAKER_03 41:09

Oh, it's got a name now. Yeah, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 41:11

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. So um and this is where I I guess health coaching comes in. Um because you know, the NHS you get what's it seven minutes in with your GP now?

SPEAKER_03 41:26

If you're lucky. I mean I mean I got about 60 seconds after waiting 40 minutes the other week. And uh so it must be an up north thing because your bum don't even touch the seat and you're done.

SPEAKER_02 41:42

I think it probably varies, doesn't it? Yeah, no, it varies. 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? There's so many different elements um that make such a big difference to people. 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. 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.

SPEAKER_03 42:16

Not yet. No. But that's why you're here, Imogen. That's why you're here. Um so uh thank you very much for that first half. I've thoroughly enjoyed talking to you, and I'm just gonna let everyone know what's coming up in part two. So, uh, part two, we are menopause dinners, as you know. So, yes, there's gonna be some food. 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. So sit tight for that. 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. Um, so yes, it will be a good subject. So please do come back. So I just want to say thank you to Imogene. You're very welcome. I hope you've enjoyed yourself in part one. We've enjoyed having you. Um, two two claps there. You're lucky, not everyone gets two clapped. Okay, oh she's uh someone's putting a clap clap in the text for you there. Okay, so don't forget to like, rate, or subscribe on any of the platforms you are listening to. Did you know you can also send us a text function for the podcast? You can send us a text guest to let us know how we're doing. So please do let us know. Or even on the socials, get in touch. There's now a monetisation button as we are a non profit that every little bit helps. So before you go, my final thought for you is manifold sucks, but with friends, it sucks. A whole lot less. We'll see you next time on Menopause Dinners. Menopause Dinners is sponsored by Fitness Therapy for You. 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. Take care.