Exercise Consistency And The Menopause

Exercise Consistency And The Menopause

If you have read my book The Menopause Diaries, you will know I talk about how the menopause affects exercising. My biggest challenge is exercising consistently as my energy levels fluctuate. I have a good run of consistency then something changes. This is par for the...
Menstrual Cycle Tracker (MCT)

Menstrual Cycle Tracker (MCT)

Most of my trackers use the Menstrual Cycle Tracker (MCT) code. It looks like Morse code, but it’s just a simple way of indicating on your trackers where in your cycle you are. Each – represents a week, there are four – to represent four weeks. Split...
Health And Wellbeing Contradictions

Health And Wellbeing Contradictions

There is a ton of advice on health and wellbeing. It often feel contradictory and finding a balance can feel like a fulltime job. Here are a few ideas of how to navigate them! Automatic vs mindful We make thousands of decisions a day. We are encouraged to be mindful...
99 Wellbeing Tips for Wise Women

99 Wellbeing Tips for Wise Women

99 wellbeing tips to give you a wee bit of inspiration to blossom through your menopause. Eat protein at every meal and with any snacks. Feel fuller for longer. You cannot ‘work hard’ to balance your hormones. It happens when you sleep well, eat good food...
Eating Out And The Menopause-PizzaExpress

Eating Out And The Menopause-PizzaExpress

Eating out can feel like a minefield in your menopausal years as we are usually watching our waistline as well as our weight. It may sound like it is the same thing but in your menopausal years it is different. We can become sensitive to stress and carbs through the...
Just one more

Just one more

With the advent of box sets, ‘just one more’ is a familiar catch phrase. It is often the reason for lack of sleep due to staying up late watching box sets. Constant Scrolling through a Facebook feed or checking work email ‘just one more’ time before...
Will Curl Ups Flatten My Stomach?

Will Curl Ups Flatten My Stomach?

Will Curl Ups Flatten My Stomach? An expanding midriff is often the bane of most menopausal women’s life and is usually very stubborn to shift. Exercising is one piece in the puzzle that can help, but are curl ups the best exercise to flatten your stomach? In Pilates,...
Just For You!

Just For You!

When was the last time you did something ‘just for you’? We often think it is OK to run ourselves down in order to look after others or for the work grind. We cannot show our best selves to the world when we are tired all the time, and grumpy with menopausal symptoms....
Salt And The Menopause

Salt And The Menopause

Salt And The Menopause Salt makes our food taste better, but too much of it is bad for our health. Monitoring our salt intake is one of the simplest things we can do to be healthy, especially during the menopause. We are aiming for a maximum of 6 grams per day. There...
3 Things To Pop On Your Desk Every Morning

3 Things To Pop On Your Desk Every Morning

Most of us spend a third of our day at our desk. In our pursuit of healthy living, we often need to take the mountain to Muhammad rather than the other way around. I have 3 things to pop onto your desk every day: Timer I use a timer for two reasons. The first is to...
6 Things To Do When You Are Feeling Rubbish

6 Things To Do When You Are Feeling Rubbish

The menopause has many symptoms but we can often just feel rubbish – and yes, that is a technical term! We can feel uncomfortable in our bodies; due to menopausal symptoms that are unpleasant, perhaps not the shape we want to be in or fitness levels we want, or just...
Is Stress Always A Bad Thing?

Is Stress Always A Bad Thing?

We rarely read anything positive about stress. In the fitness industry, stress is also where growth happens. To become fitter we have push ourselves a little harder, adding either a bit more intensity or length to cardio session. Muscle gets stronger when we lift a...
Quarterly Jan 2017

Quarterly Jan 2017

I am a lifelong learner, which comes in handy as running my own business requires knowledge of a wide range of topics covering business, professional (health and fitness in my case) and personal development. This quarter I attended day courses for all three area is...
How long does the menopause last?

How long does the menopause last?

Let us start at the end of the menopause as that is easy to define. You are post-menopausal in the UK, when you have had 12 consecutive months without a period. The average age is 51 years. When your menopause starts is a wee bit harder to define as you may have not...
Post Holiday Menopausal Blues

Post Holiday Menopausal Blues

I have noticed when I return from holidays and breaks from routines I am a wee bit wider. I have named this ‘Post holiday menopausal blues!’ Last time it was around my thighs. You can read my blog about it here. This time was around my bra and waistline...
New Year, New You? No Thanks.

New Year, New You? No Thanks.

I am a lifelong learner and believe personal development and growth is important. However, it always feels quite forced this time of year. “New Year, New You” always implies there is something wrong with the old you! The reality is, we are always polishing...
How To Manage Portion Control

How To Manage Portion Control

The balancing act of enjoying food, while watching your waistline is a challenging task in your menopausal years. It is also one that I would rather not spend too much time thinking about and considering. This means I have made decisions about certain foods and drink,...
4 Ways To Improve Your Posture

4 Ways To Improve Your Posture

When we combine sitting for long periods of time with using technology we often do not have the posture we want. People often attend Pilates classes for this, but it is also helpful to do a little everyday to help counteract our lifestyles. 1.Relax your shoulders. It...
Drop in Pilates Classes Versus Blocks

Drop in Pilates Classes Versus Blocks

What is the difference between drop in Pilates classes and a attending a block of them? When I am creating my class plans for the block of Pilates classes. I am also creating a class plan for covering drop in classes at gyms for holiday cover. They are similar but...
Quarterly Nov 2016

Quarterly Nov 2016

October was a big month for me as I finished and published my first book. As with any deadline, something’s gotta give, and my Tuesday and Thursday workouts were parked in order to finish. In retrospect, I do not think I could/would have done it differently....
Can I Help You?

Can I Help You?

Nothing makes a women cringe more than being asked if she needs help. Whilst many of us get a lot of pleasure from other helping people, we often think we are ‘bothering’ people we ask for help or accept it when it is offered. This is not just asking people for help....
I AM The Greatest

I AM The Greatest

Sadly another giant has left us. Mohammed Ali was known for many things: champion boxer, his religion and racial equality. He was also one of the forerunners to using Law of Attraction (LOA). He is frequently quoted as saying “I AM the greatest; I said that even...
Top 5 Weight Loss Mistakes – Are You Making Any Of Them?

Top 5 Weight Loss Mistakes – Are You Making Any Of Them?

I’m a huge advocate of finding a diet that works for you and sticking with. That often takes time and a wee bit trial and error. Below are my top 5 weight loss mistakes that most women do at some point, myself included! 1) Following the crowd Starting the latest diet...
Are You Still Wearing Flares?

Are You Still Wearing Flares?

Are you still wearing flares? Probably not! However the beliefs and values you have around food which were created when you were a child have probably stayed with you. The big one I remember from childhood was to clear your plate as ‘there are children starving’. I...
Is Running The Best Way To Get Fit?

Is Running The Best Way To Get Fit?

Getting fit and staying fit requires you to exercise with enough intensity that gets you out of puff so you find it hard to maintain a normal conversation. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a week. This...