Last quarter was all about learning with three mini courses.
This quarter is all about letting that information percolate and sink in. I have also been working on, online course structure and wrote about that here
You may have read on my previous blogs about post-holiday menopausal blues, which is about holidays changing my shape. It is easy just to think just about calories and there is no doubt I’m a bit more relaxed with my eating ‘rules’ and enjoy trying new foods when I am away. However, changes in shape rather than just getting bigger are often hormonal.
Before this quarter’s holiday, I thought I would take a different approach.
Be a beginner
It is the approach I would take with a client, but it is often difficult to do with myself!
I took the Metabolic Effect Burner quiz which helps to identify sensitivity to carbs. (You can find the quiz on my Start Here page). I was surprised but not surprised to find my burner type had changed and it was now recommend to have 3 bites of starchy carbs compared to 10 bites. Quite a difference!
It was actually easy to make this change on holiday as I was in a different routine and had the time to figure meals and plan a wee bit. We usually go self-catering which makes healthy eating so much easier!
I measured myself before I left and when I returned two weeks later. My shape had not changed which I was initially a bit disappointed with as I felt I had made significant changes. However, after thinking about it and considering I the last couple of holidays, I had expanded, and then actually staying the same shape was an achievement in my menopausal years!
My energy levels were up as you may expect post-holidays. I also noticed I was not ‘hangry’ as often, which pre-holidays had been more frequent.
I will integrate it back into life at home as see how I fair at the end of the next quarter!
Books
The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick was a historical time slip novel with a difference which I enjoyed
The Line by J.D. Horn was a book about witches in Savannah which was entertaining and I didn’t know where it was going! There are 2 other books in the series which is fab.
Your 3 Best Super Powers by Sonia Choquette was interesting and worth a second read too!
(please note Amazon links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the price. This does not affect how much you pay)
Non-negotiable Activities
Pilates Class on Fridays has been regular apart from holidays.
Yoga has been once a fortnight as the teacher alternates and I do not enjoy one of the teachers classes so I gave myself a free pass to skip it!
Walking averages 70k+ most weeks
Gym is very intermittent and I feel a break is coming rather than stop/start which I don’t enjoy! Either the stop/start or the break but sometimes you need to sit with why I am not being consistent!
Blood Pressure
I had my blood pressure measured this quarter and it was normal. High blood pressure runs in the family so I am always very grateful to come out of the doctors without the need to take any medication. A lot of hard work goes on through the year to be consistent with health and wellbeing habits, but there are no symptoms for high blood pressure so I never know if I have done enough until I am sitting at the doctors. It is an odd way of motivating myself as it has a once a year measurement, but C’est la Vie!
Samantha Valand is the author of “The Menopause Diaries: A practical guide to healthy eating and exercising in your menopausal years”. You can find out more about her book here.
