Hormones, Hustle & the Truth About Womanhood with Christy, The Hormone Coach

Welcome to the Woman Uncovered podcast with me Chloe. Man, business owner and former corporate overdoer turned feminine leadership coach. This is your space to come back to yourself beyond the roles, the expectations and the constant pressure to perform. Together we'll earn learn the old rules of success. We'll reconnect with your rhythm and uncover the woman beneath it all so you can lead with self-trust, clarity and ease. It's time to meet yourself again and I'm so glad you're here. So, we met two or three months ago when I first stepped into my business full-time and we bonded over the fact that we were both trying to figure out some kind of menopause plan for our mum. So, the equal amounts of fury that there wasn't that information readily available? Yeah, yeah, there just really isn't either and like you said we connected through that, like your mum's gone through her issues, my mum's gone through hers and yeah, we do what we do because we want to help people because we were never given that education. Yeah, it's so true and I think it starts off so young for women where we're taught about our periods but we're not taught about everything else and then it's like every stage of womanhood is just a guessing game because first of all there's obviously the lack of research, we know that. But second of all the way in which we lead our lives and work, that is all kind of masculine heavy as well so there's no real way for you to understand your own rhythm because before we know it we've left school and gone to work so we're going from like system to system without any support or resource about actually how our bodies work and how we can best support ourselves. Yeah, absolutely. Like you said, it starts from such a young age, like I remember being a teenager and just thinking there was something wrong with me because I was so moody all the time. Well, every month I was like really moody and really angry and because nobody's ever taught you about that shift in your mood or energy, you just start to feel like there's something wrong with you. Like you said you go from one system to another system but nobody actually talks about it, nobody actually understands it and we were never given that education that we should have been so we're just forced into the system of like keep pushing through, keep pushing through but we can't actually honour our cycles. Yeah, so I think today one thing we really wanted to make sure everyone kind of walks away with is just some more tools for their toolkit in terms of where they are and whatever stage of womanhood they're in. So we're going to start with the all encompassing cycle, which obviously every woman will experience at some point. And then from Chrissy's perspective, Chrissy has a lot more kind of knowledge around all of the hormonal imbalances that can happen and what that looks like and how we can better support that as well. So in terms of like not to labour on how a cycle works, I don't want to teach people to suck eggs, but in terms of the seasons we have every month, the one thing that really shocked me when I first learned about this was how we are chemically imbalanced week by week. And if we're not doing anything in forms of nutrition exercise supplements or even lightening workloads where we can if we're not doing that, we will burn out. And my experience over the last 10 years while working in these systems is like I was on cycles of burnout. Literally every six to 12 months I would burn out. And it's only the last probably two or three years when I really delved into this work, I was able to manage myself in a way where I had created that supportive system for myself like almost like a little bubble so I'm protected when I am going to work. Yeah, I think I think it's that's so true for so many women. And it's like so we don't know about cycles we weren't taught but even when you do start to understand it. Like we have to be we wear so many hats that we were like the mom, the wife, the cook, the cleaner, do everything for everybody else and then on top of that, you're then turning up to a job, and you just constantly forcing yourself, you know, when you're having them low energy. You see your face, the mental face, you can't just not turn up to a job, you can't just not be a mom, you just pushing through. And again, it comes down to the awareness. I think if we have the awareness, we can do what we can to support each phase of our cycle. So we're not reaching that burnout. And I think understanding it and understanding what happens, having that awareness can make such a huge difference. Yeah, for sure. And I think we're at a point now where there is so much information available. It can be quite scary because it almost feels like women are being asked to kind of upheaval their lives and honor their cycle. And I know that sounds really extreme, but that is a lot of the kind of information out there. But where I have found it useful is just creating the tiniest shifts in each phase. It doesn't have to be massive. But if you're understanding where your body is dipping and flowing and you can really kind of optimize and harness that energy when when you can. And I think as well, when we take away the pressure of always having to be linear, like this idea that we're meant to be at peak performance every day is bullshit. Absolutely bullshit. It's impossible for a woman to perform the same every day. So I guess if we start from that point, should we walk through each phase of the cycle? Yeah. Okay, do you want to start? Where's the best place to start? So if we go briefly through each phase, so they can be compared to the season. So you've got your follicular phase, which is like spring. And during that phase, your estrogen is rising, you're going to have more energy, you're going to be more creative. Yeah, your energy is creeping up, you're going to be more creative, like I said, more energy. And, you know, in terms of foods as well, you probably want to eat lighter meals, more vibrant, colorful fruits, veg, like, you know, lighter meals, you're not as hungry as you would be in, say, a luteal phase. In your ovulation phase, this is where your estrogen peaks, your LH surges, and this is where you can really, connection is really, really key here. And you're more confident. And for most women, like, it's a great phase to be in. You know, like I said, you have all this energy, you want to go out, you want to communicate with people. And then as you reach your luteal phase, which is the autumn phase, ovulation with summer, your autumn is your luteal phase. And this is where your energy does start to dip, your progesterone is rising, but your estrogen is declining. And your energy really does dip. And I always find like, I think a hard part about that phase is, for me especially, it's the phase where actually all them things, all them things that you know you've got to do that you want to tick off, you want to complete them, it's the time of completion, you want to finish them. But at the same time, you don't have the motivation like you have done in your luteal phase and your ovulation phase. So it makes it hard because your brain's telling you, you want to get everything done, it's a bit like a nesting phase when you're pregnant, you go through that nesting phase, clean house, get everything ready. It's very much like that, but yet you don't really have the motivation to do it. And then in your menstrual phase, which is your winter, your hormones are at the lowest. So it's no surprise then that you do just want to curl up on the sofa, you don't want to have to go to work, you don't want to have to meet other people. Your confidence isn't there and rest is really important. And I always say like rest is productive, it can be productive, but I think as women, we feel like it's lazy. I think it's been like ingrained into us that we can't rest, we've got to keep going and it's lazy and people sit there doing nothing. And it's something that I really struggle with, I really struggle with, but over the last few months I have tried to put more time aside for rest because it is productive. And it can just be like little, it can just be like five, 10 minutes a day, but really prioritising that rest can actually make you more productive. Yeah, it can be really simple, just understanding each phase simply. And just like you said, like doing the little things, making them little shift each phase to work with your energy can make a difference in how you feel. Yeah, I think one thing that when I started out in all of this, one thing that helped me was obviously tracking my cycle to start with because I wasn't even doing that. I was 30 years old and I had no idea when I was in my luteal, when I was in follicular, I just knew when I bled and that's it. And when I was about to come on my period because I'd have mood swings, that's all on you. So that can be really helpful as well, but what's really good about understanding your energy levels in each phase is that if you have that foresight the month before, you can, where possible, control the controllables. So if you are in a role where you are having to book in networking, face to face meetings, things like that. What I did over the last couple of years is really just put all of that into where I'm feeling the outward energy, which is ovulation and follicular. So I would book all of my kind of socialisation because I knew it would feel easy at that point because my body is literally supporting me to go out there. It's given me the energy to have these conversations and there is something as well in that phase about your communication. I feel like you have so much more clarity and you're able to say what you want to say without overthinking it. Whereas then when you get into your luteal phase, everything becomes cloudy. And it's one of the phases where you really tend to go in on yourself and there's a lot of judgement and you're really harsh with yourself because like you said, with that phase, it does mirror the energy of autumn where we are kind of trying to wind down and let things go and tie up loose ends. But then if you haven't got the energy in you to do that, you're thinking, oh my God, what the fuck is wrong with me? Like all this is is an email that I need to send and I'm procrastinating on it. But it's really just understanding that if you think about where you're going to be a month ahead of time, when you are in your luteal, if you're feeling unproductive, you can do the bare minimum to set yourself up for success the following month. Like you can book the meetings in on the right week and then at least you're doing something that is supportive. And then saving them things that don't take as much of your energy for the luteal menstrual phase. Like you said there, like in my business, I'm surrounded by so many women and we're actually, we're all in sync, which is great. Back them all the time where they're struggling to be consistent, they're judging themselves, they're being really harsh on themselves, really self-critical. And like it's where you're in your luteal phase, like remember that's it. It's like your hormones, it's not like that's not really how you feel about yourself. Like you are capable, you are more than capable of doing it, but I just have to like remind them all the time and it is hard because when you're in it, you kind of forget that in a few days, I can do this, I can do anything. But when it is hard, but like I said, it is just that like you said as well, it is that awareness, that awareness really is everything. I think during that time in my luteal phase, when I am being really negative to myself and I'm telling myself I can't do these things, I'm not confident. And I really take the time to journal and I know journaling isn't for everybody. And I'm not consistent with it. Use it during that time because then you can look back when you're feeling that next month. You look back and you're like, yeah, there really is the pattern here, it really is my hormones. And actually, during the other times, I can do it and I am confident in having that written down so you can see, so you can refer back to. And then like you said, use each energy, use each phase as best as you can where you've got that peak energy and where you haven't. Do the things that don't take that much out of you. Yeah, and I think it's moving away from that mentality of having to do things every single day. Because this really is uncovering how we've always operated as women, we're cyclical by nature. So if you understand that about your own body, that can be applied to your life, to your workload, to everything. If you give yourself the grace of working in cycles and then with a cycle, there's ups and downs, ups and flows. There's light and dark, it's polar opposite to each other and we experience everything and then it goes round again and it goes round again. And I think taking that pressure off, like needing to constantly, especially when you're a mum, I think we're so fucking hard on ourselves when we're, say we've been working all day and then we come home and we're exhausted and then we're making dinner and then we want to spend quality time with them. And it's just like, okay, let's take that off, let's take that off, let's take that off. And then before you know it, the day's gone, you're exhausted, you've done nothing for yourself because you've just been ticking these boxes. Yeah, yeah, it's so true. And I think where you can, because like you said, like, you know, being a mum is a full time job on top of the job that you've got as well and trying to run everything in the household. Where you can, it's really good to try and get support from your partner or from your family. Like, for me, like, it's okay because again, I think as women, we push ourselves to do everything and feel like we have to do everything and it's not okay to ask for help. But actually, I think it is okay, especially like during this time where that energy is low, it is okay. Like for me in my luteal phase, especially like my late luteal phase, I cannot do a food shop. I don't know what it is. I just, I literally want to break down and quiet. I can't do it. So every single month that gets passed on to my husband. And it's like, you need to go to a food shop, do that this, today, this week, because I can't do it. And he's got into a routine where he's like, okay, yeah, fair enough, she's in a luteal phase. I'm not going to fight with her. And I'm going to do that. So it's just finding the little things where you can and if possible, kind of share that load as well can really help ease off that pressure. Yeah, and I know we spoke about this before. When I'm in my luteal phase, I'm so sensitive to noise. Yeah, yeah, like my tolerance is on the floor. I cannot even listen to the telly if we were laughing when we were with the telly's on, and Hendricks is on his iPad, that is too much. And then what used to happen, not knowing that this is kind of heightened in this phase, what used to happen is it, I would experience it and then I'd snap, because it's just like, I just need it to stop. Whereas now I know, and they know, what I want my luteal phase, I need quiet. It's like headphones in. And like you said, we spoke about it for exactly the same, and you just get to that point where you do snap and you're like, everybody just stop, turn to the other side. Whereas now I've learned to just go to my bedroom. And obviously my children are a bit older. It's easier there doing everything anyway. But like for me now, because I never used to like being on my own at all, I hated being on my own, but I've learned that actually during that phase, I need to be on my own. I am in that room with everybody and my husband sat next to me and he's just breathing too loud and I just, I can't cope with it. Stop. It just stresses me out more. So now I've like learned that there will be a day or two where I'm like, I'd rather just go to bed at 8 o'clock and just spend the time on my own than be as isolated by everything that's going on around me. Yeah. And then going from the cycle, what do you think interrupts the cycle from flowing as it should? So for me, for example, when I was in really kind of fast paced, high pressured roles, I would notice I would have irregular cycles or I would be spotting when I wasn't meant to be bleeding at all. So something about that extra stress caused my body to change. Yeah, it's that high stress, that stress response because your body, your body is basically preparing for a baby every single month. But if you are really stressed, then your body just cannot. My battery's low, sorry. No, plug it in! It was plugged in. So it's not going to go on. Yeah, so your body is preparing for a baby every month, whether you like it or not. So if you're really, really stressed, your body can't prioritize that. It's not going to send the signals to the ovaries and where it needs to to create that baby because it's not the right environment. And we have different tiered hormones, but the tier one hormones is your cortisol and your insulin. If they're out of balance, then so is everything else. They are always like the two to work on versus your cortisol and your insulin because they're out of whack. Then so is your progesterone, your estrogen, progdenolone, the HEA, everything. So it has a huge impact. You have to have that safe, calm environment to be able to do what it needs to do. And when it hasn't got that, whether it's through stress, whether it's like people not eating enough, over exercising, then it just can't do that. And it's not going to send the signals and produce the hormones as it should do to make a baby. Like I said, whether you like it or not. So quite often then you're missing your periods, regular, they've become a much lighter because very light, light periods, maybe just the problem is heavy. It's always trying to work with your body and not getting yourself in that stress state, which is really hard because so many women are really stressed and really burnt out. But yeah, quite often that's your regular cycles and yeah, light periods. And I think one of the hardest things when you're stressed is knowing you're stressed because sometimes you adapt to it. It's like frog and boiler water where you've been operating in that way for so long, you no longer know, you think that's normal. You think that that state of your body is normal. So it's like, for me, when I looked into like nervous system work and how to regulate myself, that's the only point I've realized that I've been operating from survival mode for years, because my natural state was fight off like. And that's horrific. And like you said, like many women don't know and I've heard so many people as well because of that they're like, I don't have periods, it's great though. Oh my God, no, don't it that honestly drives me insane. And as well, the other thing that really pisses me off is, you know, we were talking earlier about when our mums went to the doctors and the doctors are just so quick to prescribe fucking medication and artificial hormones and whatever just to get them out the door. It really annoys me that from the age of 16, where we become sexually active. The first thing we do is get an artificial pill that fucks up our system reproductive system for the next however many years. And I know so many people now that they've come off the pill, and it's taken them at least two years just to balance everything back out again before they even start trying to have a baby. And it does and it can then cause issues with that. And like I was on the pill again soon should come sexually active go to the doctor you need to go on the pill and you do it. Actually tells you what the side effects of these are nobody that actually when you're on the pill, you're not ovulating and ovulation is like the most important part of your cycle. So when you're on the pill and you've been on it for like 10, 15 years or more, you've not ovulated and that's crucial for our health. We were never, never taught that. And this is another reason why I do what I do. I've got a 15 year old daughter. I absolutely I'm not going to be sending it to the doctor to go and get in the future. If there is a contraception she wants then I'll be sitting her down and I'll be talking through each and every one of them. What are the effects? What's happening? So she's informed and she actually understands what's going on. But you're right, so many women included that I actually only found out when I was 30 that the periods you have when you're on the pill, because obviously I've been on the pill since I was 18, are not real periods. And I was like, what? I never knew that. The moment I found that out, I went off the pill straight away. I was like, I'm not having that. But obviously again, that was, I was 30 when I found that out. And we're just not talked to somebody else that I know who, I mean, I don't know how old she is. She's in her 40s and she's still on the pill and she's like, yeah, but it's great because I'm going to have an easy mentor. I'm like, you really have had no idea or no education on this whatsoever, like no one's understanding at all. But it's just, yeah, so many people don't. It's so sad. So going back then to when women are in these kind of high-preciate environments for a very long time, and they are struggling with their regular cycles and they might be trying for a baby. And trying to try the best to really bring everything back into balance. What do you say is the number one thing for them to really try to bring back into their lives in terms of lowering the cortisol? Yeah, so like I said, lowering cortisol is really the main thing. So it's hard with the lives we have, but like I said, you can definitely make these small practices, like these small things each and every day. And it can be, you know, things like breath work can be really, really helpful for regulating your nervous system, you know, lowering that cortisol. And it has to be like five minutes a day, you know, just a few minutes you're in there when you're feeling really stressed, taking them deep breath. And just it really helps to calm your nervous system, but things as well like getting outside in nature is, again, really important, you know, leaving your phones behind because that causes a lot of stress as well. So I'd say like leave your phones behind, getting out in nature for 10 minutes, breath work, balance and blood sugar as well, that can be really, really helpful. Things as well like yoga and it's not for everybody, but things like yoga and Pilates and if a lot of women I feel like think that they have to do cardio, they have to do a lot of cardio and cardio. Yeah, it can be great. But doing too much of it can cause a big stress on your body and there's so many women I speak to that are already in such a stress state, but they're going to the gym pretty much every single day. They're running for miles and miles, they're lifting heavy in the gym and I'm like, yes, it's great to work out and it's great to do this. And for the mental health, it's great, but actually it is important, it's got a massive stress on your body. Finding them then little moments and sleep is really, really important. So optimising your sleep as best as you can definitely helps as well. I think when it comes to the breath work and the nervous system regulation, I think that is massively underplayed in terms of how valuable that can be. One thing that really stood out for me when I started learning about it was that our nervous system is the exact same nervous system our ancestors had when they were like, Penta gatherers, when they were like being moulded by lions, the reaction in their body. It's the same reaction we get now when we have that sense of danger, but the danger is different. So the danger for us now can be like a phone call from your boss out of the blue, or it can be, and that could, you feel it in your body, don't you, when like your heart rate spikes, it goes up a little bit. Or like things that aren't really, we're not in danger, but we emotionally feel at danger. So I think when it comes to boundary setting, I guess it's the main thing I'm trying to get out here. It's really important to do that. Absolutely. Like you said, like stress is important. But like we do need that stress, like you said back in the day, like running from alive, like you need to have that stress. But nowadays we have chronic stress and it's coming from our phones and so many people start their day in bed, like on the phone and it's like that's not great for your stress. As well, things like what I didn't mention was caffeine as well. And that increases your cortisol. So if you're having caffeine on an empty stomach, increasing your cortisol and saying, you know, it's really bad for your blood sugar. So again, it's just knowing things like this because so many people when women did not add to great sleep, the first thing to reach for is coffee. And it's just like stress and stress and stress all the time. The good sugar is not balanced. That's causing a lot of stress in your body. And yeah, like you said, setting boundaries as well is huge because we are such people please. We've got to say yes to everything and you know, we don't like it's okay to say no. And there are people in everybody's lives, I've definitely thought them where they just drain your energy. You walk away from it like not feeling great at all because they just completely drained you. They're so negative. Actually okay to say no and not spend so much time with them as hard as that might seem. Not doing your nervous system, anything is what's weather. Yeah, I think really protecting your energy. So if you're aware or even like start to bring this awareness in now when you have the next week or so of meeting the normal normal people you'd meet with whether that's work or friends or whatever. Just notice how you feel afterwards like take a minute to notice how your body feels afterwards because if your body's feeling like a bit low and like you've dipped a little bit that's probably a sign that that person should be at arm's length for a little while while you heal yourself. Not forever, but it's just a boundary that you might have to put in place. They say don't they there's two types of people in the world there's radiators and drains. Really isn't it? Yeah it is. So notice who your radiators are and who your drains are. Okay so that's the cycle and then we've gone over a few symptoms you can look out for if you are dysregulated or experiencing irregular periods. I guess the next natural phase for us after motherhood is do you want to go into motherhood or do you want to go on to... Yeah let's do a little bit of motherhood. So in terms of for me my only experience because back then I was so disconnected from my body honestly I couldn't tell you what was going on inside of me other than there's a big head baby. My back was hurting and I couldn't fucking walk anywhere but my main struggles I think were at the time. I don't think there was any allowances within the workplace for women who were heavily not do you know not even heavily pregnant let's just say pregnant. There was very little support. I think that's still very common now. You know even if you go back to the hormones nobody told me that my hormones drop like you know as soon as you have that baby your hormones drop like they do when you menstruate. It's no wonder you're crying your eyes out on day like three because I remember that so clearly and then over the years I'm like why does nobody explain what is actually... Well they haven't throughout any of our life stages have they but you know not understanding that and motherhood it's hard because it's so new and all of a sudden you've got this life that you have to give everything to you and you're responsible for it and so much changes. Throughout that time throughout that first year and there is no support and then you've got to go back to work you know it's different for everybody isn't it. Sometimes it's the years and sometimes it's six months later and there isn't that support and then you know school that I used to work in there was so many women who were pregnant and obviously went off to have babies. And then they come back and you just get so much hassle because their child's not well and it's like well you can't really be helped or you need to come back earlier and we just we really don't get the support that we deserve with it. I think one thing you've literally just reminded me of now I think I might have blocked out my memory was the day three crying. Oh my God but they call it they also call it like baby blues and they don't tell you what baby blues really is. And then the whole like dip in your hormones. Imagine then having the pressure of okay I really need to start getting back into shape a little bit. I need to start thinking about work in a couple of months and then you're putting your child in to childcare and that is the most normal thing in the world in this society if your child at the age of some like six months on my son was eight months going into full time childcare. And back then that was just the thing to do like you go back to work full time they go into nursery seven thirty till six thirty every day and you're expected then not only to manage this new body that you have and the new system with your hormones completely out of whack. But then going back into work whether you're allowed to go back into the same job you left that's another conversation that is probably best for another time. And then like you said you're managing when because when kids first go into nursery they get ill all the time obviously so immune systems are underdeveloped. So for me there was the first I would say three months I was getting calls almost every day that Hendricks was. Not that he was necessarily ill but I think nurseries tend to be over precautions anyway especially when. There's things going about so like back then I think there was Hanfoot and mouth and so if even he had he was quite like a. Eczema child like I've got eczema as well but if they spotted like a little rush on him which I knew was eczema they would think it was Hanfoot mouse so then I'd have to go get him and then he's not allowed back for a day and it's like all this stress. And if you're doing it alone of leaving work I remember once my God this is all coming back to me now since you've mentioned the baby blues I literally think I put it in the back of my mind and forgot about it forever. I remember once I literally had just got to work the commute was an hour I dropped him off I left the house at seven and I got a phone call from nursery saying oh he's bombarded you need to come pick him up. And I had a commitment on with work it's some kind of meeting which now I can't even fucking remember what it is but right right in that moment it felt huge that I was going to miss that like I felt a lot of pressure. And I remember phoning my partner at the time like his family members to see if anyone was free because they lived closer to the nursery. No one was free to go get him so then I had to obviously let work know that I can't do this meeting I had to go get my son and then the way that felt to me it felt like I'd let everyone down but it wasn't even accepted by them. Like it was a proper like oh well is there no one else that can go get him. And it's like well hold on a minute. Pipe down. They feel they have like this input. And the thing is I was going to say like they don't understand you know I was just going to say like you know your boss is your managers and people are saying that and they're like women are like that too. And you're like women you've actually got children and you're still exactly what you just said there can somebody else not go and get them and you're like you've been through this how do you. How can you not understand that like your child can feel and that you do what you can to you know your child comes first but yeah there's so many people in the workplace that just don't get it. And I did pressure and like you said you put it on yourself as well because you feel really hard and like you're letting everything down. You're just being a mom. Yeah. So mental and honestly I think you're right in what you said that it hasn't overly changed in eight years anyway. Now I have friends going through the same thing and I am still hearing horror stories about the way not necessarily the way they've been. The thing is about all of this it's not like a direct obvious attack. It's not the way it seems to me the most because it's almost like a silent expectation of working mothers and if you don't meet that expectation then you are treated differently. And then you're on the back foot and then you're out of conversations and then you're not really as involved as what you would be. So like for me when I had to pick my son up from nursery and like beat the traffic and all of that and I was leaving work at the time we had to work until 6 30. 5. Because I lived about an hour out and the comments were like oh half day is it? What? My day is just starting. Yeah. Yeah. And yeah I don't know. Anyway, I think the best thing women can do is like we said right at the beginning. Create that supportive system for yourself. So what does it take for you to feel protected going into these environments? Because no one in that environment is going to tell you okay why don't you go home and rest or okay why don't you take the day off or why don't you go be with your child. No one's going to tell you that no one's going to give you permission. So how can you give that to yourself? First of all by understanding and empowering yourself about the way your body is working and what you need so you can make those changes. And then second of all by setting those boundaries and expectations with people and being firm with it. Because the consequence is complete dysregulation, survival mode, really going in on yourself, really feeling bad about yourself. No one deserves that let alone a mum. You think we can do that? Absolutely not. We don't hate men or anything. They haven't either. Okay so then we've got the whole return to work which honestly we could probably do another fucking episode on between us but we'll move on. And then we go into the great unknown which is perimenopause and menopause. Absolutely. So what we need to know about our bodies in these phases because I'm completely blind to it. So like you said it is the complete unknown. I am so passionate about perimenopause because I feel like menopause is sort of the information's getting out of there. But perimenopause I still feel like it's just a phase that's not spoken about but actually that is where all the chaos happens. That's where all these symptoms come up. It's not a case of just worry about it in your fifties and if you get a symptom you worry about it then. Perimenopause can start at the age of 35 like it starts in your mid-thirties. Which is mental, which so many people don't know. Like I said, it's a few years away, don't say this. What? Like I said in from 35. And your periods might still be regular, be very regular at this point. They might be around 21 to 29 days, that sort of thing. But you might start, your estrogen is starting to decline. Well no it's not starting to decline, it goes up and down, sorry. It actually, your estrogen is up and down like a roller coaster. So you will have moments where you've got really high estrogen and you're going to see all sorts of things. It's basically just fluctuating over the public stages of perimenopause. And then you will get to a stage where your periods of cycles are longer. So you might have longer periods and your cycles might last six or seven days. You'll have times like I said, because of the estrogen, you have migraines, you've had a few strange periods. Things that you might not have experienced before or if you've already experienced that, then it may come first. You might have times where you've experienced lighter periods. And then over this time, usually around like your mid-forties-ish, your estrogen is starting to go to a slow decline and your progesterone obviously is defining too. And you get to a stage where you're basically waiting for the 12 months to stay your menopause or so. Menopause is actually only one day. And to say that you're in menopause, you have to have 12 months without a period. Right. Then it's basically one day and then you're basically post-menopause. What happens in that one day? It's literally just the day that doctors are just used to just... Because obviously your eggs are just defining, defining, defining. It's basically just something they use to say, right, it's been 12 months, so you've now gone through menopause. So that's basically it, because over time your eggs are defining, your estrogen, your progesterone's defining. It just has to be like that 12 months for it to be official of, okay, you've got no eggs left, that sort of thing. And you're post-menopausal. But you're in the perimenopause especially. There are so many symptoms that women experience that you can be fine. You can be fine for you and then all of a sudden everything is going wrong. Or you're prone to anxiety. And that for me, like, you might never have experienced it before. I've heard from so many women who have never had it. And all of a sudden they're late those 14 months. Where has this come from? You know, you're less resilient to stress. Your blood sugar balance is all over the place unless you have to really start to manage that. Like we said before, talking about stress, that becomes even more important. Things like migraines, rage, anger, mood swings, loaming. There are so many symptoms of dry skin, vaginal dryness, hair thinning. I mean, they're really... You're really selling it. Yeah, I'm not on my foot. It doesn't have to be that way as well, which is what I'm going to go to. It doesn't have to be that way. It's not as horrific as it sounds. But like I said before, it's really having that awareness. And I think the reason why so many women struggle during this transition is they don't know what's happening. They're becoming less resilient to the life they feel. All these symptoms are showing up. They're like, "What the hell is going on? What is wrong with me?" And they feel lost and they feel disconnected. And they lose their confidence as well. They feel like they're in the middle of the weight gain as well. You're gaining weight and that's due to the causes of that. It's due to the blood sugar. There are so many reasons. And again, it's an inocular woman's confidence. Because we do care about our bodies and our bodies. It would be nice to just not care, but most of us do. But when you're gaining that weight and you're trying to lose it in front, then that's more stress. And so many women think during that time that they've got to eat less and they've got to do more cardio. And that's how they're going to lose the weight. And like you said before, that's causing more stress on your body. And it's probably the reason why you're not losing weight. So it doesn't have to be that bad. I always say like the earlier you can stop caring for it, the better. So I'm 38. I'm doing what I can. It starts with the awareness of the cycles. It starts with the tracking. And becoming aware of it is really important. Because when you start seeing them symptom to like, okay, I know that's because I've obviously got high sickness in a minute. So what can I do to combat that? Like things like looking after your liver health, things like leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, and castor oil packs can be really important. Saunas, things like that support your liver, which will help clear out the issue. You and I always tell my clients, well, it's about eating full, not eating less. So it's about adding different foods to your diet. Because again, so many women all of a sudden can't eat foods that they've been eating forever. You know, they might become sensitive to dairy and they might become sensitive to gluten. So really, it's just adding different foods like nuts, seeds, gut health as well. That's really important to look at your gut health during this time. So eating the variety of foods, different types of herbs and spices and nuts and seeds, vegetables, and really colorful. And then phytoestrogene, which are like things like your soy products, tofu, miso, temper, edamame beans, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, all these sort of things. Phytoestrogene is really helpful because if you've got too much estrogen, it combats that. But on the other side, because the thing is about it, it also mimics estrogen. So if you've got low estrogen, it mimics it. So it's obviously not going to replace the phytoestrogen at that time, but it can definitely support it. And then things like inflammation. Estrogen is anti-inflammatory. So as you're losing your estrogen, your inflammation rises. It causes so many problems for women, but it's really looking at that and how can you reduce the inflammation in your body. And what's really important is your protein and strength resistance training. And again, never too late to start, but you really need to start the vector. Yeah, because again, as you're losing the estrogen, you're losing muscle, you're losing bone mass. You don't want that because you don't want to be frail, old-lady, breaking bones. And you know, you really, really need to protect it. It's very important. And yeah, I would say like for me, like the two key things here is protein and strength training. And then outside of that, it's have a variety of things about what you're adding to diet, not what you're taking away. And then, like I said before about the mental health. Mental health increases by 40% in women during this transition. Say that again. Mental health issues increase by 40% during menopause or transition. But you can see how that happens because if you have built your life in a certain way and then all of a sudden you can't keep up with it. The first thing we're going to do, especially as women is blame ourselves. Like what's wrong with me? Oh, I'm just getting old or like I'm incapable or it that's the first thing we do. So it's a massive. What's the word I'm looking for? Oh, the words gone. But anyway, we will the first thing we'll do is say we're incapable of it and then we'll go in on ourselves. So everything you've just mentioned there in terms of the best things you can do to support your body before menopause Andrew menopause. Everything you've said is supportive for you your whole life like that's not just through menopause. And this is again the shift we have to make in switching to whole foods, for example, and eating organic where there's no pesticides sprayed on our food. Which fucking I know a few rates the shit out of both of us because as well there are things called endocrine disruptors. And they come from our food and they come from what we put on our body creams and sprays and everything that is that we buy without thinking about what's in it. Because that's all we've ever done. But there's a lot of pesticides and chemicals in those products that leak into your body and disrupt your endocrine function, therefore disrupting your hormones. So it's this whole journey which I know both of us have been on but a lot of women still don't know about of detoxing detoxing what you consume and put on your body. And that's another good reason why the liver is so important is to overload ourselves and as well if you haven't got that awareness, which like there are many of us still don't. You get up in the morning, you're in the shower, you're putting your body wash on your shampoo and all of that and then you get out and you're putting all the creams on and perfumes on and make fun and all of them toxic. Unless you're aware of it and you're buying the low-tox, no-tox product, you're not aware of it and then you go into the kitchen and you're using the Teflon pans which have got like huge endocrine structures in there. And then maybe you're putting your lunch in a plastic tub and heating that in the microwave and then that's leaching in. There's just your liver is overloaded with toxins and sometimes we can't help it. Sometimes people don't know about it, but once you become aware of it, it's really important then to support that and reduce it where you can. Because your liver is becoming overloaded with all these toxins, but your liver clears out estrogen. And the reason why you have too much estrogen is that it's something that I have and I do live a low-tox lifestyle, so I have the best I can in other ways. Yeah, and in terms of the imbalances we spoke about earlier that what can cause irregular cycles and whatever other symptoms you experience, you can get obviously high estrogen, low estrogen, you can get high progesterone, low progesterone. Like it's just finding the balance to make sure everything is at an even kilter and you can't do that unless you address the tier one hormones that are basically running the show unless they're pulled back a little bit. So if your cortisol is in overdrive, then like you said, the rest of your hormones don't stand a chance. It's fascinating, isn't it? Like another thing I think is really good that we've spoken about as well is Elizabeth's book. Yes, that's really good, really good. Really good starting point, woman code. That's a really good starting point for if you're just coming into this whole world of understanding, first of all, high cycles work, but second of all, everything to do with the endocrine system, the disruptors, what's blocking you, what isn't like there's loads about the symptoms, what you're experiencing and being able to pinpoint that to an imbalance and as well about your periods and if they're light and if they're heavy and what that means. So that is like my Bible. I love it. I've gone back to it so many times. I use that a lot. I really like her and also give me the power by making her that to read. What period power? Well, that's actually the first book I read. So I've never read a book in my life. And then when I hit a food, he had decided I was going to be healthy. I was going to exercise for the first time and I'm going to read a book. And it was the first book I read with the stomach. The second book I read was Period Power and that is where it all started for me because there were so many things that I was like, oh, that's normal. I just thought I wasn't normal. I thought it was just me and I was, or there were things like opposite to that where I was like, oh, I thought that I thought everything was normal. I thought that was, I just had everything my mum did like it's bad. But there were so many moments now. I was like, wow, like we really haven't not been able to read that one. That one's a really good one as well. And another one, another kind of thing I've used is Yucca after you recommended that. So double check the products I'm buying because with some things it's like it's fine because you know the fruit and veg, you just go organic. And there's some really good organic alternatives. But there's other things like the other day I went to buy a mouthwash. The first thing I did was pull up Yucca because obviously knowing what I know now, I need to be careful of what I put in my body. And the first one I scanned was like zero out of a hundred score, like full of fucking toxins. It's like, okay, I'll just swirl that around in my mouth. It's just mental. So yeah, and then there was actually a really good alternative in Tesco as well because it shows you the alternatives of what is a better option for you. So I've done that. I've done loads of swap outs with my skincare as well. Oh my God, like everything has just gone into the bin. I want to start with going down the low top route, start with skincare. Don't do it all at once because I went down that thing of like, right, I need to get everything out of the kitchen. I need to get all my skincare gone and you know, it's so overwhelming. Yeah. Start small. So I think skincare because you're putting it on your skin like it's absorbing it in. So I do think skincare is the place to start and start replacing. I think you're going to buy something new, use the app or whatever and see what it's like and start with your skincare. Yeah, skincare is definitely a big one. Amazing. We've gone through so much. Yeah, well done us. I think this honestly, I think this requires a second session to go deeper into some some of the things we've spoken about. I think we're just very conscious that we want to give all of the information and all of the value that we know, but it's been honestly so great to talk to you.