Menopause, and how I deal with it.

So anyway.

This post could be a bit of a trigger so if weight loss or weight gain conversations do that then please don’t read on.

I am a member of a website with workouts on it, and the website also has a private Facebook page.

One of the the most common comments I read on this have the following:

I am doing all the workouts, and I can’t lose weight.

I’m eating really healthy and I can’t lose weight

I’m feeling so down because I’m working out so hard and I step on the scales and nothing has changed.

It truly is one of the most awful things about menopause. The unexplained weight gain, and it’s definitely top of the list when I think about the ‘things that made me cry the most’ list. The reason for that being that the weight gain directly impacted my confidence as well, and I seriously didn’t know how to dress.

Recently, a good friend in her early 40s commented to me that her appetite had gone through the roof, and she couldn’t stop eating, and I thought ‘oh oh’, I know this one too well.

How awful to try and think how to explain to my gorgeous friend that this was because The Cookie Monster has moved into her brain. It really is a nasty thing to think about, saying to a woman that she needs to watch her food consumption. The best way I could think of wording was ‘well… 52 year old me, would tell 40 year old me to think about whether it was hunger or hormones’. That really is what it comes down to.

As women get older, 2 hormones in our body start having a party.

Ghrelin tells your body to keep eating, Leptin tell the brain that you are full up and to stop eating.

What happens in menopause is that Leptin goes on holiday ,and leaves Ghrelin in charge.

The best thing you can do is to keep your fluid intake up, and when you feel hungry, have good think about whether you ARE hungry or if its just your brain playing tricks on you.

What an awful thing to say I know, but having this information now will save you a lot of scrolling and ugly crying later on, I promise.

One of the best things I can say, is follow an eating plan, and don’t starve yourself.

I cook from the slimming world magazine, and make all my own lunches and dinners because it keeps me out of Greggs at lunchtime. Also, the more protein I eat, the less sugar I crave.

I get my chocolate fix from protein chocolate shakes. Winner.

I went through an awful time with bloating and sweating and not fitting into my clothes which would increase my stress, and make sweat a lot more. It was the worst 18 months ever. I'm telling you all this to help spare you from that ordeal, or at least make it a bit easier to bear.

I host menopause workshops, and I also have a menopause workbook on my website here . I don’t give advice about medication, thats for your GP to do, but what I concentrate on is reducing stress which ultimately is the best thing you can do for yourself full stop.

Please get in touch if I can help you further with any menopause advice. If I don’t have the answer, I can signpost you where you need to go.

Onward!

Elizabeth

Can life get any worse? (A short blog about coping)

Nothing like a cheery headline to grab your attention!

So here we are. Can life get any worse?

Whats bad? One thing? Several things? Or absolutely everything. It’s tempting to saying EVERYTHING right now isn’t it?

I’m sitting writing this looking out onto my garden, and I can see a few things that are good. My plants, a lovely pink glow in the sky from sunset, a cat sitting on my shed eying me up. If you take a deep breath, there are small, but good things around us.

My car works when I turn it on, win.

I feel like I have hay fever, not so good, but fixable with a piriton.

I got a lovely new book from a pal for my birthday to get stuck into, win.

I’ve had mini birthday celebrations over the last week including cheese and biscuits and immense cake, WIN.

The little GOOD things mount up.

At the risk of sounding like a complete bumper sticker, you can always find the good, somewhere.

I can remember all the passwords for my computer and debit cards, another win.

There is no getting away from it right now though, life in general in challenging. I have had clients coming in to see me this week feeling scunnered. it’s like there are normal ish life stresses through illness, family illness, job worries, job hunting, and watching the news just now (July 2021) seems to put an extra layer of woe ontop of life.

I am convinced we will all get good news soon, I have NO idea what that will be, but lets just make sure we are getting out basics right, starting from scratch.

Get a good nights sleep

Drink water (and reaaaallly good coffee)

Speak to a best pal - some people just need a really good listening to (that’s a Kirsty Mac ism, I use it a lot)

If you are working from home, set a timer for 45 minutes and do interruption free work for that time, and see what you get done.

Remember to eat fruit and vegetables.

Watch a feel good movie, sorry but mine is Pretty in Pink. I'm about to have a late evening Brat Pack binge when i’ve finished this.

That’s it.

G’night John-Boy.

x

Can massage therapy help with a pinched nerve?

In short, yes!

What is the definition of a pinched nerve?

Basically, the laymans term explanation of it is: 2 muscles get naffed off, get more tense and tight than usual, and make a jam sandwich out of the nerve.

It feels awful, like a lightning bolt going through your limb or wherever it is, and it can make a person feel really nauseous. My own personal experience that comes to mind is one time I had a pinched nerve in my neck and shoulder as the discomfort was coming down my arm to my middle finger (median nerve) and it just made me want to jump up and down and shake my arm till the feeling went away. Jumping up and down didn’t help, but a really effective massage DID.

I booked in with my colleague Trevor Chisman who, quite frankly, is a nerve geek. I’m more into the muscles of the head and neck and that is where I have put my extra study into, where as Trevor with nerve pain is just a master.

I gave Trevor as much information as I could about how long I had symptoms, can I remember if anything set it off, and what it feels like when it did kick off, and then basically he got to work. He pinpointed a problem in a very specific area of my neck where the nerves come out of the spinal column, and it immediately felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Getting out of pain should not, in my opinion be a traumatic experience, it should feel precise, and effective without beating the client up.

Last week I had a client come in with sciatic type discomfort. The reason I am not writing ‘my client had sciatica’ is because, as a massage therapist, it’s not in my remit to diagnose!

The most important thing about treating any kind of nerve discomfort is listening to the client, what makes it feel worse, what makes it feel bette, how long have you been feeling this way.

My roll as a massage therapist is to then try to smooth out whatever is causing that sensation, and almost tease the muscles apart gently by applying appropriate pressure. It really is quite an intuitive process and enormously satisfying when you find the trouble maker.

So there we have it, it’s a resounding yes, that soft tissue work and massage therapy can have a positive effect on nerve pain and a pinched nerve

Book here if you are suffering from a pinched nerve, and let’s get you back to optimum wellness.

You have my permission...

To feel crap.

Yes, your read that right.

You totally have my permission to feel a bit flat, not quite get it right, feel a bit vulnerable, feel a bit worn out. No judgement, and to be honest, I am not bloody surprised.

The past 15 months or so, have been nothing more than exhausting, both in personal and business terms, and the general feeling of waiting for something crap to happen. It’s like driving a car at high speed not knowing what is around the corner, or sometimes, for me, it’s felt like I am laying down train tracks as quickly as I can, with a high speed train on its way.

This is June the 14th 2021, and I safely say, that for the past couple of weeks, what I have noticed is, fear, fear, and more fear, mixed in with not getting communication not quite right, possibly not being as organised as we usually are, and lots of other unexpected nonsense just deciding to rear it’s goddamn head. Sometimes the only thing you can do, is try to give yourself a sensory distraction - hot bath, give yourself a foot rub, or book in with me and I will do it! Just take your foot off the pedal and stop mentally beating yourself up.

I really have noticed some absolute cock ups recently with regard to not having the right conversations at the right time. Whether it’s you, or whether it’s someone else, just stop what you are doing and just breath, instead of going for the option of having a meltdown.

Don’t get me wrong, the odd meltdown with some ugly crying a snot, can really clear the decks, but I’d rather not be in a situation where I look like a punchbag we’ a tattie nose (thats what my Mum calls it).

I really am sorry if you are feeling down trodden at the moment. Sometimes you really do need to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again. That’s from a musical and I can’t remember which one. Hang on, I’ll call my Mum… Swing Time with Fred Astaire. My Mum is better than Alexa.

So anyway.

Please don’t keep feeling awful to yourself. Especially ESPECIALLY if you are with the work form home corporate athletes. You will be surprised at the amount of people who will LISTEN and empathise with you, a

Please also reach out to me if there is anything I can do to help.

Liz x

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...

Can Massage Therapy Help Me Sleep Better?

A good night’s sleep is crucial to our wellbeing and our health. If you’ve ever had trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, then you know that being tired or craving sleep can impact your entire day. You feel drowsy or irritable, your thoughts may be foggy, and you may start to notice a difference in your body as well.

If you’re having trouble falling asleep at night maybe it’s time you consider massage therapy to help you sleep better.

The Importance of Sleep

Sleep is such an important part of our wellbeing. While some people need more sleep than others, getting too little sleep is associated with a host of medical issues, and a habit of poor sleep can lead to a decline in your overall health.

The Centre for Disease Control has reported that a lack of sleep is associated with a host of medical issues:

●      Diabetes

●      Cardiovascular disease

●      Obesity

●      Depression

An ongoing issue with sleep can really start to affect how you feel physically and emotionally, and grow into a larger health issue.

Massage for Better Sleep

Some research is illuminating how massage therapy can benefit people who are having difficulty sleeping. For example, one study followed several people with lower back pain and sleep disturbances. The group that received massages reported feeling less pain, with fewer depression symptoms and improved anxiety and sleep.

This study followed these adults with lower back pain and sleep disturbances for five weeks. Each of the adults chosen for the study had been experiencing lower back pain and related sleep issues for at least six months.

One group received 30-minute massages, two times per week, and the other group received relaxation therapy sessions twice a week for 30 minutes. Each participant filled out a questionnaire at the beginning and end of the trial, and those in the massage group reported benefits in anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance. They even showed improved trunk and pain flexion performance.

Massage and Fatigue

Sleep issues will lead you to feel fatigued. Another study followed the effects of massage therapy for patients with poor sleep quality who had also received a coronary artery bypass graft surgery. This study looked at whether massage therapy was an effective way to improve sleep quality for these patients.

The 40 participants in the study were randomly assigned either to a control group or a massage therapy group after they had been released from the ICU. For three nights following their release from intensive care, the participants in the massage therapy group received massage therapy sessions.

Every participant in both the control group and massage therapy group were evaluated the following morning for pain in their back, chest, and shoulders, and also on fatigue and sleep. While both groups reported feeling an improvement in their back, shoulder, and chest pain over the course of the three days, the participants in the massage therapy group also reported fewer complaints of fatigue on the first two days, and more effective sleep throughout the entire study.

Another reason, and this one you won’t believe:  poor sleep can also contribute to weight gain.  With the amount of work I have done to try and lose menopause weight gain there is no way I am letting this one creep up on me!  Menopause itself can lead to insomnia due to waking up lots during the night due to the horrible night sweating. 

The soundproofing in my flat is not as good as it could be, so for me, it’s earplugs for the win!

Other things you can do is have lavender essential oil to hand, and sprinkle it on your pillow as part of your bedtime routine. Counter balance this with rosemary essential oil first thing in the morning to help with concentration.

I know how much sleep matters, and I’m a firm believer in the benefits of massage therapy for sleep disturbances, sleep disorders, and fatigue. Let’s work together to help you experience the benefits of massage therapy, so you can sleep better at night, and wake up feeling rested, happy, and well the next morning. Contact me today, and let’s set up an appointment.

In days of yore, when I had clients that were feeling poorly or had the start of a bad cold, I would ask them in anyway for a full body tune up to stimulate their lymphatic/immune system.  These days with a whole new load of bloody viruses and variants going around, I can’t do that, as the symptoms mean a wider public health problem!

If you DO find yourself feeling drained, look up a foam rolling class, give yourself a good foot massage and really get in between all your toes etc.  Have a lovely hot bath, or get in the sea, flowing water actually stimulates your lymphatic system as it gently glides over your nodes.  The highest concentration of lymph nodes are under your armpits and in your groin area.  That’s why these areas ache when you are feeling under the weather, its your lymph nodes working super hard.