Using Movement to Cope with Stress The menopause and an increased stress response, unfortunately seem to partners in crime.  And hardly suprising when we consider that the menopause itself is a physical stressor on the body for most, no matter what else is going on emotionally.  I truely believe that moving our bodies in a way that pleases and calms us, is a kind of therapy.  Never mind what we ‘should’ do for exercise, finding  pleasure and relief in any kind of movement, is very welcome.  In fact, this is true for anyone, at any time.  So, whether menopausal o ..read more

Do I have anhedonia? You may have not come across this word before. That is OK, it isn’t (yet) widely used.  Think the opposite of hedonia, which is all about pleasure.  Anhedonia is when a person feels flat, lifeless, bleh, perhaps lethargic …… existing, but not thriving.  My article below was written from a menopauasal perspective, when there are many symptoms that overalp.  However anhedonia can apply to anyone at any age.  Read more in my latest article for Menopause Matters, by clicking on the link below. READ MY ARTICLE HERE ← The difficult world of menopaus ..read more

The midlife transition and sleep are not often good friends.  And sadly even beyond menopause many women struggle to get back to consistent quality sleep.  Well intended help from the world of science on telling us how important sleep is, can actually make things worse too – increasing the panic around not getting enough.  Messages on how to sleep well are everwhere.  However, I offer a different approach, a reframe, for women going to through a turbulent midlife & beyond relationship with sleep.  I hope this might help  – my latest article for the MENOPAUS ..read more

Over the years I have noticed in clients some common attributes, that are in place, when coaching is most effective. I thought it might be useful to write these down, particularly for anyone wondering if my coaching might be right for them.  Of course it isn’t essential to have all of these in place, more so an idea of what is helpful.  Something to think about. So here we go – my top 5 characteristics to get the most from my coaching: 1. Timing Attempts at change may have been attempted before, yet didn’t work.  This time it does work – a number of different, motivating, f ..read more

I am becoming increasingly passionate about helping menopausal women get moving again.  Not necessarily exercise, but movement – a bit of a reframe for many women. Exercise and sport are wonderful, however it is how we spend most of our days that really counts for health and wellbeing.  How much of your day is being sedentary?  If a lot, please don’t feel guilty about this, instead what small changes can be made to help you move around a little? Or maybe your attitude to movement is to see use it for weight loss only – and so it’s all or nothing?  Or perhaps your menopau ..read more

Do you know if you are menopausals? Sometimes is hard to tell – perhaps if monthly cycles have not yet altered and you don’t have the headline symptom of hot flushes. I have had clients tell me that their menopause was / is fine – yet 5 minutes later say, for example; they can’t sleep, they have itchy skin, their memory isn’t what it used to be, they keep leaking a little bit of wee ….. There are 34 generally recognised symptoms of the menopause (though the actual number of symptoms is far higher, unofficially). Curious to know how you are doing?  Use this helpful checklist to find out ..read more

If you feel that your menopause has got you eating out of control, you can’t stop, then take a read of my article about Compulsive Eating.   Whilst anyone at any age can be suffer, it is, along with binge eating, the most common form of distressing and disordered eating for women in midlife.  Menopause Matters Winter 2022 issue contains my original article, which you can find reproduced here with their permission.  READ MY ARTICLE HERE ← Movement, me, my vision. Menopause Symptom Checklist → The post Compulsive eating in the Menopause appeared first on Blossom Health ..read more

My own Movement Story When I think back over my life, I can see that movement has always been important to me, (though I may not have realised at the time).  A fidget, energetic, impatient, sometimes restless, moving around in some way comes as naturally to me as breathing.   that this is not the case for everyone, either through limitations in body or life or through choice. As a child I was fortunate enough to have access to sports outside of school (and I am so grateful for that now).  This was despite, from the age of 12, struggling with my body weight, or rather the ..read more

I am taking a breather from my monthly newsletters, for a little while. And I wanted to let you all know why, rather than just stop.   Since Covid I have seen MOVEMENT as becoming a bigger and bigger part of what I do.  I talk about movement and exercise with pretty much every client, yet there has been a limit to how far this coaching can go, as I am not currently qualified in this area. At the same time, I have recognised in my own life I need to move around more too.  Coach and move, move and coach.  So ….. I am going to be a MOVEMENT COACH.  So, I am now training ..read more

Binge eating can occur at any time of life, to anybody ……. but I believe the mid-life transition from pre to post menopause can raise in some women a particular set of circumstances that make binge eating more commen.  And more distressing. My latest article for the Menopause Matters magazine explains why this is so. READ MY ARTICLE HERE     If your feel out of control around food, thinking constantly about overeating yet hating yourself for it, then please get in touch. You might also like to take a look at my Disordered Eating Quiz to work out how much of a problem this i ..read more