Menopause Motivation

Coaching Session Two with Rachel "Within 2 days I felt better!"

Another truly uplifting catch-up with Rachel. She was struggling with perimenopause and had made several changes to her life, including changing jobs and giving up exercise, but she was still struggling with low energy and feeling like the joy had gone out of her life. She felt that diet was the missing piece of the jigsaw, but felt too overwhelmed to change her habits. We caught up a month after our initial call and what a transformation. Within two days of putting her new plan into action she felt better. She was less anxious and sleeping better. When she did wake up she could get back to sleep quickly. She had more energy, less brain fog and had found her mojo. Crucially, she felt the changes had been really easy to make, and this is so important. Listen to Rachel talk about the changes she's made and you'll hear the enthusiasm in her voice about the difference its made to her. More support from Gabrielle Apply to appear on my podcast by emailing me at hello@gabrielleohare.com You can find similar advice in my book which is available on ⁠Amazon⁠ [https://mybook.to/W40] There is more information on exercise, nutrition and wellbeing on my ⁠website⁠ [https://thrive-after40.com/] and you can sign up for my weekly newsletter there.

Coaching session one with Emma, "I'm overwhelmed by everything I'm supposed to do. I just need a plan."

This episode is a great reminder that Thriving After 40 isn't just about food. Emma lost her fitness after catching Covid and then perimenopause struck bringing anxiety and issues with sleep. As her kids hit their teens she was also missing the socialising that she did with other parents when the children were younger. She wanted to take better care of herself, but was overwhelmed by all the things she was supposed to be doing, and wasn't doing anything. She needed a plan that would work for her. I loved this episode because the main focus was about making time to do things that brought Emma pleasure in her life. When I asked her what she did for herself, she realised she did nothing. Yet she worked hard at her job and spent most evenings ferrying her kids around. We need a reward for the work we put in. Often we turn to food to do this, and I suspected this was the reason she was turning to biscuits and chocolate during the day, even though she ate a healthy diet and didn't suffer with hunger or cravings. Another key part of our chat was about exercise and how she could find time and energy to build up her fitness again because this had been a big part of her life pre Covid and she knew it would improve her mood and even her sleep. More support from Gabrielle You can find similar advice in my book which is available on Amazon [https://mybook.to/W40] There is more information on exercise, nutrition and wellbeing on my website [https://thrive-after40.com/] and you can sign up for my weekly newsletter there.

Coaching Session One With Rachel 'I'm struggling with my diet.'

Rachel is 3 years perimenopause and her biggest symptoms are mood swings, anxiety and overwhelm and real loss of joy. Taking the brave step of changing career didn't remove the feelings of anxiety that she'd hoped. Determined to make more changes she cut down on alcohol and joined a running club. But she just couldn't get a grip on her diet. She knew toast for breakfast and meal deals for lunch weren't ideal, but she couldn't break the cycle. The natural response to this is feeling guilty, being angry with yourself for being lazy/useless/disorganised, and with that comes a lot of negative self-talk that can take over your brain and direct a lot of anger and frustration towards yourself. This is not a small deal because it can have a huge impact on how you feel about yourself. Yet, when you lead a busy, stressful life and have to deal with anxiety and overwhelm, getting a grip on your diet can completely evade you. That's why these sessions work so well. It's so much easier when you take a step back with someone who can help you figure things out. And that's what we do in this week's episode. We find simple changes that Rachel can actually make without adding extra work or making her feel overwhelmed. Tune in now and listen to how we figured it out, because the same ideas could well work for you too. MORE SUPPORT FROM GABRIELLE You can find similar advice in my book Why Women Over 40 Can't Lose Weight which is available on ⁠Amazon⁠ [https://mybook.to/W40] If you'd like to apply to be coached in a future podcast, please email me at hello@gabrielleohare.com Private coaching is also available. To find out more click ⁠here [https://www.thrive-after40.com/store/p/weight-loss-coaching]

Coaching Session 2 With Allison "Rethinking my eating has been a miracle."

This follow-up session with Allison is a really special episode. When we first spoke a few weeks ago I told her she was practically starving herself. I gave her some advice on what to change to see some improvements, but what I didn't know at the time was that Allison has MS. I only found out a few weeks later when I checked in on her and she told me she was in the middle of a relapse or a MS Hug. I was really nervous about our catch-up. She had recovered from the relapse, but I know how hard it is to make diet changes with the usual stressors we all have to cope with. But doing it while coping with MS relapses and the side effects of the condition? But what Allison told me blew me away. Within a few days of making the changes I'd given her, she felt immediately better. Then the MS Hug hit and she was confined to bed, relying on her family to care for her until she recovered. But as soon as she could, she got back onto it. Her new way of eating had made such a profound difference, she was determined to keep going. Now she's got her hunger and cravings under control and has even found the energy to go walking everyday for 45 minutes. These are the things that change your life. Don't miss this episode - it will change your mindset about the power of what you eat.

Coaching Session 2 With Anna "If you'd promised me so many benefits I wouldn't have believed you!"

In this short but sweet episode, Anna takes me through an impressive list of changes she's experienced after making really simple changes. Better sleep, less hungry, fewer cravings, more energy, not hangry any more, less brain fog and half a stone lighter in just over a month. The changes she made were easy to work into her busy lifestyle and she still ate the same meals as her family, something that was really important to her. The secret is to start prioritising your own health and well-being, which Anna completely embraced. Tune in and listen to what she did and how it worked for her.