Midlife woman? Where's your mojo?

How's your mojo?
If you are a woman anywhere between 45 and 60, you could well be hunting for it.

Mojo- enthusiasm, excitement, joie de vivre. Call it what you want; it's that get up and go feeling that you might have had in bucketfuls in your twenties. Sometimes in our forties and fifties it goes missing, often due to hormonal changes. 

At the same time, we may lose self-confidence, children fly the nest, parents become ill and life can seem very stressful, especially if menopause is kicking in too.

'Who'd be a woman!' is a comment my clients often make.

A lovely success story
Well, being a women can be good if you take control. A client - Lizzy - (not her real name for reasons of confidentiality) had been coming to me for coaching for some time. I am delighted for her; she's gone from being a couch potato to running 5K. And before you stop reading (you don't want to run 5K), let me tell you that was Lizzy's goal, not mine. I didn't even mention running.
 
Lizzy didn't set out to run 5K. In fact she hates running, walking and almost any form of exercise, partly because she is in chronic pain with a health issue.

But as part of her coaching with me, she admitted she wasn't exercising as much as we all ought to, she'd put on a little bit of weight, and felt generally 'Bleugh'.

How I helped Lizzy
Lizzy was open to some suggestions and advice. We devised a do-able exercise plan- gently does it - and some changes to her diet. Nothing drastic, but when she mentioned the issues she was having with hot flushes, I told her about how sugar and alcohol don't help at all. She reduced her drinking to now and then and ditched the sweets. She also saw her doctor about HRT after I'd pointed her in the direction of new research into risks v benefits.

Most of us know what we need to do to feel better physically and improve our emotional wellbeing at the same time. But if we're honest, it's easier to sit and eat cake than get into our trainers, walk, swim, or do something active.

On the one hand, Lizzy didn't need me; she's an educated, highly intelligent woman who knows what to do. But on the other, being accountable to me- where she keeps a log of her progress, her shortcomings, her bad days - helps her to stay on track.

Green spaces and mental health
There is masses of evidence- some by MIND- showing that physical activity does help mental health and wellbeing. Only recently, GPs have been asked to encourage people to enjoy gardening instead of taking antidepressants. 

Small changes to your daily life can make a huge difference.  A small amount of exercise helps. This is my feature for Patient on why you don't need to aim for 10K steps a day.

If you are suffer from menopausal symptoms and a missing mojo, these are my top tips:​

• Reduce sugar in all forms (honey isn't any better than the white stuff!)
• Swap refined carbs (pasta, pizza, white rice) for something with more nutrients.
• Cut back on alcohol - unfortunately it's directly linked to breast cancer risk.
• Try reducing caffeine 
• Increase your intake of vegetables and fruit. Aim for 5-7 minimum.
• Go nuts. Almonds and walnuts are full of omega 3. They will help your skin more than the most expensive face cream.
• Eat avocados. Full of good fats and Vitamin E. One avocado a day is as good as statins.
• Eat oily fish; swap tuna for sardines, for calcium and omega 3. 
• Get moving! 30 minutes of something every day where you get a bit out of breath.

Sounds good? If you are struggling to make any of this happen and need a cheer leader, why not book a 15-minute chat with me to talk things over?

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