Menopodcast Menopodcast - Menopause For The 21st Century

We do a recap of Julia’s time away in England and quitting the job, since we may have skipped over that in recording. We talked about how Julia really came to Clarity about things there. Sarah thinks many of us are afraid of what the clarity means in terms of consequences, but that deep down we do know what we want. But we’re scared of doing it. Sure, it’s scary to make changes in our lives, but sometimes you just have to do it. We are feeling really good about the clarity, but with changes come some fear. Julia talks about the Venn Diagram of the comfort zone and place where the magic happens - and how they don’t overlap. Jump! And we think it’s so important to listen to our bodies. Sarah says she’s done with passive aggressive nonsense in her life. They note the difference between excitement and fear. They talk about how to make time in your life for the things you want to do most. Sarah decided to use some of her evening TV time to learn something new, to make use of that time instead of JUST watching TV. Even if it was just 1 hour. And we chat about productivity tips, like listening to books on tape while she took a walk, which Julia used to do before PODCASTS existed. Julia did the NaNoWriMo project of writing 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November. She got up early every day to make it happen. She gets a Gold Star! Sarah tells about a friend who goes to the gym and uses her gym time as work time, because they are both important to her. She dictates a blog post while she does her walking, so there are no excuses, no compromises! Impressive! It’s all about choices. Do you want your success or your excuses for not having success? Or Julia’s new favorite quote: at the end of the year, do you want to be exhausted or depressed? And it relates back to Clarity. You have to decide what you want the MOST. Julia admits to hating not being good at something or learning how to do something in front of people. Fascinating! And we note that Clarity changes at different times in our lives.
 
Bible Study - Menopause Confidential by Dr. Tara Allmen - Chapters 4 + 5 + 6
Chapter 4 - the Fog that comes with menopause “Menofog” - Sarah felt it has been around since pregnancy brain. Good to know that forgetfulness is not the same as early onset Dementia. Sarah felt the issue of not being able to focus, which she talks about in the chapter. Julia’s Dad had alzheimer’s like symptoms, so she does have some small concerns about her own genes. Although it not prescribed for this reason, HRT does seem to help some women have sharper focus and less Menofog. And of course, she has a list of ways to help keep your brain young - and focused - and we know the list well because it’s the same list we’ve heard over and over from all the other bibles: aerobic exercise, get enough rest, don’t drink booze or caffeine, drink lots of water, and eat healthy food. And learning new skills! (like podcasting) We really like coffee and it’s the hardest thing for us to give up.
Chapter 5 - No rest for the Weary - the importance of sleep! Being sleep-deprived leads to eating more carbs for quick energy, being crabby and less focused, and is associated with heart disease and depression. Of course there are great tips for getting good sleep in the chapter. Just to scare you a bit more - apparently a lack of sleep can even lead to Sudden Cardiac Death! Very bad.
Chapter 6 - the Vagina Chapter - Use it or Lose it! Masturbation or orgasm in any way you get it. It’s very good for you!! And we learned about vaginal moisturizers - who knew?? And Olive oil and Vitamin E are approved ones. Sarah and Julia have never done it - have you??? Vibrators are options! They used to call them Marital Aids. And Moisturizers are not to be confused with Lubricants. Dr. Allmen calls it homework!
How Hot Was Your Flash? No flashes for Julia and Sarah this week! But Sarah has been feeling the Estrogen roller coaster ups and down and was w