From Hot Flashes to Menopause Empowerment with Philippa Butler

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00:32Who wouldn't want that? Hey, everyone. Welcome back to The WarriorBabe Show. Today, we're super, super excited to have Philippa Butler joining us here. Philippa is a master of movement, blending, physiotherapy with Pilates and yoga to help women feel their best. She's also the brain behind Precision, where she's all about empowering through exercise.

01:05And with over 30 years in the game, right, Philippa? 30 years. Yeah, I'm afraid so. Well, she's got some incredible insights to share here. So welcome to the show, Philippa. I'm excited that you're here. Thank you, Nikki. I'm really excited to be here with you and your listeners today. Thank you. Yeah, awesome. Okay, well, let's dive in. I would love for you to share with the audience that you've mentioned when we've been talking, you know, in weeks prior,

01:35that menopause hit you like a bus and you were unexpected for its impact that it brought. And this led you on this decade long journey of self-experimentation through which you've gained like a renowned, renewed appreciation for the role of movement in managing menopause. Can you dive deeper into this personal experience that you went through? Yeah, thank you, Nikki. I'm, you know, I'm really happy to share the story because if one woman resonates with this,

02:08then my work is done, you know. I actually really didn't realize this is what was happening. And it was a time in my life. I was 45 years old. And actually, I just had a big international move. We lived in Colorado Springs for a while, well, for four years, actually. And I was having the time of my life in Colorado Springs.

02:38And we had to return to the UK because it was my husband's job that took us there. And I left behind friends, dear friends, a life that I loved. And we came back to the United Kingdom and I had to sort of dive back into work that I hadn't been able to do whilst I was living in the States. And my children went away to boarding school for 12 months. And absolutely that time of stress precipitated and kicked off what was my perimenopause journey.

03:15So it started fairly surreptitiously with, you know, the occasional feeling overheated in the night and thinking that you've got the togs wrong on the quilt or something, you know, at first. And, you know, I was kind of curious about this. But then it came along my insomnia was the thing that really crippled me, actually. And so that cycle of insomnia, feeling exhausted, craving all the wrong kinds of foods to try and prop you up in the afternoon.

03:53And, you know, and then palpitations was something that I experienced, dry skin. You know, everything, my hair was thinning. It was just a really terrible time that I navigated. And like I say, it went on into my early 50s that I was experiencing these symptoms. Heavy periods, iron deficiency, anemia, mood disturbances. Again, you know, you don't know where to begin with on picking this because I wasn't sleeping.

04:28Was that part of why I was low in my mood? I was anxious. You know, honestly, there's supposed to be 34 symptoms and counting. And I think I had just about every one. I'm not kidding you. So, yeah, that's, you know, and the thing for me, I've always had this path of natural health because my firstborn son had cancer, actually, when he was only one year old.

04:59And so at that time, he's now 23 and he's fit as a fiddle, healthy as healthy can be, thank the Lord. But, you know, he was one year old. And at that time, I decided that I would do anything in my power that I could to give him the best chance of a healthy life. So at that point, we eliminated, well, we went 100% organic in our foods. You know, we eliminated medication where we could. We used food as medicine, herbal approaches, essential oils, you know, you name it, homeopathy, acupuncture.

05:37I did all those things to kind of facilitate this healthy life. And then, oh, how could I forget? Exercise. Exercise. You know, that was in with the bricks from them being tiny little tots, riding bicycles, walking on walks with the family, you know, all of this. So I kind of had this preconceived idea that I had to sort of weather this storm somehow naturally.

06:07And, you know, and it just wasn't working. I have to tell you, it really wasn't. And so that precipitated me on this journey of discovering, you know, menopause. What is this? And what's happening in a woman's body when we're experiencing these symptoms? And what kinds of things can we do to really to make this transition as smooth as it possibly can be? Thank you for sharing that. Because I know a lot of women totally resonate with all of the symptoms that in 34, that is so many symptoms to menopause.

06:43And it's crazy to think that you possibly had all 34 of them. I'm not bragging. But I had the vast majority visited me at some point over that intervening eight to nine years. Yes. Yes. So, yes, you pinpointed that exercise. So how did that this challenging period that you had gone through, how did that inspire your current approach to movement and to wellness?

07:13Well, Pilates, I'd always been for the for the period up until this point, I'd been a Pilates teacher. And that came out of my physiotherapy career. Pilates specifically to help people with back pain was was something that I was trained to do. And I incorporated it into my clinical work. And then it's something that I then had more and more training so that I could work with people in recreational settings so that, you know,

07:43not just if you were poorly or feeling feeling pain, but to help you to be fit and healthy. So I'd been doing this for, you know, quite some time up until this point. And then it's not that it wasn't working. It's just that I clearly needed something more. And, you know, and that was really when I started to explore the power of combining breath practices, meditation practices and movements. And so that's that's what we call yoga, isn't it?

08:15Yes. Yes. And speaking of you, you spoke a little bit there to Pilates and now to yoga. Can you explain the benefits of Pilates and yoga for women going through menopause? Yeah, definitely. And I think each discipline has has its own unique benefits. And I actually like it to put them together in a recipe, really, both of those approaches. But for some people, you know, one might appeal more than the other. And what I generally would say is if core strength is on your agenda, then Pilates speaks to that very well.

08:53Now, you know, people also say, oh, you know, I feel more supple because of doing Pilates. And you definitely will experience a stretching type sensation when you do Pilates. It also is a very mindful movement practice. So, you know, the idea that you spend an hour do well, you do if you do it with me anyway, doing Pilates. You know, you can't think about anything else. You're so immersed in this mind body practice that making these mind body connections so deep that you just can't think of anything else.

09:33So it is a, you know, a real stress. It can really help women manage stressful experiences. So, you know, Pilates does have a lot to offer in a holistic sense. But and breathing, you know, breathing is in with Pilates. But but yoga has a slightly more expanded repertoire, shall we say, of breathing practices that we can that we can use to different ends. So the Pilates breath is, you know, breathe in through the nostrils, breathe out like you're blowing through a straw.

10:09And, you know, and that speaks to the core, particularly that exhaling against a little bit of resistance can help to power up the core. So so it makes perfect sense. And we're breathing in the basis of the lungs, the bilateral expansion of the rib cage. So so that's you know, that's all good. But in yoga, we've got a lot more approaches that we can use to to really address the nervous system, the central nervous system in different ways.

10:40So you've got invigorating breath practices and you've got deeply relaxing breath practices and just and just breathing. You know, and if you'd said that to me before before the menopause, just breathing was an exercise. I might have poo pooed it, actually. Thank you for your honesty. Yeah, but not anymore. Not anymore. I'm a complete convert to the power of engaging with different breath practices for different moments in your day.

11:14And, you know, we've all got time to to take three deep breaths just to reset the central nervous system. When if anxiety is something that you struggle with, say, for instance. Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body changes you're experiencing during menopause? It's time to take control. If you're between 45 and 65 years old and tired of struggling with body fat and muscle loss, Warrior Babe is here for you.

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12:18That's WarriorBabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. Yes. Oh, and I want to go back really quick to the mention that you just spoke to about Pilates and stretches. So I shared with you, we just got wrapped up doing your podcast. And I shared with you that I had tried Pilates for the first time. I can't believe this. It's been nine years of my journey, and I'm just entering into Pilates world. I don't know how that is, but I'm glad it happened.

12:48I'm excited to keep incorporating it. But I had shared with you that, yeah, this past weekend was my first class. And, Philippa, I kid you not, when you just said that about the stretches, I remember doing my one leg. My right leg was in the sling, and my left leg was pushing off of the foot bar. And we were doing the hamstring stretches. My one leg was up there. I can't tell you how I, my hamstring was burning, burning. There's definitely one area of my body that it needs some, like TLC, needs some tender love and care on a regular basis.

13:23I'm very tight in my hamstrings. So we did that whole movement, and then we put it out to the side, and we continued on with, you know, stretching it. And then, this is what got me, Philippa. I crossed it over. Oh, my goodness. I've never felt my hamstring in areas that I did that day. But the, where you're speaking to, the stretching, the flexibility, and the mindfulness, I really had to pay attention to make sure that I was creating the connection to my hamstring, which is, yeah, it's a beautiful, I learned it just in one class, you know.

13:58It was a beautiful experience. I'm excited to continue on. So that was one thing I wanted to pin there. And then, yes, to the yoga. There's so many women in the worry babe community. And one person I'm thinking about in particular, it's one of my clients that I still coach. She shared with me this statistic about how we use our lung capacity, and we only really breathe into, like, the middle of our lungs. More the top. Yeah, more the top. And we never get to the, thank you for correcting me, and we never get to the depths of the lungs.

14:32So, see, what you were just sharing, that was what something that popped in my brain was the deep breathing, the yoga experience, the breath work even. It's so important for not just, it's important for everyone, but especially as you age and go through your later years to really get into the depths of the lungs to create that. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I mean, they talk about the fact that so many people have dysfunctional breathing. And it's not even that we're not making the most of this.

15:05It is that some of the breathing practices that we adopt because of, probably because of our sedentary lifestyles, you know, breath holding that we do when we sit concentrating at computers, it really can be counterproductive for our health. And, you know, we're talking about exercise. And so, you need oxygen. And if we're not breathing properly, deeply, fully, then we're not going to be getting the oxygen into the lungs, are we? So, yeah, you know, and the thing is, I was a singer when I was younger.

15:40Well, you know, it's something I've done. So, this idea of using the whole part of your lung is not new to me, but it's surprising, actually, how unfamiliar this can be for people to sort of explore controlling the breath, for one, because breathing is something we do subconsciously. We don't have to think about breathing. It just happens. But we can, on the other hand, we can control our breath.

16:13And there's a lot of health benefits in doing that. So, incorporating breath holds into yoga, because in Pilates, that isn't something that we would encourage at all, in fact, holding your breath. But in yoga, incorporating breath holds, different cycles of breathing. So, you breathe in, you hold your breath, you breathe out, you hold your breath. And this is just essentially training for those respiratory muscles that are sorely underutilized, unless you're an athlete, really, these days.

16:48So, yeah, I don't even know where I'm going with this conversation anymore. It's so good. It's so good. Such valuable information to that, because I'm sitting here, like, bringing awareness to my breath and making sure that I'm breathing. And I hope the listeners are, too. Like, I challenge listeners right now, just as you guys are listening to this podcast, just take three deep breaths. Get really deep with them. It's such a powerful thing that I'm glad that this space is bringing you more attention, too. And, too, it can help with, you know, when you do deep breathing, when you do breath work, when you do yoga, it can really lessen anxiety, depression, being able to just fully breathe.

17:27You know, it's a beautiful art that everyone should do more of. So, Bria, bringing us back here. I know you recently have done an article, as you were mentioning before, hopping on this podcast, the difference between Pilates and yoga. How do they, what is the difference? And then how do they relate to helping women through menopause? Well, Joseph Pilates was a person. And so he did actually study all different kinds of movement approaches.

18:00He did boxing. He did martial arts. He also took some inspiration from yoga. So there are a lot of parallels in yoga, in Pilates. And if you do, if you've done yoga in the past, you'll see some yoga in the Pilates. And if you've done Pilates and you do yoga, you'll see some Pilates in the yoga. So there's definitely, there is quite a lot of crossover in actual fact in the movements that we make. But I think the approach is quite, can be quite different.

18:35So, you know, with Pilates, we're talking about movement with precision, with control, and with focus, a deep inward focus. And I'm not saying you don't do that in yoga. But what we're focusing on is the way in which we harness the muscles as we move. And I think you said something about that in your latest Pilates experience, that you found that you were focusing. Because, probably because the teacher was cuing you or directing you to do that.

19:09And so that is something that I do a lot with the people that I work with. Because, you know, we know from science that if we think about a muscle, then actually you can generate muscle generation. What am I thinking of, Nikki? Building muscle fibers. Yes, yeah, exactly that. You got it. There you go. So we can build muscle fibers only by thinking about bending your finger. This is what they were doing in the research.

19:40Well, it might not be very useful to bend your finger particularly. But the principle applies that if we concentrate on a particular muscle as we are moving it, then we're going to get more bang for our bucks. We're going to get more for our money as we do these movements. And, you know, Joseph was really on to something when he came up with this idea. And I think, you know, what I think about the Pilates principles, the breath. Breath is one of them. The breathing. The bibasal expansion of the rib cage that he advocates.

20:13And then this core connection that he is really what, you know, defines Pilates above other things is the notion that we engage those deep abdominal muscles with our mind muscle connection as we go through the Pilates repertoire. And, of course, the repertoire is designed to really speak to the core in every movement that we make. And I say this, oh, today we're focusing on the upper body or this week we're focusing on the lower part of the body.

20:46But the core is in everything. And I say that every week because it is. So that's, you know, that's Pilates, I think, in a nutshell. And then when it comes to yoga, I mean, this is a centuries old wisdom that we share when we teach yoga. And I'm really only scratching the surface because, like I said to you, I came to yoga late, much later in my fitness journey, in my in my sort of mid to late 40s. And so I've only been a yoga teacher for about three years now and and practicing for a little bit longer.

21:23And, you know, there's so much, so much for me to still be learning. But, you know, the tradition, the wisdom has been passed down through the centuries by different. I mean, the writings are ancient. If you can delve into the, you know, the writings about yoga. But for me, as a physiotherapist, what I what I really speak to is the movement more than the sort of underlying philosophy, if you like.

21:55I appreciate I appreciate the the power of this the mind piece of the puzzle, which is meditation. And I appreciate the different breath practices. But for me, it's really as much as anything, it's about harnessing the power of the body to to maybe connect with energy channels in the body with the movements that we make. So so that's something that that we talk about in yoga.

22:26You know, the idea that we can do a movement that gives us an uplifting sensation in our in our psyche. So movements where we open the chest, they're inevitably going to make us feel uplifted. And so, you know, you can really shift the mind with with these movements. And that's that's something that I use in the in the yoga, the side teach. Oh, I love that. That's so that's very insightful. I didn't think about it in the difference between the two like that before.

22:59Sure. Now, I know people are listening to this right now and for someone that's looking to start incorporating Pilates or and or yoga into their routine, especially if they're navigating, you know, being going through experiencing symptoms going through or even postmenopause. What's some foundational advice that you can you can give the listeners to like getting started and starting to incorporate it into a routine? Well, you know, the thing for me, I'm a bit of a perfectionist.

23:30I'm afraid. So, you know, for me, how we move really matters. And I know that matters never more than when we incorporate load. So, you know, when we incorporate load, whether it's like you say, dumbbells, barbells or body weight, these things matter. So for people who who want to venture into moving more when maybe they haven't done it before,

24:07then I think Pilates can be a really great entry point because we can learn about how the body feels when it moves, the different movement directions. And also at the heart of all of that, we've got the core activation. And so that stability that comes from having the core switched on with every movement that we make and moving at a slow, relatively slow measured pace in the first instance as well,

24:38so that you're not throwing yourself about in a crazy fashion. You know, you're much less likely to hurt yourself in doing this. And actually, you know what I say to people, and maybe I shouldn't, is that, you know, these skills that I teach you, you can take on now into every other part of your life, whether it's a sport that you play, whether it's another hobby in the gym, you know, whether it's just family out and about cycling, walking, hiking, you know, whatever it is, gardening.

25:11You know, these skills, this ability to really connect with what your body feels like, how it should feel when it's doing it properly, you know. You know what I mean? So I think it's a great entry point to explore movement. If you're kind of thinking, oh, golly, this is something I should be doing more of, then I think it's a really great place to start. And it's a great foundation then that you can build upon and layer on more challenging maneuvers,

25:45more challenging choreography. And whether you then choose to add a load to the movements that you make, then, you know, that's a progression you can choose. Amazing. Good. That's a good start for people to incorporate. Now, how about on the flip side? I'm thinking, really, this is a question for me. And I'm like, I have an expert in front of me. So I want to pick your brain. But also, I know there's some women that are listening to this that are inside of Warrior Bay that have been strength training for years and years. And they're doing our programs.

26:15The blend. I want to know the blend. Because I want to incorporate Pilates into my routine. But I can't give up. I love strength training. It's not. I'm never going to give it up. So I'm doing about like four days a week of strength training workouts. And then I want to be able to dedicate like a day or two to Pilates. What's your take? Like, how would you blend that ratio? Well, I definitely would do one day of Pilates in a week. And you might spread your week over 10 days, you know, so that because I know, I know that the idea of something every week for some people can be a bit, you know, too much.

26:56But I do strength training twice a week. But I always incorporate that strength element into the Pilates and the yoga that I teach. And I teach seven hours of Pilates every week. So that's quite a bit of Pilates that I'm doing that right there. You're not doing the actual class, though. You're doing, you're just the instructor, right? Okay. No. Well, no, no. I do the classes. I actually do the classes. Oh, so fast.

27:26So then strength training, four days, if you're doing four days strength training, I like the idea of one day of Pilates and one day of yoga, because you're going to get the, particularly with the reformer Pilates, which is what you're talking about. Now, I am reformer certified. I've got a reformer here in my house that I work on with people who come to visit me in person. And I know, Nikki, you won't be coming to visit me in person because we're on the other side.

27:57I would love to come to the UK. That would be an adventure. Well, you'd be very welcome. You'd be very welcome. So, so I know that the reformer Pilates is, you know, more, is more strenuous potentially than the mat work because we've got the spring resistance. And I know we can do stretching on the reformer, but it's not the bulk of the work that you do on there, is it? You know, that's, that's usually reserved for the end part of the session.

28:28Whereas, whereas with a yoga session, you know, the whole of that session is dedicated to lengthening muscles. So, so for me, a balanced approach would involve one Pilates session, one yoga session, two or three strength sessions, and then the cardiovascular element. That is just, you know, a bit of zone two training to keep my heart, my heart in, in shape. You hear that ladies? Zone two. Zone two. Say it again, Philippa. Say it again. Zone two.

28:59Zone two is, zone two is the new you, honestly. It's where it's at. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love that. You know, too, I want to pin what you just mentioned, because I was thinking in my brain, one of my things that I'm trying to work on for myself is to be more flexible and mobile. It's definitely something I need to work on. I'm the worst at stretching, I'll say it. And everyone knows that I listen to the podcast. I even purchased stretching classes to hold me accountable, and I couldn't.

29:32It's across the street, and I couldn't even get there. Like, it's just something that I'm like, okay, you know, like, I need, I need more accountability. But to what you had just mentioned with the stretching component, where one's going to give that more than the other. That just clicked. I was like, oh, wow, I need to incorporate yoga, too, as well, because of the stretching component. Pilates will help, but it won't be the, the. No. I mean, yeah, no, exactly.

30:02I say Pilates is stretching for stiff people. So if you feel like you're a stiffy, and, and yoga just feels like it's way too much, you know, for your body to cope with, then Pilates will give you that element of lengthening muscle. You know, and the thing when we do Pilates, we do think about maintaining length through the muscle belly, rather than the shortening, shortening cycle that you get with, with barbell work and such like.

30:35So, so it does speak somewhat to the lengthening of muscle. But if you're, if you're anywhere on the supple side of the house, then yoga, you know, it does tend to be something that attracts people who tend to be stretchy anyway. And it turns out I am, I didn't know that I was as stretchy as I actually am, but it turns out that I am quite stretchy. So, so I like, I like yoga because I, I succeed at it, you know, and this is, you know, this is important for people to feel that whatever they're doing, you know, a, it's healthy.

31:13Yes. But, but, but the succeeding, because if you don't like you and you're stretching, you couldn't even walk across the street because you, you probably felt like you weren't going to feel very successful at it. You know, so, so make it feel like it could, but I'll have to say you haven't done yoga with me yet, Nikki. So try that in there. I'm curious. Let's talk a little bit about that. How do clients work with you? You know, you have precision. So what, what is it? Is it all in person? No, no. I'm online. Yes.

31:43Worldwide. Let's go. Yeah. We're going to put all your links in the description below, but yeah. Talk a little bit about that. What does that look like when, when a client wants to work with you? Well, I, I like, you know, for people who have problems, it's important that I work one-on-one with them. Now, across the pond, I can't call myself a physiotherapist over there. I just work as a Pilates and yoga instructor and, and I, you know, I have the appropriate insurances for that. But, but still, I would want to meet with somebody and really evaluate where the strengths and weaknesses are.

32:19And if they've got any particular, like you say, your goals that you're working towards. And then, and then we, you know, we just get stuck in with the group sessions online to, you know, so you feel supported. You've got a group of people around you doing the same thing. They're in different houses, as it happens. You know, we're not all together in the same room. We're all over, you know, but, but people actually feel that sense of being together, even though they're on their own at home, working out with, with me and, and, you know, a few other people in the room.

32:54So, so yeah, I, you know, and I keep my classes small. I saw this, I can actually see you. I don't, I don't have a room filled with 150 people that have like dots on the screen. You know, I can see you and I, and I work to correct the movements that you make. And honestly, you know, I do do physiotherapy work online as well in the UK. And I say, I, it's surprising. You would be surprised how effective it can be to do remote coaching, you know, and, you know, and a bit, a bit like, you know, sometimes I think I do myself out of a job because, because what I say is, you know, you should be able to do this beautifully without me by the time, you know, we've spent some time together.

33:44No, you know what that is. That's a really good teacher and coach. That's what we say at Warrior Babe 2. We want people to be with us for two, three years. That's what it takes to get results and build muscle. We don't expect you to be with us forever. You got to learn how to do this stuff yourself. I love that. That means you're a great coach. Oh, well, well, thank you. And then if they choose to stay, I do have people I've been working with for 10 years or more. So that's incredible. Yeah, that's amazing. That's a lot of testament to you as a human. Well, thank you.

34:14Well, I care, you know, at the end of the day, but I absolutely care. Yeah, it really is. You know, you're a nurse by training and we've worked with people and seen the sticky end of things. And, you know, we know that that's not, not fun at all for people. So for me, this menopause, I was going to say rampage. That's probably the menopause mission that I am on is to really help people to just have this quality of life till, you know, forever, forevermore.

34:50And Pilates for me is a really great foundation that you can build on and grow and explore new hobbies, new, you know, new approaches and, and, and, and not hurt yourself as, you know, less likely to hurt yourself. Love that. Love that. Love that. All I love everything that you've shared with us so far. And I'm glad you brought us a little back a little bit there to the menopause topic. So what's one piece of advice that you could give to every woman navigating through, navigating through menopause?

35:24Like what's one thing that you would, what's one insightful thing that you could share with them? Hey, hey, just want to drop a huge appreciation to you guys listening to the show. It means a lot. I hope you guys are enjoying it and there's so much more to come with it. If you are enjoying it, hit the subscribe button. I'd appreciate that tons. And also it would help this podcast reach others who need to hear these messages too. There is not one symptom of menopause that doesn't respond to movement. Not one.

35:55Okay. We can talk vaginal atrophy. We can talk, you know, we can talk muscle, bone. We can talk the psyche. We can, you know, even your eyes. So, you know, retinal damage. It's gone out of my head. I did a podcast with an ophthalmologist. And it's actually exercising regularly decreases our risk of getting that amacular degeneration and losing our sight as we get older.

36:28So, you know, there is not one of these physical, you know, the thing that the biohackers are all trying to hack. There is an answer in exercise for all of these things. You gave me full body chills by just sharing that little, like even the eyes. Exercise and movement can help even the eyes as you age. Oh, that gave me full body chills. Yeah. It's in the biohacking. You can do all the red light. You know, the cold, the cold plunges, the red light therapy, the infrared saunas.

37:03But like you got it. You still got to incorporate movement. You got to incorporate. It's a shortcut. They're trying to find a shortcut. And honestly, they're really, okay, there might be shortcuts. But why not? This is a fabulous process to go through to feel strong and empowered and healthy and fit for the rest of your life. Who wouldn't want that? Amen to that. I love that. Okay. Okay. So as we close down our conversation today, what can you tell us about one habit or practice, maybe habits, since we've talked about many practices throughout today with exercise movement, one habit that everyone should incorporate into their daily routine for better health and better well-being during and pre, during and after menopause.

37:48One habit. Well, the thing that I really value as a physiotherapist is the idea that we put our joints through the full range of movement at least once every day. So we can think, and this doesn't have to take very long, but thinking from top to toe, starting with your neck, all the movements that your neck should be able to make.

38:20Do them. Do them in the morning. Are we talking like a lot of some head circles? Well, we're not, you know, we're not talking head circles as it happens. We're talking pure anatomical movement. So if you think of your neck, the pure anatomical movements, turning your head from side to side, and you'd be surprised how you don't necessarily do that every day. Yeah, I was just thinking that. I was like, I can't wait the last time that I actually just did that.

38:51Tipping the ear to the shoulder. So you tip the ear to the shoulder and then go the other way. You're quite good at that. And then nod the chin to the chest and then look to the ceiling. Now, do you know what, Nikki? I'm a bit particular about the way in which we extend the neck. That is, look towards the ceiling. Because cervical neck pain, we'll call it, is very, very common.

39:25And it's related to posture and the way in which we hold our bodies. And actually, that's part of why I love Pilates, because it really does help us to stand up straight. It helps us to understand what that feels like and to try and do it without realizing all day, every day. And so extension of the neck, the temptation is to tilt the skull on your neck when really we should be thinking about extension coming from the bottom of the neck to the base of the skull.

40:00So each vertebrae in turn is sharing that movement experience. So you can think of moving from the bottom of your neck to the base of your skull, bone by bone by bone, and not just tipping the head. There you go. Not just tipping the head on the neck. Wow. Yeah. So there's a lot of nuances in the movements that I speak to and I teach people to understand and incorporate into quick, simple routines that they can do.

40:36And then we move on to the shoulder girdle, the shoulders, the elbows, the wrists, the hands, the fingers, and so on. So that we are giving the body just every opportunity to perform at its best. And the first thing, we need to be able to move those joints. Wow. I just learned something new. Thank you. You're very welcome. That's beautiful. I mean, I just got to say, I love the work that you're doing. You know, the women that you're helping, the people that you're helping. I'm sure it's not just women.

41:06No, it isn't. No. Yeah. Keep at it. I work with a lot of couples, actually. And I think this is something that, you know, couples who work out together, there's a saying, isn't there? Stay together. Yes. I love it. And my husband, finally, after quite a long time, is now a Pilates and yoga enthusiast. And it's like it was his idea all along, which clearly it wasn't. But anyway, I'll let him have that one.

41:37I'll let him have that. Yeah. Amazing. This has been such a great conversation. For everybody that's kind of like nodding along and thinking like, okay, I need a little bit of Philip in my life. Where can they find you? Well, online, www.precisionwithaz.co.uk. That's my website. And there's everything you could wish to know there. The articles that I write and the classes. And you can consult with me online if you wanted to from that platform.

42:10Incredible. I'll put all that. Thank you. I'll put all of that information in the description below, too, for you. And, yeah, this has been so great. So insightful. Chatting with you has been awesome today. Even getting like a little live, a little demo there with some things I should be doing every day. Because I, too, struggle with neck pain. I struggle. I need to stretch, okay? I'm just putting it out there. I need to stretch. I need to get the joints in alignment with everything that I do with strength training. But, anyway, thank you so much for diving in deep with us into how movement can be a game changer for managing menopause.

42:43Your stories, your tips are gold. And I'm sure that they're going to inspire lots and lots of people who are out there to get moving in new ways. I'm inspired. You know, I knew I had a podcast with you today. And I saw a Pilates class over the weekend. So I was like, let me dive in. I wondered if that was why. It's one of the reasons. Yes. I wanted to be able to understand it. Yes. One of the many. Yeah. And to everyone listening, I hope that you guys are walking away with some cool ideas to shake up your routine and make, you know, the years that you're going through with menopause a bit smoother.

43:18So thank you, Philippa, for being here. I appreciate your time. Thank you. Thank you. All right, you guys. Catch everyone in the next episode. See you next time. Real quick. The only ask I could ever have of you guys is to help spread the word so we can help more women lose body fat, build muscle, reach their goals and feel insanely confident. And the only way we can do that is if you rate, review and share this podcast. So the single thing I ask for you to do is if you could leave a review. It will take you 10 seconds and it will mean the absolute world to me and may change the world of someone else.

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