Real Menopause Talk with Hatty McCafferty

00:00Real 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. Know your why, because when it does get difficult and everybody goes, oh, it's really hard, it's really hard.

00:30Yeah, it is. It's really hard, actually. There'll be a period of time where it's not, and then it is. Know why you're doing it, and that will keep you through the difficult parts. What is going on, everybody? Welcome back to The WarriorBabe Show. And today, I'm really excited because I'm joined with Hattie. She is a certified menopause consultant. She's a fitness expert, and she's also the host of the Real Menopause Talk podcast that I was recently actually on, too.

01:06We had the pleasure of having an awesome conversation together, and now she's here on The WarriorBabe Show. She has also been formerly in TV and film production, and she's specifically known for her dedicated work supporting women through the perimenopause and menopause journey and helping them optimize their health and navigate this, what I like to call it, a transformative phase of life with confidence. So, Hattie, welcome to the show.

01:36Super excited to have you here. Nikki, thank you so much for having me. I am thrilled to be here, and it was a pleasure to be able to host you on Real Menopause Talk. So, I'm very grateful for the invitation back. Thank you very much indeed. Awesome. So, Hattie, I want the audience to get to know you a little bit before we dive into all of the things related to perimenopause and menopause. So, for those who may not be familiar with you or with your work, can you share a little bit about your journey and how you became a menopause consultant and fitness expert?

02:14I came to exercise, or it came to me very late in life. I was the person who would prefer to drive around the block five times, 25 times, to get closer to the front door rather than park up the street and then maybe walk 500 yards. I'm glad to say I'm not that person anymore. I'd rather park five blocks away and then walk. I really have discovered I love walking. I have a dog now. We've had him for five years. I can't imagine not doing an early morning dog walk.

02:46And that's become very much part of my life. Originally, yes, I was a film and TV producer, mostly advertising, little bit of film work, TV work, music videos, that kind of thing. Became a single mom and life kind of changed. I was never on my priority list and became ill. Not really sure how, but I had Epstein-Barr virus for quite some time, which at one point I remember sitting at the bottom of the garden thinking, I'm so exhausted.

03:23I can't even play with my kids. Getting upstairs was a real effort. And at this point I was 41, but I felt like I was 241. So I started investigating how to take care of myself so that I could look after everybody else better and discovered Bikram yoga, the really hot one, the sort of 35 degree, oh, 35 degrees Celsius. I'm not quite sure what it is in Fahrenheit. No idea. That's okay. We know it's really hot.

03:53Hot, high humidity. And tried that for a year and things began to improve. And I loved it so much. I then went to the Gold Coast in Australia to qualify as an instructor. Started with that. Then went to Columbia to study yin. And then discovered the gym. And I walked in. It took me about six months to get used to the environment. And being a middle-aged woman is surrounded by younger men. It was an environment that I didn't automatically feel comfortable in.

04:27But I loved it so much that it was the first thing that I knew, hopefully, for the rest of my life I would want to be doing. And I have been 100% consistent with going four to five to six times a week because I love it. So it's not purely for aesthetics. It's for the mental health, for the physical health. And I've noticed that my health has transformed since doing that as well.

04:57Because I love the gym so much, I also qualified as a personal trainer and found that many of my clients were also midlife women. But they would talk to me. We would chat in between sets. They'd talk to me about how they were feeling. And a lot of times menopause would come up. And I really didn't, even though I was a little bit older at this time, sort of, I think, maybe 44, didn't really know very much about it. So I went off and studied it under a wonderful woman called Journey Burrell.

05:30Got my certification. And even through the process of learning about it, was able to serve my clients better. And at one point, I finally was able to turn the mirror on myself and realize that I was experiencing all these symptoms as well. And it was all down to perimenopause. There was a lot going on in life at that time. My mother was very unwell. My children were experiencing various difficulties. I think my husband might have been changing job as well. So I put it down to stress. But it turned out that perimenopause was at work.

06:02And by looking at myself, working with my clients, was able to really discover simple life tweaks that have made it actually a very smooth transition. Beautiful, Hattie. I selfishly got to know a little bit more about you, about you just sharing a little bit about yourself and your journey that got you to where you are today. First of all, can you let everybody know where you're from? Because your accent is beautiful. And I know people are going to wonder that question. Thank you.

06:32I'm born and bred London, England. And yeah, as far as sort of my situation is concerned, I'm married, second husband, second time lucky, two daughters, one who is 18, one who is about to turn 13, three cats and a dog called Dennis. Oh, Dennis. Stop. That's such a great name. Beautiful, Hattie. Hattie, well, you said a lot of things there that I know the audience can totally resonate, especially with being a single mom, not putting yourself first and recognizing that things need to change and also being scared of the environment inside the gym.

07:09I'm really excited to unpack really quick. I want to know why you lit up when you started talking about the gym. You were like, I love it. So I have a question following that. But I also want the audience to make sure that they stick around to the end of the episode because there's something Hattie did that's pretty freaking cool within her age where she's at. You're 51 now? I am, yes. Okay, so there's something pretty cool that she did that we're going to talk about at the end. It's probably going to inspire even a lot of more people that listen to this podcast.

07:41But first, I want to ask, and we're going to get into all the things. I know you said simple things with strategies for perimenopause. I'm really excited to talk about what strategies those are with you. But first, you lit up. Why do you love the gym so much? I have always questioned whether I am strong and everything that that encompasses mentally, physically, emotionally, and often thought that I wasn't very strong, wasn't disciplined.

08:15I was uncomfortable in that environment because it was very physical and overcame that. I learned to realize that I can be strong. I'm so much stronger than I thought. And I believe I'm still stronger than I think I am. Because if you're on the leg press and you've got a certain number of kilos above you, I think I need to get over certain limiting self-beliefs so I can push more.

08:46But I'm sure many of us have that. Getting over being in an uncomfortable environment and just thinking, I don't care what anybody else thinks. Not disrespectfully, but why would they be bothered that I'm doing shoulder presses or dumbbell rows or whatever? Nobody cares in the nicest possible way. They're doing their thing. And when I'm doing my thing, I'm not noticing who's deadlifting or who's deadlifting what, unless perhaps it is a supremely impressive woman who is really badass strong.

09:20And then I will notice and give a little applause if necessary or if welcome. But nobody cares. So that was a huge hurdle. And there's just something about lifting weights that makes me feel really, really good. Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body changes you're experiencing during menopause? It's time to take control.

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10:25Visit warriorbabe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. Oh, that's beautiful. More importantly, I think what you highlighted there is the internal aspects of what you learned about yourself. By just stepping foot in something that is uncomfortable. I think a lot of people, I can personally resonate with that too. As well, when I first started my fitness journey and I walked into the gym, the only thing I wanted to do was go to something that I knew was familiar, which was cardio and go up to the treadmills and just stay on my one, you know, stay in my lane on the treadmills.

11:07But it's more so the internal limiting beliefs like you mentioned and the self-dialogue that goes on in our own selves and our own perspectives. That by just going in and doing the thing and putting yourself into the uncomfortableness, you start to recognize it's not that bad and people aren't actually watching me and nobody really freaking cares. So you start to, once you put yourself in the action of doing the things that are uncomfortable, you start recognizing that those stories are actually just stories and you start to rewrite them there. And I think that was really beautiful in the way you explained that because it truly is like, it's not just about the physical aspect of going into the gym.

11:45It's like the gym also can be something that helps in terms of strength within yourself. So love that. Let's go on to the menopause talk because it's just a, it's so, it's such a topic of conversation that is in both of our worlds. There's a lot of women that listen to these podcasts and they're in the menopause aspect of their, their, their journey. Um, so I want to talk about like the, the myths and the misunderstandings that surround this topic.

12:15So in your experience, what are some of the most common misconceptions about menopause that women do face and how do these myths influence their health journeys and the choices that they end up making along the way? I think a lot of it is driven by social media and it depends which direction you look in as to which myth or fact, if you're fortunate that you might discover.

12:46At the moment, I feel certainly the ones in my sort of peripheral vision are focusing very much on HRT. Now I am not a doctor. I'm not medically trained. I cannot advise on hormone therapy, um, and would never even pretend to. However, having spoken to a large number of doctors and also fellow women in perimenopause and menopause, it does have a place in your options.

13:17You're in your toolkit. Absolutely. I totally agree with you. 110% on that. For some women, it is transformative. Uh, it can alleviate all kinds of symptoms from joint aches to depression, hot flashes, sweats, all the physical, certainly vasomotor symptoms, some psychological, it can change their lives. However, I don't feel it suits everybody.

13:47I tried it quite early on and it simply didn't agree with me. Will I try it again? Maybe. So I'm not ruling out going back. And again, I've spoken to women who've tried it maybe two or three times. And the third time they've actually really got on with it. But the first two, either the dose was wrong or the method was wrong. So sometimes you have pills, sometimes you have gels, sometimes you have patches or creams or a combination thereof. So finding the right practitioner to support you in trying different methods is really crucial.

14:21That's not easy, uh, finding the right person, but it has a place a hundred percent. Also, I don't believe it is the silver bullet that many people wish it to be. If there were a pill to cure a disease instantly, to make us all feel and look like we want to in our bodies instantly. Amazing. But unfortunately it doesn't exist. Bearer of bad news.

14:52Very, very, very dull. But most things that are worth time, worth, worth, um, worthwhile take time. Uh, and it will be down to diet, exercise, general lifestyle habits. So it's not sexy. It's not overnight. It's not an instant fix. But I don't believe HRT is an instant fix either. Can it be part of your toolkit? Absolutely. For some women, it can't because of previous, uh, health implications anyway.

15:25And many women choose not to. So every standpoint, every choice is a hundred percent valid. Um, which I also feel is kind of wound into the whole myth around menopause and perimenopause. It's you have to do X, Y, or Z. You don't. You have agency over your body. It is your choice. I would absolutely advocate certain lifestyle choices, stress management, sleep hygiene, good whole foods, along with the chocolate cake.

15:58If it makes you happy, just not the chocolate cake on its own all the time and exercise and particularly strength training, because whether we're in perimenopause or not from the age of 30, even our muscle can begin to decline and far more rapidly than any of us would like. It also applies to men to strength train as well. You know, all humans can benefit from strength training, particularly in our modern day society. So I suppose final myth, if there's a sort of top three, is that strength training is not for women.

16:38It will. And I know you and I have discussed this. Make you bulky. Make you look like a man. And you shouldn't lift anything too heavy. But as we talked about, you lift heavy things in daily life, whether it's furniture or grocery shopping or children and maintaining the ability to do that. Suitcases, lifting things above your head, lifting boxes, maintaining the ability. So movement, not only with strength training, but actually stretching is really valuable as well.

17:10Really critical to longevity and to the ability to actually live and enjoy your life for as long as you possibly can. Well said, Hattie. I totally agree with a lot of things you said there. Not everything that you said there. I really respect your mentality on the HRT in terms of like, it's not the end all be all. I think a lot of people look for that one magic pill thing, that situation that's going to help. But it's not, you are in menopause.

17:41This is what you need to do. It's like, you're in menopause. You need to advocate for yourself, which you said so beautifully there. It's like, there's these strategies, these tools, these things that are out there. Try things, but don't be so one-minded to this is like the one thing that's going to help you get to set result or make you feel better or whatever. As you've been said, it's like you tried it. It didn't work out, but you're also not completely closed to the idea of it because maybe it's like the right dose, the right doctor, the right person, the right thing.

18:15That's also important. It's like you also have to do your research and understand things that specifically may work for you, may not work for you. So I really respect that. I also love. Sorry. Yeah. And symptoms change over the period of time through perimenopause and menopause. So you are looking at potentially four to 12 years. Nothing in that time is going to remain static. So maybe something that does work for you in the beginning might need an adjustment in the middle and at the end or maybe multiple times.

18:50Totally, totally, totally, totally. And then highlighting the strength training aspect of it. And you know, you and I talked about that on your podcast. Well, yeah, when you're 30 or mid thirties, every decade, your muscle mass declines like anywhere from upwards of three to 8%. So, I mean, it's like science is science and studies are studies. Strength training is what provides the most resistance to our muscles and our bones and making us stronger. So it's so important to have that incorporated in the exercise component. You know, it can't just be boot camps or, you know, it can't just yoga is great.

19:25I know you're a yoga instructor. Yoga. I do yoga. It's like you also need to do other things to make the body strong. Um, and then what was the one other thing I wanted to highlight there? Oh, so you mentioned those like three things, right? I want to bring it to like the mindset aspect really quick because women in menopause seems like they're doom years. Like I've heard that. Have you ever heard that comment? That comment? I have. Yeah. It's not a positive thing. No, it's not a positive thing at all.

19:55But that, that, uh, that belief or that story, that narrative, they carry on to it. And then it totally influences the way that they carry on their journey in menopause. So what's your perspective when you hear that? How would you walk somebody through that says, Hattie, I'm going through the doom years of my life. There's no going back. I can't, you know, uh, it is a lot of people settle on the fact that they hear, well, it just is the way it is now. So what would you say? I would really beg them to not look at it as the doom years.

20:29I do understand that in some areas, if you're over 24, you're past it. That's it. Over finished. You know, you may as well just sit in the corner and forget about it. So if you hit 40, oh my goodness, 50. I'm sorry. You should really be in the corner in the shadows by now. Um, I choose to dismiss that out of hand. Life is very different from in my twenties and thirties. And arguably I'm getting more space in it to do things that I want.

21:01And something that matches up with the not caring what people think in the gym about what I'm doing is really, I don't really care what people think about my choices either. Again, with due respect, but if they don't like what I'm doing, as long as it's not harmful to anybody, then that's okay. They don't have to like it. Um, I do. It's my life. So I would really say to people, your life is not over. It's not the doom years. Arguably, it's the beginning of the best part of your life because you know yourself better.

21:37You know, your limitations, you know, your capabilities and strengths, and you can really lean into them. Those of us who have children, they're beginning to grow up and maybe move out. Maybe not. Uh, admittedly, there are challenges because maybe you have younger children and aging parents, and then you are caught caring for both. So that is, is deeply challenging. And yet you still know yourself, you know, or can get to know yourself better and can decide how you want to design the rest of your life.

22:12You've been working for a large number of years for the most part. You've still probably got a large number of working years ahead of you as well. So 40, 50, all being well, we might have another 30, 40, maybe even 50, who knows, years ahead of us. And if you're hitting perimenopause, the average, and I'm just going to use average because it's easy. Nobody's average, but the average age is 41.

22:43And then to actually reach menopause, the average age is 51, 52, sometimes 55, depending on the studies you look at. Life shouldn't be over at that point. So rather than it being the doom years, find out how you want the rest of your life to go. And this can be a process. It's not going to be a, okay, I'll sit down and write a shopping list of things I want. But just really thinking, okay, what do I enjoy? What brings me joy in my life?

23:14It'll be a different list than 20 years ago. That's fine. It might include doing laundry because that's peaceful, meditative time. It might include travel. It might include real adventure, hiking to the top of Mount Everest or another mountain. It can be literally anything you want. It could be walking the dog. It could be eating food with friends. It could be learning a new language. So just working out what you enjoy and then trying to find space little by little for a daily joy.

23:51So that could easily be laundry or the dog. And then perhaps a weekly joy. Perhaps that's learning to cook one evening a week, whether it's online or in a class with other people. And then a monthly joy because we need to bring joy into our lives. There's an awful lot of world strife. There are world challenges currently in every direction. So we need joy. And instead of doom, yeah, push that out and find the things that bring you pleasure.

24:27Simple and complex. And then weave them in. Beautiful. I love that. I love the aspect. Well, first of all, you gave me chills when you mentioned I'm a full body. When you said that, you know, these are the most beautiful years for women as they transition into perimenopause or menopause. Because at this point, yeah, you do know yourself a heck of a lot more. Or, you know, you have the ability to learn more about yourself as you go through these years. So I think writing a different narrative, as you mentioned there, and finding some shifts in mindset or some things that people can do to bring more joy in their life is really important, too, as well.

25:02And that you had said. Along with that doom thing, I know, while we're on this topic, are there any that we want to bring to the surface that maybe you've observed specifically with, you know, the mental aspect as people navigate this midlife transition? Like, what are things that you specifically observed about these attitudes towards aging that, you know, second to the dooms thing? Or is that really what you hear the most when you're working with women? Is there other things that we want to kind of like make sure that people leave this podcast and they're like, oh, yeah, I do think that way.

25:37Like, how do you tell me not to think that way or gave me some, you know, you're giving them some mental shifts to help them. But maybe there's some other narratives going on in their brains. There can be all sorts of things that are hangovers from growing up in the 70s, 80s, 90s that, yeah, women have a certain place in society generally. And I would urge them to dismiss those just as we have been. Many of us have been trying to dismiss certain situations.

26:08We want more freedom over our bodies as women. General human rights have improved, I hope, for the most part anyway, since the 70s. So there is a lot that we've been brought up and led to believe. And it's hard to shift some of those. Certainly much of that is in diet culture, that we as women should look a certain way, be a certain size, behave in a certain way and even speak in a certain way.

26:40Again, I would urge people to challenge those because if they make them happy, then that's one thing. But if they're not happy to sit silently and neatly, then perhaps they shouldn't. Perhaps this is an opportunity to find their voice and find other ways of expressing themselves that give them fulfillment. Because I feel very much in midlife, we need purpose still. And that's where a lot of the doom can come in.

27:10Perhaps if you've changed your job, given up your job in order to care for family, then sometimes there isn't as much fulfillment. And even stopping work, then there's less purpose to the day. I'm not saying everybody needs to have traditional work by any stretch. But sometimes having that structure can be really helpful. So finding your purpose, and that could be a dramatic career change, but finding purpose and something that gets you out of bed happily in the morning is going to be really important for your mental well-being.

27:43The other thing, I suppose, would be really the image of the woman who is in midlife that we've had throughout advertising and marketing. Shedding that, for many of us, is incredibly liberating. And certainly, again, when I look into my menopause world and bubble, yeah, there's nobody who conforms to that. We're all refusing to sit and wear lavender in the shady corner.

28:14But if you do feel that that's perhaps how you should be, again, just have a think and challenge your own beliefs. And maybe you'll find a chink in the armor there and something that can bring you purpose and pleasure. Beautiful. Some great insights there, Hattie. Thank you. I love the thing. The main thing that I took away there was like the hangover is that, you know, it's like the stories and beliefs and the things that we think we have to be or do or look. But it's not – we don't – it's challenge.

28:46Challenge it. What does it mean for you? What does it look like for you? Is that what you want to be or do you want to be something different? And go to what you want. Find purpose and joy in what you want. So beautiful insights. Let's transition to perimenopause because that's – you kind of mentioned it earlier when you were sharing your story. You were dealing with a lot of stress. But then there could have been also some symptoms that you maybe didn't recognize but also could have attributed to perimenopause. It's just about very challenging as like part of life for women as they do transition into it.

29:22So because symptoms can overlap with life challenges and life changes. So what are some key early signs that women should look out for so that they can best prepare themselves physically, emotionally, and mentally for the transition? Often if you go and visit your doctor, they will ask first off about your menstrual cycle. And yes, this is obviously something that changes and eventually ceases when you actually reach your day that marks menopause.

29:53But it's very rarely the first thing that women notice. There are very, very subtle changes as you enter perimenopause. So anybody – I mean, anybody really, but anybody pre-menopause, pre-perimenopause, I would urge them to track, track, track, track, track your cycle with as much detail as you possibly can. There are so many apps that are available. I've only ever used the free version of one as well.

30:23I haven't paid for it. I've just tracked my days and a few of the symptoms, and then I can refer back to it. So simple, free, very readily available to, I would say, the majority of people track so that you know what's going on. Because the subtlety in perimenopause might be as much as – or as little – as a day's difference in your cycle. And if you are busy, you might put that down, again, to travel, to being busy.

30:55You might not even notice, but – and using averages. If you're used to a 28-day cycle, suddenly it's 27, then 28, then 26, then 28, then 28, 28, 28, or 29. It can be so subtle and so erratic. But it's not the first thing. The first thing, on the whole, is going to be sleep change and sleep disturbances. And whether that's getting to sleep or waking up in the middle of the night.

31:26And it can be a brief wake up in the middle of the night, or it can be a wake up and then have that lying there brain whirring. Really helpful at 2 a.m. But between 1 and 3, quite often, that's the critical time for waking up. And that will be spiked by cortisol, which you don't want at that time of night. Morning, yes, great. That's what gets us out of bed. But in the middle of the night, that's not what you want. So sleep disruption and sleep disturbances often come first.

31:56That would be – again, it's easy to mix it up if you're stressed. If you've got a lot going on in life, sleep can be disrupted. But it's something to pay attention to, certainly. Skin changes. Skin often becomes drier. Sometimes you can have breakouts, which are completely unexpected. Maybe you've gone through your teenage years with beautifully clear skin and not a problem. And suddenly you have the occasional breakout. Or maybe you were a teenager who struggled and suddenly it comes back.

32:29And you're like, I thought I was through this. So breakouts. Skin changes in terms of dryness and not just your face. It could be all over hands, legs, vaginal dryness as well. Not necessarily early in perimenopause, but certainly towards the later stages. So sleep, skin, digestive issues. Occasionally this can happen as well. Sometimes you've been used to, say, gluten or dairy. And occasionally this can be disrupted.

33:02So just very subtle changes in your body, changes in your circadian rhythm. You might want to be getting up earlier. You might be more exhausted. Again, fatigue. That's a big one. They're all things to look out for. Once you reach late perimenopause, this is really denoted by, again, your menstrual cycle within eight to ten months, having a seven day disruption. So, again, averages 28.

33:34Let's say then 35, then 28. If that happens twice within eight to ten months, then you're in late perimenopause, most likely. And then menopause, obviously, is the day when you haven't had a period for 365 consecutive days. And then that supposedly stops for good. Symptoms might not, though. They can carry on really even for six years afterwards, depending on your lifestyle and management thereof.

34:04So looking after your key foundation stones, such as sleep, stress management, nutrition, strength training, and really putting yourself on that priority list, making sure you have time for yourself, time to wind down, time to bring yourself joy and pleasure. Those are going to set you up. Amen. I've even heard this stat, too, that pretty much perimenopause starts 10 years before you even hit menopause.

34:39Yep. It can even be 12 years. It depends. And then the whole process can. It depends. So we've also got ethnic backgrounds to consider. For our Black and Latina and Asian counterparts, our women of color, it can happen. Maybe as early as four years earlier. That doesn't make sense. It can begin as early as four years before our white counterparts.

35:12Oh, wow. It's not always, but it's very possible and quite likely for all sorts of reasons that I won't go into here because that's a huge conversation. Yeah. But, yeah, that's possible. So then you are looking at if you've caught it late, maybe four years, and then it can go on for 12 years. Wow. Yeah. I'm like all the things that you were talking about. Like, it's like I need to start being personally, me, like personally aware of the things that may be changing and shifting so that I can make sure the best line that I'm setting myself up for a good transition.

35:49So that kind of leads me in, though, to my next thing is because it does, I mean, it brings on these significant changes. Menopause specifically brings on these specific changes that, you know, you just explained mentally, physically. So in your work, what strategies have you found? You mentioned earlier that you've like simple life hacks, you've really figured it out for yourself. So what strategies have you found to be the most effective for women to manage? Let's talk about just the mental aspect of menopause, such as like the mood swings that women go through or the emotional stress that they take on.

36:23What are some strategies you found most effective? It's very individual for each person because mental health can be at all different stages. Working. So I often visit workplaces and talk to them about strategies to manage as well. Really, it comes down to stress management first and foremost, and that can look very different for very different people, depending on how much time they're willing to devote to it and how much time they have available.

36:53But making it really applicable to everybody in moments of stress, doing something as simple as a breathing exercise. And I used to sniff at this really a lot. I was very dismissive and think, oh, goodness, it's just breathing. Really, can it have an effect? But you can sit on the tube or the subway. You can sit on a train. You can sit in your office. You can sit almost facing clients.

37:24Right now, I'll do it with you, just focusing on my breath. Exactly. Four breaths, four counts in. Hold it for two. Six counts out. Nobody need no. And that's instantly going to calm your nervous system so you can relax from any intense anxiety. It might take a few goes. I tried it on the subway the other day about to go into a very stressful situation and it really helped for me. So breath work, middle of the night waking, again, concentrating on your breathing.

37:58It slows your heart rate down. And being mindful of heart health is really critical as well at midlife. So just tiny little details. Meditation for literally two minutes a day. And I know I spend more than two minutes doom scrolling on Instagram. I'd really, really like not to do that, but I haven't kicked that yet. So everybody has two minutes. Maybe you're waiting for the kettle to boil or I can't think off the top of my head, but two minutes.

38:33Sit on the floor against a wall. Put a timer on and just focus on how your body feels. You don't have to think of anything. In fact, actively try not to. Just turn your mind inwards. Focus on your breathing again and any sensations in your body. Do a head to toe scan. So top of your head, very gently going all the way down through your shoulders, each vertebra in your spine, into your hips, down your legs to the soles of your feet.

39:03That's two minutes. And I guarantee it will make you feel calmer throughout the day. It sounds ridiculous. Two minutes of doing that really does it have an impact? I swear by it. So tiny little details that really aren't going to take away from your life. They need to augment it and are very, very simple to implement. And really paying attention to what you need as well.

39:33So that priority list that we all have, usually if we even feature ourselves on it, we're very low down. Put yourself at the top because then you are able to serve people better if that is really your driving force. But also you deserve to be able to look after yourself. And when you feel better, life just flows so much better. So, yeah, the simplicity of breathing, meditating, and then choosing how to bring yourself joy that I already talked about.

40:08Those are going to be the simplest fundamentals. I'm going to come back and, like, back you up 110% on that because I definitely agree, like, in terms of breath, work, and meditation, people were like, I don't have enough time to do that. Or, like, it's woo-woo stuff. Like, that stuff's not real. It's not going to help me manage my stress. 110% it will. Like, over the last, I've really dedicated the time for myself specifically over the last, like, consistently three, four weeks of waking up and taking 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the time that I have in the morning before I even look at my phone, before I even talk to anybody, and sit and meditate in front of my red light therapy.

40:48And it's been a game changer.

41:18It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's a game changer. It's a game changer. It's a game changer.

41:48It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. It's been a game changer. So with all that being said, with the mental aspect and component of menopause, those are

42:35some of the recommendations and strategies that you would tell women to implement into their everyday life. Would that also, which is overarching the stress management piece of things. Would that also be the same thing that you would recommend for women that have the physical symptoms too, as well? Like, it's just like overarching. It's, I mean, people experience a hot flash. It's more on the physical side. They experience the fatigue on the physical side. They feel over. It feels overwhelming. So those physical symptoms are happening. Would you second to stress management? What would be some maybe components or strategies that you would offer to women for lifestyle changes that would help them to navigate those specific aspects of menopause?

43:15I would say to them, because often these things happen in clusters and you might have five, six, eight, 20 symptoms all in one go. You might then, which will change undoubtedly over the period of time. So hone in on your three that cause you the most trouble. And I know that's difficult to whittle them down, but let's say you're having hot flashes, you're gaining weight and you're suffering from insomnia.

43:49And those are three really common ones and really big ones to tackle. So I would say, first of all, investigate as many options as you possibly can, because knowledge is power. And when you have options, then you can choose and you can choose and you can try it out and then you can change your mind. So that would be really critical throughout pretty much anything. But certainly if we're talking about perimenopause, menopause, please remember, you can change your mind at any point.

44:19So for the physical, I would say, start with the basics and look at your diet and look at how much you're moving and diet. So lots of us think we're eating really healthily. And then when we actually break it down, there is room just for little tweaks to improve. So making sure that you're getting enough green cruciferous vegetables like kale, cavallonero, spinach, cabbage, spring greens, all of those will make sure that you are pooping regularly, which is really critical because you've got all your hormones running around your body.

45:01And there's a possibility that you are producing perhaps too much estrogen or you're holding on to the estrogen that has already served its purpose. So it's almost sort of second grade estrogen. As long as you are having regular daily bowel movements, then your body is able to flush out what it doesn't need and then hopefully produce what it does need. So we're looking at lots of plants which can provide phytoestrogens. So, yes, exogenous estrogen, but from plants.

45:34So your body will either create, assimilate and use productively or it won't. It will adapt accordingly. As long as you're getting enough plants, then you're fueling your body to make the hormones that you need. On the whole, like I said, I'm not a medical professional. And if you were to have your bloods tested and you had a deficiency, then maybe plants alone aren't going to do it for you. But seek medical advice. Always seek medical advice should you choose.

46:05And then you can either take it on board or not. Again, you don't have to do what your doctor suggests you do. You have freedom of choice. But certainly diet wise, plants, lots of green cruciferous vegetables, eating the rainbow everybody has heard of. But it's good because you get all your antioxidants, you get your micronutrients or your vitamins and your minerals, your fiber, which is going to be really important.

46:35And also for satiety. So you're not wandering around hungry the whole time. Protein, the vast majority, if not every single one of my clients, has just simply not been eating enough protein. And protein, there are protein yogurts. There's one of my friends the other day was having a bit of a meltdown. She said, I walked into the supermarket and there was chicken, chicken breasts in the supermarket labeled as high in protein.

47:07It's not high in protein. It is a protein. But it was like you can't market chicken as high in. It is a protein. It is only protein. Yes. Well done, marketing. Oh, Lord. But there we are. Again, you know, if you have a chicken thigh, it has perhaps a higher fat content and the chicken breast, it has slightly lower. But there we go. It is a protein source. But making sure you get enough and you don't have to weigh and measure everything the whole time.

47:40But a palm sized portion of chicken or fish or meat of your preference or tofu will, on the whole, let's say you weigh 60. Hang on, we'll do it in pounds. So 120 pounds. Then you eat 120 grams. Hang on. Yes, grams per day. I'm trying to do the pounds and the grams because we're kilos over here. You're doing great. You're doing great.

48:11Fahrenheit and the degrees or the Celsius and degrees. I don't know that one. But you're doing great on this side. But roughly that, if you weigh 160 pounds, then you have 160 grams of protein approximately. So maybe you need four, maybe you need five portions a day. But just eating enough protein. Yeah, the American diet is very similar to the English diet in that breakfast often consists of carbs, which are great.

48:41I love a piece of toast. Thanks for putting that in there, Hattie. Oh, my goodness. Banana, bread, quinoa, even with my eggs. My three or four eggs in the morning sets me up beautifully for the day. Perhaps a bit of avocado on the side or maybe some sweet potato. I ramble about food. I'm a bit obsessed with lovely, tasting, flavorful food. But making sure you get your protein in from first thing. So starting your day with protein of whatever genre that is, whether that is eggs or chicken, fish, tofu.

49:19So important for maintaining a more stable blood sugar throughout the day, which will then impact your hot flashes most likely. Because if you're having, I'm going to say, toast with jam or jelly in the morning and then perhaps a cookie at 11 when you're tired. Lunch is good. Let's say you have chicken and vegetables. Great. Then you have some chocolate in the afternoon.

49:49And then perhaps dinner is really great. You are setting yourself up for insulin spikes and drops and spikes and drops that are very intense. We want little rivulets, little gentle mountains. So it goes up, it goes down, it goes up, it goes down. But we don't want the peaks and troughs. When you get the peaks and troughs, you are so much more likely to have night sweats or hot flashes. Sugar can impact or sugar spikes can impact your symptoms with a really dramatic intensity.

50:22So I've lost myself rambling thinking about too many breakfast sauces. Food. So now you're fine. That's all. All of those are really great references to food, especially the highlight of protein. But for people to navigate the physical aspects of things rather than just the mindset with meditation and breath work, I think it's really important to note how important nutrition is when going through this phase of life. It really is. And dialing it right in certainly had a huge impact on me and it has on my clients, just making sure that they've got a steady intake of food throughout the day, because that's the other thing.

51:02Quite often women tend to under eat. But if your strength training, really critical, again, helps for the mental, helps for the physical, maintains muscle mass, good for brain health, heart health, all the things that we really need to pay attention to, not in a doom and gloom way, but just to look after ourselves. Because we want to have a really long health span, not just live and then decline. We would like to live in good health for as long as we possibly can.

51:35Putting all of this together, having all your different parts of the jigsaw puzzle. So eating well, strength training, stress management, and looking after your sleep, they all weave into each other and will play a significant role. So the physical, yes, it's going to really rely on diet and strength training. Beautiful. Beautiful. To piggyback off of that really quick, but also to segue into our next thing that I want to start to close down the show with you on, which is that fun fact that we talked about the being I wanted to bring to the end.

52:10Because I think it's going to be really inspiring for the listeners. I think that to piggyback on the nutrition aspect, if you are eating right through perimenopause, you can make the menopause journey that much easier on your body physically. That will lessen the load on how your sleep disturbances, will lessen the load on hot flashes, will lessen the load on mood swings. If you're giving your body the appropriate fuel that it needs to help support the hormonal changes that are going on inside, would you agree with that? Oh, 100%. And it will also support your GI.

52:41If your gut health is good, the gut-brain axis is real. You know, when your stomach feels good, when your insides feel good, you feel much more positive about life. You feel happier. So the mood swings will be less as well. And when your digestion works, then your body is fueled better. It feels better. So the mental and physical all match up as well. Absolutely. I couldn't agree more. Yes. 110%. Okay. So you just said something really cool.

53:12At 51. Do you want to tell the audience what you did? I have spent a season competing as a bikini masters bodybuilder. But for people that can't see and that aren't watching on video right now, my jaw just dropped. That is so badass. You competed in your first season as a competitive bikini bodybuilder. And then how did you do? Did you, were you champion? Did you take on? Give us a stat.

53:42I had a few successes and a few placings. I won a Welsh champion title for the over 40s and over 45s and British champion for the over 50s in different federations. So that was amazing. Okay, Hattie. Amazing. Incredible. Okay. So what made you like this? First of all, I applaud you because I have been there. I can resonate with you. I competed back in 2018.

54:13I know what it takes to get to the stage. Let alone I know what it takes to be on that mindset that I'm going to win and then win. So what, like, I applaud you for doing that. It is not easy. Especially, okay, at 51. So, like, taking that on, wow. That's such an incredible achievement. What inspired you to take on the challenge? And what motivated you throughout your journey? Oh, well, I really, really appreciate that because, yes, I know you've done it.

54:43You've got championship, undefeated championship titles. So, yes, you know how hard it can be. I wanted to surprise myself. I wanted to see if what I could do. And it is the opposite of anything I would ever have dreamt of doing. If you'd have told me three years ago that I would, I would have said I would rather eat my own foot than stand on a stage in a very tiny crystal bikini and heels and be judged for it.

55:17And then so I decided that this would be a huge challenge for me. It would tell me once and for all if I was disciplined or not. Now I know that I am or can be. I can equally fall off the rails as much as anybody else. Um, and I've just had so much fun doing it in that I started not really knowing anybody. And now there is this incredible community of supportive women.

55:48Uh, in particular, there are some lovely men around as well. But when you're getting ready for stage, set it with all the spray turns, pre-competition, you're very much segregated into women and men. And the categories tend to run when you're on show day. The men are quite separate from the women. You would often have thought that perhaps it could be a little bit competitive and bitchy. But everybody knows that one another, all of us have worked intensely to get to the point of actually stepping on stage.

56:23So everybody is really supportive, like, good luck, well done. Let's have some fun. So we do our best to do that. And then the outcome, as long as you know you've done everything that you can, really doesn't matter. Yes, getting a trophy under tiara is amazing. And is it the be all and end all? No, absolutely not. I would love to do it again, but eating so little, certainly towards the end, because I was prepping for a very long period of time in the end.

56:59It was 10 months and a large number of competitions. I would like to tweak my health back to where it needs to be. It hasn't deteriorated badly, but there are areas where I know I would like to improve. And then I would like to build and grow and improve so that I'm very different from the next time I compete. And that takes time. Yes. Not exciting for people to walk into the gym and then they turn around an hour later and they've transformed themselves.

57:33It takes time and consistency. Definitely consistency. So I'd like to do that. And then perhaps 2026 will be the next time. But it's been wild. Yeah, I bet. I bet. I know. I understand that journey, but you did it. That's so awesome. Everything you said there is so true. You really do get united with the people rather than like, hey, I'm here to beat you. Or like, I hope I beat you. Or like, oh, she just looks like, no, it's like we're in this together.

58:04And like, you know, we have gone through the same journey if we put our all into it. And it's cool to get the trophy and the tiara and like the win status. But at the same time, I think it's more important to know yourself of who you became along that journey, which you mentioned that you're disciplined. And you definitely really do carry on that aspect. You have to be that way when you're competing. And you learn what that is. And then you can take that and apply it to your own life, too, as well. So many women probably listening to this I know have competed or are interested in competing that are of 50 or older or even maybe 45.

58:43It is an intense goal to take on and go through, but it's totally doable. As you just shared, what message do you hope that your journey sends to women about strength, about your age and redefining what's possible if they do have this in mind? What would you encourage or say to them? Like what message do you hope that your journey sends to those types of those women? If I can do it, then you can do it, too. If you want to. You have to want to do it. If you don't want to do it, there is no way that you will see prep through.

59:19You have to want to. But if you do, then absolutely. I would say please, please do your research on your prep coach. Get a good prep coach who knows how to take care of you, how to look after your heart health, your thyroid health, your gut health and keep you healthy doing it. Actually competing is not the healthiest part of the sport, but it can be done as healthily as possible. So please get somebody to coach you and look after you who genuinely has experience and knowledge of older women in particular, I would say.

1:00:00And apart from that, go for it. Why? Why not? What have you got to lose? Why not? Enjoy the process as much as the outcome and the result. Let the idea propel you through. Know your why, because when it does get difficult and everybody goes, oh, it's really hard. It's really hard. Yeah, it is. It's really hard, actually. There'll be a period of time where it's not. And then it is. Know why you're doing it.

1:00:32And that will keep you through the difficult parts. If you have companions or friends in the sport, hang on to them, look after each other, look out for each other. Even a message here and there makes such a difference to your day, particularly if it's bad or if it's good. You know, share it. Share the love. And I'm sure there's something else. Really, it's just go for it. And yeah, enjoy.

1:01:02Yeah, love that. Enjoy, because it is hard, but you can find the enjoyment in it if you're looking for it. Yeah. Lots of lessons learned, but all good. That's so cool that you did that. Congratulations again. And that's, yeah, that's super cool. I'm excited to hear how you do when you take the time to recalibrate and to grow and then maybe go back at it in 2026. That sounds like a fun goal for you, Hattie. Thank you. Yes.

1:01:33Yeah. Well, it was an absolute pleasure to have you on The WarriorBabe Show today and to hear your story, hear your insights, hear your knowledge and your strategies to help around menopause. Where can women find you? Well, first of all, thank you so much. It's been an absolute pleasure. I could chat to you for days and days about all sorts of things and particularly share battle stories about competing. That would be hilarious. Where can people find me?

1:02:04I'm on Instagram under at Real Menopause Talk. Drop me a DM. You can also email me, Hattie, which is H-A-T-T-Y at RealMenopauseTalk.com about anything that we've talked about or anything else, in fact. And my website, it's a little erratic. It needs updating, but RealMenopauseTalk.com, it is there. So those are the best places to find me. Awesome.

1:02:34And I'll put all of that in the description below, too, you guys. So you can just easily click on those accessible links to get in contact with Hattie if you feel inclined to do so. But definitely, most importantly, definitely check out her podcast. It's a really good podcast and more information around this specific topic. Hattie, thank you so much for being here. It's been a pleasure. Thank you. Take care, Nikki. Enjoy the rest of your day. Thank you. Thank you. You too. See you, everyone. Hey, really quick. Before you go, I have one small favorite. If this episode brought you value or sparked something in you, take just a moment to hit that review button.

1:03:10Your rating and review make all of the difference, helping more women discover the tools they need to transform the fitness and their confidence. It takes less than a minute, but it can change the path of someone else's journey. Thank you so much for leaving that review. I appreciate you so much.

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