Eat Love Do – Liberty Mills, How To Balance Hormones And Menopause

Hi, welcome. I'm Janine Newbury and this is the Eat Love Do Show exclusive to Women's Radio Station. You can follow us on our social media at Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @WomensRadioStn and on LinkedIn. Also head over to our YouTube channel and remember to hit that subscribe button and like, because it really helps us and it helps us bring you more awesome stuff. Anyway, let's get started with today's show. I've got a fantastic guest. I'm very excited. She is an integrated nutrition coach. Her name is Liberty Miller. Models, uh, former model, um, so she knows how to take care of herself, um, and she's absolutely fantastic at what she does now, um, and I think you're going to love it. So if you want to learn how to eat healthy, take care of yourself, particularly if you're a little bit older and you're heading into menopause, she's— she— her knowledge on this is, is absolutely fantastic. So I personally can't wait to hear what she's got to say. So Liberty, thank you for coming on and welcome to the show. Thank you, lovely to be here. Would you like to just sort of explain to people what an integrated nutrition coach is and why you've decided to head into that field, so they get a background on who you are? Yeah, so an integrative nutrition coach isn't a nutritionist or a dietitian, and I chose to go down this path because I believe nutrition isn't just what you put on your plate or in your bowl or in your hand, into your mouth. It's about everything that you digest and take into your body, be it social media, friends, relationships, work, how you talk about yourself. Language is, is a huge nutritional tool. Um, the reason I went into this avenue, you say, yeah, I used to be a model. I'm 48. When I was 30, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, lupus. I was told no cure, no cure, no cure. Long story short, I ended up with disability apparatus. I dropped from 9 stone to just over 5. My hair fell out. I had a Zimmer frame, a walker, apparatus to get on and off the toilet, et cetera. Um, and I decided there must be some kind of a cure or able to reverse my symptoms and going down an holistic route. I did reverse my symptoms and I am now marker-free and, um, medication-free and have been for a number of years, symptom-free, most importantly. Incredible. And, um, I thought, well, if I can do this, I'm, I'm no one special. I'm no one different to anybody out there. Um, let's educate myself to find how I can help others. And, um, as I was studying, I really, really fell in love with hormones. And it's something that— that's not something you hear every day, is it? I was fascinated because I, you know, I was put on the contraceptive pill at 16 for acne, then painful periods. I'm one of those girls that used to faint, and, um, I didn't really understand, you know, even when I was 40, what was happening to my body. And, um, so yeah, I really ended up doing then a hormone course after that, and, and that's where I am. So a lot of my clients come to me for hormone support, learning to deal with, um, their hormones, be it, um, women in their 20s for fertility, perimenopause, or menopause. Amazing. And I think this is— I think this is really good because there's a lot of information out there on nutrition and eating healthy, but there's not very much on hormones, and it's not really understood. And I think a lot of the traditional nutrition was originally based on men and men's bodies and how to eat for a man, or even, um, even like in training when you're like as a personal trainer, when I qualified, all the nutrition advice was for men. It wasn't for women. And yeah, because when you menstruate, it messes up the data. Yeah. So they can't compare all women who are going to menstruate at the same time. So could you, could you imagine a world where that happens? But to make it easy, they do it on, on men or post-menstruation. Menopausal women. So yeah, you're right. Yeah. And it's all— and yeah, and it's not geared up even with training people. Like when I had a personal trainer years ago, I used to let them know where my menstrual cycle was and said, by the way, I'm getting my period this week, so we need to train differently. And they kind of look at me. I'm like, yeah, a woman's body is different to a man's. And they didn't understand. And I was like, how? It just like, yeah, it sort of blew my mind. So the fact that you've gone out there and studied stuff on the menopause and you're putting it out there, I think it's amazing. And it's very exciting and I can't wait to hear because I am going through perimenopause myself, I think definitely. And it's really difficult to get good information and to know where to go. So what, what advice would you give to people that are maybe struggling with hormones? How can they, how can they test it? What can they do? Is there certain foods they can eat? Like, how would you approach it? Like, first of all, I am so chuffed. You know, we're having this conversation now, you know, it's been debated in Parliament, it's in so many magazines, but also I would say a lot of what's out there is a bit doom and gloom. So don't panic. Yeah, don't panic. It's not the end of the world going through perimenopause, hitting menopause. Isn't the end of the world. It's just a transition. Like we didn't panic. Well, we might have panicked a bit cuz we didn't have any information, but when you went through puberty, it's not like, oh, oh, I went through puberty. Oh, it's the end. No, it's a celebration and it's an exploration. And I think if we turn the tables on perimenopause and see it as an opportunity to maybe get to know our body a little bit more than we used to anyway. It can be an interesting time. Yeah. So, um, every woman's different. Well, every human's different. We're all born with a unique thumbprint. So everyone's going to experience perimenopause a bit differently. Yeah. So have a look at what it is. And, and like you say, you used to train differently around your cycle. Yeah. And even eat differently, I think. Exactly. So start eating differently around your perimenopause or your menopause. So, um, what would I go first for? Omega-3s. Yeah. Omega-3s, huge, huge, huge help. Um, so depending on your food preferences. It might be a supplement, a high omega-3 supplement that you can add into your diet. It could be oily fishes. I love fish. I'm a pescatarian. Um, so I quite often have mackerel for breakfast. Yeah. I love it. I love a bit of mackerel for breakfast. Yeah. Yeah. It's good. Anchovies, really low cost as well. Yeah. Um, you can put them in pasta, you can throw them in a salad. And also they're non-perishable, so you can take them if you're going somewhere. Flaxseed, love it. Ground flaxseed, so low cost as well. You can make flaxseed bread, flaxseed crackers. You can put a couple of tablespoonfuls in your porridge. I actually did that this morning. I'm going to make some flaxseed and buckwheat bread later. And there was actually, I found some data for you as well. A 2002 study found that flaxseed is as effective as an oral estrogen or progesterone supplement for mild menopause symptoms. That's amazing. Yeah, flaxseed oil. That's incredible. So is it the oil or just can you do the flaxseeds as well? With the flaxseeds as well. I tend to use ground flaxseed. Um, like I say, it's very low cost and easy to put into your diet daily. You can put it in a smoothie, for example. Um, so simple things like that, that you can incorporate early on as possible. You know, when you start, you know, in your forties or early fifties to start building that into just your normal daily routine, it doesn't have to be a drastic measure. Something as simple as that. And I think that's, that's really, it's really nice to know, kind of takes that pressure off because when you start facing things like hormones, it feels overwhelming. It feels like an immense thing that you have to deal with. Another thing, another one women have to deal with. Like, we're not, we've like, we've not got enough on our plates. Now we've got hormones as well as we get older. But, but I love the way you break it down. Like just really simple, add flaxseeds, make add it to your, you know, if you're already having porridge, just do a half and half porridge. If you already make your own crackers or bread or some muffins, just put a couple of tablespoons full of that. It's, it's nothing hard. Yeah, simple. Yeah. And simple works as well, isn't it? Yeah, exactly. Simple is sustainable. I love that. Simple is sustainable. That's a tweetable one from, uh, there you go. #SimpleIsSustainable. Using that for myself. Yeah, there you go. You're welcome. I see good things happen when women talk. Yeah, they do. And also, you know, as we, as we get, um, older, we, we start to lose that muscle as well, and, and you need the fat to create the muscle as well. So the Get your good fats. And so also, you know, olive oil, flaxseed oil, um, avocado oil, avocados, eggs, eggs. I love eggs. Eggs are great. I do a really good, actually a good protein bread that takes 6 eggs. Yeah. So that's a good way of just getting it in. You can slice half of the bread and freeze half of it. So then you just take it out and you've got toast for a snack whenever you want, but it's got coconut oil and it's got gram flour, it's got flaxseed and it's got 6 eggs in it. Have you got this recipe anywhere? Have you got it on your website? I have it on my Instagram. I think, I think I've called it grain-free protein bread, sort of made it up. Fabulous. What's your Instagram for our listeners? It's @mills.liberty. Mills.liberty. Brilliant. I'll be popping over there and checking out the recipe. Um, so yeah, think things like that. And then as I just mentioned, then protein. Yeah. You don't have to be a gym bunny or a bodybuilder to, you know, have say an extra protein supplement. And I think a lot of ladies can be afraid of protein supplements or upping their protein because they think they're going to bulk up, and we don't, we don't want to bulk up, many of us anyway. Yeah, yeah, it's true. So, um, good ways of getting protein, um, are things like gram flour. Do you know what gram flour is? No, I don't. No. Oh yeah, it's not a cookie. It's called this— gram flour. It can be in your world food aisle quite often. Okay. It's in those supermarkets. It's made of chickpeas. Oh, chickpeas. Oh, brilliant. Ground chickpeas, really low cost. In general, I think it's under £2 or like £1.50 for a kilo in any supermarket. Yeah. And 1 cup of, of gram flour, you know, like a a baking cup. Yeah, yeah. Um, is 21 grams of protein. That's amazing. That's a lot of protein because we need that. I did that like between 100 and 175 grams of protein a day on average, depending how you exercise. So your minimum is 100 grams, which is— it's quite hard to get that in sometimes, especially people trying to be veggie or vegan, then probably enough protein and And as we get older, in our 40s, we need— and each decade we need to eat more protein because our metabolism metabolizes it and our muscles are wasting away. So that's brilliant. So what would you use that flour for? Would you use that to make the breads, muffins? Graham flour, I put in bread, muffins. You can do like a veggie muffin in the morning if you're on the go quick, maybe driving to work or on the train. I make— you could use it as a pizza base. So 1 cup of gram flour, 1 cup of cold water, just whisk it together like you would do, um, put some oil in a pan like you would do to make a crepe, throw it in there, and then put on whatever base you want, um, pop it in the oven, you've got a pizza. But you've got a really— sorry, I meant topping, not base. Um, you can do wraps. Often for lunch I'll just do, like I said, the 1 cup of gram flour, 1 cup of water, whisk it together, throw it in the pan like a pancake. I've got a thin wrap. Yeah. And then I'll put mackerel in, some avocado, some seeds, um, some rocket. I've got a quick, you know, I'm Northern, a quick sandwich. Sandwich. Yeah. I love a sandwich. And also, cause I'm trying not to eat bread cause I just don't digest it. And there's a lot of people that are gluten or wheat intolerant and Yeah, this is brilliant. It's a great alternative because it's just so easy and convenient to make a sandwich. This is— you've just changed my life, Lucy. That's brilliant. Awesome. It's so useful in our house. You can make pancakes with them. So you could even sometimes, if I've been to the gym and on a Saturday I usually do a double class, so I do boxing and TRX, I'll come home And I'll make a chocolate protein pancake with some Greek yogurt and some berries, but I'll use as the flour, my gram flour. So I'm actually having 40 grams of protein just right there. And that's even without my, my yogurt. I think that's the kind of protein meal a lot of people can jump on. I just heard chocolate and fruit and I'm like, I'm in. Hey, oh, cacao, frozen cacao in there, a bit of maple syrup. They were having a nice, nice jolly. That's good, because I think it doesn't have to be, oh, I have to be all strict and deprive myself. And, you know, you can just incorporate it into your normal, normal daily life. Yeah, because I think people think that eating healthy is boring and they're going to be deprived, like you said. And, and it's not. It can actually be really tasty and delicious and chocolate as well. So yeah, I, I saw you put a post up on Instagram. I watched it this morning, actually. You talk about the mindset, the deprived. Do you want to just share that? Because I think that Really great. Yeah. I had a client last week, a lady actually in a, in a, in a mid-forties. And she said, oh, I haven't been very strict this week. And I've been a bit bad with my food. So I said, okay, let's reframe this. Let's reframe this. Nothing's for me. I don't feel things are good or bad. I think it's, what have I been putting into myself? Has it been supporting my goals? Yeah. And also bad, strict, you know, they have negative connotations. So it's deprive, um, rules, regulation, um, punishment. And I think it makes you feel bad about yourself. Yes. They're not words. That are going to make you feel good. They're not going to— if we're going to talk about hormones, and then they're not going to create those happy hormones, those feel-good, the oxytocin, the dopamine. You're not going to feel very good about yourself if you're saying words that— like that about yourself, or feeling those words about yourself. Yeah, which, you know, which can lead to ill health as well because of the stress. Exactly, exactly. And stress is one of the, the most impactful things that you can do for your hormones. So create positive language about yourself. So if someone's using language like that, saying, I'm, I've not been strict, I've eaten badly, how would you reframe that with them? What would you suggest that they say instead that's more supportive? This week, it's not about what you have or haven't done because that's the past. It's gone. Yeah. It's gone. If you try and look, if I try and now look behind myself, I can never see the full picture. Yeah. And also if I try and twist and really, really try and see behind myself, I'm going to hurt my back. Probably I'm going to have a twist in my stomach and I'm going to hurt my neck. So looking in the past, I feel personally is only— it never gives you the full picture and it's going to hurt. So stay in the present. And if you want, if you want to look somewhere, look at the future. So it's how can today I invest in myself for my happiness goals, whatever those happiness goals are. How can I invest and give myself the best of myself, the love for today? I think that word invest is really powerful as well. It's an investment. You're, you're, yeah, you, you, you're putting value into yourself and your health and your future and loving yourself really. Yeah. Investing in yourself. It's Yeah, you're giving into yourself. I think that's a really powerful word. Yeah, I love that. Yeah. So I'm not being strict. I'm investing in myself. Yeah, exactly. Don't be strict. Invest. Invest in yourself. Invest and give, give, give. Yeah. Don't deprive. Never ever deprive. Yeah. Because if you feel in lack, then I think that puts you in that negative mood and that probably makes you want to eat unhealthy food choices, stress, you know, you get stressed, unhappy. Start having a negative body image about yourself. It's like, no, let's just clear all that out of the way. Instead of deprive, replace it with thrive. Thrive. Yeah. How do I thrive today? Yeah. How am I going to thrive? Yeah, I love that. Before we started recording, you were just telling me that you're going into the workplace now. You're going into the corporates and you're helping people in HR learn about menopause, which I think is incredible because I'm a woman and I still don't know anything about menopause and and I'm heading that way. And so getting into the workplace and helping men and women understand it so that women can be in the workplace and not feel that they have to hide it, I guess, and everyone around them understands, I think is immense. So do you want to share with us what— not make it a taboo, you know. In general, women of our age or are a little bit older, we're at our peak of our profession. We're the most experienced women in the workplace, and these women are having to at times take time off work or even feel they have to leave work. And the workforces are losing these amazing women with, you know, vast amount of experience and skills because they don't feel it's a safe environment for them to discuss or take time out or breaks, or, you know, feel that they have a safe environment to say, hey, I'm having a hot flush, I'll be back in 5 minutes, you know, but, oh, so calm down, right, I'm back with you. You know, it's fine, it's okay. Yeah, that's good. I mean, I've been around when you just say the P word, you talk about a period, and they're gonna go, oh, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. And yeah, so if you wanted to get out of a job or, or something, or, or someone wants to get out of work, oh, I'm just having, um, some ladies, you know, problems, or some ladies' investigations. Guys, we're not like people, we're not in 1940s, 1950s. It's okay to say period, menopause, it's okay. So, um, what are you actually teaching them when you go into the workforce? What kind of, um, information are you giving them so people listening at home can, can learn? Right. Okay. So also it's not just a certain age women can, you know, enter. You're 46, I'm 48. My periods, for example, are heavier now. So I'm entering, I guess, perimenopause. They're not longer, they're not more painful, but I have noticed they're heavier. Yeah. So it's like, what are those symptoms that, you know, people increase in headaches, lack of concentration, Um, the hot flushes, um, the, you know, this may span a period of 8 to 10 years. It's not just, oh, she's going through the menopause, she'll be done by Christmas. Yeah. Let's get the turkey in. I'll be fine by then. It's a, it's a, it's a, it can span a long, a long time. Oh, this is interesting. I didn't know perimenopause could last that long, cuz I've been in it probably about a year or so and I'm thinking, so what have I got, like 2 years, 2, 3 years? But oh, it, it, you could be still going through this stage till you're like 55. Menopause is not until you've not had a period for a whole year. Right. So that's the definition. That's the medical definition. And you can still get pregnant while you're going through all of this as well, people. So don't be like, I'm in the perimenopause, I haven't had a period for 3 to 4 months. You can still get pregnant as well. Oh, that's good to know because I guess I haven't had children and I think I'm 46. I'm thinking, well, I probably missed the boat on that now. And perimenopause, you kind of think, well, my body's, my body's kind of closing down for business and going, okay, we're not making a baby, so let's start shutting down shop. And that's what you— that's the assumption you make. That's something that I made. I was like, okay then. I'll, uh, that, that, that's just how it is. But, uh, so it's good to know that that's still a possibility for anyone out there that's, you know, still wanting kids. Yeah, if you're still releasing an egg, there's still a possibility. Good to know. Or still scary, you don't want to get pregnant. Or if you don't want to have any children, still protect yourself. Like, damn it, when is, when is Penny Hall's menopause going to start? Exactly. Yes, you know, there's, there's, see, there's a plus. There's another plus. Also, there's talking about libido because not a lot of people talk about that within the perimenopause and menopause. You know, a lot of people talk about vaginal dryness, not, you know, having a decreased sex drive. Sex drive, but some women have an increase in sex drive. Interesting. Yeah. So I think it's sometimes menopause is a little bit like a Trustpilot review, right? A lot of people will get on there and they will be a keyboard warrior and post about all the negative things about a hotel. But if you had the best experience ever, you would just tell your friends, or you might not tell anyone and keep it a secret. So only you go next year, you know, but you would, you would get on there and tell everything that was wrong about, about the hotel if you had a really bad experience. And I feel menopause quite often is a bit like that. Everyone will tell you about what's bad about it, but not what's good about it. Yeah. You know, so if you have an increased sex drive, you know, that, that— because I, I have actually spoken to a lot of female friends because quite a few of my friends are older than me, and they're like, yeah, my, you know, my sex drive is, is so much more, and I'm more confident in my body now. Yeah, as well. And, um, also I'm not like, oh, I don't know if I can have sex. My period's coming, or I don't feel like it because my period's coming, or I'm bloated because I've got my period. Don't have any of that problem now. Yeah. No, I can have sex whenever I want and I feel great about it. And I think the orgasms, um, are deeper and, and better as you get older as well. Cause you know, obviously your own body, your own vagina and different points do different things and you, you've learned all that. So. Yeah, I think that's only winning, only winning on that score. Yeah. See, it can be a win-win. And also, oh, I'm speaking on orgasms. I read an article, I think it was a couple of days ago, and it was talking about perimenopause, menopause, and it was saying one of the things to help with your hormones and to sort of slow down the process of it is to have regular orgasms. There we go. There we go. If ever you needed an excuse to have more orgasms. There you go. I'm just helping my hormones. Exactly. And as well, you don't have to be in a relationship. You can do it yourself. You sure can. All right. So, you know, the definition of self-love. Exactly. Incorporate that into your— you know, everyone's like, oh, self-love, it's going for a massage, or I'm having a bath with a candle, or I meditate. No, you can masturbate too, you know, that's self-love, that truly is self-love. And you know, incorporate that into your weekly well-being routine. Weekly? Daily! There you go, daily! Bring it on! Oh yeah, but it's true, isn't it? I think, yeah, the way to get to know your own body is to spend some time with yourself. Exactly. And then you can teach your partner, if you have one, what you like. Yeah, exactly. I think it's great that women should talk about this more as well, because I think women are scared to talk about this. And so, but because if you talk about sex or sexuality, you're, I don't know, you maybe get labeled as, I don't know, slut or something like that, which is just ridiculous. And also you're not allowed to talk about that as a woman in your 40s, like, like somehow in your 40s you're not supposed to have sex anymore. Yeah. And it's okay if I'm, you know, and it is That is a part, I believe, a part of nutrition. It releases great hormones. Your skin is better. It's gonna be, you know, better for everything. You literally have a glow. You have a glow. So, you know, and it's free, you know, that's cheaper than any facial. Yeah. So I'll have a double O. I'll have oats in the morning and an orgasm. Exactly. The double O. Divine is the way to go. There's a new hashtag. Me, go free, and your orgasm. Oh, oh, oh, oh, I love it. See, that's what we need. Definitely. That's definitely what I'm having every day. The OOO gives you the glow. Yeah. Oh, brilliant, brilliant. Um, you're working, uh, also, um, you've been working one-on-one with clients as well that you've taken through programs, don't you, and help, um, which I think is really lovely. Um, so talk us through a little bit, like, what you do with people like that. People might be interested in working with you. So I work one-on-one. Generally it's like a 12-week program. Yeah. Um, sorry, you have the time actually, I think. Yeah. It is 3 months. It gives you time to like, me and the person to get to know each other, feel comfortable, and gives them time to fall off the wagon. Um, and to know it's okay to do that and come back. Exactly. And also, okay, I fell off the wagon. Why did I fall off the wagon? What is my toolbox to not fall off the wagon? You know, I had an awful day at work. I came home, drank half a bottle of wine. Got the chocolate fingers out and stuffed them. Are we talking about the Triple O again? You know, and raided the Christmas box that still, you know, that someone's already got in, you know, I don't know, all the After Eight mints or whatever. You know, what is the toolbox that they could have used at the time when they'd had a bad day at work? You know what, one lady, for example, if she knew that Thursdays were a tricky day because of certain meetings, so on Thursday she told her husband she was going to be home late from work. And when she got in the car, she did a 20-minute meditation before she drove home. Yeah. So she cleansed it off. Yeah. Before, then she got home and then she could have a night, her nice time. Um, for example, I had one, one client, you know, things had got pretty, pretty bad. She, she was, she was in perimenopause, work was crazy. They had 3 people, 3 other managers off from stress. So therefore the other 3 managers were having to take on that workload. Um, I also at this age in, you know, with some people You have teenagers, or like me, I have a 25-year-old as well. You know, you might have grandkids, you're looking after older parents as well. So you're getting an overload of everything all at the same time while we're going through this transition into menopause. You know, it just, you know, dump everything on us at once. You know, some doctors actually believe many women are going into menopause earlier because we are now working longer hours, we're taking more work home than, than men. Did you know that on average we take home twice as much work home that our male counterparts do? I didn't. That's something. Yeah, it's interesting. And then probably doing the housework as well. Doing housework, looking after children, sorting teens out. People are living at home longer, so you may have grown children living at home, but then you're having, you know, people are living longer. So then you might be looking after parents or even grandparents. Yeah. And that's a lot of stress. I guess that's aging us quicker because of the cortisol, the stress in our bodies. Yeah. So you've got all of that stress together and it all accumulated with one of my clients that she just got up, left work, and got on a plane. And actually left the country and, and went to her holiday home and emailed work that she didn't think she was ever coming back in. Wow. You know, so it had reached a crisis point. You know, she didn't feel great about her body. Libido had gone, was questioning everything. I worked with this lady actually for 5 months in the end, but after 9 weeks, she dropped 2 dress sizes. She wasn't— and that wasn't even why she came to me. It just happened as part of the course. Her anxiety had gone from 10 down to a 2. She had more energy and her confidence just escalated. Her sex life massively improved. Yeah. And she was— she said that with me. And she actually in the end went on to do speaking roles outside of work, got consultancy, she got a promotion. And this was from one lady that had said, I don't want anything to do with anything anymore, I'm done. She just give it— yes, overwhelmed, given up. Yeah, overwhelmed. And the first thing we started was with Her diet. Yeah. We made sure she had good fat, good protein in the morning, adequate water, tackled her sleep. Yeah. Sleep. You're not sleeping properly. Yeah. You can be eating all the kale in the world and doing 2 classes, but if you're not resting, restoring in a full cycle, your body can't utilize what you've done in the day and give you a better day the next day. Yeah. And, and you're already waking up like on the back foot really, cuz you're waking up tired and stressed and you should be waking up refreshed. Yeah. Yeah. And then if you're tired and, and, and stressed out, you're gonna reach for a coffee, a bagel, a croissant, jam, you know, you, you're gonna hit the sugar, the stimulants. Straight away. Yeah. So that quick fix. Yeah. A quick fix. And then that just, it's like a domino effect. Yeah. And it's like a perpetual habit. It's like a, it just becomes a learned behavior, doesn't it? You just kind of, yeah. And then you rob yourself of your body's natural cycle and you're not able to listen to your signals because you are in a constant state of stress. So what, um, what tips would you give to, um, women and people listening that are not sleeping properly? Is there things, some tips and advice you could give them that might help that? A great tip. It sounds really crazy. Is, and I give this to everybody, try and get up within the same half an hour schedule every single day. Yeah. So if during the week you have to get up, say 6:30 to go to work, Get up at 6:30 to 7 on a Saturday and Sunday. So you're keeping that circadian rhythm. Yeah, exactly. Because your body doesn't know it's Saturday night. Yeah. Or stay up late. Your body, it might feel it the next morning. Your body doesn't know the difference. So try and keep in that state. Um, balance is everything. I don't, I don't like the word boost. You know, try and boost your immune system or boost this. You know, balance is what we want. We want harmony. So try and get light first thing in the morning. Really, really helps as well. The sunrise and the sunset. Yeah. Sunlight into your eyes helps. Sunlight into your eyes. We, yeah, we have the optical nerve within the eye. Professor Huberman on Huberman Lab does a really good, um, 2-hour talk on that. Um, I would also say, he also says, and we— I've been doing it myself, try and get some light, as it were, in the evening. Go for a little stroll after supper, say, and, you know, with the sunset, so you're going in the harmony of nature within the world, you know, instead of bright lights all the time. Go in the flow. Oh, this is another one. It's a really simple one. You dim the lights at night, right? This, this always makes me laugh because it's such common sense. You dim the lights at night, you put on the lamp in your lounge or whatever, you have the side lamp on in bed. You never have the bright light on, do you? Have the side light on. Yeah. But then you go to wash your face and brush your teeth And it's like an airport in there, or so bright. And then you're like, oh, I feel really refreshed again, I've got a second wind. I actually have the dimmer lights on my bathroom. Yeah. And I have a candle in there. So good. What I'll do in the evening is I'll just light a candle so it's more like a dimmed light, so it stays dark. Because yeah, it wakes you up, doesn't it? It's like using your screen in your— in bed, in that bright light in your eyes, just keeps you awake, that stimulant. Yeah. But a lot of people do switch on that big Yeah, it's just a natural thing to do. Just, yeah, okay, and switch on the light. Yeah, so I try and wash my face and brush my teeth a couple of hours earlier. Yeah, so that, yeah, and also then that stops you eating late at night because I think, oh, I can't bother to rebrush my teeth. Yeah, sneaky tip there. I like that one. Do it a couple of hours before you go to bed. Can I have that donut? No, I've already brushed my teeth. I've already brushed my teeth. I can't bother. I'll just wait till tomorrow because I'm lazy. Also, there is magnesium, magnesium, magnesium, magnesium, but the right magnesium. Don't be going to a certain high street health store because they'll probably give you magnesium stearate, which just makes you go to the loo, which you don't want to do because we've just discussed you don't want to switch on the light. Exactly, you don't want to switch the light on. I take magnesium about an hour before bed. Yeah. And but I also take— which magnesium do you take? There's different types. I take a complex as well. It's got 8 different magnesiums in it. I think it's by Longevity Box, I think. Yeah. Yeah. But also I would take, um, you can take lemon balm. Yeah. As well. Can we just say like why magnesium is good? Because it relaxes the body, doesn't it? It relaxes the body. It's good for the brain. It actually controls, I think it's over 300 enzymes within the body. Um, it's great for anxiety. Yeah. That's good. And I think women are particularly more deficient in magnesium than men as well. Yeah. And also in general, we're all deficient because our soils are so depleted. You know, if you have an apple today and it's from the same apple tree that my dad had an apple from, it's going to be less nutritious than the one my dad had because our soils are so depleted and we're not getting the same vitamins and minerals as we would have done. Yeah. Yeah. Ashwagandha is great. Oh yeah, I take that. It's fantastic. But it's not good if you have autoimmune, a history of autoimmune, or a thyroid issue. So do not take it then. Okay. Um, shatavari is also good. Yeah. Um, you can take this in the day. It doesn't have to be in the evening. Yeah. Um, Very good, yeah, for helping the sleep. Herbal teas, things like holy basil, really, really good, but don't take it late at night because then you'll need a wee. So an hour before bed, an hour and two hours before bed. Depends how small your bladder is. Exactly, exactly. And things, yeah, keep Exercising that pelvic floor because— but that is another thing because a lot of the time people wake up in the middle of the night, 3, 4 AM, 2 AM, because they need to wee. Yeah. It can disrupt your sleep. Yeah. So literally if you're, if you're a person that's like that, it wakes you up, don't drink 2 hours before you go to bed. Yeah, which used to be me. So I generally, light tap for me is around 10 PM. So I don't have any liquid after 8 PM because I know otherwise I'll be up at 1 AM needing a wee. Yeah, it's good. So, and then, you know, you know, oh, everything's got to be switched on. I'm not gonna— I don't want to bang into the, the wall or, you know, the side drawer. You know, you're slightly switched on even though you, you're trying to keep your eyes closed because you don't want to wake up, but you are awake because you're walking. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I've done that all my life. If I keep my eyes closed, we can get really— yeah, I'm not awake properly, so I can sleep straight away. And then there's L-threonate. I'm dyslexic, so L-threonine? No, L-threonate. Yeah, T-H-R-E-N-O-N-A-T-E. I take that 30 minutes before I go to sleep, and that helps with the not waking up. Okay, what, what is that? So what does it do? It's, it's, it's a— oh, also you can take it in the morning as well, like in the day. I've had a few ladies that like it for anxiety. Okay. Yeah. So also good for menopause. And they take that in the day. I take it at night because it helps with the calming. So it helps me stay asleep, as it were. You know, sometimes like you'll stir Yeah, like that light bulb will come in and you'll be like, oh, I've got to do this tomorrow, I've got to do that, I didn't do this, and you'll go in that spiral. Helps me just fall back to sleep and you don't wake up feeling groggy. I, I take 200mg, which is just one, one tablet. That's good to know. Yeah, because I sometimes work— I woke up at 1:30 AM this morning and I was like, why do I— 2:30 AM, I'm still awake. I was like, but I, I, I, I put myself back to sleep by listening to like a meditation CD or something. Yeah, tube. And I hope it just switches my mind off and I can sleep again. Yeah, I think I'll give this a go. So give it a go. So like, say start with the magnesium, take that for like 2 weeks and then add something in like this or the lemon balm. So then you know what's working for you, you know, say, oh, the magnesium didn't work. Um, then switch it and try that. Don't just throw the kitchen sink at it because then you don't know what's going to work. Yeah, that's not the way to— one's actually working. And sometimes we're so desperate just to get to the place we want to be, like to sleep or feel better, we want to throw everything all at once, don't we? Like, just give me it all. Yeah, yeah. And that can be overwhelming and make us revert back to how we were because it's just— exactly. Yeah. So just, just try say implementing one supplement for 2 weeks, see how you feel with it. Did you feel any calmer? That's another thing where I do with my clients, um, do, do a little, um, chart. Say your thing is sleep anxiety. Yeah, just score like a pain chart, 0 to 10, 10 being the worst, 0 is not happening. And see how you feel. And then, you know, you run the magnesium. How did I feel? Oh, it's gone down to a 4. Oh, it's working. Then add the ashwagandha. Oh, now I'm down to a 2. But oh, on Wednesday I went up to a 7. Oh, what happened? Yeah, because, you know, oh, I had half— yeah, half a bottle of wine, or I Do this with my boss. No, alcohol really, really does not help the menopause. Yeah. I, I just can't drink, um, alcohol and metabolize it in the way that I used to. I have to, I drink rarely now and like a glass. Yeah. And even that throws me outta sync. So I, I've definitely noticed a difference. Yeah. And there's, there's lots of, um, alcohol replacements nowadays, you know, lots of beers and gins. They all do alcohol-free, so you don't have to like miss the party. Yeah. Like the botanical ones. Yeah. Yeah. They're quite good actually. Yeah. Some of those. Yeah. I am still partial to a glass of vino every now and then. It's nice though. But this is all, this is really powerful stuff. I like the making the chart because you don't always remember how things are, cuz the mind will play tricks and make you remember it. You remember it differently every time and over time. Yeah. Your memory changes. So actually having it written down in like a book or a diary or a journal, so you can go back and actually chart and see it moving on. That's brilliant. Yeah. And celebrate your wins. I, you know, I have some clients like, oh, you know, it might get to week 8 and they're like, oh, you know, I just did, I've had a bad week or, um, I've just feel frustrated in myself. And I say, okay, well, let's look at where you are today and look at where you were on week 2. 'Oh, your anxiety's at a 4. Well, it used to be 9s and 10s, and now you've got 0s to 2, but you had one 4.' Yeah, which is amazing. Yeah, you're really winning. Like, don't forget, celebrate your wins. Yeah, and I guess if you're not used to, um, celebrating your wins and, and sort of, and being in that sort of happy space, you kind of automatically, if you, if you are someone that suffers from anxiety, you can automatically go into that mindset of worrying that things are not going great when actually, if it's there in black and white in front of you, you can see actually things are going great. Yeah. I've made huge progress. I'm just learning every day, every day, every day. Yeah. Helps you be kinder to yourself, I think, which is good. Yeah. It really, really does. And, and that's another tool, like I'm really in, in for free tools. Like they're the, the supplements I feel that I can take everywhere. Um, Um, I have been doing a journal, free writing, and a gratitude list for 18 years now. Yeah. And it really— we quite often as humans wake up with a negative mindset. We just can't help it. I don't, I don't know what it is. I'm not a neuroscientist or, you know, I, I don't know why, but it's like, oh, I've got to do this, haven't done this. Oh, it's raining. Oh, it's too hot. You know, I don't know what it is. So just you free write like 2, 3 pages. Doesn't have to be, you know, A4, whatever size you feel comfortable with, but then write 3 things you're grateful for now. Yeah. And it can be anything. I'm grateful I've got a roof over my head. I'm grateful that I've woken up, that I'm alive, I'm breathing. Yeah, anything. But then write 3 things you're going to be grateful for within the next few months and write them in the present tense. Oh, I like that because I do the gratitude thing. I do it in the morning and the evening because I think it really sets up your day. And when you go to sleep, it's good to fall asleep in that space as well. Yeah, but I love the addition you've just put on with the 3 things you're going to be grateful for in the next 3 months. Yeah, that keeps you propelled forward to a positive future. And also, yeah, you're saying you're already declaring it by writing it that it's going to happen. Yeah, because you're already grateful for it. Yeah. Yeah. I get very excited when I learn new things. Libby, so grateful to say we're talking about menopause. I'm so grateful that I've got my hot flushes down. From 10 to 2 a day. Yeah. You know, and so you're saying that, and then you'll start taking those actions. You'll be like, oh, I will take that ashwagandha because it is going to help my, my hot flushes. Because you've already wrote it in the morning, you're determined that it's going to happen, so you're more likely to start taking the actions for that to happen. Yeah. And it creates your focus and your belief on that because 'cause your focus creates your reality. Yeah. What you believe comes true, right? For you. Yeah. So if you, yeah, I love that. So if you're believing it's already happening, you, yeah, you will naturally start creating those behavioral patterns to make it happen. And then when you write in 2 to 3 months' time, oh, I'm so grateful. I have only had 2 flushes today. Then you're like, I did it. And you're really celeb— you are going back into that celebrating your wins and you know the power of yourself. So then you'll start writing bigger things. Yeah, I love that. And I think also that I'm only having two instead of going, oh, I'm having two hot flushes today. It's like, I'm only having two as opposed to ten. This is great. Which is brilliant. Yeah. So you're being realistic about what's actually going on and being grateful and that happy mindset takes that pressure off as well. Or if you are on, have been put on anxiety medications for your menopause or what it is, Oh, I'm so grateful that my doctor has halved my medication. Yeah. You know, not like, oh, I'm still on medication. Well, I've halved it. This is a celebration. This is a win. We're going in the right direction. Yeah. Progress. Yeah. Yeah. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. It's, it's about the progress. Yeah. I think that's great. And it's great to sort of shift your mindset to that way. And I think sometimes we think everything has to be perfect in order for us to be happy, but No, we can be happy now and, and, and still strive to be better, have better, feel better, but still really appreciate what we have. And I think that propels you into that happiness in the future even quicker because you're already in it and feeling it and living it. It's like, yeah, loving this, living, living it. Oh, okay. So what else can we chat about? So we've talked a bit on, um, on supplements. So what about food-wise? What kind of is a particular food foods that women can eat that might help with hormones and menopause. We've touched a little bit on flaxseeds, which is— yeah, flaxseed, like I said, your omegas, like protein. But also, yeah, look at— so greens, yeah, you have that fiber pulling, pulling the foods out. So, you know, many people Ladies who have had periods throughout their lives will know that your stools change around your period. Yeah. Some people get more, or if you've been pregnant, a lot of ladies get constipated. It's your hormones. Some people might have looser stools around, you know, their bleed. It's your hormones. So I've never put that, I've never, I've never thought about that, but it does sometimes change. I just thought it's the foods I'm eating. I didn't know it was a hormone thing. Yeah. Yeah. Interesting. Yeah. Wow. Mind blown. Check out your poo. See what's going on. Are you a number 4 on the Bristol stool chart? It's a stool chart. Brilliant. I get it out with all my clients and then, you know, they may not be a number 4 and when they hit a regular number 4, they, they text me, I'm a number 4. I've had fours for 3 days. No longer, not number 2, and number 4 is a new girl. Number 4, you're looking for. Oh, so yeah, look at that, you know. Do I need more hydration? Um, hydrating foods is not necessarily just water. You absorb, um, more water from foods like celery, watercress, plums, pomegranate. Pears. Think fruits with a P make you poo. Fruits with a P make you pee? Make you poo. Okay. Pomegranate, plums, pear, prune. Oh my God, I love that. So simple and easy to— that's brilliant. Fruits with a P make you poo. So there you go, there's another tweetable right there. You can tell I've also got a 3-year-old because I'm into my little like rhymes and things. But this is brilliant because it helps people remember and it's really simple. I'll remember that now. I'm like, oh, bits with a P make you poo. Genius. Oh, that's funny. Watery foods make you wee. Think of it that way as well. I also notice I definitely get more dehydrated when I'm around my period. So is that like a hormone thing as well? Up your water. It's about absorbing the water. Yeah. So just think, right, so I've got a liter of water here. What happens when I drink it? I'll need, you know, both of us came on this Zoom a little bit late because we were both going to the bathroom. Yeah. Right. It's a late 40-year-old bladder. Yeah, exactly. Oh, better have a wee. It might not last, you know, over an hour. You know, that's what happens when we drink lots of water. So hydrate with things like water, like I said, watercress, watermelon's really, really good. I love watermelon. Yeah, it's such a hydrating food. Um, cucumber. Yeah, courgette. Um, I don't naturally think courgette as being hydrating because it's quite a solid, dense kind of fruit. Very watery, isn't it? Beetroot, another watery watery food. Um, radishes. Yeah, I think what I've got in my, in my fridge and upstairs, um, marrow, all, um, your squashes, pumpkin, um, all, all of the— and pumpkin season's coming soon, so just think, think of those watery vegetables that you can incorporate in, in, into your diet. Yeah. So you don't have to be plant-based or vegan. You can just put this in and have your meats or whatever you eat with it. Yeah. On the side. Yeah, most definitely. Um, and you can put them into, into things, you know, it doesn't have to be on its own. You can use, I don't know, um, butternut squash, sweet potato in muffins with some apple. You know, so it can be part of your snack. That's great, it's a great way to get it in. It's great if you've got kids as well. Yeah, yeah. Or people that don't like— anti-veggies, people that don't like veggies. Anti-veggies and salad dodgers. Just hide it. Yeah, hide it in there. Get a smoothie and you put it in a muffin. Yeah, I put everything in the muffin. I like to eat my food rather than drink it, so everything just goes in the muffin because then I then I don't feel deprived. I feel like I'm actually eating something. Yeah. And it almost feels like you're having a cake as well, doesn't it? Yeah, exactly. It's sweet, but with, but still savory. Sweet. Yeah. Carrots also. Yeah. I heard beetroots are really sweet as well. I've had beetroot cake and, um, chocolate muffins before. Yeah. Beetroot chocolate muffins. I do an apple and, is it apple and beetroot? Apple and beetroot buckwheat muffin. Mm. Is that on your website as well? Yes, my website. I've got a 3-year-old that's very northern. She's like, oh, don't like that, don't like that, no, no, disgusting. So I have to hide everything in muffins, and then you put a little bit of cacao in it and there's a chocolate muffin, right? Perfect. But really it's got 3 vegetables in it and 2 fruits. And no one knew. And even, you know, a 45-year-old woman won't know, and it's just your afternoon snack. That's great. So you're being naughty and good at the same time. Never naughty. Never naughty. Yeah, there is no bad, is it? There's like good and bad. Yeah, just investing. That's it. Um, so yeah, I'm eating this muffin because I'm investing into my health, investing into my health goals. Exactly. Um, and I think adding things like salt into your water— okay, because a lot of people think that salt's bad because we've kind of been taught salt's bad. Yeah, but actually, a lot of that data was done, um, just using salty foods. So those salty foods like, I don't know, um, crisps, chips, burgers, they're also high in, in omega-6s, and they're just not going to be great for your body, are they? Because they're trans fats, they're processed foods. But like, in my water today, I've got a few cracks of pink Himalayan salt because that actually helps with my sugar cravings. And that's a great tip. And sadly, uh, Liberty, that's all we've got time for. I would, uh, love to to keep chatting to you. I could keep chatting to you forever. It's been absolutely fantastic having you on, um, I'm sure everyone's got some great information. Uh, thank you so much. This has been the Eat Love Do Show. Do remember to follow us on all our social medias @WomensRadioStN and like and subscribe to our YouTube channel. And tune in for next week's show as well. We're here every week. Thank you so much for listening. I've been Janine Newbury, your host, and my guest has been Liberty Mills. Have an amazing day. Be happy, be healthy.