Health & Wellness Tips From the Ladies!

With Mother’s Day coming up this Sunday, we thought it was timely to celebrate the ladies in our lives. Many of you would have met our lovely CA team, so this month you’re going to hear from a few of them and how they nourish themselves daily to show up as their best versions.

We’re extremely lucky to have a range of life experience on our team. So we hope that a wide range of ladies with different experiences will help cover all aspects of health & wellness.

Kathie 

Peri-menopause and menopause can be a time of various physical and emotional changes.  Here are some of the things I found helpful:

Regular exercise was essential for stress management, managing weight gain, improving my mood and my sleep.  I found walking and yoga particularly beneficial and even took swimming lessons! 

Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet with protein at every meal is important. I limit caffeine and alcohol and drink sage tea before bed to manage hot flashes and night sweats. Staying well hydrated is important too.  Ensuring adequate intake of Vitamin D (a daily dose of sunshine) and calcium to support bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. 

When it comes to diet, one area that can’t be missed is protein intake as it becomes of higher necessity post menopause. It is recommended we aim for 1.5-2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight. This may seem like a lot, so it’s important to break this up throughout the day and supplement with protein powders if you need.

Managing stress was something I struggled with and I researched deep breathing techniques which helped reduce anxiety for me. Yoga helps too. I often listen to a Yoga Nidra sleep meditation on Insight Timer (a free app) to help me drift off to sleep.  There is some great research around the importance of sleep. We should try and sleep between 7 and 9 hours per night.  

Most importantly find some time to do what you love – whether it’s reading, exercising, gardening or catching up with friends.  Every woman’s experience with menopause is unique so remember to seek support from friends and family, where experiences and advice can be shared during this time of transition.

Bea

Things I do as an ageing 30 year old to nourish myself:

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle involves incorporating regular exercise into my routine, such as weight training at the gym 3-4 times a week and taking daily walks to increase my steps, soak up fresh air, vitamin D, and unwind from the day’s stresses. Ensuring a consistent bedtime allows me to get 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night, with breathwork as part of my bedtime ritual. 

I make it a point to include protein in all my meals, stay hydrated by drinking at least 2L of water daily along with electrolytes, and take my essentials supplements like omegas, vitamin B, magnesium, vitamin D, and probiotics without fail.

Setting aside dedicated “out of office” time during the week is crucial for maintaining connections with friends and loved ones, promoting mental well-being and a sense of grounding.

Sophie

‘Balance’ is the word that comes to mind when I reflect on my approach to health. I strive to have a balanced plate, a balanced exercise routine, and most importantly, a balanced nervous system. I acknowledge that my mindset and those I surround myself with are hugely influential in my overall health, which is why I place importance on nurturing the meaningful relationships I have with others and maintaining a positive outlook on life. 

I recognise that what my body needs is ever-changing. My health routine looks very different in the winter than it does in the summer, in the morning vs. the evening, and in the middle of my cycle compared to the beginning of my cycle. I have learnt to listen to my body and appreciate that different rhythms call for different routines.

As a woman in my twenties, my focus is on maintaining good health. I recognise that the actions I am currently taking are setting the foundation for me to live a healthy and vibrant life now, and in the decades that follow. 

My current health routine includes: 

• Daily gratitude. Writing down three things I am grateful for before going to sleep. 
• Food before coffee. Eating a protein-rich meal ahead of enjoying my morning coffee.
• Moving my body. Whether that’s practising yoga, going for a run, lifting weights, or simply walking.
• Weekly chiropractic adjustments. I am under regular chiropractic care to ensure my nervous system is functioning at its best; which allows me to be the healthiest, most optimal version of myself.

We practice what we preach. Everyone at our office is adjusted regularly. For some of our team, that’s a weekly adjustment, for others it may be fortnightly. But it’s not often anyone on our team goes without having their nervous system checked past two weeks.

You may have noticed we’re a busy practice, looking after many families. If there’s a disconnect, and our nervous system isn’t firing along how it should, we become clunky. Similar to a computer with too many tabs open, if we’re clunky, we’re unable to offer world class service and world class chiropractic care.

So a healthy spine and central nervous system ensuring we’re all adaptable and functioning well is another piece of the puzzle we use to stay on top of our game. We hope this resonates with some of you and don’t forget to celebrate those special ladies in your life this week (and every week!).