Self Care Club - The Midlife Edition

This episode is sponsored by Welbeck – providing beyond better healthcare. Hormones affect far more than our reproductive health. They influence our brains, metabolism, mood and many other bodily functions. Yet when it comes to women's hormones, particularly during perimenopause and menopause, misinformation, fear and conflicting advice around HRT can make it difficult to know what to believe. In this episode of Self Care Club: The Midlife Edition, Lauren and Nicole are joined by consultant endocrinologist Dr Saira Hameed to cut through the confusion, challenge common hormone myths and explore what women really need to know about their changing bodies. Sairas explains what happens when oestrogen levels fall, why menopause can affect the whole body and why some women experience profound changes in their mood, sleep, memory and anxiety. They also explore the idea of the “invisible woman” and why women's symptoms have historically been dismissed or misunderstood. The conversation also tackles one of the biggest questions in midlife health: What is the truth about HRT? After years of fear surrounding hormone replacement therapy, women are now hearing increasingly positive messages about its benefits. But where does the evidence actually stand? Saira explains what HRT can and cannot do, what we know about its risks and benefits, and why it is important to distinguish between treating menopausal symptoms and claiming that hormones can prevent every health problem associated with ageing. They also discuss the relationship between menopause, oestrogen and the brain, including the growing debate around HRT and dementia risk. What do we know about brain health, does the age at which you start HRT matter, and should women be worried about the type of hormone treatment they use? And what about the booming business of hormone balancing? From supplements and private hormone tests to programmes promising to restore hormonal harmony, Saira separates the medical evidence from the marketing. The conversation also examines testosterone for women, including the claims that it can improve energy, muscle strength, mood, confidence, libido and brain fog. Who might benefit from testosterone, what does the evidence support, and what are women being promised that it cannot deliver? If you have ever wondered whether your symptoms are hormonal, felt confused by conflicting advice about HRT, or questioned whether the latest menopause trend is backed by science, this is an essential conversation about understanding your body and making informed decisions about your health. In this episode, we discuss: What hormones actually do and how they act as the body's communication system Why menopause affects much more than reproductive health HRT explained: benefits, risks and common misconceptions Oestrogen, menopause and the brain HRT and dementia: what does the evidence really say? Whether the age at which you start HRT matters Perimenopause, anxiety, brain fog and sleep changes When to investigate symptoms rather than assume they are caused by menopause Hormone balancing, private hormone tests and supplements Testosterone for women: evidence, benefits and limitations Why menopause affects every woman differently Three things Dr Saira Hameed wishes every woman knew about her hormones About Dr Saira Hameed Dr Saira Hameed is a consultant endocrinologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Welbeck, and an honorary clinical senior lecturer at Imperial College London. She is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling book The Full Diet and her latest book, Signals, which explores the power of hormones and why understanding the body's communication system matters more than ever. Find Saira Hameed here: https://welbeck.com/find-a-specialist/dr-saira-hameed Please Note: This episode is for informational purposes and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice. Speak to your healthcare professional about your individual symptoms and treatment options. Get in touch with us: Email us: [email protected] Instagram @selfcareclubpod Try AG1 now at https://drinkag1.com/selfcare and get £20 off your first order + 5 AG1 Travel Packs for on the go, a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2, and the Welcome Kit for FREE. No risk with the 30- day money-back guarantee. Find all details about the health benefits in the link. Study results are on file with AG1, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What would you do if you weren't afraid? This week on Self Care Club, Lauren and Nicole are exploring fearlessness in midlife and why, despite having considerably more life experience than we did in our twenties, we can still find ourselves held back by fear, self-doubt and worrying about what other people think. From the fear of failure and success to the anxiety of being a beginner again, we look at the everyday ways fear influences our decisions. Why do we spend so much time imagining what could go wrong before we've even tried something? Why are we so frightened of looking foolish? And why do we sometimes reject ourselves before anybody else has had the chance? We explore the powerful connection between courage and vulnerability, including Brené Brown's work in Daring Greatly. It's a reminder that the people who deserve the credit aren't those standing on the sidelines judging everyone else, but those prepared to get into the arena, take a risk and have a go. We also discuss why midlife can be such a challenging time to embrace change. In this episode: Why fear can become more powerful in midlife. How fear of judgement and other people's opinions holds women back. Brené Brown, vulnerability and the courage to get into the arena. Why being a beginner again can feel so uncomfortable in your forties and fifties. Overcoming the fear of failure, rejection and starting again. How to embrace change and stop using age as an excuse. What would you do if you weren't afraid? Are you genuinely not interested in doing something, or are you simply frightened of trying? You don't have to be fearless to begin. You just have to be brave enough to take the first step. Get in touch with us: Email us: [email protected] Instagram @selfcareclubpod Ad⏐AG1's best ever deal currently at under £50 per month when you take a quarterly subscription. Try AG1 for 90 days and see how it can help support your energy, mood and focus at: https://drinkag1.com/selfcare All orders include a Welcome Kit with scoop, shaker, canister, 5 travel packs and a bottle of VitaminD3K2. You can find all the details on the health benefits via the link. Study results are held by AG1, 2023. If you’re ready to launch your business before Black Friday, go to Shopify.com to start your free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if turning 40 is about finally becoming brave enough to ask what do I actually want? This week on Self Care Club: The Midlife Edition, we’re talking fearlessness, resilience, reinvention and what happens when you stop living according to someone else’s expectations. Our guest is Vicki Anstey - who is an inspiring example of midlife reinvention, resilience, identity, courage and pushing your own limits. A double world record-holding adventurer, entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, human performance coach and author. After a career in marketing and building a successful fitness business, Vicki’s life changed dramatically at 40. She ended her marriage, entered SAS: Who Dares Wins, rowed unsupported across the Pacific Ocean and cycled 3,000 miles across America as part of record-breaking teams. But this conversation isn’t really about rowing oceans or cycling across continents. It’s about fear and what happens when you stop letting it make your decisions. We talk about confidence and ageing, resilience, failure, friendship under extreme pressure, starting again in midlife, and whether women have been taught to settle for smaller lives than they actually want. Vicki also tells us about her brilliant book, Other People Are Like The Weather: Stop Managing the Forecast, Start Mastering Yourself and why learning to manage ourselves rather than trying to control everything around us might be one of the biggest lessons of midlife. In this episode: What fear really feels like when you’re doing something terrifying How to build resilience Why confidence can come from experience What women underestimate about themselves as they get older Living according to someone else’s “forecast” Failure, setbacks and learning to trust yourself Why women need to stop asking for permission You can learn more about Vicki here: https://vickianstey.co.uk/ Instagram: @vickianstey Other People Are Like The Weather: Stop Managing the Forecast, Start Mastering Yourself is available now. Instagram: @selfcareclubpod Email: [email protected] Try AG1 now at https://drinkag1.com/selfcare and get £20 off your first order + 5 AG1 Travel Packs for on the go, a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2, and the Welcome Kit for FREE. No risk with the 30- day money-back guarantee. Find all details about the health benefits in the link. Study results are on file with AG1, 2023. Get in touch with us: Self Care Club Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How to Say No in Midlife (Without the Guilt) | Self-Care for Women in Their 40s & 50s

This episode is sponsored by Welbeck – providing beyond better healthcare. Welcome to Ask The Doctor. In this special bonus episode, we put your midlife health questions directly to a medical expert and this time, we're talking about bladder issue, urinary incontinence, prolapse and UTIs. We put your questions to consultant urological surgeon Neha Sihra. She specialises in the investigation and treatment of male and female urinary incontinence, bladder dysfunction, neuro-urology, bladder pain and urinary tract infections and performs a range of surgical procedures for these conditions. Got a question for a future Ask The Doctor? Keep an eye on our socials for details of how to send yours in. We'd love to hear what you've always wanted to ask a medical expert. Email: [email protected]: @selfcareclubpod Find Neha Sihra here: https://welbeck.com/find-a-specialist/miss-neha-sihra Please note: Self Care Club is for entertainment purposes and not personal medical advice. If you have symptoms or concerns about your bladder, urinary health or pelvic floor, please speak to a qualified healthcare professional. Get in touch with us: Email us: [email protected] Instagram @selfcareclubpod Try AG1 now at https://drinkag1.com/selfcare and get £20 off your first order + 5 AG1 Travel Packs for on the go, a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2, and the Welcome Kit for FREE. No risk with the 30- day money-back guarantee. Find all details about the health benefits in the link. Study results are on file with AG1, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices