It's all in the attitude

CALLING ALL WOMEN!!

I have often been asked (mainly by my dear friend MaryJo), to write about the menopause stage in life.  I think that to date, I have written just 2 posts trying to help improve menopausal symptoms.

As you know I also run - a lot.  When I run I listen to audio books instead of music.  That way I can catch up on reading things I am interested in without having to sit around to do it - sitting still has never been something I have ever managed to accomplish.  So while browsing the audio book section on iTunes the other day, I found a book called "Goddesses Never Age" by Christiane Northrup M.D.

So, thinking of all the positive feedback I have had from just 2 posts on menopause I decided to dive head first into this, until now, little explored territory.  I bought and downloaded the book.  I admit I had already heard of the author as I had seen her in a documentary I love called Food Matters.  Even better, the audio book is narrated by the author - something unusual as most hire a professional reader for the recordings.

I think I fell in love with her during the introduction.  Christiane Northrup is 66 years old and, just from her voice, you can tell she is brimming with life, love and laughter.  I have spent this spring running near my home listening to her wise advice, her intelligent explanations and reasoning, and I swear there were times I was positively flying.

Many of us have been brought up to believe that life is like a play in 3 acts... Education, work and
retirement.  Retirement, which usually coincides with menopause is the beginning of the decline into old age where joints stiffen, relationships and health wane and death is the closing curtain.

STOP RIGHT THERE!  As Dr. Northrup says, menopause should not be thought of as the beginning of the end, of being out of date, no use (as you are no longer able to bear children), or too old to have any fun.  In some asian cultures, menopausal women are celebrated for being WISER, it is seen almost as a privilege - hot flushes included!

There is life after menopause and it is there to be embraced, tasted, enjoyed and LIVED.  It is all in the attitude.  If you embrace this moment of great change in your life, you may find yourself "free" for the first time in decades - children have grown up and left home, you may even be in a financially stable time of life where you can take the plunge and start a new career or study something you have always wanted to study, but never had the time.  Attitude is what gives you life or... takes it away.

Being positive, feeling happy are both assets which fight against disease and promote health.  Most of us have unfortunately had to cope with negative and/or damaging experiences in our lives, and many hold on to negative feelings and even hate related to those experiences.  It is vital to health to deal with any deep seeded negative emotions that could be holding you back and holding back your happiness, after all:

Hating someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die...  

To me there is no bigger waste of time or happiness drainer than wasting precious energy on negative feelings.

However, the book goes into great detail about how to rid yourself of negative emotions and how to improve your mindset.  It also says how much women devote themselves to others and feelings of guilt if they indulge themselves for a few minutes, a morning or a day...

We women are our own worst enemies.

We put enormous stress on ourselves to be the brilliant business woman, the perfect wife and the best mother... every one else comes before us.  However, there is a saying, "Ain't nobody happy if momma ain't happy!"

I can only encourage you all to read this book as each page is a delight and filled with exceptional knowledge on every aspect of life, from love, to laughter, to sex, to food, to relationships.

However, I would love for every female to read it and not just menopausal women... I can't help wishing I had read this book in my teens.  It also teaches you to love yourself as a woman and I think young women should read it so that they don't fall into the same trap that many of the now menopausal generation fell into.  I will be giving this to my teenage daughter in the hope that she will learn NOW and love herself and will therefore be the very best she can be for those around her and the world.

So, if you are hoping to live happily and actively for as long as possible, you really need to read this book.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com