​Healthy eating is easier said than done!  We all have good intentions, we fill the cupboards with fresh produce and health foods, then fail to maintain our new habits, lose interest and drift back to our old habits.  Does that sound familiar?  Don't be too hard on yourself, the best approach is to incorporate small, sustainable changes slowly.  Don't plan to change everything all in one go, start with a few ideas here and there and when you have established one habit, move onto the next!

I am managing to transform my habits, with the help of Jo and Anya who run a facebook based membership group called Menu & Mind, I am learning new recipes and ideas and adding them into my every day life.  I'm even cooking a vegan meal for (outdoors) guests on Monday!

Guest post from Alice, Alice Godfrey Nutrition.   I am delighted to welcome Alice to my blog this week.  We met on instagram and I loved her story. Having retrained after starting her family, she has a particular interest in thyroid conditions and especially how these can be related to or confused with menopause symptoms and how to tell the difference between thyroid and menopause.   Alice is registered nutritionist and she helps women get to the bottom of their brain fog, weight gain, low mood or lack of energy,

In this guest post, Alice explains what the thyroid is, symptoms if the thyroid goes wrong and how it can be confused with menopause.

Sleep!  Do you get enough?  Shockingly it was reported that insomnia rose from one in six, to one in four people during the lockdowns of the Covid pandemic.  I have had insomnia, in fact I am an insomniac with a recurring sleep problem.  I have to manage my sleep hygiene very carefully and the slightest change in my routine can set me off again.  And menopause only exacerbates the problem!  So I am here on World Sleep Day 2021 to share a few strategies and ideas with you on how to sleep better!

I learnt recently that those of us with various rituals and routines around our sleep are far more likely to suffer from insomnia, rather than making things better, the rituals we feel are essential can create more stress.  And it is the stress and worry of 'not being able to sleep' that adds to the very problem we are trying to avoid.  We are actually better not to try and sleep!  Easier said than done!

From supplements, to podcasts, meditation, limiting blue light and the best bedroom environment, I am going to share below some of the latest research to help improve sleep and tell you which ones have worked for me.

Sadly there is not enough provision for women to really understand perimenopause and menopause and what is happening to them during midlife within the NHS.  Some GP's are excellent and some practices do now have a menopause specialist or can refer to a specialist hospital clinic.  But equally many women have been left disappointed and confused and not really knowing where to go for menopause help and advice.  And a private consultation can be out of reach for so many due to the often huge cost.

But the last few years have seen a big rise in health services within the private arena for women during perimenopause and menopause.  I have been contacted by a few of these and will be sharing my experience with the different options over the coming weeks and months.  

On this blog post I am telling you about Health & Her and their new affordable online menopause clinic.

​With Health & Her you can see a menopause GP online for an in-depth review of your symptoms, tailored treatment plans and prescription recommendations.