EPISODE 9: RECLAIMING OUR BODY: WHEN WOMEN CREATE MENOPAUSE SOLUTIONS WITH DEBBIE DICKINSON7/26/2023
“There was an inferno in my body, and I felt unprepared.”  Debbie Dickinson and her daughter are innovating to solve your menopause frustrations. They join us in our women’s health over age 50 podcast series after a summer refresh break. You get fresh ideas grounded in good medicine and like-minded friends in our Living Loud Living Long Community.
As a perimenopausal woman battling hot flashes, Debbie envisioned a discreet smart tech wearable to provide thermal relief, utilizing digital health data, and founded Thermaband with her daughter, working diligently with Yale scientists, physicians, engineers, and a highly involved community of women. She is passionate about women's health, wellness, and rebranding menopause as a natural and empowering phase of life, by shattering negative stereotypes. She is also an advocate, speaker, author, change agent and happily married mom of four.
You know how some fitness classes go too fast, or the movements don't fit your body? (Burpees, I'm talking to you.)
Living Loud Living Long (L4) is partnering with Vivo starting today because they share our value of healthy fitness designed for where you are now. Fitness that fits you! Join us. We're with you every step of the way in your journey to become your healthiest, happiest self. When you join us, you get even more than our supportive community. You can join our curated partner's communities, who share our values, who support you in your well living journey, for less. Vivo and L4 are proud to work together to bring you Vivo's virtual, live and interactive fitness program designed for people 55up delivered wherever you are via Zoom with a live trainer.  Do you or someone you love experience urine leakage? It's a highly common issue for women. It is a major consideration for women who have it or their caregivers. Because you turn to us for hard-to-find insight and advice as your one stop community for women's health impacts, this is an important topic we couldn't ignore on the L4: Living Loud Living Long podcast.
 As a young girl, Sunniva was fascinated by exploring places few people have seen. Her passion for learning about nature and the farthest reaches of our world despite the challenges continues to grow and motivate her make a positive impact as a teacher, explorer, and voice for change.
Sunniva tells L4 about the physical and mental challenges faced when exploring in the Polar regions, especially the Antarctic, how she continues to explore as a 50up woman and how we can all use these lessons in our lives to be resilient. We explore how getting outside the noise of our technology filled lives into the silence of nature can refocus and heal us. Sunniva and Dr. Hughes discuss how being a female explorer has challenges, but how woman can help each other. We talk about her new project in Canadian Arctic supporting the climate and collaborating with the Inuit people. We explore how together, regardless of who we are, what age we are or where we live, we can support nature through teaching, citizen science or as advocates. "If someone gives you a hand up, put a hand down to someone else." About: Sunniva Sorby has multiple historic firsts as a woman explorer including team member for first all- woman group reaching the South Pole, first Canadian woman to ski to South Pole and first all-woman team to overwinter in the Arctic. Before becoming an explorer, she led and managed outdoor travel programs and taught outdoors skills. In multiple roles, she has been an advocate and teacher for women, and diversity as well as the climate. She was born in Tønsberg, Norway and raised in Montreal where she graduated from Trafalgar School for Girls and went on to pursue Economics at Champlain College & Bishops University, where she majored in Economics. Learn more about her: https://www.heartsintheice.com 
 The number one New Year’s resolution continues to be to lose weight. What about flipping this around and resolving instead to have a healthy body without focusing on weight?
How did weight come to be a universal focus when wanting to make a change to improve health? Weight is easy to measure, and we’ve been told by many experts that if we don’t set a measurable goal, we can’t reach our goal. Without a number, our goal remains a fuzzy concept that quickly dissolves in the face of work and home life demands. The focus on weight ignores several key health concepts. First, weight is relative. What really counts for our health is body mass index (BMI), which considers our weight, height and build.[1] BMI = (divide weight in kilograms by height in meters)/height. Online conversion tools with allow you to convert metrics to pounds and feet. A normal weight is a BMI of 18.5–24.9. In some cases, serious athletes with more than average muscle mass may appear overweight using BMI. This can be checked by pinching your waist area to check for fat levels. More scientifically, you can measure waist to hip ratios by dividing waist size by hip size. For women, a waist circumference of 80 centimeters (cm) or 31.5 inches or less is considered healthy. As we age, we lose muscle mass, which is replaced by fat and fibrous tissue.[2] Above 50 years of age we lose 15% of muscle strength each decade, which is largely due to loss of muscle mass.[3] This is partly due to hormone decrease but our behavior plays a role. This loss is not inevitable. We can age in a healthy way by continuing to exercise to reduce muscle loss, build muscle and reduce fat increases. How can you exercise so you age in a healthy way? Listen to our December podcast: “Episode 3 L4: Strong, Active, and Fabulous at 50up with Tina Tang, Fitness Trainer” to hear her tips and advice for 50up women. Other ways to work in exercise even if you have a busy schedule or can’t get out of the house are to use phone apps or online videos or website, buy an under the desk exercise elliptical or desk bike or a desk walking treadmill. If you can’t access any of these, you can walk up and down stairs, walk to store, or do yardwork or work in a community garden. Always consult your physician before starting a new exercise program. Happy, Healthy New Year, L4 friends! [1] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321003 [2] https://aspenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jpen.2030 [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3940510/  Usually at the holidays my worst health concern is to avoid eating too many cookies or pieces of pie. This year, we are in our second COVID affected holiday. There is an avalanche of information about how to have a safe(ish) holiday. Nearly every expert has a different opinion on what this means. I’m basing this post on questions I’ve been asked most often over the past couple of months.
Despite having, if anything, too many articles and posts on the topic, questions remain. The truth is that even scientific experts don’t have all the information they would like to make decisions. The best we can say as scientists is what is likely the case given what few facts we have right now. People who seek absolute answers will be dissatisfied with this seeming non-answer. The fact is COVID has given us all a lump of coal in our stocking when we wanted a red and green tree shaped sugar cookie. All we want to do is spend some quality time with our loved ones, which can boost our mental health and, instead, we are faced with anxiety, frustration, and risk of illness. One approach we can take is to meet outside. To make it fun, create a staycation ski-resort holiday family gathering with hot chocolate, mulled cider and cookies on your patio. Layer up and blast your heater if you have one. Another approach is to have a Zoom party with online games. This is perfect for connecting distant family who can’t travel. Here is a list of virtual games to make your gathering festive: https://www.bustle.com/life/zoom-games-holiday-party. If you do want to gather in person here are few thoughts. The safest we get outside of having no human contact is being vaccinated and boosted and having a handful of family and friends who are also vaccinated and boosted and either tested or masked to our holiday event. On the opposite end of risk is not being vaccinated. We need to use what we know and take carefully considered risks based on our own situation and our loved ones situations. Where can we get valid information to make decisions? I recommend the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html On this website you can find details about quarantining if you have been exposed or have symptoms, details about vaccines and approved treatments and a lot of other information. I understand some may not like the CDC. The next best place is to go to a large hospital website such as Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/symptoms-causes/syc-20479963 or the website of a university with a medical school, for example, Harvard Health https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/coronavirus-resource-center Visit our website next week because you’ll find a treat waiting for you to help you with your New Year’s preparations. I hope you and our whole L4 community have a healthy holiday!  It's that time of year when delicious food is every where. Our home smells of roasted turkey and pumpkin pie. A neighbor drops off apple muffins. What rich cinnamon goodness!
Just in time, we're launching our Healthy Bites food stories. Healthy Bites tells the story of sensory healthy food preparation, eating and nourishing your body. Healthy food can be visually enticing, aromatic, flavorful, quick, and modest cost. Many recipes are simple to prepare with limited ingredients. What makes Healthy Bites different is our focus on how what your eating serves your body and makes it strong. Healthy Bites includes scientific research on the phytochemicals, anti-oxidants, vitamins and other important nutrients that feeds body and soul. We even include links out to the original research or medical articles so you can explore further on your own as you want. Sure, you can find recipes in many places. What you don't get elsewhere is how that food fuels your strength. Healthy Bites are only available to our Patrons. Articles are added throughout the year as they're available. To get access to Healthy Bites, sign up for our $15 per month Patron package on our PodBean Patron account- Click Here. What better gift to give yourself and your community of 50up women? By supporting L4, you help us bring you fabulous podcasts with inspiring women every month, our blog posts and other content as we grow and expand our mission-focused startup.  Technology is integral to how we work, learn, and build career skills. The pandemic put this trend on steroids. Our community of 50up women balancing work and family, technology is a lifesaver. While Zoom fatigue has become a part of life, the positive is that employers have seen in real time that productivity is often higher among employees working remotely. Remote work enables flexible work hours and saves time since commuting and preparing to commute are no longer are needed. Many large corporations have already developed plans for hybrid work which can expand work options for 50ups who want to continue or return to work. (1, 2)
Now is the time to explore new and innovative job opportunities in your current field or a new one. Opportunities range from a career change (pivot), to starting a business, to looking for more work flexibility. The professional world is evolving rapidly and opening new opportunities. For instance, work opportunities for freelancers (independent contractors) are exploding, facilitated by the growth in online platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork. These online freelance marketplace platforms connect freelancers and potential contract job opportunities reducing the work of selling your service. An estimated 59 million people were doing freelance work in the U.S in 2020, an increase of 6 million from 53 million freelance workers in 2014. (3) For our active L4 Community who plans on continuing to work, there are numerous resources available. Besides our L4 educational resources that are tailored to 50up women like our blogs, podcasts and more, there are numerous online education sources, mentoring, and coaching to help you through your journey, whatever trail you choose to blaze. Online learning platforms supply a broad array of degree and non-degree (certificate) programs and offer courses across many fields of study at competitive rates, and in some cases, for free. Courses offered can be self-paced or more structured. There are other learning platforms, like TEDx and TEDEd (owned by TED.com), that post free online talks from subject matter experts. LinkedIn Learning (previously Lynda.com) is a subscription-based online education platform that offers a video tutorial library. Teachable enables individuals to create online courses and coaching services to monetize their know-how into a knowledge business. If you’ve been keeping your dream of changing up your life but leaving it on the back burner, we say, “Carpe Diem”. The time is now. If you are thinking of changing your career but are unsure what you want to do, start by doing some soul searching and asking yourself a few questions: what energizes you, what activities did you love when you were young, what soft and hard skills do you excel at, ask a family member or a good friend what they think your strengths are. If you want to take the leap and envision yourself as an entrepreneur, then gather the information like you would any research project – only this time it is about you and your idea. Nothing can be more exciting than to create something new. It is also essential to update your LinkedIn profile and resume and highlight those transferable skills to the industry and job you are seeking. “People aged 50 and over are in a unique position to have plenty of workforce experience to bring to a new career, while still being able to obtain the knowledge they need to take on something new.” (4) To escape the procrastination or indecision stage, create an action plan and work through it, one small step at a time. Achieving incremental milestones will help you build your confidence and fuel your drive to continue executing your plan. Seek the support of those around you who celebrate your decision to set new goals, seek new opportunities, and avoid getting deflated by naysayers. If you are starting on a new career path, consider applying for adult internships and even a part-time or flexible job in your new area of interest to decide if the type of position and industry generally meets your expectations. (5) If you haven’t changed up your resume, online profiles or biography in a number of years consider soliciting the assistance of a career coach. Career coaches help you prepare and organize application materials (cover letter and resume), review your LinkedIn profile and identify those experiences and skills that highlight your professional abilities or areas where you may need to build or strengthen your skills. You can improve their resume by demonstrating that they proactively and regularly engage in continuous learning. You can continuously learn by attending professional courses, earning a new certification(s) or credential, or earning an undergraduate degree or college graduate degree. Furthering your knowledge and skillset is especially important when applying for Technology jobs to demonstrate that you have proficiency in multiple current virtual platforms and programs. Show prospective employers that you’re willing to leave your comfort zone and learn new things. (6) The takeaway is that You Can! Your new career can bring back that missing fizz in your life. Plan, be open and proactive about learning new things, and build the relevant skills you need so you are comfortable and confident with taking that first step on your new career path. We’re here for you and we know you’re amazing. References :
Living Loud Living Long: Blog (current page) and Podcast Fiverr®: https://www.fiverr.com LinkedIn Learning: https://www.linkedin.com Teachable: https://teachable.com TED.com (TEDx, TEDEd): https://www.ted.com Upwork: https://www.upwork.com  I don’t know about you, but I definitely have more days with minor aches and pains as each year goes by. On the one hand, it’s normal for our body to change with age, for our joints to wear and muscles to lose power more quickly if we don’t stick to an exercise routine. Research has shown that exercise can reduce risk of most common illnesses in 50 ups like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity, depression and osteoporosis. Even once you have the disease, you can improve your health with appropriate exercise, such as walking regularly after having breast cancer. (Warburten, 2006) There’s a long list of reasons we tell ourselves (and, hey, I’ve used them too) for why we aren’t exercising: a) we don’t have time; b) we look bad in exercise clothes; c) it’s embarrassing; d) we don’t know how to do it; e) we have a condition, injury, phobia, etc that prevents exercising; f) it’s too expensive to join a gym or buy equipment. Everyone of these are just mental blocks we put up to avoid changing our routines, because….Let’s face it, changing our routine or doing something new is uncomfortable, hard, takes mental effort and some days we can’t do it. Here’s what I say to all that, “Yes, you can!” I know you can because I click play and push through my favorite exercise app, Daily Burn, or walk or cycle nearly every day. I am no more motivated or fitter than your average person and have never been a high performing athlete. What can 50 up athletes achieve? Listen to the story of Enzo Appiano. He is 92 years old, lives in Turin, Italy, and is still climbing mountains. A hobby he started in 1940s. He says climbing keeps him fit and youthful. (Bailey-Millado, 2019) Martina Navratilova won the Grand Slam tennis competition when she was nearly 50 years old, the oldest person to win this title. (Martina Navratilova) Caroline Adams, 56 years old, resumed competitive swimming after not having swum since college. She is now ranked 11th in the United States and, credits swimming with helping her feel centered and happier. (Hochwald, 2018) Let’s break down those blocks.
Most of all, have fun. Bring along a friend or two. Once you start, you’ll find you can’t stop. Instead of feeling too tired to exercise or just feeling poorly, you’ll start to feel tired and poorly when you DON’T exercise. Exercise really does make us happier, healthier and fitter. References (n.d.). Retrieved from Martina Navratilova: https://www.martinanavratilova.com/biography Bailey-Millado, R. (2019, January 24). Retrieved from New York Post: https://nypost.com/2019/01/24/this-90-year-old-climbs-mountains-like-its-nothing/ Hochwald, L. (2018, January 14). Retrieved from Parade: https://parade.com/636232/lhochwald/age-is-just-a-number-4-inspiring-athletes-over-50/ Warburten, D. e. (2006, March 14). Retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Information: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1402378/ |
AuthorDr. Candice Hughes: Dream It. Live it. Love it. (right after our daily caffeine). Archives
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