Karen Finn - Let's Talk Menopause

Saw this card in the shops… I feel like I have a pretty good sense of humour, but the ‘beardy chops’ & childlike writing just didn’t land quite right with me. Maybe it’s my American lack of understanding of British humour (still, after 22+ years here!), but this card totally annoys me. The designers completely missed the mark, imho. Thoughts? Menopausal women: Would you like to receive this card?

There's always so much controversy about the best way to eat. Keto, vegan, etc. Have a listen to this TEDx talk which explains why there's no one-size-fits-all solution to eating. (Link in comments)

Every day, I see comments from women who are going through menopause & feeling totally lost. 💔

They don’t recognise who they are anymore.

That was me over a decade ago - constantly overwhelmed with a body that was surprising me with new symptoms every week. I felt like sh*t.

It took me a looong time to start feeling better again because I was flailing around in the dark.

This is why I do what I do.

I help women take back control of their wellbeing so they can navigate menopause in the best way possible and avoid (or reduce) those low moments that I’m all too familiar with.

I wish I’d had someone who’d walked that road before me to be my ally & guide me through those challenging times, and to tell me that it would get better!

I get that it’s hard to commit to anything when your head is all over the place, so I’m offering a mini coaching package at a super ‘no brainer’ cost of £75 (around $95) for three 45-min sessions.

I’ve got 4 spaces left and this offer is only going to be around until 30th June… the sessions are taking place in July & August.

If you’re interested, let’s talk… and please share with anybody who you think may need some extra menopause support. Karen 💜

I know I'm always posting about female stuff, but this one is for the men. Well, actually, it's still about female stuff 😂

I talk to menopausal women all the time about what's going on with them, but I never talk to men about this...aside from my husband.

I want to change that. You deserve support, too!

Guys, do you...
..often wonder if aliens took away your wife/partner/female family member/colleague/friend in the middle of the night and replaced her with an identical stranger?
..feel like your relationship has changed and you've grown apart?
..feel rejected because your wife/partner seems more interested in her book than her s*x life?
..walk around on eggshells sometimes for fear of inciting an inexplicable rage?
..get fed up because she's always complaining about her aches & pains, and weight gain?
..get frustrated because she feels tired all the time and seems to have lost her joy for life?
..feel helpless because you don't how to help her?
..want to know the basic biological changes that are happening so you can better grasp what's going on?
..feel isolated because you can't talk to anybody about this?

If any of this resonated, perhaps you'd like to share more - anonymously, of course - so that I can create something (an online class or a blog post? you tell me!) that can give you some support and answer some of your questions.

If you have any questions at all about menopause in general, or a specific thing that's going on with your wife/partner, or you are just wondering if what's going on in your relationship is "normal", I've posted a link in the comments to a short questionnaire where you can ask away, in complete confidence because I will not see any of your personal details.

*By the way: I'm not implying that EVERYBODY goes through this, but I do know from personal experience and from talking to lots of women that menopause can put some strain on even the most solid of relationships.*

I'd like to help you navigate this!

Anti-ageing tips for menopause:

1. Take your pictures lying on your back (gravity = instant face lift!)

2. Take your pictures in good light

3. Don’t let anybody see you in real life

😂😂😂😂Just kidding 😂😂😂😂

Wow!

I've just been looking at the survey results so far for my research on women's experience at the doctor for menopausal issues.

There have been plenty of negative experiences but also a few positive ones.

One thing that's really stood out is the fact that NOT A SINGLE PERSON formally filed a complaint about a negative experience. NOT ONE.

Why is this? Do women feel like it's pointless? Or do they just not have any fight left in them?

I'm curious to see how this unfolds. If you have visited the doctor for a menopausal issue, I'd love to hear from you.

Please can you take a few minutes to complete the anonymous & confidential survey in the comments? I'd be so very grateful!

HELP! I need somebody... HELP, not just anybody... Could it be you?

You may know that I'm a contributor for Menopause Matters magazine. If not, you do now, lol.

The next topic I've been asked to cover is "medical gaslighting", so I'm looking to hear from women who have had a crappy experience when approaching their doctor about a menopause-related issue.

If this is you and you'd like to anonymously share what happened, I've put together a short survey (link in comments).

It'll only take a few minutes to complete and I would be forever grateful to you (even though I won't know who you are)!!

As always, my ultimate aim is to help women to take control of their menopausal wellness and feel their very best. That includes getting the treatment they need from doctors.

Thanks in advance, Karen 💙

Thrilled to be asked my opinion for this article (link in comments) that’s part of the UK government’s campaign to improve women’s health! 🎉

Sharing my personal menopausal experience & helping other women navigate this tricky time through my coaching is what I live for!

It fills my heart with joy to see that the gov’t is stepping up its efforts to support women’s health and I really hope things will start changing for the better.

There’s been a lot of progress, but we still have a long way to go.

I’ll be doing my part by educating & supporting as many women as possible.

Karen 🩷

My husband is lucky he’s survived living with me this long. 😱🤦‍♀️😂

Before I got my menopausal symptoms under control, there were times when even his breathing triggered an all-out rage!

He wasn’t doing anything wrong… my out-of-control hormones were to blame.

Has this ever happened with you & your partner? Or family? Or friends? Or colleagues?

It may seem like an alien has taken over your brain, but it's actually not that uncommon, especially in perimenopause when your hormones are fluctuating wildly.

It will settle down, though! (Unless the subject of your fury is actually an as***le, lol.)

When you’re feeling like this, try stepping away, taking some deep breaths, going for a walk… anything to give yourself a few minutes for your emotions to settle down.

By doing this, you’ll avoid saying something you might regret.

And you’re not going to hate yourself afterwards.

If you want to talk more about this, or you want me to write more about this, let me know!

Karen x

Who still wears high heels?

I wonder if you get this?

About 13 years ago I found myself in the deepest, darkest depths of menopause.

I felt like I had nobody to talk to. I was only 43, and none of my friends were going through it yet.

How could they possibly understand? I certainly didn't, before I experienced it.

Nobody “got” what it was like to be crippled by insomnia, with fatigue & brain fog to the point that I didn’t want to get out of bed, let alone be sociable or go to work on some days.

Then came the irritation to the point that I wanted to throttle my family for merely breathing!

Not to mention that everything ached and omg don’t even get me started on the hot flushes & night sweats, heart palpitations, ringing in my ears and dizzy spells!

I couldn’t imagine going through the next few decades feeling like this, especially alone.

I felt like I’d completely lost the real me.

I was frightened I would never come back!

If you can relate to any of this, let me tell you, although it may feel like it, you are not alone.

I see you.

I hear you.

I understand you.

And, I'm also going to be sharing ways that you can help yourself to feel better, so feel free to connect, follow or come back to my profile to find out more.

Have a great weekend, Karen x

Call me vain, but I’m just not ready to embrace my greys yet! How about you?

Some of you may have seen the sensationalist headlines today about the link between intermittent fasting & cardiovascular-related deaths.

Please do not fret if you are an intermittent faster.

This happens every once in a while. People tend to believe scary headlines without digging any deeper. Clickbait at its best.

A few things about this new study that you should know:

- It was not a controlled study of intermittent fasting. The info. was taken from a database of people’s self-reported eating patterns. Self reporting is notoriously unreliable.
- We don’t know what they were eating or whether they were sipping on smoothies, soft drinks, etc during their ‘fast’ and not counting that as eating… which we all know is not really fasting.
- It did not prove that IF increases the risk of death due to heart disease.
- The study has not been peer reviewed or published in a scientific journal, and it’s not even clear whether the journalists who wrote the articles have had access to the full study. (Any reputable health journalist knows the golden rule: never write an article based on a press release or the summary/abstract of a study. I was only able to get the abstract but I’m trying to get the full study.)

There’s a great article explaining more about why this is irresponsible reporting. I’ll post the link in the comments.

What motivates you to exercise regularly?

Some of you may have seen my post a while back about the article I was writing on menopause & drinking… well, here’s the final product, fyi. Thanks to those of you who gave me your input.

Did you know that reduced estrogen levels after menopause may be associated with hearing loss in women?

I have definitely noticed a difference in my hearing over the past few years… and after talking to journalist & former actress Katie Grant, I’m feeling motivated to get my hearing tested!

She shared her story with me for a blog that I wrote for This Is MedTech to raise awareness on & end the stigma around hearing loss. Such an inspiration! The link’s in the comments.

So happy I could cry! I had my DEXA results back last week & my bone density has “significantly improved” according to the report. 🥳

Still have to keep up the hard work as I still have osteopenia & I’m menopausal, but OMG am I relieved that it’s moving in the right direction 😭😭

My last DEXA was about 3 yrs ago so it wasn’t an overnight thing… just goes to show that being consistent and patient with your self care really does pay off!

It really doesn’t have to be this hard…

The whole concept of “cheat days” doesn’t sit well with me. It just perpetuates the diet mindset. Thoughts?

I find it amusing how certain influencer nutritionists & fitness pros are suddenly singing the praises of intermittent fasting after vilifying it for years. Taking a complete u-turn & just keeping quiet about all those outspoken videos on how fasting is just a fad. Those of us who have known all along just 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 and keep on fasting…

Has your ability to tolerate alcohol changed as you've got older?

Registration for the Fasting4Menopause Kickstart Programme closes at noon (UK) today!

🥳I’m so excited to see the wellness & weight loss transformations that will be taking place over the next 6-weeks!🥳

Follow the link to join us!

Fasting 4 Menopause - Karen Finn In the Fasting4Menopause Kickstart Programme, you will learn how to tackle your menopausal weight gain and other symptoms once and for all

When was the last time you put yourself first - before your family, friends, work?

It seems like menopause couldn't come at a trickier time in our lives, between ageing parents, changing family/partner relationships and loads of work stress.

When you're being stretched in multiple directions, it can be easy to forget about your own health and wellbeing. Good nutrition, exercise, sleep and self care get pushed to the back burner, just when you need to look after yourself the most.

That's what I love about intermittent fasting. It's a total act of self care, but it doesn't add anything to your "to do" list. On the contrary, it gives you LESS to think about and can clear your mind of the 24/7 mental chatter, especially around eating.

It's the one constant in your life that you have 100% control over.

And it can set you up for better nutrition, more energy to exercise, improved sleep, too. I found that these other things started falling into place quite naturally once I started my fasting lifestyle. Of course, I started FEELING so much better as a result. And losing weight.

Maybe you'd like to do this one thing for yourself, too.

My Fasting4Menopause Kickstart Programme is a perfect low-pressure way to get up and running with fasting. The first class is on Sunday but don't worry, it's pre-recorded so you can listen to it whenever it's convenient for you. You'll have my daily support in the Facebook support group if any questions arise.

To get all the details and enrol, check out the link in the comments!

*Registration closes tomorrow, 20th January, at noon UK time!*

Who wants to learn how to tackle menopausal weight gain & reduce other symptoms without overthinking things?

https://www.facebook.com/karen.g.finn/videos/947131129620030/

As I’m only now seeing FB notifications from 2 weeks ago, I’m going to assume you don’t know I’m starting a course on Sunday…

A client recently commented on one of my posts saying "Fasting has - over time - completely changed my life." It was such a powerful reminder that intermittent fasting is not just another diet.

In fact, it's not a diet at all.

Aside from all the health benefits and weight loss, it can help you unravel a lifetime of issues around food and self-belief that you may not even realise you had.

It empowers you to trust yourself and gain more confidence in yourself, not to mention teaching you how to be kind to yourself... something that many women have lost along this menopausal journey.

If you’re looking for more than a diet, my 6-week Fasting4Menopause course could be for you.

Just like fasting, I've designed it to be as flexible as possible so that you can fit it around your busy schedule, but still get my daily coaching support in the dedicated Facebook group if you feel you need it. The classes are pre-recorded so there's no pressure to turn up at a specific time.

We start this Sunday 21st. Registration is open till noon Saturday (UK time).

All the details and signup can be found in the link below.

I get asked all the time if you have to count calories while intermittent fasting. The answer is a big fat NO!

It’s so ingrained in many of us that this MUST be done in order to achieve our weight goals. The fear of being free to eat what you want terrifies so many women!

But I’ve seen women reaching/maintaining their ideal weight over & over again without counting a single calorie. I’ve been doing it myself for 5.5 years.

Let go of the fear & learn to trust yourself with food. It’s so empowering!

If you want to learn how to do it without adding more stress to your life, consider my Fasting4Menopause Kickstart Programme. The first lesson drops this Sunday 🥳 Link is in the comments.