The MiDOViA Menopause Podcast
Welcome to The MiDOViA Menopause Podcast! Your trusted source for evidence-based, science-backed information related to menopause.
MiDOViA is dedicated to changing the narrative about menopause by educating, raising awareness and supporting women in this stage of life, both at home and in the workplace. Visit midovia.com to learn more.
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The MiDOViA Menopause Podcast
Episode 023: Our Favorite Things
In this lively and informative episode, April and Kim dive into their must-have products that make navigating menopause a little easier. From skincare saviors to MHT essentials and must-read books, they’re sharing their personal favorites that have made a difference in their journey. Whether you're looking for new solutions or just curious about what works, this episode is packed with helpful recommendations and a lot of fun. Don't miss out—join the conversation and discover your next favorite thing!
Favorite Things Links:
Midi Health
https://www.joinmidi.com/midovia
My Alloy
www.myalloy.com
Musely
www.musely.com
IT CC Cream Illumination
https://www.itcosmetics.com/makeup/face-makeup/foundation?start=0&sz=20
IT Pillow Lips Solid Serum Lip Gloss
https://www.itcosmetics.com/makeup/lips/lip-gloss/pillow-lips-solid-serum-lip-gloss/ITC_895.html
Kari Gran Lip Whip
https://karigran.com/collections/lip-whip
ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint
https://iliabeauty.com/collections/super-serum-skin-tint-spf-40
Supergoop Glow Screen
https://supergoop.com/products/glowscreen-spf-40?variant=39553207730274
Womeness
www.womeness.com
We love: Clean Slate, Fountain of Glow, Daily V Soothe
Mary Kay Naturally
https://www.marykay.com/en-us/products/skincare/collection/mknaturally?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Brand+%7C+Skincare+%7C+US+%7C+Broad&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-w1yQ7UJFppCuHpZYZBxGbvS5zt&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtsy1BhD7ARIsAHOi4xbdQP6ksX2QYxChWWU49OKhPiMNtpLmVU2BKlUcBW_LsTWE9LqEPtwaAkItEALw_wcBhttp://www.marykay.com/tbanvaleyrolfs
We love the Purifying Cleanser, Facial Oil and Moisturizing Stick
Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum
https://madhippie.com/products/vitamin-c-serum
The Good Oil
https://theorganicskinco.com/products/the-good-oil?variant=42189644595431
Welcome to the Medovia Menopause Podcast, your trusted source for evidence-based, science-backed information related to menopause. Medovia is dedicated to changing the narrative about menopause by educating, raising awareness and supporting women in this stage of life, both at home and in the workplace. Visit medoviacom to learn more home and in the workplace. Visit Medoviacom to learn more. I'm one of your hosts, april Haberman, and I'm joined by Kim Hart.
Speaker 1:We're co-founders of Medovia, certified health coaches, registered yoga teachers and midlife mamas specializing in menopause. You're listening to another episode of our podcast, where we offer expert guidance for the most transformative stage of life, bringing you real conversations, education and resources to help you overcome challenges and reach your full potential through midlife. Join us and our special guests each episode as we bring vibrant, fun and truthful conversation and let us help you have a deeper understanding of menopause. Today, we're bringing you a really fun episode. Kim and I get asked time and time again what our favorite products are, what our recommendations are, and so we're bringing you today our favorite things. Enjoy. We are excited to bring you this episode today. Kim and I get lots of questions on things that we use, what our favorite things are, recommendations, and so that's what this episode is all about Kim and April's favorite things.
Speaker 2:I mean, I mean midsummer, midsummer, dream, right now.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. Yeah, this is going to be fun. I don't know about you, kim, but I pulled a bunch of stuff this morning that is sitting here on my desk to share with everyone, and I didn't realize how many favorite things that I actually have.
Speaker 2:I'm going to go first because I don't want you to think that this is one of your favorite things. This is actually one of our favorite things. Okay, this is Womaness Fountain of Youth Oil, and we're not telling you these favorite things because we get paid by Womaness or we insist that you use Womaness. But this I'm a huge oil fan. Everyone's like what do you do to your skin? And I'm like it's all oil. It's oil all the time. And this oil is incredible and I use it in the morning and it goes right into my skin. It's got vitamin C and just feels super good. This one's almost gone because I love it so much.
Speaker 1:Oh, it is great, and I know that Sally Mueller, co-founder of Womaness, says that that will be in their lineup forever, because it is a favorite thing of everyone's. Okay, while we're on Womaness, let's just stay right there, because I have a couple.
Speaker 2:Just in case you want to know more about Womaness, she was on a previous episode of our podcast. It's worth checking out, and she was just on Good Morning America.
Speaker 1:And the View, and the View For a second time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so she's like one of our people, we love her a lot. And the skincare line Okay, what do you got?
Speaker 1:Okay, so, first of all, womaness products are clean, which is another reason why we love them. Um, we love clean products. We believe in that. Um, what we put on our skin is really important, and so we believe in watching chemicals and all those fake things. Don't put it on your skin, but I love Clean Slate. You can see this. This is their creamy and gentle facial cleanser, and it has chamomile in it and it is truly gentle. I have sensitive skin, I have really dry skin, and this is a lifesaver. I really love my cleanser. And then I also Hold on on the cleanser.
Speaker 2:Just one second. If anybody's listening and they're local. I have a case of it and I'm happy to give you a sample of your own for free. They donated to a women in work conference that we did, and I have a whole case of the cleanser which I will use because I love it too. But in case you want a free sample not even a sample an actual size of it.
Speaker 1:I got it. I was thinking of you and that case, because this is down to the very bottom. I need to go shopping at Kim's house. Yeah, exactly, I love that. Okay, my other favorite product from Womaness is the Daily V Soothe, and we talk a lot about vaginal dryness and this helps. So Daily Soothe, just pop it on, you know what to do with it and it works. So it's good. Those are my favorite Womaness products. While we are talking about facial products, should we just stay right there for a moment? Okay, facial products you mentioned their oil and it has vitamin C in it. That is my favorite. My standby is Mad Hippie vitamin C serum. This is lovely as well. Pcc, pcc for local people. You can get this at Ulta. Ulta has Mad Hippie. I think you can get an online. I think they have won awards as well for many of their products. But love Mad Hippie and it really is. It really is good for all ages. My daughter, who is 21, loves it as well.
Speaker 1:So, Mad Hippie is also clean product, my favorite oil and I've been using it for years and years. Good old Mary Kay.
Speaker 2:It smells like chocolate, oh it smells like chocolate.
Speaker 1:You think, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:It smells like chocolate. It's like-.
Speaker 1:It kind of does, doesn't it or?
Speaker 2:cake, or I mean I put it on I think you're right.
Speaker 1:I think it's more like cake, yeah yeah, but it's lovely and it's not thick. I could bathe in this and I have probably, I don't know three or four bottles because I never want to run out of my Mary Kay naturally. And then I follow it up with my little Mary Kay naturally moisturizing stick. These are everywhere they're in my yoga bath, they're in my console in my car, they're in my cosmetic case, they're on my counter right here and they literally are just. It's like a big fat thing of chapstick, but it's a moisturizing stick. So I just rub it wherever throughout the day lips, cuticles, everything. So moisturizing sticks are everywhere.
Speaker 1:And then our dear friend, Emily who is in Spain right now, or she would be on this favorite thing episode. She gave us the good oil.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I have about that much left too. It is See Yummy.
Speaker 1:It is good, isn't it? Uh-huh, good oil is really great. You can get this online. You can get it at like, whole Foods, pcc. This smells like jasmine or something. I don't know what's in it, but sometimes I just put it on my wrist just like an essential oil. Oh, good oil, all right, what, what's? Oh, and I have one more thing. Can I keep going?
Speaker 2:Yeah, keep going, except everybody oil. We like oil oh is that a?
Speaker 1:thing?
Speaker 2:Definitely as you're. You know, in menopause, as you as you age, with your estrogen dropping, so does all the moisture in your entire body, and so you know when you get stuck with, you know, dry hair or dry skin. The oils, and lots of people are afraid to use them because they're worried about whether it's going to clog their pores or make them too greasy. And I have not experienced that at all. And if you haven't tried any oil all natural, definitely check it out, because it will really help smoothen your skin and help it feel way more supple.
Speaker 1:It really does. Yeah, and even just like jojoba oils after you get out of the shower, right? Instead of just those expensive moisturizers, you can literally take jojoba oil and just rub it all over your body while it's still a little bit damp and it feels good. So, yes, oil, and I even take some of these oils and rub it all over your body while it's still a little bit damp and it feels good. So, yes, oil, and I even take some of these oils and rub it between my hands and just give the ends of your hair a little bit of self-love too, right?
Speaker 2:Well, my gray hair in the front is so coarse that it needs oil to even not stick up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, so we're pressing the oil down.
Speaker 1:So you know head to toe everything else oil I also am loving and this is prescription, so it's not really going to matter for those of you that are watching this on YouTube but I'm actually loving my prescription estrogen face cream and I've been using it for about, I would say, about a month now, maybe a little bit longer, and a little bit goes a long way. It is prescription. You can get them through. Let's see. We can get them through Midi Health, which is the menopause doctor that I got this through, which they're fantastic, by the way. You can also get it through MyAlloy. Right, they have a face cream. They just did a study on their estrogen face cream and the efficacy of that. And then there is a I believe it's called Muesli Muesli. They also have a face cream that has estrogen in it, but I'm noticing a difference. Are you, kim? I?
Speaker 2:love it. Actually, I mean, I stole your your prescription, but it isn't. It is not covered. I don't know if we're supposed to say that, Okay, whatever, don't send this to our doctors, it is not covered by insurance and it is not inexpensive, but it is something that, if you're feeling extra dry, estrogen will really help. Support that.
Speaker 1:Okay. I have just the elasticity right, I just feel like it's got a little bit more for lack of a better word plump, plumpness in my skin again, right, Okay, I have something.
Speaker 2:It is not whole and pure but I love it so much. It's the super goop glow screen sunscreen, oh, and it is 40 SPF and it has a sheen in it. So I don't use anything else on top of all my oils except for the sunscreen. And it's bright the glow it's. It's got a little glow to it. Oh, like a little highlighter, yeah, and it's bright the glow it's. It's got a little glow to it, ah, like a little highlighter.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's not. I mean, it's not the most pure. So if you're really trying to go, you know super pure. But I really love this glow screen when I just feel a little, um, you know, like I'm don't have any color in my face or whatever. This is perfect. I love it. It lifts the dull.
Speaker 1:Exactly, we could be an advertiser for whatever you call it Marketing, for that Okay.
Speaker 2:My favorite sleep has been hard for me and everyone knows that has been around me how hard sleep is. I've tried a lot of things but my two favorite sleep things one of them is a THC gummy and I won't show that today. I've tried a lot of things but my two favorite sleep things one of them is a THC gummy and I won't show that today. I realized in the middle of the night I didn't feel right. Some nights have my THC gummy but these are patches from Well Melon. They're sleep patches. They have L-theanine and they help with and melatonin and you literally it has a patch that I stick on inside my arm.
Speaker 2:You can see right here take a patch off and it and and it, so it goes right here and it just. It just evens things out. Add some melatonin, L-theanine, chamomile and it's calming and I really like it.
Speaker 1:Oh interesting, I had no idea they made patches. Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2:In fact there's a patch company called the Great Patch. They have one too, and CVS just started carrying them in their personal care aisle.
Speaker 1:They have a great personal care aisle, by the way they are amping it up and it's like I don't even think that they call it personal care or feminine care. It's personal care aisle, by the way they are amping it up and it's like I don't even think that they call it personal care or feminine care. It's personal care. Now. That aisle is like on steroids now and it's fantastic, right and one of the best that we've seen.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you could spend a long time in there. I mean, they got everything from, you know, tampons and leak-proof underwear to menopause creams. Now they have the the great patch, which I love. They have great patch has a sleep one, they have a calm one, they have a like amp up the energy one, like if you haven't tried patches, they're very interesting.
Speaker 1:Um, so the other patches, though, cause you? You're using the um estrogen patch. Yes, I am transdermal patch. You love it?
Speaker 2:Yep, yes, Uh, I ha. It's helped me with so much with brain fog, with some of my anxiety issues, with sleep, sleep with focus. I really it was, and it took me a long time to figure out what kind of estrogen that I needed. And again, estrogen patches are not for everybody and it is something that you need to talk to your doctor about, but it was a game changer for me, and I don't. They're starting to say that you can be on the estrogen patch for forever.
Speaker 1:Now, whether you want to or not, some I mean there are contraindications and, like you just said, talk to your doctor. But most people.
Speaker 2:Yes, it is one of those things that I can't live without and I sort of panic. I do like if I go on vacation, Don't run out of a patch right, yeah, well, I went on vacation and I went swimming in it and it fell off, which is unusual because it normally stays on, and we were doing a training that week while I was on vacation and I'm like, oh my God, I need to have, I need to make sure I save my patches for that training, because I won't be able to speak literally.
Speaker 2:But the patch is something that you put on twice a week, so Monday, thursday, sunday, wednesday, you and you just put it. I usually put it underneath my bra line or underneath my panty line. The only downside that I have with it is that it leaves some sticky on your body that you have to kind of take off. But whatever, who cares? Yeah?
Speaker 1:It's like a bandaid sticky, right, I mean you just have to kind of. It is a little more sticky than that. But yeah, you love the patch. I tried the patch. You know I've taken systemic pill form moved to the patch just so that I had a transdermal option. But I'm going to tell you what I love. I love my Eva mist spray, estrogen spray what a funny looking bottle, I know. And I saved well, I guess I got to go this way. I saved this to show everybody how it works.
Speaker 1:I have not used my mist this morning, okay, so for those of you that are listening, just bear with us. But you, um, you basically just take this little cap off and see the little dome thing and I just literally take it on my forearm and give it a spray and then move it forward, give it another spray and that's it, that's it. And then I've got, you know, a little bit of wet on my inside of my arm and it dries in 90 seconds. And then I'm done 90 seconds. Um, and you can. You know, your doctor will tell you one, two or three sprays daily. But the thing I like about it is that it doesn't have the sticky, um, it's a little bit easier to use. I use it daily. So for me, if I don't get in a habit of using something every single day, sometimes I forget.
Speaker 1:So, the patch kind of stressed me out a little bit, because I'm like is it Tuesday? Yeah, I know, I know. Yes, what day is it? Um, so, eva mist, it's not covered by insurance. Um, some, sometimes it is, but it's not a generic. So, um, this is a little more expensive than the patches were for me, but for me the convenience is worth it. So see dry. Were for me, but for me the convenience is worth it. So see dry. All right, so that's that is our estrogen.
Speaker 2:Did you have more skin products you want to share? I don't, but what I do have is, uh, magnesium. This is a supplement that I take before I go to bed. This happens to be magnesium with ashwagandha, so my skin patches and my magnesium with ashwagandha, which is a calming herb. Uh, this helps towards the camera.
Speaker 1:Let me see it there. All right, so new chapter. New chapter is the name for listeners.
Speaker 2:Okay and I got. I get it at PCC I think. But bottom line is magnesium with ashwagandha Okay, helps with sleep. It also it says it's got muscle bone, heart and relaxation support.
Speaker 1:Magnesium is super important for us.
Speaker 2:Big fan.
Speaker 1:The menopause transition and post-menopause. It is one of those supplements. Of course, talk to your doctor, but I think that you will find that most healthcare practitioners will recommend magnesium or menopausal women for sure. Okay, I'm not done with skincare stuff, oh, sorry.
Speaker 2:Um, this is how do you have time to put all this on.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, Well, I don't I just kind of have it hanging around. Remember, this is my ultimate favorite. And how do you pronounce this? Mario Bendescu? Yeah, bendescu.
Speaker 2:You have that everywhere, everywhere.
Speaker 1:Yes, I have the mini bottles. It's facial spray everyone and it is. They have. This one is aloe, cucumber and green tea. This one is my favorite. They also have like a lavender. They have one that has rose water in it, which I like as well. But I have these bottles everywhere and kim knows I travel with it, so on the airplane I just take it, spray your face. It just gives you moisturizer, like it just feels so good. I started using it during COVID because of the masks and the AGG and I never went back. This is like again in my car on my bathroom counter. It's here on my desk. You know, I went hiking a couple of weeks ago with my daughter. We were all sweaty, hot when we got in the car and we're like I have face spray. It's going to feel so good, yeah, yeah. So those are that's what I would consider treatment on my list. Those are like must haves. Must haves, yeah, what about fun stuff? What about makeup lotion? And let's move to nothing for you because you use your Supergoop.
Speaker 2:I use my Supergoop and I use Thrive Mascara.
Speaker 1:That's it you do yes, because it's the tubular mascara right and.
Speaker 1:I like the tubular mascara as well. I always get I always pronounce this wrong but Trish McAvey, she also has a tubular mascara that I absolutely love. So, yes, because you can wash it off with water and you don't need anything harsh like I make a remover kind of stuff and it doesn't smear, ladies, when you put all this oil on your face. The challenge is is that when you wear mascara, you end up with all of the big, you know black underneath your eyes, unless you have a tubular mascara. So there's your solution they're going to tell you to dab powder underneath your eyes and set it, but you know what that does. What's it do, kim? All those lines that we are like looking at in the mirror, that we don't, we're not in love with yet it just accentuates it. I'm not a big fan of the powder, no, okay, what I like because I do wear a little bit of makeup is my Ilia tinted super serum for my face because it has SPF of 40, but it is not like makeup, it's a serum. So, again, it's kind of like an oil. How many layers of oil can you have? The funny thing is, is it just soaks in, kim? It's so moisturizing and it's so light. I put it on every day, even if I'm just on vacation. It's my sunscreen, I just put it on and again, it's the oil, it's the sunscreen, with a tiny, tiny tint. If I want a little bit more coverage I didn't bring it with me here it, it, it?
Speaker 1:Cc cream, and I like that one with the. It has a highlighter Um, I forget what you call that, but similar to your super goo, um, it has a little bit of a highlighter in it. And if I want a little bit more coverage and true makeup, I will wear the CC cream, yep. And then I know this is both of our lists. So I want you to hold up your lip whip, lip whip, lip whip, Yep, lip whip, lip whip, yep. Carrie cron um started, uh, this company and she has lip whip and it just comes in a little tube. This one is a little bit of a pink tint, but you really can't tell. No, it's really moisturizing.
Speaker 1:I just love these little tubies yep, she carries local to seattle.
Speaker 2:she um started making chapstick for her friends in her kitchen and now has a beautiful line of lots of oils, beautiful line of menopause products, if you want something all natural, local and she's clean and she's a lovely human.
Speaker 1:So there you go. It's a lovely human. So we and we love the lip whip. She also, by the way, shout out, she donated a bunch of lip whip to women in work summit. So thank you, kari. Yeah, okay, my other favorite and now I'm going to have to take this off for those that are watching on YouTube my other favorite is it cosmetics has what's called pillowow Lips Solid Serum. I love these little guys. These are all over in my little purse and stuff too. You have to kind of give it a little click. It looks like it's dark, but it's not. Look here, it's just a little look.
Speaker 1:Oh it's a little bit of tint, I love it. It is nice and like what do you call it? Like slippery, moisturizing. Yeah, not sticky, I love this stuff. Yeah, and all of the colors aren't really color, it's just giving a little bit of tint, but it's so moisturizing that I have these everywhere Every time I go to Ulta and my husband's, like do you need more of that? Like yep, I do need more of do.
Speaker 1:Thank you for asking. Thank you for asking. All right, and then I'm coming back to sleep. My little favorite thing beyond melatonin is lavender oil, and this one comes from a local company here in Edmonds where we live. And how do you pronounce it? It is the name of the store, palombria. Yeah, I can't read that without my glasses Turn on your head.
Speaker 2:Say it again Is it Palombria? Palombria lavender store in Edmonds, and um, yeah, all right, I'm going to.
Speaker 1:I'm going to spell it P, e, l, I, n, d, a, b A lavender. Okay, I don't know. They get their lavender from squim Washington and it's a beautiful place, especially when all the lavender fields are in bloom Great trip, by the way, if you haven't done that, but it's really high-grade lavender that they use, and this is a roller. And before I go to bed, I take my melatonin, I take my progesterone tablet, I put my earplugs in, which is also on our favorite thing list, oh, for sure.
Speaker 1:And maybe we can talk about which kind we use. The earplugs go in, maybe even the eye mask goes in if it's still light outside, because, hey, we go to bed early and then I take my lavender and I roll it on my wrists and just give it a little sniff and I'm like cues me that it's bedtime. So love, love, love my lavender. I have one more thing on my list and then we're going to see what you have, kim. But I don't think this is clean product. I don't know, I'm not even going to look at the ingredients, but pumps lotions, oh my God, I'm addicted. This one is my favorite summer sweet pineapple and honey, lemon, yum, really really light body lotions. You can get these at Ulta as well. I probably and I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but guessing that I might have about six of those bottles on my bathtub ledge and in various flavors.
Speaker 2:Okay, in various flavors.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, I love the smellies and, like, depending on my mood, I'm like which one do I want today? But I love it. It's really moisturizing, it just smells good, it makes me feel good, makes me happy, and it's that little bit of joy that's like here's my hemp oil, okay, and it really doesn't have of joy.
Speaker 2:That's like here's my hemp oil. Okay, and it really doesn't have hemp in it?
Speaker 1:It doesn't. Yes, it does. Natural hemp seed oil. That makes sense. Why they call it hemp seed oil? Yes, they do have hemp seed oil in it. Yeah, All right, that's all I have on my list, besides coffee. Oh, yes, a little cup of happiness. Cheers my Nespresso, and I know we're not supposed to drink a lot of coffee, but hey, it's my favorite thing.
Speaker 2:Mine is mushroom coffee with collagen creamer.
Speaker 1:You have collagen creamer, good for you, I know.
Speaker 2:All right, it's coconut collagen creamer. Oh, you like the coconut flavor. Coconut collagen creamer, oh you like the coconut flavor. It's not, you know, it's not as good as a big old cup of black coffee. That tastes, you know.
Speaker 1:I keep mine. Just nothing in there. Nespresso makes it nice and foamy on the top. I am a Starbucks snot. I only like Starbucks. I don't get paid to say that Starbucks. I don't get paid to say that. I just love my Starbucks coffee. I also started putting mind green body again, we don't get paid for this. They have a creatine powder that is non flavored and it also has taurine in it, because there is more research coming out that creatine is really good for us in the postmenopausal stage Well, any menopausal stage for our muscle, uh, muscle tone and muscle strength. And I don't have it on right now because it would look a little bit crazy with my little tunic. But, uh, my other new favorite thing is my weighted vest, so mine's right over there. Oh, thing is my weighted vest, so mine's right over there. Oh, good for you. We are, we are on it. The weighted vests, aren't they great? I've been walking with the weighted vests and it is really.
Speaker 2:I've only used it for a couple of weeks now, but I've noticed a difference. Yeah, so it. Because muscle building is so important in this phase in life, you have to look for all the ways in which you can build your muscles. It doesn't have to be heavy at the gym with weight training. It can be yoga, pilates, a weighted vest or weighted arm weights, but something to add extra strength for you. They say the weighted vest you should get 10% of your body weight. Um, I got the 10 pound vest, which is not 10% of my body weight but I wanted to.
Speaker 1:But let's pretend, it's 10%.
Speaker 2:I wanted to start a little, a little bit lighter, but on Amazon prime um and it's pink and it's cute and yeah it's, it's a, it's a great thing, a great thing so I, you got the pink.
Speaker 1:I went boring greg so I'm like I don't really want to look like a. You know, I don't know what I think my dog poop bag. I have all this stuff I have to bring with me.
Speaker 2:I wear a shoulder bag. That's got that completely 100.
Speaker 1:I'm like gosh, yeah, now, now we've got the weighted vest. So we're the crazy ladies in Edmonds that are walking around and we don't care because it's good for us, right? Hey, the other thing that I wanted to mention is just books, favorite things, because Dr Marie Claire Haver is the one that has been really recommending the Weighted Best, and I follow her. I love her book, she walks with the weighted vest and she's a huge advocate, and so she's actually the reason why I got the weighted vest.
Speaker 1:So the name of that book is the new menopause. Oh yes Sorry those of you that are listening the new menopause, marie Claire Haver. That's one of my favorite books. I'm going to call out a few more. I like Dr Malone's book Grown Woman Talk. This isn't just for menopause, this is just for women's health, and what I really took from it is be your own advocate. And she talks a lot about how to do that and I just love. I love the way that she speaks in the book, the way that she writes the book. So it's just easy. It's an easy read for anyone. This is an older book but it's still one of my favorites. The Menopause Manifesto by Dr Jen Gunter she was. She wrote that a while ago, before menopause was kind of a thing.
Speaker 1:And here's my favorite one right, this one is such a good one, isn't it, kim? The menopause brain by Dr Lisa. Is she a doctor? Yes, phd, dr Lisa McHoney, and she does. She's really one of the only doctors that's doing research on the menopause brain and brain health. And I think, if you haven't, if you haven't read any menopause books, I don't know that I would start with the menopause brain, but I would end with the menopause brain.
Speaker 1:It's super important. Any of these other three books, just a little light reading. Here we go. I have like five or six other ones, but those are my favorites.
Speaker 2:I would say Dr Haver's book is the best place to start if you want to know more information. She writes it in a very approachable way, very informed way. She's doing great work to talk about all the things. She's got a strategy now on how to avoid the nursing home when you're our age, like all the things to do about that, including the way to invest.
Speaker 1:So yeah, yeah, that's, that's it. That's why I got the way to invest and, like I do not want to fall, I do not want to end up in a nursing home. I do not want to die, not right now. So, let's, let's, figure out how to take care of ourselves. Yeah, and there was.
Speaker 1:you know, I know one of our other favorite things, not just because we're yoga instructors, but is yoga. It's really good for us for many, many reasons. But there was just a recent study that was done that if you practice yoga at least three times a week for 60 minutes, that it can reduce hot flashes. So, of course, not hot yoga, but, um, you know, any other type of yoga, and yoga is just great. My yoga blocks, um are my favorite thing, not just for yoga, but, um, I sit here at my desk. It's like a little stool for me. It lifts my knees. Um, I sit here at my desk. It's like a little stool for me. It lifts my knees, takes pressure off of my lower back. The medicine ball I know you have one that is right next to your desk, so we sit on the medicine balls to protect our back, uh, our hips, throughout the day.
Speaker 2:We have standing sitting desks, so I was just gonna say my standing desk. My standing desk is the best.
Speaker 1:Yeah, lift that thing up there, kim, for those that are watching YouTube.
Speaker 2:So my other new favorite there you are again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, here, can you see me now? Yes, but listen, thank you, kim, for giving me your old standing sitting desk, because it's been a lifesaver, lifesaver.
Speaker 2:Here's my newest. Favorite thing is a lacrosse ball.
Speaker 1:Oh, yes, you got that from our new favorite PT.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And she said what color do you want? And I said surprise me. And she brought me yellow, which is my favorite. Chakra Manapura is in your gut, right? Anyway, you use this on the floor or against the wall in those places that are sticky or sore, or I go deep in my hips with this ball.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's like a foam roller, but it really targets specific areas. Be careful, be careful, start gentle. I didn't and that was a mistake, so just start slow, like with anything, right?
Speaker 2:Okay, my last favorite thing, and then I think we've, and then I think we've got to sign off because people are tired of listening to us.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:April's daughter, rachel, made me this frog. It's a crocheted frog Everybody. It's got a little frog head and frog eyes. I'm sure you have yours around your desk, exactly. Listen, we, we can't put up with bullshit anymore as we get Sorry and we got to do hard things to get what we want. And the frog reminds me that I need to have hard conversations to stand up for what I need and what I want, to take care of myself, whatever. That is because you got to eat. As April has raised her kids with you got to eat the frog before you get anything else you want to right, because it's just going to get uglier.
Speaker 1:That cute little frog turns uglier and uglier the more you avoid, whatever it is conversations, situations. Just hit it head on and eat the ugly green frog. So, yes, that green frog sits on our desk as a reminder that we just need to do hard things sometimes and just do it and we can right. Right, I totally can.
Speaker 2:We're bad, so we're bad asses. I'll say it, and the only way out is through.
Speaker 1:So it's true, and we learn a lot through that journey as well, and so I think we could probably end there with that being best piece of advice.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Right, our viewers, we didn't do the fast pitch or rapid round, but it's fine. We did a lot today and we covered a lot of ground, so it's been fun and I hope that our viewers enjoyed this. I hope we have given you some favorite products as well that you can use. Go shopping, do a little retail therapy today, because that's also really fun, and until we meet again, just go find joy in the journey. Everyone, thank you for listening to the Medovia menopause podcast. If you enjoyed today's show, please give it a thumbs up, subscribe for future episodes, leave a review and share this episode with a friend. There are more than 50 million women in the US who are navigating the menopause transition. The situation is compounded by the presence of stigma, shame and secrecy surrounding menopause, posing significant challenges and disruptions in women's personal and professional spheres. Medovia is out to change the narrative. Learn more at Medoviacom. That's M-I-D-O-V-I-A dot com.
