Last week my contribution to an article on advocating for women’s health was published on CNN. It was a great moment to see more discussion about perimenopause in mainstream media.

My friend Dr. Christine Koh wrote a wonderful piece to help more women understand the nuances of going into perimenopause, which is the phase of time before menopause. This stage is confusing, as there is not a set age, symptom, or hormone level that truly announces the arrival of perimenopause.

Advocating for women’s health on CNN.

 

Emily Roach Womens Health Advocate Perimenopause

Advocate for Better Health

One of the reasons I am so passionate about getting more women to speak up is because I’ve heard so many of my clients have their concerns dismissed by their physicians. They blame new health challenges and energy decline on “getting older.” Women are being told this in their late 30s and it’s total B.S.

“The first things women raise with their doctor regarding perimenopausal symptoms are often related to energy and mood,” said women’s health coach and patient advocate Emily Roach via email. “Doctors will dismiss their concerns and say it’s just part of getting older. They don’t dig into potential issues related to thyroid health, low B12, or gut issues.”

 

Digestive Woes

Here’s the thing, women will make sure their child goes in for an annual wellness check-up, but will often push off their own annual physical. Please don’t as this is your opportunity to keep an eye on lab work that is so important. Make sure you know what to ask before your appointment, what language to use so insurance covers it, and how to push back if your requests are dismissed.

 

Book a complimentary call if you need further support via health coaching and patient advocacy.

how to advocate for women's health

Happy weekend! We are blessed with warm weather and sunshine so no complaints here. It “almost” feels like a normal weekend. Make yourself an iced coffee or iced tea and enjoy some healthy entertainment in the links ahead.

simple sourdough

Weekend Wellness Wrap Up

  1. My mindful meal planning chat was shared yesterday via the Conscious Eater’s Conclave online summit. I’ve been listening to the other talks and they are fabulous. As we all spend more time in our kitchens, there’s a ton of great info on how to make healthy choices easier on a regular basis. You can still watch the replays through the weekend for free. Click here to check out the speakers and let me know if you catch my talk!
  2. I’m obsessed with all things related to growing a kitchen garden, or potager en francais.I grabbed this new book and curious to learn more about what a kitchen garden coach can do.
  3. We got on the sourdough train too this week. It’s not our first rodeo, but it’s been at least two years. Round one came out great, and now I’m going to play around with some other recipes to find the right one that works for our timing. I love recipes that tell me “what to do when” from a time of day perspective. We used the one from The Clever Carrot and I found it very easy to follow.
  4. Our compost bin in the kitchen has had a broken lid for over a year. I finally replaced it and got this pretty copper one that can live on the counter and make it so much easier to clean up after everyone at home.
  5. I love the weekend links from Every Day Parisian. This week’s How to Stock a French Pantry was a delight to read. (and I’m still in pretty good shape from my fall trip to Paris!)
  6. The kids got a little sunburn yesterday. Yikes! We brought the Beautycounter sunscreen back out and realized we needed to restock. Click here to grab your sunscreen that is safe for sensitive skin, with no toxic chemicals and it’s easy to apply.
  7. In case you want my wine pick of the week, I’ll happily recommend our new 1/2 bottle of the Middle Jane Pinot Noir. The wine from Willamette Valley comes from a Demeter certified biodynamic vineyard, and they create some incredible wines. Scout & Cellar partnered with this winery to create the Middle Jane wines and they are truly spectacular if you consider yourself a wine connoisseur.
  8. Have you heard of Zach Bush? I’m getting on the bandwagon and listening to his work. He has a different perspective on how the virus has come to be from an evolutionary perspective. This episode is getting a ton of traction, or listen to the Rich Roll podcast. While I don’t agree with everything, I do think there are some very interesting takeaways from a science perspective.
    • “I aspire that we emerge from this planetary wake-up call not as victims, but empowered — armed with greater clarity to reimagine and actualize a better, more sustainable, purposeful, intentional, and fulfilling life experience for ourselves, our loved ones, future generations and frankly the world at large.​”  -Zach Bush

Happy reading friends! Enjoy the weekend and may you get some sunshine on your skin wherever you are.

xo, Emily

cook pancake on sheet pan

p.s. Thank you to everyone who has made the Sheet Pan Pancakes and sent me pictures. Tag them on IG with @emilyroachwellness so I can find them!​

ready to try online pilates_

I’m a huge fan of doing online pilates. After I had to give up tennis for awhile, I needed to fill a big void. Pilates was the one workout that brought more joy and strength to my life, instead of sweat and stress.

There’re so many reasons why an online pilates program is the easiest thing. There are way less excuses involved. I can do it in my pajamas, don’t have to get to a gym, and can skip my cold basement where my Peloton lives. (I would ride the bike more often if it wasn’t so cold and dark in the gym.)

I’ve found pilates to be the sweet spot when it comes to a workout routine. I found a pilates program that’s flexible for a busy mom like me. My schedule is different every.single.day. I make time for a class right after I send the kids to school, and yes, I’m often still in my pajamas. (I’ve given the lawn guys a show a couple of times.)

Making Pilates part of my Morning Routine

I few months ago I wrote about my morning routine. It may be different than others you’ve read as I’m not a huge fan of forcing yourself to get up at 5:00am to start “hustling.” No. For me, my morning routine has become a way of starting my day from a place of strength and serenity, nourishing myself, tending to my kids, and then finishing the routine AFTER I get them off to school.

Pilates fits into this either just after the kids go to school, or before 7am if the dog decides to wake me up early. You just never know with kids and a puppy in the house what your wake up time will be, right?

online-pilates-free-class

How Pilates fixed my Sciatica

This fall, I noticed a strange pain down my leg every time I walked. We had just  brought our new puppy home so I was walking a lot more throughout the day. Not strenuous by any means, but I realized I needed to deal with the pain. I finally went to see a sports medicine doctor and she quickly recognized the symptoms as sciatica.

I’ve had it before, but this time it was a lot worse. Due to a mix of really long car rides (ahem, lacrosse tournaments out of state didn’t help) and a lack of strength in my core, the pain was getting tough to bear.

I had taken a long break from Pilates after traveling to Paris and getting the new puppy. When the pain started I didn’t want to do anything to aggravate it. Turns out, what I really needed to solve my sciatica was getting back to a consistent pilates program.

After getting “back on the mat” so to speak, my sciatica resolved within one week. TWO WEEKS. That was enough to stretch things out that needed it, and get my core back in shape. Everyone will react different as we come to the mat from different places. But I do believe it’s a great starting point for healing after an injury, or use it during a recovery period.

How I Found Pilates Online

We are so lucky we can test out different instructors via YouTube for pilates and a whole host of other classes. When I looked for free pilates online, there were lots of choices. But you have to find the style that matches what you are looking for.

I think it was another blogger who first recommended Robin’s classes online. After doing one of the 5 day challenges, I was hooked.

Online Pilates program

These are legitimate workouts where I’m sore the next day. And that’s just a 15 minute workout! There’s long workouts and short workouts. I’m telling you, this is the easiest thing to fit into the margins of your day. If I can do it with my puppy jumping all over me, you can do it too.

 

The Balanced Life Sisterhood

After doing the challenge series of pilates classes online, I decided to test out The Sisterhood program with The Balanced Life. It includes the following:

  • a huge library of online pilates classes
  • recipe ideas
  • community support
  • tracking your workouts/calendar view of what to do each day

I know I’m better with my exercise goals when I have it scheduled in advance. Now I just log in and check the calendar for the workout of the day. If it’s too long for the time I have, I save it for the weekend. (where no classes are slotted in so we can all play catch up!)

The Sisterhood is now open to new members for a limited time. Learn more at The Balanced Life Sisterhood, and I also got a code for $20 off your annual membership! Use code: emily20

online pilates app

These 10 tips for better sleep improve your quality of sleep. Skimping on ZZZ’s can lead to decreased cognitive function, heart disease, and weight gain.

A morning routine can help you achieve more, but lets create a realistic plan for busy moms. Morning routines can include time with your kids, yet still optimizing our health.