Dr. Lisa and Dr. Toni are celebrating the 100th episode of the Perimenopausal Mamas Podcast! Listen in for our top highlights from the first 100 episodes and find out what we learned about sex, loving our bodies, intermittent fasting, having thriving relationships, preventing toddler tantrum and kiddo meltdowns and embracing our monthly rhythms. 

We launched Jan 2020 before the pandemic and kept going! We were inspired to stay connected with and support you all, our listeners through this unprecedented time in history. We also love chatting together and diving deep into topics in our episodes together and with guests. It really fills up our cups and educates us on how to be better moms and Naturopathic Doctors. We are so grateful for all you listeners! 

We appreciate all of you and your support! We now have a new way for you to support us and this podcast so we can keep going for another 100+ episodes. We would love for you to visit Patreon and support us with $5/month or with $20/month – which gives you access to our live monthly webinar with Q & A 

https://www.patreon.com/perimenopausalmamaspodcast

Some lessons over the past 10 episodes:

1. Consistency is key
2. Let go of expectations and get it done, even if it’s not perfect
3. Teamwork makes the dream work!
4. Ask for help

Episode 72: Hard Habits to Break

• If you have trouble sticking to habits, listen in for tips on making successful change

Episode 59: Menstrual Cycle Awareness and Cyclical Living

• There are times to work hard and times to rest – your energy and output ebbs and flows
• Optimize your peak performance throughout the month and tap into your natural rhythms and cycles
• Before period or new moon – better suited for analytical work
• Ovulating or full moon – more magnetic, better suited for networking, socializing, promoting self

Episode 23: Let’s Talk About Sex with Dr. Trina Read 

• Research shows that sexual desire is similar to happiness. For most women, in order to feel sexual desire, you need to be triggered. You can learn positive triggers around sex and negative triggers around sex. You need to set up your positive triggers for sex.
• In situations with great change, it’s important to connect with your partner and look for ways to be together, so that you don’t drift apart. Being proactive and finding pockets of time to be close with your partner helps your relationship, as well as feeling more powerful yourself.
• Your body can only produce either cortisol (your stress hormone) or testosterone (your sex drive hormone). If you’re producing cortisol, you can’t produce testosterone.

You can back into the groove and bring your body back to a place where you feel more centred and sensual by:

• Taking a bath
• Listening to your favourite music
• Giving yourself some me time alone (perhaps in your bedroom with a vibrator)
• Just making up your mind to connect with your partner and scheduling it in (even if it feels forced at first)

Episode 17 and Episode 82 – Relationship Seasons with psychotherapist Allison Villa 

• How to support your relationship so you’re not just surviving, but working proactively to thrive

1. Coping – when an external factor takes up the majority of your time and energy, eg. having a baby, starting a new job, loss of family member, pandemic, moving or renovation

• Express how you feel 
• Ask for what you need
• Don’t assume – be curious about your partner
• Carve out 5 minutes a day to check in with your partner during a high energy time in your day – keep talking!
• Recognize that it’s less about the doing and more about being and acknowledging

1. Coasting – when you have come out the the Coping season and reintegrate as a couple, a bit of a danger zone if you’re not putting the time and energy into your relationship eg. empty nest syndrome

• Carve out 5 minutes a day to check in with your partner – no talking about work, kids or the house!
• Support each other’s self-care time

1. Connected – when schedule for self-care is set and you are getting clear on your family and relationship vision

• Dream big!
• Ask: 
  • What is your community?
  • What are your values?
  • Do you want to travel?
  • What is your spiritual vision?
  • Could you do things a different way?

1. Confident – when you know what vision you are working towards

• Be more curious about your intimacy vision – intellectual, spiritual, emotional, physical, sexual

Episode 34 – Pelvic floor fitness with personal trainer Amy Cooper

• It’s important not to avoid any changes you experience with your pelvic health, especially after having kids
• The Rule of 3 P’s for pelvic health that are red flags you need to watch for:
  • Changes in peeing, pooping or passing gas
  • Changes in pain, especially with sex
  • Changes in pressure

If you want to understand what you’re seeing when you dare to take a look: Haley Shevener’s Privates Investigator blog 

Episode 36 – Holistic Pelvic Care with Dr. Kate Hadfield

• How important is it to recover and heal from trauma so you can reclaim your pelvic area for power and creativity, not just for sexuality

Inspired by Larisa Makuch, guest of Episode 51 and 99, Dr. Lisa has continued going alcohol-free since March and it has been a game-changer for self-care over the past 8 months:

• Less anxiety and better mood overall
• Less blood sugar dips -the “gotta eat now/hangry” response
• Looking at other ways to unwind, celebrate, welcome the weekend

Episode 91 – Body Confidence with Kayla Marie

• Start with body neutrality – see yourself as more than your appearance or looks
• How body neutrality and self acceptance is a great place to start on the journey to self love and confidence
• Make a daily habit that fosters body neutrality or body confidence
  • Look in mirror before shower- in your own eyes, zone in on a spot that you are neutral about or like
  • Focus on what your body does for you
  • Can put in gratitude journal

Episode 97 – Vitamin D for Enhancing Immunity, Supporting Mood, Reducing Inflammation and So Much More

• Could a vitamin D deficiency be affecting your mood, headaches, muscle tension and pain like Dr. Toni? Get your blood levels tested with your naturopathic doctor!
• Mind-blowing research on vitamin D supporting the epithelial cells in the vagina to reduce postmenopausal vaginal atrophy – a vitamin D suppository reduced vaginal dryness and pain in 2 months

Episode 58 – Vaccine optimization with Dr. Taylor Bean

• The importance of having an individualized approach to supporting your immune health relating to vaccines and nutrition

Episode 10 

• Intermittent fasting: why 16 hours of fasting didn’t work for Dr. Lisa
  • Pushed back breakfast time and her appetite wasn’t too high when she did eat at first
  • Eventually it was hard to stop eating when she had my afternoon snack and it felt like she couldn’t get enough food
  • Her TSH increased and her thyroid function slowed down a bit
  • Thyroid function improved when fast for 12-14 hours overnight
  • Less overeating in the afternoon
  • Still great focus, concentration and energy, plus sleep is better too!
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