She takes cold baths

A Deep dive into cold water cures for Meno-symptoms

HELLO!

Hello, ladies, hello. I am writing this post while away with a set of my parents. No spouse, no kids, no pets. Just the way it worked out and I for one am very happy to be the center of attention. Spring break with my parents! Just like high school! Big difference is that we all go to bed at the same time. I don’t sneak out any more. They get to sleep.

Have you taken a retro-parent-kid trip? Meet me in the comments. I think we need to discuss this midlife phenomenon of the open faced sandwich vacation (get it, half the “sandwich” of Parents-You-Your kids). I think I coined a new slay phrase!

LOVING THE CLIPS!

Personally, I am getting a lot out of the process of combing through my interview with Eleanor to find short but sturdy clips to discuss. It’s great to have the whole of a thing (interview) but sometimes taking it in pieces makes it better (clips).

Pivot to F_ck it

Last week we checked out the clip of

Eleanor Anstruther

(see above) and me talking about her midlife pivot of not giving a flying fuck in the face of adversity and what not. I want to talk about that before I move on to the next clip about her morning ritual of a three minute cold bath (see below/brrrr).

Ever wonder why the fifties seem more peaceful than our thirties? Eleanor expressed it well in last week’s clip saying“menopause is liberating.” not worrying so much about stuff that seemed so utterly important twenty or thirty years ago. Just carry the fuck on, you know? The world isn’t going to end because you did or didn’t do something. It might be bad for you, but in general, the rest of us just keep going with our lives. We have to because life just keeps going and so will you.

If our goal is important to us and an impediment blocks our way, like water or rats, we find an alternative route. When we were young, a big bad publisher who said no to our book might have stopped us, as Eleanor said happened to her. But, with age and hopefully with experience, we scoot around them. We get it done. You get it done. There is nothing to be afraid of, no one will laugh at you for trying something new, or failing. It’s your journey.

COLD PLUNGE

Let’s talk about cold baths.

Another interesting part of midlife is the countless ways in which we women handle ourselves: our health and our bodies. Our moral. Our spirit. Eleanor, like so many women I know, gave up alcohol a number of years ago. (I will do a clip of that next week and post the whole video. I do post other clips on Substack Notes during the week. Here is a link to my Notes.)

Midlife needs our attention, ladies. If you aren’t feeling well or happy, you need to figure out why and start experimenting. Because if you aren’t feeling well or happy the people around you aren’t either. But, you know that. Happiness takes work! In this case, Eleanor found that a cold “what the fuck!” (it’s so cute when she says it!) three minute bath helps her control her weight, and puts a spring in her step and clears her mind. I recently found another friend does cold bath immersions. Have you seen the tubs of ice and water people keep outside? You don’t have to do that. You can just run a cold tub. I have not tried it but hope I can get myself to do it.

Check out this article in The Guardian: Cold-water swimming eases menopause and menstrual symptoms, study finds

“Swimming in cold water can significantly reduce symptoms of the menopause such as mood swings and hot flushes, a study has found.

Spending time immersed in cold water appears to confer a range of physical and mental health benefits for menopausal women, with some likening it to “healing”, the researchers said.” Guardian Thu 25 Jan 2024

Another article, this one from Feisty Menopause: How to Have a More Chill Menopause

“Though cold plunging may feel trendy right now with every other podcaster talking about their plunge tub, using cold water immersion for health reasons dates back to at least 3500 BC in medical writings and was popular among the Ancient Greeks.”

“Research shows that cold water immersion can also trigger a prolonged, significant release in dopamine, which can contribute to feelings of motivation, focus, alertness, and happiness. Cold-water swimmers report increased feelings of health and wellbeing. Research is ongoing and we need more high-quality studies to verify these effects, but the evidence for mental and physical benefits is compelling.”

“Think of cold-water immersion as strong medicine. It’s not for everyone, and a little goes a long way. There are no firm, scientifically established protocols, but a good place to start is with submerging up to your shoulders/neck for several seconds, working up to 30 seconds to a minute in water that is cold, but not frigid, somewhere around 50 to 60 degrees F (10 to 15 C). As you acclimate, you can work your way into longer/colder dips/swims if you choose to.” Feb 06, 2024

There are a number of other articles on the subject and none negative. Fascinating what you learn when you interview midlife women!

SOME THINGS TO CHECK OUT

Have a listen to daughter Bebe’s new song, Want Me.

Have a view of daughter Camille’s blog, Glō Atelier It’s about health and style and is funny!

03.06 A Very Scandi Spring

NOTES

A link to my Substack Notes! Notes is funny. It’s a more intimate forum and meant for people really into Substack. We can experiment and put stuff out there that isn’t fully formed. We have back and forth chats between writers. I only wish I’d discovered it years before!

That’s all for now…MEET ME IN THE COMMENTS….I’ll start.