Success in Menopause and Beyond with Valerie Mazziotti

Today's guest, Valerie Mazziotti, is an experienced family practice physician's assistant and certified life and health coach and today she's here to talk about navigating menopause with ease and grace.

Many women complain of symptoms with menopause such as weight gain around the belly and emotional symptoms like feeling alone and unprepared for the changes. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to slow down and take time to enjoy the things you like, take time for your health, and to decide what you want the next chapter of your life to look like.

If you have any questions for Valerie, you can email her at appcoachingnetwork@gmail.com.

DoTERRA Wellness Advocate
At Wholistic Natural Health Australia, we often recommend the use of high quality essential oils.

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Transcript

1:00

Welcome back to Magical Life. I'm your host, magic Barclay, and today I'm joined by Valerie Mazzotti. Valerie is going to talk to us all things, menopause, alcohol, and more. But for now, Valerie, please introduce yourself. thank you. Magic. yes. My name is Valerie Mathi and I am based out of a rural area out of Seattle, Washington. And I have been a family practice physician assistant for 30 years. I'm also a certified life and health coach, and I'm here today to talk about women's health and whatever else you wanna know. Great. Well, we're going to launch straight into it. I always ask Okay. My guests the same three questions. Okay. And everyone gives me like such a different answer. I, I love it. So here we go. What can your expertise do to accelerate health, not just physical, but also emotional and spiritual health? I think one of the best things we can do to accelerate our health is to actually slow down. I think we're too rushed, we're too over committed. We don't have the time to be quiet and still and be creative. And I think that is one of the, worst things that we can do for our health and for aging. So, in what ways should we slow down mentally, physically? Like how do you suggest ladies slow down? Yeah, well, I think mentally is a big part, and I know that's very hard to do at different phases in your life. You know, when you have little kids running around and maybe you're trying to work on top of that, there's very, very little time for yourself. But if you don't take the time to be healthy, All of the other things in your life are just simply not going to work. And you know, when we see many women later on in life in their forties, fifties, and sixties, developing many health problems, that could have been avoided, if they were able to take better care of themselves, you know, throughout the years. So we get to menopausal age and mm-hmm Everything starts to change the way we see the world, the way our body reacts to things. What are some tips that you've got around those changes around accepting those changes? Well, that's a great question. I think one of the things is to just have a great sense of gratitude for where you're at. You know, you've made it this far. you've probably, you know, raised some children along the way or you've had a great career, or you've been a wonderful spouse, and those are things to celebrate. And even though there's a lot of things. As we move forward that we don't particularly like that happens to our body. just being here every day. It is such a special gift. Fantastic. Now look, we do talk about wealth here and many people think that's just financial wealth, which of course, I. Can be a bit of a turmoil come menopause time, but also emotional wealth is important. So what are your top three tips to creating wealth? I think number one is knowing yourself and knowing your priorities. If your priorities are in place with what you want to do in this time that you have on Earth, it will be easier to say no to the things that you. Don't want or will turn out to be not very important to you. I think it's very important to have time to do something other than your work. And, as a life and health coach, I encourage, um, my healthcare providers that I coach to also remember their hobbies, their passions. And even though it's hard sometimes to find the time to do those after work, it is super important to make sure you do that. And eating healthy is also right up there. You know, if you eat and after the meal you feel tired, you feel bloated, something's wrong with the way that you're eating. You should feel energetic and light after you eat. So I think finding what foods work the best for your body will also be very helpful for you with your emotional wealth. Some great tips there. Now weight loss or weight gain, the weight journey, let's just call it, that can be an issue, especially for menopause, when all of a sudden you might have lower abdomen weight that wasn't there before. First of all, have you ever battled your own weight? If so, What was the trigger to losing it? And what do you offer the listeners around the changes in their body and perhaps the weight struggles that maybe they've been dealing with? Um, Well, well that's really one of the number one things that, you know, women don't like about the menopause transition. And, pretty much every 50 ish year old woman who comes in for their physical has the same complaint about where did this weight come from? That's around my abdomen. because there is a metabolic shift where the weight, which normally might have accumulated in other areas like our thighs, Goes to her abdomen. And as you know, unfortunately that's the kind of weight that causes diabetes. Uh, that causes heart disease. And so whereas women have a lower risk of these diseases prior to menopause. Once they hit menopause, they're, they're on an even playing field with the men. So it's something that's really important to address. as far as my own weight journey, I mean, I've always stayed pretty much within about 10 pounds of where I should be. but I've always been very, very active. Uh, I grew up, dancing. I love ballet. I walk dogs. I, I try to do everything I can because that to me is a stress reliever. And it makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I'm doing something for myself after taking care of people all day long. Wow, that's great. So you mentioned off air about our alcoholism and with the changes in the world that you're seeing many more women turn to alcohol. Why do you think that is? Is it a self soothing situation under increased pressure and stress? Is it a chemical need that women are trying to fill and what do you think is really driving that? well that's a great question and I think there's a lot of things that are driving that. I mean, I'm not sure in Australia if you're experiencing the same thing, but I imagine, you know, in these times, most countries are having similar stresses in, the United States. For many years it's been very fashionable for women to drink wine. It's like wine is everywhere. Mom's with wine, let's meet for wine. Um, you know, go out after work for wine. It was. You know, very socially acceptable. but unfortunately with people, staying at home, having less social interaction, a lot of people have continued, you know, to drink and their drinking has significantly escalated to the point where now it's really a significant problem. You know, one of the reasons that it really affects women physically is that alcohol is metabolized much slower in our bodies. So it's, they're longer to do damage, and it affects pretty much every system in our body and including our mental health. So I think it's really important for women when you go to see your healthcare provider. To feel free to talk about it. I know it's hard and in our society, Women tend to feel like they have to hide their alcohol use, but unless we know what's going on, we can't help you. So, uh, you know, if you're out there and you're struggling, you know, find some help, find a friend, find a program. It's something that if you let it keep going, it will snowball and it will change the trajectory of your life. And certainly just on that, if you choose to work with my company, holistic Natural Health, all of that will be on your intake form. So to listeners out there, you know, we wrap all that counseling into your package. So we're going to see the root cause, the driver behind your reliance on alcohol or maybe your. Increased intake of alcohol. We will get to all of that. So I just wanted to drop that in there for everyone. Mm-hmm. I think it's an interesting thing that before these times we're going through now, that there was a lot of support for women with breast cancer, uh, where, you know, it's a great thing and they'd have, you know, walks and events and fundraisers, but they always seem to circle around wine. And one interesting fact is that if a woman drinks more than two drinks, A day on average, her breast cancer risk increases by about 20%. So if you really wanna protect your breast health, cut back on the alcohol. Drink socially. Enjoy it occasionally. And if it's becoming a problem, please reach out for help. Definitely some, some great tips there. Now many women find. come menopause time that the drivers that were a factor in their life have changed. You know, maybe the kids are grown. Mm-hmm. Maybe the job has changed, maybe the marriage has stopped. So how do you suggest that women find their emotional set point now that things are changing and certainly now that the adrenals are providing all of the hormones? there've been some interesting studies, across the world about menopause. And what they did was they, uh, interviewed women, you know, in all different cultures about what symptoms that they had with menopause. And it turned out that the more educated women, the more wealthy women, tend to have more symptoms. So why is that? I mean, there's probably a lot of reasons. maybe in third world cultures, they don't even have the resources to even begin to address some of these issues. So I think it's important to look at that, yes, this is a natural process and things are gonna change, but it's a halfway point. So how do you want the rest of your life to be? You can think of it as a do-over one great thing is you don't have periods anymore. So I think that's one of the best things of the whole package. but going forward, how do you want your life to be? This is a great time. Maybe your kids are growing and, and they've left the home and yes, that's sad, but that gives you a freedom to explore yourself, explore your wants, your desires, and start doing those things, before it gets too late. And your health may become a factor. Definitely couldn't agree more. I saw it as a new beginning, as a flourishing, and certainly I giggled when you mentioned the no periods, because that is the best part of menopause, let's face it. Absolutely. I'll trade off the lower. Abdomen, weight gain for that mess because that's cool. Oh, you know, that's a great point that you brought up about, the lower abdominal weight. it's a time when women are trying new diets and, I know the keto diet has been, you know, very popular with a lot of women and the weight comes off very quickly. But an interesting thing that we see with the keto diet. In women that we don't always see in men is that the cholesterol can increase significantly to unhealthy levels. And it doesn't happen in all women, but we do see it. And so that's certainly something if you're going to change your diet, trying to lose that belly fat, make sure you're getting, blood work done, so that there's not any adverse changes to your cholesterol because of your eating habits. So, Certainly and, and just on that, depending on your immune type, keto may be the worst thing it could do for yourself, or it may be the best thing you could do for yourself. So really make sure that your practitioner, as my team do really understand immune types and what can drive your reaction to say the keto diet. And we've mentioned before on this podcast and I'll mention it again, ladies, in menopause, you should be exercising with weight resistance and should be after lunchtime. No longer can you run on the treadmill early in the morning. Your body just won't like it, so please adapt. Your brain might not like it either. Well, that's true. So, look, we're having a few giggles here about menopause, but some women kind of enter this time feeling lost, feeling desperate. We do need to address those that may be really, really struggling. So, so what are some tips that you've got for entering menopause or maybe even, you know, a decade into menopause, adjusting to the changes that are going on. Okay. physical changes. Is that right? Or emotional or both? Emotional, we've kind of talked the physical. Okay. You know, maybe we're feeling a bit lost going into menopause. We have had some life changes. It is kind of the beginning of the next chapter, so. Mm-hmm. How do you suggest ladies get around that? Okay. I think one of the ways to kind of get around that feeling of being lost is to do some journaling and write down your thoughts and write down things that maybe you've always thought would be fun, but you never have, things that you would like to try, places you would like to travel, maybe changes in your career that you had been considering, but. Couldn't do because you had the kids and you were too busy. And then once you have all of those ideals in place, maybe make a list of from one to 10, what are your top ones that sound the most interesting to you? And then you can go through and do some baby steps. I think it can be overwhelming if you're gonna try to change everything in your life. We're usually not very successful with that. So make a baby step. Like for instance, you know, you feel like you're not exercising enough. Well, one thing that can help is to have a visual cue. So put your shoes, your workout clothes, somewhere where you see them first thing when you get up in the morning, and that reminder that that's something that's a priority and important to you. And don't be hard on yourself if you don't do it every day. Most people don't do it every day. If you start with one time a week and you do one time a week, That's awesome. And then you can challenge yourself. Okay, maybe I'll do two and maybe I'll do three. I think it's important to reward herself and to to celebrate our successes rather than to take a look at it as always saying like, I failed. I should have done it. I should have done it every day. I only did it two times a week, and I failed. Versus, gosh, this time I did it two times a week, and last week I didn't do it at all. You know, I think that will help us stay more motivated and keep on the right track. Definitely some great tips there. Now, is there something, Valerie, that we haven't covered today that you think the listeners might need to hear? I think we need to hear that we're not alone and that when you're struggling in menopause, Probably all of your friends are too. I think in many cultures we get very isolated. I know in the United States, many people don't have any family around, and if you don't have family around, you know, you, you need to have some support. So whether that's a coworker or a neighbor next door, have someone that you can talk to. Share time with. We weren't meant to be single, solitary humans, and we do better when we're in the company of others. Brilliant. Now, Valerie, we love freebies here. What can you offer the listeners and where can I find that? Oh my goodness. well if you have any questions about menopause that you would, uh, like to ask me, I'd be more than happy to, try to answer them for you. and my email address is a p p coaching network gmail.com. Fantastic listeners. I hope you've got a lot of value out of us talking with Valerie today. This was your episode 2 0 1. In our next episode, Eddie Thomason will be coming to talk to us, so this is more one for the guys listening. he's going to talk about. All sorts of things. Money, frequency, vibration, business. In fact, a whole smattering of things with Eddie. Valerie, thank you so much for your time today. Thank you. Magic. It was my pleasure. And listeners, thank you for your time. Go forth and create your magical life.