Menopause Life Summer 2022

Page 36

How menopause turned me into a runner. Angela MacAusland Director and Owner of Run Bath and Run Coach Angela

I

went through a number of ‘challenging’ years in my early 40’s (bereavement, divorce, a move into self-employment and a second marriage). So when my periods stopped (and I had ruled out being pregnant) I eventually got a blood test done only to be informed that I was going through early menopause, at age 42. The next thing I know, I am taking HRT and feeling absolutely terrible. The contraceptive pill didn’t work for me either, so after a lot of research, discussions with my GP and deciding to take active control of my diet and fitness, I stopped taking the medication and took up running.

36

MENOPAUSE LIFE SUMMER 2022

It wasn’t plain sailing at first, I literally could not run to the end of my street without collapsing in a hot mess, but one chance encounter changed the course of my life. I met a lady who was training for a marathon race, and I asked her how could she run that far and more importantly – why did she run that far. (A marathon is 26.2 miles or 42km). Her reason for running was that it gave her time away from her very hectic life, and the freedom she felt when running outdoors gave her the mental and physical energy to deal with the rest of her life. Running was her ‘me time’.

That hit home, as a busy Mum, Wife and working full time, the only ‘me time’ I had was when I was asleep (and that wasn’t great either). So I went home that day, grabbed my trainers and went for a run (it was more of a walk, jog, walk) but I now had a really important reason to run - for my physical and mental wellbeing and for some ‘me time’. Every step I took was helping me not only re-charge my mental health batteries, but helping me grow stronger, fitter and more confident in my body. I entered a 5km race, then a 10km race and before long I had completed a half marathon, and 18 months after my life changed, I ran my first full marathon in Chicago.


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Articles inside

Gut health

3min
pages 110-111

Preparing for perimenopause menopause

4min
pages 108-109

Book club

6min
pages 106-107

Creative journalling

3min
page 105

Walking in Mallorca and Marrakech

4min
pages 100-101

Van life

4min
pages 102-103

A contemporary one

2min
page 104

Flower display tutorial

2min
pages 98-99

Flower design and herbs

4min
pages 96-97

Fashion what to wear now

4min
pages 90-91

ADHD and gardening for wellbeing

4min
pages 88-89

The magic of vision boards

4min
pages 86-87

Cost of living/pay it forward

3min
page 85

Wills and all that boring stuff

3min
page 84

Reiki

3min
page 74

Restoring balance with flower essences

4min
pages 76-77

Reflexology

3min
page 75

Chinese medicine

3min
page 73

Single parenting and menopause

4min
pages 70-71

Manage your menopause naturally

2min
page 72

Reader Story - CEO of Access2Funding

4min
pages 68-69

Dr. Nighat Arif

8min
pages 62-65

How menopause affects the skin

8min
pages 54-57

Skincare and beauty

4min
pages 52-53

Fuzz free bikini line and chin

3min
pages 50-51

How to stay cool during heatwaves

4min
pages 48-49

Tinnitus and the menopause

3min
pages 44-45

Empty nest syndrome

4min
pages 46-47

Pilates

3min
pages 42-43

Nordic walking

3min
pages 40-41

Coping with brain fog

3min
pages 22-23

Nurture not torture your body

1min
page 35

My route to running

3min
pages 36-37

Building confidence through exercises

2min
pages 30-31

Core foundations

2min
page 34

Wild swimming

3min
pages 38-39

Body confidence

3min
pages 20-21

Tantra and self-love

4min
pages 12-13

Re-discovery v’s discovery

3min
page 15

Feelings of grief

3min
pages 16-17

Finding gratitude in nature

3min
page 14

Sleep

3min
pages 8-9

Life after crisis

4min
pages 10-11

Overcoming self doubt and criticism

3min
pages 18-19

Happy hormones

3min
pages 6-7
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