Maga Woman Magazine - issue #1

— #1
Lifestyle Magazine for Women Over 45
Who is the
Maga Woman?
Are you an
Emotional Eater?
Treating Your
Menopause
Symptoms
Naturally
Securing Your
Financial Future
Reconnect with
Your Core Self
Launch
Issue

Editor
Angela Counsel
angela@angelacounsel.com
Graphic Design
Rusdi Saleh
Contributor Enquiries
http://bit.ly/mwp_magazine_contributor
Advertiser Enquiries
angela@angelacounsel.com
Photo Credits
Cover Image: Willow Belle Portraits
Images supplied by contributors
Stock Images by Unsplash.com
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Maga Women Magazine

Welcome
Welcome to the very first edition of the
Maga Woman Magazine, my name is
Angela and I am so excited to be
bringing this magazine to you.
If you a woman over the age of 45
this magazine has been created
with you in mind. The Maga Woman Project and this
magazine was born after a few different conversations
that I was having with other women. What I found was
that many women when they reach their mid-stage of
life are a little bit confused, and sometimes scared, of
what comes next. I was seeing that society, in general,
did not respect or value women once they reached a
certain stage of their life and this upset and annoyed me.
You see I am a 55-year-old woman with 2 children who
are still in high school. I had my children later in life so now,
as many women might be finding themselves saying goodbye to
their children, I still have the responsibility of being an active parent but
emotionally I am ready for a bit more freedom and to experience different opportunities.
I know I am not the only woman feeling this way.
As well as the changes that are happening in the way I feel about myself and my
world comes the physical changes of menopause. I have spoken to many women,
all who have vastly different opinions about what is going to happen to them when
they reach menopause. Some women are excited to be finishing their monthly
cycle, others are scared of what will happen to their body and others feel like their
life will be turned upside down. Being a naturopath I have seen everyone of these
women in my clinic in the past but until I experienced the menopause transition
I never really understood what was happening on a physical, emotional and spiritual
level. The Maga Woman Magazine has been created to help you by sharing all
aspects of the journey with our readers.
Every article in the magazine will be specifically focussed on women who are over
the age of 45 and the issues that she faces. The primary aim of this magazine is not
only to support and educate you but also to help you to LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE!
I hope that you enjoy this magazine and if there are any topics that you want
covered drop me an email to angela@angelacounsel.com.
Infinite Love and Gratitude
Angela Counsel,
Women’s Transformation Coach
www.angelacounsel.com
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Maga Women Magazine

Contributors
We would like to thank all our contributors to this issue of the Maga Woman Magazine,
with their support we would not be able to share so much great information with you.
If you liked any specific article and would be interested in learning more, please visit
the website of the contributor to see what they have to offer.
Angela Counsel
Women’s Transformation Coach
www.angelacounsel.com
Kerry Ashbrook
Financial Coach
www.lifeyouchoose.com.au
Irena Geller
Emotional Eating Coach
www.irenageller.com
Julie Kimber
Transformational Life Coach
www.newfrontierscoaching.com.au
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Maga Women Magazine

Content
6
Who is the
Maga Woman?
10
Menopause
101
16
The Way
We Live
18
Emotional
Eating
22
Natural Remedies
for Menopause
28
Reconnecting With
Your Core Self
Join the Maga Woman Project Community
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Maga Women Magazine

#iamamagawoman
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Maga Women Magazine

Who is the
Maga Woman?
Written by Angela Counsel
Over the past few months I have
found myself wondering where
I fit in society. I am a mid 50s,
menopausal woman who still has
children at school, I run a business
and I certainly don’t think that I am ready for
the retirement village yet. But at my age I actually
could move into a retirement village, I can
get insurance through Aust. Pensioners Insurance
and most corporate marketers would consider
that my opinion doesn’t count because
they direct their marketing to either women a
15 years younger or 15 years older than me.
After speaking to quite a few women who are
of a similar age to me I realised that I was not
alone feeling like this. There seems to be a segment
of society who has been forgotten.
This sent me on a quest
to find out more.
If we go way back to Greek mythology, there
was a goddess known as the Triple Goddess
(Persephone, Demeter and Hecate) which
represented the stages of a woman’s life. The
3 phases were – maiden, mother and crone.
The maiden phase was birth to menarche (first
period), the mother phase was child birth until
menopause and the crone was menopause
until death. It is important to remember that
in the past women lived to an average age of
45 years, had their first child at 14 and was a
grandmother at around 30 years. When you
understand this lifecycle you can understand
why there were only 3 life phases.
Life has changed a lot since then.
Life has changed since our mother’s and grandmother’s
generation. Women today are having
their children later in life and it is not unusual
for a woman to be moving into menopause at
the same time as her daughter is getting her
first period, this can lead to ‘interesting’ times in
the household. Women today are working and
running businesses well past their 60s, in fact
some of the most successful women in business,
politics and the arts are over the age of
50. I knew there was another stage of life that
hadn’t been a part of our history, there was a
stage between mother and crone and I wanted
to find out if anyone had defined this.
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Maga Women Magazine

The Maga Woman Project
is about celebrating
the wise women of our
society. It is about
building a community of
women who identify
as Maga Women, and
guiding those who are
feeling a little lost to find
the Maga Woman inside
of themselves.
I did some research and I found the term
Maga.
The Maga Woman is aged around 45 to 65
years and is in the menopausal stage of life but
there is a lot more to the Maga Woman than
just her age and hormones. Let me tell you who
the Maga Woman is……
she is likely to be earning a living and has
a lot to contribute to society
she isn’t wondering what she wants to do
with her life anymore, she is doing it
she has a wealth of knowledge that she
wants to share
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Maga Women Magazine

she no longer needs other people’s acceptance
of her ideas
she has a renewed vigour for learning
she tends to look inward for the answers
rather than outwards
she prefers small intimate gatherings
rather than large noisy events
she stands in her strength while staying in
her heart
she often starts to de-clutter her life of
things and people who don’t accept her
she is ready to re-birth herself
Some women struggle with this time of their
life and identify with the term “empty nester”,
this can be a time of great grief as the Mother
watches her child leave. If a woman remains in
the place of grief and feeling of emptiness she
can move straight to becoming a premature
crone and miss out on re-birthing herself as a
Maga Woman.
I was so excited when I found the Maga
Woman because this is exactly who I want to
be, and also explained a lot about the way I was
feeling. I wanted to share this knowledge about
the Maga Woman with as many people as possible,
so I created the Maga Woman Project.
The Maga Woman Project is about celebrating
the wise women of our society. It is about
building a community of women who identify as
Maga Women, and guiding those who are feeling
a little lost to find the Maga Woman inside
of themselves.
I am on a mission to make Maga Woman
the common term in our society that is used to
describe women who are in the 45-65 year age
bracket, because it sounds so much better than
the current term – middle aged!!
Maga Women are strong and have an abundance
of wisdom to share with the world.Maga
Women are a force to be reckoned with and the
world will change because of the Maga Woman.
I have made this short video
that I think shows exactly who
the Maga Woman is.
If you want to join the Maga Woman Community and become part of an exciting new
movement and way of living, then simply click here.
We look forward to meeting you in the Maga Woman Community soon.
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Maga Women Magazine

Menopause
101
Written
by
Angela Counsel
Menopause always seemed to be a scary thing until I reached
that stage in life. When I was studying to be a naturopath
we really didn’t cover much of what happened when women
reached their mid-stage of life.
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Maga Women Magazine

We did learn about hot flushes
and the best herbs to use
but I now realise there is so
much more to know. Over
the past few years I have not
only personally experienced a shift in my hormones
I have also spent a lot of time learning
more about menopause and how it impacts the
lives of women around the world.
Let’s Define what Menopause is
Let’s start by clarifying some terms that are often
mixed up and misunderstood. Firstly menopause
simply means cessation of periods and is
used retrospectively after a woman has not had
a menstrual period for 12 months, it is simply a
moment in time. The time period before this is
known as peri-menopause and the time after is
known as post-menopause. The combined peri
and post menopause transition can last up to
13 years
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Changes in Hormones
At approximately 45 years of age (this is variable)
a women’s hormone levels can start to
change. They ovulate less often as their egg
supply dwindles and the less they ovulate the
less progesterone they release. Progesterone is
a hormone that is released by the egg after it is
released from the ovary. Progesterone impacts
the brain causing feeling of calmness. It has
sedative effects promoting restful sleep and is
anti-anxiety. Can you see why when this hormone
starts to drop that you might feel a bit
tense and have trouble sleeping? Other symptoms
that are associated with lower progesterone
levels are:
breast swelling and tenderness
moods swings
fuzzy thinking
irritability
trouble sleeping
fluid retention/bloating
weight gain
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Maga Women Magazine

The next hormone that starts to drop is testosterone.
The drop of this hormone is not as
great and the symptoms are a bit more subtle
and they include:
decreased sex drive
decreased sensitivity in erogenous zones
decreased sense of well-being, energy
and ambition
signs of depression
thinning of pubic hair
While the progesterone and testosterone
levels start dropping the oestrogen levels stay
high relative to the other hormones but over
time the oestrogen levels start to drop as well
causing the following symptoms:
hot flushes and/or night sweats
vaginal dryness
low energy and ambition
depression and mood swings
dizziness
mental confusion
urinary incontinence
recurrent urinary tract infections
higher risk of vaginal infections
You might notice that in at least one of the
above lists are some symptoms that you have
been experiencing, this could be a sign that you
are in the peri-menopause stage of life.
Common Symptoms
Whilst all of the above hormones are produced
by the reproductive organs they are
also produced by the adrenal glands. Ideally as
your egg supply gets lower the adrenal glands
should be able to produce enough hormones
so that the drop in hormones from the reproductive
glands doesn’t impact your health
too much. Unfortunately due to the modern
lifestyles many women are living their adrenal
glands are tired by the time they reach this
stage of life and there is not enough hormones
produced from the adrenal glands. This is one
of the reasons that many women experience
severe menopause related symptoms.
The most common symptoms that women
experience are:
Hot Flashes and Night Sweats — this is the
sudden heating of the body from the inside, it
can include sweating and flushing of your face.
For some women hot flashes are only a minor
discomfort but for others it severely reduces
their quality of life. Excessive heat and sweating
at night can disturb your sleep along with the
physical discomfort that occurs.
Poor Sleep — as mentioned above poor
sleep can come with night sweats but for some
women they simply find it harder to sleep at
night. There might be nights where you feel totally
wired and can’t get to sleep or maybe you
are waking at the same time each night.
Infrequent or irregular menstrual bleeding
— as your egg supply drops and your
hormones shift you can find that your period
becomes irregular. You might miss a month,
or have a light bleed one month and a heavy
bleed the next, or maybe you seem to be having
a period every 2-3 weeks. There are many
changes that can happen to your monthly cycle
which are part of the menopausal shift. It is
quite common for women to not have a period
for 3-4 months and then start taking some
herbs (which I will cover in the next article) and
then their period starts again and becomes
regular for a while.
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Maga Women Magazine

Many women can experience
depression and / or anxiety
at this stage of life.
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Maga Women Magazine

Vaginal Dryness — this occurs with
the drop in oestrogen levels and is not
only uncomfortable but can also increase
the risk in vaginal infections. There can
also be an impact on a woman’s sexual
experience both physically and psychologically.
Memory Problems — problems
remembering things can be as a result
of falling hormone levels but it is also associated
with high stress and poor sleep
patterns, all issues that can worsen at
this stage of life.
Heart Palpitations — waking up with
your heart racing can be a common occurrence
even if you
have a healthy heart.
This is often triggered
by a sudden lift in
stress hormones or if
it happens while you
are asleep it could
also be related to a
drop in insulin levels.
Given that heart
disease is the biggest
killer of women if you
suffer from heart palpitations
on a regular
basis get your heart
checked to make sure
there is nothing else
going on.
Depression or Anxiety — many
women can experience depression and/
or anxiety at this stage of life. Often is
can be related to high stress or worry
about ageing. In our western culture
there is a lot of negative beliefs around
women growing older and this can cause
women to feel like their life is over when
their children leave home and they no
longer in a full parenting role. There are
many causes of depression and anxiety
and one of the primary causes is feeling
alone.
Heavy bleeding — most women
expect that as they transition through
peri-menopause that their periods will
get lighter until they stop all together.
This is not what happens though. It is not
unusual to have at least one significantly
heavy bleed after several light bleeds,
if you continue to have heavy bleeding
please make sure you visit a health professional
for further investigation.
The menopause transition is different
for every woman and while I have described
some of the common physical
symptoms that might occur, they might
not happen for you. In the following article
I will share with you some ways that you
can manage your symptoms.
Menopause is NOT a medical condition,
it is a natural time of change that every
woman goes through. Women can experience
physical, emotional and spiritual
changes during this time. If you see this
stage of your life as a time to re-connect to
the real you, often the part of you that you
left behind in your teens or early twenties,
then you often will transition through this
stage of life with minimal issues.
Get ready to embrace the secret of
menopause and celebrate your journey to
the best version of yourself.
Note — What I have described is the
natural transition into menopause not
medically/surgically induced menopause
or premature ovarian failure which can
happen a lot earlier than 45. Symptoms
in these cases can be more severe due
to the sudden stopping of reproductive
hormones.
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Maga Women Magazine

The Way
We Live
Written by Kerry Ashbrook
The way we live, the way we work
and our superannuation is based
around a society and way of life
that has long gone. A time when
there was a primary bread
winner, a wife who took care of
the home and family duties and
relationships that lasted until
death do us part. This life was
built on a time when your partner
was indeed your financial plan.
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Maga Women Magazine

Life for most of us is somewhat
different and disturbingly we now
know that the fastest growing demographic
in homelessness, are
women in their mid-50s.
These are not women that you would associate
with homelessness, they have worked
hard, they have supported and cared for
others, they have lived good and meaningful
lives, but have now found themselves a relationship
breakdown, illness, retrenchment or
death of a partner, away from homelessness.
For a woman turning 45, it is likely that on
one hand you may still have young children
(most likely two) and in some cases you may
have already survived a divorce. By 45-54
only 38.2% of us are working full-time (which
continues to reduce dramatically from that
time forward) and only 17.6% are earning the
average weekly wage or above.
If you are 45 today, you are still 22 years
away from being able to receive the pension
and 15 years away from accessing your
superannuation (and the earlier you access
it, the more you need). Very few of us will
have enough super to achieve a comfortable
retirement.
If you haven’t already, then this is the time
to turbo charge your financial education and
knowledge and build your tribe to take control
of your financial destiny!
It is the time to really engage with where
you are and where you want to be. With
women living on average to their mid-80s,
we don’t consider how these ‘non’ working
years are going to be funded and by 65-74
over 60% of us are living on less that a single
person’s pension!
So now is the time to work out your life,
financial and work goals, will you own your
home? How long do you want to work? Is it
time to plan your next career or business?
What income do you think you need to live
on when you are 60 or 70? How much super
will you have? What lifestyle do you want to
have? Do you see holidays in your future? Will
they be weekends away or overseas trips?
What happens if you are single, divorced or
widowed?
The time is now! Women are finding their
collective voice more than ever. Find your
tribe, the people who will support your goals
and plans. Get back in the driver’s seat of
your life, it’s only too late, if you don’t start
now!
We run a series of FREE Financial Movement
Events these are designed to educate
and inspire women to take control of their
financial independence and financial destiny.
You will leave equipped with key financial
information to ensure you can take control
of your own situation. You will receive the
financial independence framework and key
questions to help you assess where you are
at in your life and where you are going.
Click here to learn more.
Kerry Ashbrook is an entrepreneur, business women, inspirational speaker, author, coach,
corporate executive and investor. After a long and successful corporate career and achieving
personal wealth through investment, Kerry founded Life You Choose to pursue her passion of
educating, challenging and empowering women to get the clarity and confidence needed, to
choose their life.
With an abundance of experience to share, including how she has successfully built wealth
through investment, Kerry has worked with 100s of women, from all walks and stages of life.
She believes a holistic approach to life is needed, with an understanding that money is key to
achieving the control and personal freedom you desire.
www.lifeyouchoose.com.au
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Maga Women Magazine

Emotional Eating:
Why we do it and the
3 essential steps to
dissolve your struggle
once and for all
If you are craving to start 2018 by stepping into your best
self and resolving your struggle with Emotional Eating once
and for all then this article is for you.
Let me ask you…
Are you sick and tired of starting
over (and over and over), blowing
it, losing motivation and feeling
even further behind when you try
to change your eating?
And the more hectic your life gets the more
tangled up you get with emotional eating….
it feels like chaos and staying on top of it all
seems near impossible!
I want to let you know that you are not
alone, and it doesn’t have to be that way.
Let’s dive in and explore why you may be
turning to food for comfort and how you can
create the life you have been craving for by
dissolving your struggle with food.
“I believe that life’s too short
to spend fighting with
food and deprivation”.
What is Emotional Eating?
“When your needs
go unmet you feed
emotions with food.”
Emotional Eating is the result of emotion
triggers and unresolved issues that need addressing
and tends to lead to overeating.
Emotional eating is an attempt to manage
mood with food. It’s a coping strategy.
And the problem with emotional eating is
that it leads to yo-yo dieting, because emotional
eaters:
Find it harder to lose weight
Lose less weight than their non-emotional
counterparts, and
They usually regain the weight they’ve
lost.
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Why do we do it?
Comfort and Pleasure
Food impacts your body and emo¬tions, and
at times, this can give comfort, relief, or relaxed
feelings.
Studies show that eating leads to the production
of a neurotransmitter called dopamine,
which activates reward and pleasure centres in
the brain and causes a sense of pleasure and
comfort. Food is a potent natural reward.
Emotional Eating – Warning Signs
There are several warning signs that your emotional
eating or stress eating is getting out of
hand. How many do you have?
Your “eat to zone out” habit is escalating
into something more serious that you feel
you can’t easily control
You find yourself eating when you’re not
really hungry?
You use food as a source of comfort
when you’re feeling sad, anxious, or
bored
You feel guilty or speak negatively to yourself
after a bout of emotional eating
You have struggled with this for at least
12 months and are finding it difficult to
get on top of things.
Although emotional eating is a fairly common
problem, most of us don’t realise how
strongly our feelings can impact our eating
habits.
Understanding Your Hunger
Firstly, it’s important to understand the difference
between emotional hunger and physical
hunger.
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Here are some ways to distinguish what is
driving your hunger:
Emotional Hunger
Is impulsive
Comes on suddenly
Is a craving in the head
Involves cravings for specific foods, especially
those that produce a rush feeling
Often eating until “stuffed”
Satisfaction is usually short lived and is
followed by feelings of guilt
Physical Hunger:
Is a physiological drive for nutrients in
food
Usually felt as a growling in the stomach
Comes on gradually
Feeling fatigues in response to not having
eaten sufficiently
Leads to satisfaction, regain in energy and
mood
Usually leads to mindful eating
The three 3 essential steps to being a happy,
emotion-free eater are:
Good Nutrition and Intuitive Eating
Learning to eat intuitively to suit your unique
body type is the ultimate goal.
Good nutrition builds a ‘cleaner’ body, and
that sets you up to tune into the healthy signals
your body is giving you.Then, you can learn to
eat intuitively in a way that suits your specific
body type and experiment, so you know exactly
what works best for you.
So instead of asking, “What should I be eating?”
or “should I go on this new diet?” – you will
know exactly how to fuel your body for steady
energy, a healthy weight, a clear head and mental
focus.
Being an emotional eater, you probably also
have a lot of food-related rituals in your life,
as a coping mechanism for difficult situations.
Re-writing these rituals is the key to your longterm
emotional freedom.
It starts by understanding what triggers you,
and rewiring that automatic response with a
healthier response.The science of neuroplasticity
shows that it’s possible to change your
brain and the way to respond to life.Rewiring
your brain requires a dedicated approach to
understanding the things that trip you up, and
some repetition of a better, healthier behaviour.
Most people struggle to do this on their
own, and working with a professional coach can
be an effective strategy to take control.
Building a Healthy Mindset
Your emotional eating and cravings are a window
into your inner landscape.
You may be avoiding looking beneath the
surface as it feels vulnerable and you may feel
exposed. This fear will very quickly disappear as
you experience the joy found in knowing
yourself. Awareness allows you to work
out where you are right now, where you
would rather be, and the steps to get
there.
Self-awareness, being honest
with yourself and self-compassion
will help you move in
the right direction.
Limiting beliefs are
common in emotional
eaters (e.g. “I need a
chocolate to make me
feel good”), and need
to be dealt with, too.
Structures and Rituals
Part of healthy eating is making sure your environment
is set up to support you.This means
a bit of meal planning and preparation, so you
always have healthy food on hand.
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It is important to seek support and guidance
to help you set some healthy mental practices
in place, in a way that’s right for you.When you
discover how to take the power away from
food, the struggle dissolves. When you learn to
make peace with food, your whole life gets better
and you can enjoy eating well consistently
and maintain a healthy weight – even when life
gives you lemons.
“I have walked in your shoes on
my own journey with my own
default mindset & food. I was
stuck, alone, lost, overwhelmed, insecure
and had no idea where and
how to start. The turning point for
me was when I started addressing
my mindset & the reasons for
my hunger and taking care of my
needs. I regained control of my
life and as a result shed a whopping
50 kgs! I can now say that
I found food freedom and
I no longer use food as a cure
for stress, tiredness or pain. I
believe that peace with food is
attainable for every one of us,
because we all deserve
a life of joy
and freedom.”
Now, it’s time to give something back and
to share with you the lessons I’ve learned in
creating Food Freedom! If you are ready to
discover how to take the power away from food
and dissolve your struggle so that you can have
your cake and eat it too then contact me for a
complimentary chat a 15-minute discussionby
clicking here
Irena Geller —
Your Emotional Eating Coach
I am a creative scientist and a Health and
Wellness Coach who helps 45+ busy
women to stop fighting with emotional
eating, stress eating and overwhelm and
start living the lives they’ve been craving.
If you want to learn more visit:
www.irenageller.com
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Maga Women Magazine

Natural Remedies
for Menopause
Written by Angela Counsel
In the previous article I shared with you some of the
common symptoms that can occur as your hormones
shift and you transition through the menopause stage of
your life. Now that you understand why you are feeling
the way you are feeling let’s have a look at some of the
simple ways that you can manage your symptoms.
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Before I go into how you can treat
your symptoms I do want to briefly
cover the role that lifestyle choices
play in the severity of your
symptoms. As I mentioned in the
previous article the adrenal glands do naturally
secrete some reproductive hormones and this
process is designed to make the drop in hormones
a little more gradual so that you don’t
experience too many symptoms. The problem
is that many women are adrenally exhausted
by the time they reach their mid to late 40s and
their adrenal glands don’t have the capacity to
cope with the hormonal shift that occurs.
Let’s get on to some of the specific treatments
for the most common symptoms of
menopause
Hot Flushes and Night Sweats
Hot flushes are one of the commonly known
symptoms of menopause. A flush is when you
get a sensation of heat that seems to start
inside of you and intensifies until you are hot all
over and you can also have visible sweating. At
night when you wake up covered in sweat and
feeling very hot (even if the outside temperature
is cold) this is known as a night sweat and
can severely disrupt the sleep of some women.
Lifestyle Changes
Where possible wear light loose clothing
Don’t rug up too much at night, loose
cotton nightwear is best
Flushing and night sweats often happen
more after stressful and busy days, try to
manage your energy and emotions during
the day
Herbal treatment
Note if you see a naturopath or herbalist
they will create a herb mix specific for
your situation
Common herbs used in the management
of hot flushes and night sweats are sage,
zizyphus, motherwort, black cohosh and
red clover (many over the counter remedies
will contain these herbs)
A simple home herb recipe is to chop up
6 sage leaves and soak overnight in lemon
juice. In the morning strain and drink
the juice. Repeat for the next week to 10
days and often your flushing and sweats
will decrease. Do NOT continue this for
more than 2 weeks without consulting a
herbalist or naturopath
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Maga Women Magazine

Diet
Avoid excessively spicy foods
Avoid very hot drinks or foods
Avoid coffee (this is not only a hot drink it
also stimulates the adrenals)
Limit your alcohol intake, alcohol makes
flushing worse particularly at night
Increase foods high in phyto-eostrogenseg
organic tofu, tempeh, flaxseed,
garlic, chick peas, pumpkin kernals, green
or mung beans.
Poor Sleep
Insomnia is a very common complaint for
menopausal women and it can be made worse
with the occurrence of night sweats. Poor
sleep then leads to higher stress, memory loss
and lowered energy during the daylight hours.
Whilst hormonal shifts can impact your sleep
pattern, often the issue with sleep comes from
years of poor sleep habits. The first step to
correcting your sleep problems are addressing
some of your lifestyle habits while also using
herbal support to help you sleep.
Lifestyle
Ideally your body prefers to be asleep by
10pm at the latest, this allows for a natural
waking at around 6am when the sun
rises. Try to be in bed before 10pm
Take all electronic devices out of your
bedroom. Any device that is connected to
the network or wifi produces EMRs which
disturb your sleep patterns. If you must
have a device in your bedroom make sure
that it is on plane mode
Keep your room as dark as possible and
the temperature at around 23degrees
Celsius
If your mind races before you go to sleep
try writing in a journal to help you to clear
your mind
Reduce stress
Herbs
Common herbs used to promote healthy
sleep include – chamomile, passionflower,
lavender, hops, kava, valerian,
ashawaganda, St Johns Wort, zizyphus,
californian poppy
You can purchase Sleepytime tea at most
supermarkets or health food stores which
will include some of the above herbs
Diet
One of the reasons why people wake up
in the night is due to their blood sugar
levels dropping too low. Eating sufficient
protein and fats in your evening meal will
help to regulate your blood sugar while
you sleep
Avoid high sugar foods prior to bed
Avoid caffeine late in the day
Avoid alcohol especially if you find that
you regularly wake between 1am and
3am (this is liver time)
Nutrients
Magnesium with dinner can assist with
sleep or a long bath with Epsom salts will
do the same job
Calcium is also required to help with relaxation
and sleep
Vaginal Dryness
The decrease in oestrogen levels affects the
mucous membranes and the skin. This can
lead to dryness of the vaginal tract, the eyes or
the mouth. The skin also can lose its elasticity
which leads to wrinkles or skin irritation. These
symptoms can range from quite mild to very
severe in some women resulting in discomfort
walking, ongoing cystitis problems or recurring
urinary tract infections.
Lifestyle
Use of vaginal lubricant such as Sylk
(made from kiwifruit), coconut oil or
Vit E cream
An easy cream that you can make up
is – 75gm Vit E cream as base and add
10ml of Calendula Oil, 30ml olive oil, 20ml
Evening Primrose oil, mix thoroughly and
apply 2-3 times a day
Couples counselling maybe required if
the relationship has broken down
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Maga Women Magazine

Gingko and
Bacopa are
2 fantastic
brain herbs
that help you
remember.
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Maga Women Magazine

Herbs
Black Cohosh, Red Clover, Wild Yam,
Calendula, American Ginseng and Licorice
are all great herbs that help with tissue
integrity
Nutrients
Essential Fatty Acids (Fish oils)
Zinc
Vitamin C
Memory Problems
Many women report that their “memory isn’t
what it used to be” after they reach the menopause
stage of life. This can be due to many
different reasons. Poor sleep is a big contributor
and so is high levels of stress. Also the older
you get the more you have to remember so it
is understandable that you forget some things.
As women age they may start to worry about
whether they might have Alzheimer’s but the risk
is lessened if you eat well and look after yourself.
Lifestyle
Get a good night’s sleep
Reduce stress in your life and be less
busy
If you smoke then take steps to stop,
nicotine reduces the blood flow to your
brain
Journalling will help to clear some of the
thoughts that fill your mind so you can
remember the important things
Use memory joggers, notebooks, todo
lists etc
Herbs
Gingko and Bacopa are 2 fantastic brain
herbs that help you remember, can take
up to 2 weeks to start working
Other herbs are Peony and Ginseng
Rosemary as an essential oil is also greata
Nutrients
Fish Oils
Magnesium
Calcium
Sufficient protein and healthy fats in diet
Diet
Drink lots of filtered water, at least 2 litres
a day
Eat a wholefood diet with heaps of veges,
plus protein and healthy fats
Depression and Anxiety
Depression and anxiety are closely related
to the memory symptom mentioned above,
they are often caused by too much stress, not
enough sleep as well as the shift in hormones.
Women over the age of 45 are also often questioning
their life and what they will be doing
in the future, if things don’t appear to be too
bright this can result in feelings of depression.
It is common during this stage of life for
women to wake in the middle of the night with
their heart beating fast and feelings of anxiety.
This can be related to a sudden drop in blood
glucose levels or it could be due to high levels
of cortisol, whichever it is there are some steps
that you can take to reduce these feelings
Lifestyle
Address any emotional triggers that you
have around reaching this stage of life, a
woman’s beliefs around aging and menopause
will have a significant impact on
how she deals with the changes that are
happening to her body
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Maga Women Magazine

Find a group of women who can offer
support and understanding of what you
are going through. The Maga Woman
Project was created specifically to provide
this support, you can join the Maga Woman
Community here
Journalling is a great way to clear some
of the circular thoughts that run through
your head on a daily basis
Meditation or yoga are other great tools
that can help with feelings of depression
or anxiety
Research shows that regular exercise
reduces depressive episodes
Regular massage helps to increase your
sense of wellbeing
Spending time in nature will ground you
and connect you back to yourself and
have you feeling better
Slow breathing exercises
Herbs
St Johns Wort is one of the best herbs for
mild depression and anxiety, it has been
shown in several research trials to be
more effective than antidepressants
Other great herbs are – ashwagandha,
skullcap, passionflower, oats, lavender,
Siberian ginseng, licorice, ginseng, dong
quai, peony
Nutrients
Magnesium
Calcium
Vitamin C
Fish Oils
Evening Primrose Oil
Vitamin B (specifically B6 and B5)
Diet
Eat a clean whole food diet with adequate
levels of protein and healthy fats
Lots of vegies
Avoid alcohol, processed foods and high
levels of sugar
Where I have mentioned herbs I have done
this so that you can check for them in any of
the products that you might purchase over the
counter. Purchasing products containing these
herbs are relatively low risk but please read all
labels to ensure that there are no contraindications
for you. I also have not mentioned any
nutrient dosages, this is because everyone is
different as to how much they need to take.
Simply taking an over the counter product at
the dosage listed might not be enough for your
particular needs. Please consult with a trained
health professional rather than self-prescribing
herbs or nutrients. If you would like a referral to
a local naturopath please let me know and I will
find someone for you.
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Maga Women Magazine

Reconnecting With
Written by Julie Kimber
Have you reached that stage of life
where your children are leaving the
proverbial nest, leaving you with that
heart felt sunken feeling? You have
focused all of your time, energy and
passion on giving your all, raising
children to be the best humans possible
whilst also juggling relationships, career, maintaining a
house and your body to the standards you see in the media!
You may feel that you have succeeded in many areas and
failed in others? Overall, you may have the satisfaction of
knowing that your children had a better up bringing than
you had and the generations before? Are you left thinking
what next, and maybe trying to identify what is missing? I
have a great house, financial security, and a fabulous partner;
however, it is natural for you to experience confusion
or an empty feeling. This is not likely to be a result of the ‘external’
changes that are happening around you, they come
from the ’internal’ you? Do you resonate with this? Now is
the time you need to reconnect with your core self.
Given that 99% of families are dysfunctional in some way
it is an admirable goal to want your children to have a better
life than you did. Since birth and throughout early childhood
we had wonderful traits such as insatiable curiosity, creativity,
playfulness, unconditional love, we were adventurous
and loving. We did not judge others but were instead compassionate
and not afraid to express ourselves emotionally.
In other words, we had a unique sense of ‘I amness’. However,
as we grew up many of these wonderful traits were
lost. As children we have an inherent need to ‘fit in’ with our
‘tribe’ our caregivers who keep us safe. We are given boundaries
and rules that we cannot cross, which are conveyed to
us by sayings such as ‘you don’t really think that do you’ or
‘don’t cry or I will give you something to cry about’ or ‘good
girls do not behave that way’. This effectively shuts down our
emotions, our thoughts and our boundaries.
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Maga Women Magazine

Your Core Self
What is the worst case scenario, and can
I handle it?’ Then, learn how to protect yourself!
These patterns are passed down through
generations, so we cannot blame our parents
as they are just modelling their parents. To take
it one step further, we actually play a ‘role’ as a
child that keeps the family balanced and together.
For example, were you the ‘peace keeper’,
or the ‘good girl?’ Are you still acting out
these roles? Ask yourself, am I a people pleaser,
do I have problems saying ‘no’ and setting clear
boundaries? How can this intergenerational
cycle be broken?
Start with self-awareness, what were our
roles as children, what traits did we bury to fit
in with our tribe? How can we rediscover and
reconnect with our ‘I amness’? What were your
passions and strengths as a child? So what
exactly constitutes a ‘functional human being?
Firstly, if we can develop a deep sense of
self-love and love of others we can stop being
self-loathing and critical of others. Have you
noticed that people who criticise you generally
suffer from low self-esteem and confidence?
Secondly, be prepared to be vulnerable and
embrace uncertainty because the more you
can tolerate this the more you will be able to
get yourself unstuck and grow!
Thirdly, stop overthinking and be more willing
to take risks? Richard Branson’s’ view on risk
is wonderful; he says simply ‘What is the worst
case scenario, and can I handle it?’ Then, learn
how to protect yourself! You do not have to put
up with toxic people or people who do not support
you. Speak up, set clear boundaries or get
them out of your life all together! Do you wish
to become your ultimate self? If so invest why
not join me on my free webinar “Breaking Out
of Procrastination to Productivity” where you
will learn the steps to creating a more fulfilling
life. You can learn more and register here.
Julie has a background in
the biological and social
sciences and now
specialises in human
behaviour. She is a
transformational life
coach and founder
of New Frontiers
Coaching. She is passionate
about empowering
women globally to become their ultimate
self and runs workshops, webinars and gives
inspirational talks on many topics pertinent
to helping people succeed in life. Julie is the
Secretariat for the International Women’s
network for the charity Aquaculture without
Frontiers which aims to alleviate poverty in
developing countries.
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Maga Women Magazine

“True Belonging doesn’t
require us to change who
we are. It requires us
to be Who we are.”
— Brene Brown
www.angelacounsel.com
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Maga Women Magazine

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The Maga Woman Project is for women
over the age of 45 and are ready
to make a difference in the world.
You will get access to:
Monthly On-line Maga Woman Circles
Private Facebook Group
Free Resources to help you live your best life
Subscription to the Maga Woman Magazine
You don’t have to do this on your own!
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Maga Women Magazine

Giving
Women
Over 45
a Voice
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