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Maga Woman Magazine - issue #2

Maga Woman Magazine is the magazine for women over the age of 45. No fluff in this magazine, it is full of useful information that will help you move into your next stage of life. It includes topics such as health and well-being, relationships, hormonal changes, spiritual growth plus much more. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest, the Maga Woman Magazine will help you do that.

Maga Woman Magazine is the magazine for women over the age of 45. No fluff in this magazine, it is full of useful information that will help you move into your next stage of life. It includes topics such as health and well-being, relationships, hormonal changes, spiritual growth plus much more. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest, the Maga Woman Magazine will help you do that.

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— <strong>#2</strong><br />

Lifestyle <strong>Maga</strong>zine for Women Over 45<br />

Dance yourself<br />

Awake<br />

You and Your<br />

Pelvic Floor<br />

Reframing<br />

menopause<br />

Losing weight<br />

effectively<br />

Create the <strong>Woman</strong><br />

you want to be


Editor<br />

Angela Counsel<br />

angela@angelacounsel.com<br />

Graphic Design<br />

Rusdi Saleh<br />

Contributor Enquiries<br />

http://bit.ly/mwp_magazine_contributor<br />

Advertiser Enquiries<br />

http://bit.ly/mwp_magazine_contributor<br />

Photo Credits<br />

Images supplied by contributors<br />

Stock Images by Unsplash.com<br />

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<strong>Maga</strong> Women <strong>Maga</strong>zine


Welcome<br />

Wow I can’t believe the great feedback that<br />

I received after the release of the first<br />

<strong>issue</strong> of the <strong>Maga</strong> <strong>Woman</strong> <strong>Maga</strong>zine. It<br />

appears that many of you have been<br />

looking for something like this. Not only<br />

have I had loads of comments rolling<br />

in I have also had lots of women who want to share some<br />

great information with you, this means that I will continue<br />

publishing a great magazine for at least the next 6 months.<br />

The past month has been a big one for me because not<br />

only did I launch this magazine I also ran the very first <strong>Maga</strong><br />

<strong>Woman</strong> Circle and it was fantastic. I was blown away with the<br />

willingness of the women who attended to be open, to share<br />

and to support each other. Bringing women together like this<br />

has been a long term dream of mine and to see it come to reality<br />

was humbling and exciting at the same time. If you would like to<br />

join the next online <strong>Maga</strong> <strong>Woman</strong> Circle which is running on March<br />

2nd at 7:30pm (Sydney time) you can book your spot here.<br />

I look forward to welcoming more women into the next circle.<br />

This month the magazine will focus on the physical aspects of being a <strong>Maga</strong> <strong>Woman</strong><br />

on 2018. With great articles on exercise, food and dieting and we even have an article<br />

on building a strong pelvic floor which is so important as you get older particularly if you<br />

have had kids.<br />

I am pleased to introduce our cover <strong>Maga</strong> <strong>Woman</strong> for this month – Natalie Southgate,<br />

who is the creator of Chakradance. Not only do you get to see the gorgeous Natalie on<br />

the cover she has also written a fantastic article on how you can connect to your chakras<br />

through dance. I also interviewed Natalie and you will find the link to the video at the<br />

end of Natalie’s article.<br />

I am having so much fun bringing this magazine together each month and I hope<br />

that you are enjoying it as much as me. I truly want to create something that becomes<br />

a great resource for women as they transition into the next stage of their life, whatever<br />

that is for you. If there are any topics that you would like covered please let me know<br />

by dropping me an email to angela@angelacounsel.com.<br />

That’s it from me for this month see you next month<br />

Infinite Love and Gratitude<br />

Angela Counsel,<br />

Women’s Transformation Coach<br />

www.angelacounsel.com<br />

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Contributors<br />

We would like to thank all our contributors to this <strong>issue</strong> of the <strong>Maga</strong> <strong>Woman</strong> <strong>Maga</strong>zine,<br />

with their support we would not be able to share so much great information with you.<br />

If you liked any specific article and would be interested in learning more, please visit<br />

the website of the contributor to see what they have to offer.<br />

Angela Counsel<br />

Women’s Transformation Coach<br />

www.angelacounsel.com<br />

Natalie Southgate<br />

Founder of Chakradance<br />

www.chakradance.com<br />

Caitlin Grace<br />

Yoni Egg & Self-Love Coach<br />

www.caitlingraceauthor.com<br />

Jennifer Gale<br />

Creator Fit ‘n Fifty+<br />

www.fitnfiftyplus.com.au<br />

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Content<br />

6<br />

Dance<br />

yourself Awake<br />

10<br />

Reframing<br />

Menopause<br />

13<br />

The Best Diet<br />

for You<br />

16<br />

You and Your<br />

Pelvic Floor<br />

18<br />

Gluten Free<br />

Bread Rolls<br />

20<br />

What kind of an older woman<br />

do you want to be?<br />

Join the <strong>Maga</strong> <strong>Woman</strong> Project Community<br />

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Dance<br />

yourself Awake<br />

Written by Natalie Southgate<br />

Do you remember a time<br />

when you completely let<br />

loose on the dance floor?<br />

Maybe it was at a night-club,<br />

or at a party, or even when<br />

you were just cranking up the<br />

stereo in your own lounge-room.<br />

You closed your eyes and let<br />

the rhythms and beats ripple<br />

through you. Remember<br />

the joy, the bliss, and<br />

the freedom of that<br />

feeling?<br />

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As we get older, as well as not<br />

stepping out on the dance floor<br />

as much (or ever!), we may also<br />

find that we’re not stepping fully<br />

into our own lives. It’s easy to<br />

find ourselves sleepwalking through life. It can<br />

feel like we’re just going through the motions of<br />

getting through the day. It’s easy to feel tired,<br />

jaded, and uninspired. The days and weeks,<br />

and even years, roll on by and yet we may only<br />

be semi-conscious of the choices we are making<br />

and the lives we are creating.<br />

Many of us are playing lots of roles in our<br />

lives (wife, mother, friend, daughter, carer,<br />

breadwinner etc) and have put the needs of<br />

others ahead of our own for so long that we’ve<br />

literally lost touch with who we really are. And<br />

yet … from somewhere deep within, there may<br />

be a voice that is beginning to cry out: “Is there<br />

more to life? Who am I really? What am I here<br />

for?”<br />

It feels to me that this deep soul-stirring<br />

seems to intensify at mid-life. That inner voice<br />

crying inside seems to get louder, and the<br />

external triggers that force us to grow get<br />

bigger. Some people call this having a mid-life<br />

crisis, but I really believe that it is a calling home<br />

to our true, authentic self. Our soul wants to<br />

dance again!<br />

Twenty years ago, my various studies and<br />

passions (one of which was letting loose on<br />

the dance floor) led me to create Chakradance,<br />

a dynamic moving meditation practice. Since<br />

then I have shared it with thousands of women<br />

who have had that inner yearning to live their<br />

lives more deeply, authentically, and with more<br />

creativity, passion and purpose.<br />

In Chakradance, we dance to specific music<br />

that hasbeen composed to resonate with<br />

each of the seven chakras. As you dance your<br />

chakras you will begin to notice changes in your<br />

body and in your life. You might find yourself<br />

releasing tension you’ve been holding onto for<br />

years, and gaining energy for the things that<br />

you want to do in your life. Your dance may<br />

re-ignite your passion. You may find you have<br />

more insights into how to handle difficult situations<br />

in your life. You might find more connection<br />

in your relationships. You may just feel<br />

a lot more relaxed and free, and wake up each<br />

morning looking forward to the day ahead.<br />

Chakradance helps us to free up our natural<br />

energy flows and helps us feel more vibrant,<br />

more passionate, more alive.<br />

Here is a quick overview of each dance …<br />

Base chakra<br />

This dance connects us to our primal, instinctual<br />

energy. It helps us to reclaim the wild, animal-like<br />

part of us and deepens our connection<br />

to the earth. We may find ourselves emphasizing<br />

movements of our legs and feet in this<br />

tribal, raw, and primitive dance.<br />

Sacral chakra<br />

Dancing the sacral chakra deepens our connection<br />

with the sacred feminine. Like water, our<br />

feelings and sensuality flow in this chakra. Fluid,<br />

sensual movements of our hips and belly can<br />

heighten our sense of pleasure and passion.<br />

Solar plexus chakra<br />

As we dance the solar plexus chakra we express<br />

our innate masculine energy. This fiery<br />

energy fuels our dance, helping us to feel confident<br />

and strong. We may find ourselves doing<br />

dynamic martial-arts type movements as we<br />

rediscover our own warrior power.<br />

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“Chakradance offers fascinating<br />

insights into the effects of movement on<br />

the chakras … and a wonderful experience.”<br />

Deepak Chopra


Heart chakra<br />

We use our breath to expand our chest and<br />

lift up into the airy dance of the heart chakra.<br />

This soft and gentle dance opens us up to love,<br />

kindness and compassion - for others, but also<br />

for ourselves. This dance, which may call us to<br />

whirl and soar, can help us open ourselves up<br />

to the lightness and joy within us.<br />

Throat chakra<br />

The throat chakra helps us to express our<br />

authentic truth.This dance is a mantradance,<br />

where we weave together our voice and movements.<br />

The vibrations of the sounds we create<br />

pulse through our bodies, intensifying our<br />

self-expression and creativity. We become moving<br />

sound.<br />

Third eye chakra<br />

As we surrender into a trance-dance, we may<br />

find ourselves making hypnotic and repetitive<br />

movements. We may also open ourselves up<br />

to visions, insights and higher guidance. This<br />

dance heightens our perceptions and helps us<br />

see the bigger picture.<br />

Crown chakra<br />

The dance of the crown chakra feels like a dancing<br />

prayer. We may find ourselves raising our<br />

arms toward the sky to receive the universal love,<br />

grace and wisdom. This is the dance of our soul.<br />

When Chakradance is used as a regular<br />

practice, it transforms your life. It wakes you<br />

from your slumber and re-ignites all that exists<br />

within you. Is your soul calling you back to the<br />

dancefloor?<br />

Chakradance is offered in live classes all over<br />

the world. There are over 400 fully trained and<br />

accredited Chakradance Facilitators now, running<br />

classes in over 40 countries.<br />

Click here to see if there’s a facilitator running<br />

classes near you<br />

If you can’t find a facilitator near you, or if<br />

you just prefer to dance in private, we’ve just<br />

launched a beautiful home-practice program<br />

called “Chakradance Inner Temple”, you can<br />

learn more about this by clicking here.<br />

Natalie Southgate is the creator<br />

of Chakradance. She<br />

conceived of it and created<br />

it when living in London in<br />

1998, and has been refining<br />

and growing it ever since.<br />

She is passionate about how<br />

dance, music, mandalas and the<br />

chakras can help people discover a deeper<br />

connection to their true selves, helping<br />

them find happier, more balanced lives.<br />

As well as leading Chakradance, Natalie is<br />

a trained healer and Jungian psychotherapist,<br />

author, co-creator of Inamojo (Chakradance<br />

for children) and mother to two<br />

beautiful souls. She has run workshops at<br />

Deepak Chopra’s Center in California, led<br />

thousands through Chakradance at Doreen<br />

Virtue’s Angel Intuitive courses, and<br />

runs regular workshops across the world.<br />

For more information visit:<br />

Chakradance or Inamojo<br />

To hear more from<br />

Natalie check out<br />

the <strong>Maga</strong> <strong>Woman</strong><br />

TV Interview<br />

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<strong>Maga</strong> Women <strong>Maga</strong>zine


Menopause<br />

Reframing<br />

Written by: Angela Counsel<br />

Here are two vastly different opinions on what<br />

menopause is -<br />

“The joy of menopause is the world’s best kept<br />

secret. Like venturing through the gateway to<br />

enter the ancient temple, in order to claim that<br />

joy a woman must be willing to pass beyond<br />

the monsters who guard it’s gate…as thousands<br />

of women from all cultures throughout history<br />

have whispered to each other, it is the most<br />

exciting passage a woman ever makes”<br />

(L Kenton, Passage to Power)<br />

Versus<br />

“[Menopause] is not a natural condition;<br />

it is an endocrine disorder and should be<br />

treated medically with the same seriousness<br />

we treat other endocrine disorders, such as<br />

diabetes or thyroid disease”<br />

(M Mucclough, Hope or Hype?<br />

Philadelphia Enquirer 1996)<br />

The above two statements to describe<br />

menopause could not be more different and it<br />

is because of these differences that many women<br />

are confused and sometimes even scared<br />

of the menopause stage of life. Some women<br />

are excited about menopause and can’t wait<br />

for it to occur and others feel that their lives will<br />

be turned upside down or the symptoms will<br />

make their lives unbearable. The reality is that<br />

menopause will happen to every woman who<br />

lives long enough, and it is not the beginning of<br />

the end, in fact it can be a time of re-birth and<br />

finding yourself.<br />

Medically the definition of menopause is<br />

the cessation of the monthly period but this<br />

definition fails to recognise the transition or<br />

metamorphosis that can take up to 10 years<br />

to occur. Like when you got your first period at<br />

puberty, this single event did not make you a<br />

woman. It was the start of your transition<br />

from girlhood into womanhood.<br />

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Let’s reframe<br />

menopause and see it<br />

as a transformation<br />

rather than an<br />

ending.<br />

Menopause is a similar transition from the reproductive<br />

years into your wise years of being a<br />

<strong>Maga</strong> <strong>Woman</strong>.<br />

Many women (and society) see menopause<br />

as a time of loss when in fact this is the time<br />

when many woman start to regain their lives<br />

and start to focus more on their own needs.<br />

<strong>Maga</strong>Women are not so worried about what<br />

other people think of them and often can be<br />

quite vocal when they see injustices happening<br />

around them. Menopause is a time of celebrating<br />

who you really are, we almost need a ‘coming<br />

of age’ party when we reach menopause.<br />

But what about the symptoms like hot<br />

flushing? I hear you ask, that doesn’t sound so<br />

great. The thing is that yes, many women do<br />

experience different symptoms as they transition<br />

through this stage of life but many women<br />

don’t. So, what is the difference between these<br />

women? There are many factors that influence<br />

how you will experience menopause in your<br />

life, these factors include your diet and lifestyle<br />

in the 10-15 years prior to your menopause<br />

transition, your stress levels and definitely your<br />

mindset.<br />

If you have a belief that menopause will be<br />

a terrible time for you, that you will experience<br />

the worst symptoms and that this is the<br />

beginning of the end, then it is likely that you<br />

will experience menopause in this way. On the<br />

other hand, if you believe that menopause is<br />

an exciting time, a time for you to enjoy your<br />

life then it is likely that you will move through<br />

this stage of life easily. Your mindset and belief<br />

systems play a very big role in how you will<br />

experience menopause.<br />

The symptoms such as hot flushing, night<br />

sweats etc are not symptoms of menopause<br />

they are symptoms of your hormones being<br />

out of balance. It is natural that your hormones<br />

shift as you age, as your ovaries no longer<br />

produce any eggs, but it is your lifestyle choices<br />

that means your body cannot produce the<br />

correct level of hormones to stop these symptoms<br />

occurring. In the previous <strong>issue</strong> of this<br />

magazine I shared some natural remedies that<br />

can help you if you are experiencing some of<br />

the symptoms as a result of your change in<br />

hormones.<br />

Let’s reframe menopause and rather than<br />

seeing it as a time of ending and of loss. Let’s<br />

not see it as a time where we need medical<br />

intervention for a natural transition. It is time to<br />

welcome the changes that are occurring in your<br />

body and your life and embrace the new life<br />

that you are creating.<br />

Just like the caterpillar who turns into<br />

a butterfly, whilst the transformation might<br />

feel tough the outcome is beautiful. Embrace<br />

your inner wisdom, trust in the magic of who<br />

you are and step into your new role as a <strong>Maga</strong><br />

<strong>Woman</strong>.<br />

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Join the<br />

12 1 18<br />

Today<br />

The <strong>Maga</strong> <strong>Woman</strong> Project is for women<br />

over the age of 45 and are ready<br />

to make a difference in the world.<br />

You will get access to:<br />

Monthly On-line <strong>Maga</strong> <strong>Woman</strong> Circles<br />

Private Facebook Group<br />

Free Resources to help you live your best life<br />

Subscription to the <strong>Maga</strong> <strong>Woman</strong> <strong>Maga</strong>zine<br />

You don’t have to do this on your own!<br />

Learn<br />

More<br />

12<br />

<strong>Maga</strong> Women <strong>Maga</strong>zine


The<br />

Best Diet<br />

for You<br />

Written by: Angela Counsel<br />

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Losing weight is a common <strong>issue</strong> for<br />

many women and as they get older<br />

the ability to lose weight seems to be<br />

even harder. I often get asked which<br />

is the best diet to lose weight so let<br />

me answer that question first and<br />

then we can move on.<br />

The answer is that there is NO single best diet!<br />

I am sure that if you have reached the age of<br />

45 years or beyond then you have likely experimented<br />

with more than one diet in your lifetime<br />

and you would have a good idea of what does and<br />

doesn’t work for your body. There is no single<br />

diet that works for everyone but there are some<br />

healthy concepts that will have your body functioning<br />

at an optimal level.<br />

Let’s start by understanding why it seems to be<br />

harder to lose weight as you get older. For many<br />

women they will have one or more of the following<br />

going on:<br />

Excess fat has been stored around the tummy,<br />

this often occurs due to high stress. The<br />

body responds to ongoing stress by holding<br />

on to fat and storing it around the organs of<br />

the tummy<br />

The body has not learnt how to efficiently<br />

burn fat for energy, this happens after a<br />

lifetime of low fat eating. For many years fat<br />

was seen to be the demon and was simply<br />

not consumed, this meant that the body<br />

forgot how to use fat properly<br />

The body is very efficient at burning carbs<br />

for energy and if there are excess carbs consumed<br />

for what it required to sustain life,<br />

the excess is stored as fat<br />

The body’s metabolism slows down due to<br />

an under-functioning thyroid. Sub-clinical<br />

hypothyroidism affects many women, it is<br />

often related to high stress and high carb<br />

diet.<br />

The body often stores oestrogen in fat cells<br />

and as oestrogen production drops in the<br />

reproductive organs, the body will hold on<br />

to the oestrogen in the fat cells. This makes<br />

it harder to utilise fat for energy production.<br />

There are 2 primary<br />

sources of energy<br />

(or fuel) for the body<br />

– carbohydrates<br />

and fats.<br />

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Insulin Resistance is also very common in<br />

women (and men) over the age of 45, this<br />

is due to a lifetime of high carb eating.<br />

When Insulin stops responding properly<br />

to the glucose that is being consumed<br />

excess fat is stored.<br />

Insufficient exercise to utilise the energy<br />

that is being consumed. Whilst the body<br />

will adjust it’s energy requirements when<br />

exercise levels change, a lifetime of minimal<br />

exercise and high carbohydrate eating<br />

will result in excess fat being stored<br />

Not getting enough sleep. Sleep is a time<br />

not only when the body rests and regenerates,<br />

it is also a time when specific hormones<br />

that control appetite are regulated.<br />

Poor sleep will lead to low energy and<br />

often the consumption of quick energy<br />

carbohydrates and caffeine, this eventually<br />

leads to the storage of fat.<br />

As you can see there are many different<br />

reasons for why your body won’t release excess<br />

weight.<br />

Now don’t run off and try the latest diet fad<br />

to reduce weight quickly because they don’t<br />

work in the long term and may cause you to<br />

put on more weight. But don’t despair there<br />

are a few things that you can do that can help<br />

your body burn fat more efficiently.<br />

After reading the above list you<br />

will probably notice that there is a<br />

common theme in many of the<br />

causes to excess fat storage<br />

– the consumption of too<br />

many carbohydrate foods.<br />

There are 2 primary<br />

sources of energy (or<br />

fuel) for the body –<br />

carbohydrates and fats.<br />

The body can burn carbohydrates<br />

easily and<br />

quickly, fat is a slower<br />

and longer lasting fuel.<br />

The body will always burn carbohydrates before<br />

it burns fat. If you are consuming carbohydrates<br />

your body uses that as the preferred fuel and<br />

won’t start use fat until there are no carbs left. If<br />

there are any excess carbohydrates left over they<br />

are converted to fat and stored.<br />

Keeping the above in mind there are a few<br />

things that you can do to switch your body<br />

from being a carbohydrate burner to being a<br />

fat burner:<br />

Restrict your carbohydrate intake, particularly<br />

sugars, grains and starchy vegetables.<br />

Eat a moderate amount of protein each<br />

day, this helps to keep your blood glucose<br />

levels stable<br />

Eat healthy fats every day, don’t be afraid<br />

of fat you will need this for energy production<br />

when you drop the carb consumption<br />

Intermittent fasting, research is showing<br />

that fasting for 14-16 hours allows your<br />

liver to run out of its glycogen (sugar)<br />

stores and switch over to fat burning.<br />

This is known as being in ketosis.<br />

It is also important to address the lifestyle<br />

factors that might be stopping you from<br />

losing weight, this includes reducing your<br />

stress, getting enough sleep and moving<br />

regularly.<br />

Using intermittent fasting along with a ketogenic<br />

type diet (high fat low carb) has been<br />

shown to increase fat burning and improve<br />

health outcomes. But intermittent fasting and<br />

a ketogenic diet won’t work for everyone. If you<br />

are adrenally burnt out (low cortisol levels), if<br />

you have B type blood or if you have a hyperactive<br />

thyroid. Some people find that a Paleo diet<br />

with fasting works better for them. The most<br />

important thing is to work out what style of fuel<br />

your body needs. If you feel a sudden rush of<br />

energy after eating carbs and then a drop in<br />

energy a few hours later, then your body is a<br />

carb burner and probably is unable to burn fat<br />

efficiently. You would likely benefit from trying<br />

a Keto/Paleo diet for a few weeks to see how<br />

your body handles using fat for fuel.<br />

If you are still struggling with your weight<br />

then why not book a complimentary session<br />

with me and we will see where you might need<br />

to change a few things. You can book your<br />

Discovery Session by clicking here.<br />

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You and Your<br />

Pelvic Floor<br />

Written by: Caitlin Grace<br />

Our pelvic floor is a vital part of<br />

our anatomy. It literally holds<br />

us all together and yet is something<br />

that we give very little, if<br />

any, attention to. Most often,<br />

the only time we hear about it is<br />

after childbirth. If we are lucky<br />

we might hear about it during<br />

ante natal classes. That was the<br />

case back in my day and I don’t<br />

think much has changed. In<br />

fact, if what I am seeing with<br />

my clients is anything to go by,<br />

things have got worse.<br />

The pelvic floor is an intricate network<br />

of muscles that surround and<br />

work with our vagina, bladder and<br />

bowel. The sphincters that open<br />

and close the bladder and bowel<br />

rely on good pelvic muscle tone in order to<br />

open when we need them to and close, tightly<br />

when we don’t.<br />

Light bladder leakage has become so much<br />

an accepted part of our society that we have<br />

products on the shelves to deal with it for both<br />

women and men. Not to mention all the jokes<br />

about “I laughed so hard a little pee ran down<br />

my leg”. Laughing, coughing, sneezing, running<br />

if any of those activities make you think twice<br />

chances are high that you have a pelvic floor<br />

<strong>issue</strong> to some degree.<br />

I always talk about pelvic floor tone and not<br />

“tightness”. We do not need our muscles to be<br />

“tight”. what we actually need is for our muscles<br />

to be pliable and flexible. Tight, rigid muscles<br />

come with their own set of <strong>issue</strong>s so what we<br />

need to focus on is muscle dexterity and suppleness.<br />

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<strong>Maga</strong> Women <strong>Maga</strong>zine


This is where the yoni egg comes into the<br />

picture. Yoni eggs are a crystal egg that you insert<br />

into your vagina to use as a weightlifting device.<br />

The yoni egg practice is really a mindfulness practice<br />

as it helps us return our focus to our body<br />

and pay attention to what is happening within us.<br />

Some people, mistakenly, think that by<br />

simply popping the egg inside of your vagina is<br />

enough. It’s not. It is a whole practice of tuning<br />

into your body, isolating and flexing the individual<br />

muscles. If you want to take it even deeper<br />

you can begin noticing and allowing memories<br />

and emotions to come to the surface to be<br />

healed and released. I personally believe that<br />

the yoni egg practice is one of the best pelvic<br />

floor tools around and also one of the best<br />

personal development tools.<br />

We don’t realise how much trauma and<br />

emotional baggage that our body stores and<br />

our womb is a great storehouse of emotion.<br />

The yoni egg may only go in as far as the vagina<br />

but its healing action definitely goes womb<br />

deep. According to the Tao the strongest acupressure<br />

points in the body are in the vaginal<br />

canal. The acupressure points for the heart, the<br />

lungs, the liver, the spleen and the kidneys are<br />

all in the vaginal canal. Flexing your pelvic floor<br />

muscles allows that yoni egg to gently massage<br />

these points thereby releasing any blockages<br />

such as anger or fear or shame.<br />

Now, more than ever, we need to have some<br />

form of pelvic floor exercise. It wasn’t that long<br />

ago that we used to squat as a daily practice.<br />

Squatting is one of the best exercises for us to<br />

tone those muscles yet we rarely do it these<br />

days. Instead we sit for extended periods of time.<br />

This can lead to vagina atrophy, lack of blood<br />

flow to the genitals and a weak pelvic floor.<br />

Fifty percent of women who have a vaginal<br />

birth will end up having some form of pelvic<br />

organ prolapse and while a toned pelvic floor<br />

won’t stop all of them it will greatly reduce the<br />

risk. As I said before we want toned muscles<br />

not tight and part of the yoni egg practice<br />

is helping our muscles to relax. It sounds<br />

counter-intuitive but the reality is many of us<br />

have pelvic floor muscles that are tense and<br />

helping them relax is an important part of the<br />

work.<br />

Caitlin Grace is the author<br />

of “The Goddess Guide to<br />

Sex, Love and Life” a yoni<br />

egg coach and a self-love<br />

coach. She has been married,<br />

divorced and is now<br />

married to the love of her life<br />

for the past 25 years.<br />

Caitlin’s mission is to help women better<br />

understand the importance of their<br />

pelvic floor and why it matters. As a yoni<br />

egg coach Caitlin helps women understand<br />

there is more to the yoni egg practice<br />

than maintaining the pelvic floor. It<br />

is also a practice in tuning in, becoming<br />

more deeply connected to your body<br />

and mindful of the way you interact with<br />

yourself.<br />

Caitlin can be found via her website.<br />

If you want to learn<br />

more from Caitlin<br />

listen to this interview<br />

where she shares lots<br />

more about the pelvic<br />

floor and how yoni<br />

eggs can be used for<br />

emotional healing.<br />

17<br />

<strong>Maga</strong> Women <strong>Maga</strong>zine


Gluten Free<br />

Bread Rolls<br />

We don’t eat a lot of gluten in my<br />

family and it can be hard to find<br />

bread rolls that have the light and<br />

fluffy consistency of wheat-based<br />

bread rolls. I finally found a recipe<br />

that I thought I would try out.<br />

These bread rolls are amazing,<br />

they are light and fluffy and<br />

taste great.<br />

A word of warning they do have<br />

psyllium husks in them which makes<br />

them high in fibre. If you aren’t used<br />

to having a lot of fibre in your diet<br />

you might find that you fart a bit as<br />

your body gets used to the increased<br />

fibre, don’t eat too many at<br />

once. Also it is highly recommended<br />

that you drink at least 2 litres of water/day<br />

if you are eating these bread<br />

rolls due to the high fibre content.<br />

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Ingredients<br />

1.25 cups almond meal<br />

5 tbspn psyllium husks<br />

2 tspn baking powder<br />

1 tbspn Apple Cider Vinegar<br />

1/2 tspn Changing Habits Seaweed Salt<br />

1/4 tspn pepper<br />

3 egg white<br />

1 tspn Changing Habits tumeric powder<br />

1.25 cups boiling water<br />

Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top<br />

Instructions<br />

1 – preheat the oven to 170C<br />

2 – mix all of the dry ingredients together<br />

3 – add the egg whites, boiling water and apple<br />

cider vinegar to the dry ingredients and<br />

blend in a food processor until combined<br />

and thick. This takes about 30-60secs<br />

4 – set mixture aside for a few minutes while<br />

the psyllium does its magic and soaks up<br />

the liquid<br />

5 – once the dough is ready oil your hands and<br />

make 6 balls and sprinkle with sesame or<br />

poppy seeds<br />

6 – place the balls on a lined baking tray and<br />

cook for approx 60mins<br />

7 – remove from the oven and allow to cool<br />

8 – store in airtight container<br />

These bread rolls taste best when they are<br />

freshly baked with some butter on them.<br />

You can store for a few days and reheat<br />

when you want to eat them.<br />

I love the products that I can get from Changing<br />

Habits, I can always be guaranteed that everything<br />

I purchase from them has been ethically<br />

and sustainably sourced and is the best organic<br />

quality available. If you want to check out some<br />

of the great products in the Changing Habits<br />

store then click here<br />

19<br />

<strong>Maga</strong> Women <strong>Maga</strong>zine


What Kind of<br />

an Older<br />

<strong>Woman</strong><br />

do you want<br />

to be?<br />

Written by: Jennifer Gale<br />

20<br />

<strong>Maga</strong> Women <strong>Maga</strong>zine


I was quite shocked<br />

when someone asked me<br />

this, well before I was<br />

thinking I was getting<br />

old. I didn’t realise I was<br />

actually getting older,<br />

but it really pulled me<br />

up in my tracks. It made<br />

me reflect on the older<br />

women I knew, as well as<br />

just exactly what was it<br />

I would want to be.<br />

N<br />

ot only did it make me ponder<br />

that question very deeply but I<br />

also realised that the older woman<br />

I could see myself being was<br />

going to be a product of what I<br />

was doing right then and there.<br />

That there actually wouldn’t be a magic moment<br />

when I could decide and then it would be done, but<br />

rather that it would be the cumulative effect of my<br />

day to day life choices.<br />

We are always looking for that magic pill, or the<br />

one thing that will restore us to our youthful functioning<br />

selves. Funnily enough we spend countless<br />

amounts of time and money on the search when in<br />

actual fact the answer is right under our noses. The<br />

magic component is there in every single decision<br />

we make about our health and wellness.<br />

The problem is that it is so simple that many of<br />

us don’t believe it.<br />

Simple solutions are not always very sexy or easy<br />

to market. After all the benefits may be very many<br />

years away. You can’t promise an instant effect with<br />

each of these small steps all you can say is that after<br />

a while you will feel better and full of energy. You will<br />

be able to bend and stretch and do the things you<br />

really want to do. But in the meantime you have to<br />

do these small things every day, day after day until<br />

they become the habit the normal way of being.<br />

Until to not do them seems a very odd thing indeed.<br />

It might take you only a short time for some of<br />

them to become habits, or it could make you struggle<br />

for a year or more. Either way if you don’t start<br />

now you will never get there and it may be just a<br />

touch too late to do that 360 degree turn.<br />

So what should we be doing every day to keep<br />

well and healthy? What are the points we need to<br />

keep in our heads to help us make good decisions<br />

and keep our physical self in good shape.<br />

First point is to move and move every single day.<br />

If you are starting out then focus on moving more<br />

today than you did yesterday. It doesn’t really matter<br />

what you do to move “just do it” as they say on<br />

the ads.<br />

Once you have the hang of moving, or if you are<br />

already active, then at least once a week you need<br />

to move fast enough to break a proper sweat and<br />

lose your breath. If you are a walker then walk really<br />

fast in spurts of 100m every few minutes.<br />

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<strong>Maga</strong> Women <strong>Maga</strong>zine


The same advice applies to anything you<br />

might be doing cycling, running, swimming. It<br />

doesn’t matter the important thing is that you<br />

push yourself to the limit. It is only at the limits<br />

we make good physiological changes that improve<br />

our health in a bigger way.<br />

The second thing to incorporate is flexing<br />

your muscles. Twice a week at least you should<br />

push your muscles a little harder too. Either by<br />

doing a body weight routine, working out with<br />

hand weights or barbells or even stretch bands.<br />

You could also do a pump class and have fun at<br />

the same time.<br />

As we get older we lose our muscle mass. If<br />

we don’t work to keep it and rebuild it can have<br />

possibly the biggest effect on what it is you<br />

might like to do with your life. If you can’t get<br />

up and down off the toilet because your legs<br />

and glutes aren’t strong enough then it is likely<br />

you will need supported care.If you are lucky<br />

enough to have some grandchildren in your<br />

life you won’t be able to pick them up or play<br />

with them because you simply won’t be strong<br />

enough.<br />

Next of course is being mindful, not only of<br />

how you move and how much you move but<br />

being mindful of what you eat. So much of how<br />

and when we eat in this world is done mindlessly.<br />

Not just the eating but the planning of<br />

what to eat. Think ahead, think about having<br />

your 5-7 serves of fruit and vegetables every<br />

day and set yourself a challenge to actually do<br />

it. If you are looking for a magic energy pill this<br />

is the closest you will get.<br />

Of course there are hundreds of other<br />

things you can do, but if you simply focus on<br />

these three things you will notice a difference<br />

over time, maybe less time than you think.<br />

There is one thing you can count on though<br />

if you don’t start now you will be losing todays<br />

opportunity to create the woman you want to<br />

be tomorrow.<br />

Fit N Fifty Plus is the<br />

brainchild of Jennifer<br />

Gale. Jennifer is definitely<br />

over 50 and has<br />

a passion for helping<br />

other women find good<br />

health and fitness so<br />

they can feel fabulous<br />

and fully participate in<br />

their lives.<br />

Jennifer has had a long career in public<br />

health starting as a registered nurse with<br />

Intensive Care and Coronary Care qualifications<br />

and moving through to be a Hospital<br />

Chief Executive.<br />

She decided at the age of 50 to become an<br />

amateur triathlete but to do that she had to<br />

learn to ride and swim.<br />

Jennifer has a Masters of Science, is an<br />

accomplished international speaker, researcher,<br />

certified wellness coach, host of<br />

the Fit N Fifty Plus Podcast and the author<br />

of “Fit Fab and 50+ Your guide to living actively<br />

for the rest of your life.”<br />

As an older woman, it can be difficult to<br />

cut through the amount of information out<br />

there and find what is useful and appropriate<br />

for you.<br />

That’s where we come in! Fit N Fifty Plus<br />

provide specialised tips, tricks and tools to<br />

help you get fit and healthy stay that way!<br />

If you are interested in starting some<br />

running practice click here to grab your<br />

7 Simple Steps to Running Your First 5kms<br />

at 50.


If you don’t<br />

drive your mind,<br />

your mind will<br />

drive you.<br />

www.angelacounsel.com<br />

23<br />

<strong>Maga</strong> Women <strong>Maga</strong>zine


Giving<br />

Women<br />

Over 45<br />

a Voice<br />

www.angelacounsel.com

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