photo: TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³

Some of this information may come from well-meaning friends and loved ones who truly want to see you succeed. A lot of it is stuff you’ve  sought out in your attempt to get clear on the absolute best way to move forward.

But, funny thing – I’ve noticed that the more advice and tips I listen to and read, the less empowered I feel about moving forward!

It’s like a vicious circle. I’m confused and unsure on what to do next (or what to do at all!), so I start Googling, talking to people, pulling books off my shelves. Soon, my brain is doing somersaults trying to process all the (often conflicting) information.

It’s crazy-making sometimes.

Paralyzing.

If you’re like me, you may have gotten so frustrated at this overload, so tired of trying to make logical sense of it all, that you’ve just closed your eyes – chosen one of the options and gone for it.

Sometimes this works out just great. And others you find yourself wondering why the hell you went down this road. And then you have to backtrack and start the whole frustrating process over again.

What if there’s an easier way?

In the past I’ve been the poster child for the above scenario. Always looking outside for the answers. Because, after all, everyone else knows so much more than I do.

Logically I knew this wasn’t necessarily true. I do have two college degrees and a couple of decades of experience running a business. My brain had processed the idea that my own path to success is probably different than someone else’s.

But on a deep level I haven’t trusted my own inner wisdom and guidance when it comes to important, ‘concrete’ decisions.

This has all begun to change, though. I’m now learning to access my own inner GPS. It’s been there all the time of course, but it was all padlocked up. I honestly could not find the combination!

There was too much other noise. Noise from all that input of information, noise from my own chatterbox brain.

Unlocking my Inner GPS, and tuning in, turns all that down. I can finally get a clear signal! I can see a way forward.

I still might utilize some of the information I gathered from others, but the kernel of truth comes from deep within my own self.

How did I change?

This is just one example of the profound inner shifts I’m experiencing as a Martha Beck life coach-in-training.

I’ve been coaching for a while, but now I’m learning some new tools and techniques that are total game changers in how I coach both others and myself.

I’ve finally found my Super Power – and it is definitely life coaching. Watching a friend or client’s eyes light up, or hearing a new lift to their voice when a deep shift occurs – well, it’s nothing short of ecstasy for me! Especially because I know they’ve found this shift by accessing their own inner GPS.

Imagine how freeing it is when you can finally get out of your own way (at least for a while), and a previously muddy issue is suddenly illuminated. Whether the mud is piled up around your business and career, your relationships, your ability to love and accept yourself….whatever , that illumination can change how the situation manifests in your life.

That’s what’s happening for me!

I’d really like to to share some of this life-changing juju with YOU!

I’m so excited about my new ability to tune into the frequency of my inner GPS, along with all the new tools and strategies I’ve learned, that I want to life coach like 24/7.

So I created a life coaching ‘pilot’ program of six one-hour sessions.

As a Martha Beck Coach-in-Training, I’m growing and learning along with my clients. So, I’m offering this program for the super affordable price of just $175. (Less than many coaches charge for one session!)

I’m calling it “Spark Your Midlife Mojo” – because after all that’s what I’m about here at Holistic Hot Sauce.

However!

You want (you need!)to tune in to the inner GPS frequency whether you‘re 45, 14, or 94! Life coaching sparks way more than midlife mojo!

This work can shift your life profoundly no matter what your age or gender. It will help you navigate your way through the transitions in your life, whether they are gigantic or cyclical.

I invite you to turn to your inner navigation, no matter what your age or gender!

Find it through life coaching, find it through meditation, find it through swimming the English Channel – just by all means get that thing unlocked.

Again, if you’re like me this may take some time, attention, and practice. The life coaching tools can accelerate the process. Yet of course, since it’s your inner GPS, you can still get there all by yourself.

If you’re ready for some acceleration, click here to find out more about Spark Your Midlife Mojo – the pilot program price is only available for a few months.

What Exactly IS Life Coaching?

Although coaching really has to be experienced to be understood (believe me I didn’t get it until I lived it!), here’s how I’ll explain it today:

It’s not therapy, but rather more akin to personal training for the soul. It’s not consulting – remember, it’s YOUR inner GPS you’re learning to access – although you do learn tools and strategies for getting to that inner place of peace. It’s a process of questioning rather than information dumping.

One thing I do know is that this coaching helps people to do things they thought they couldn’t do – and see things they couldn’t see before.

In six weeks you can clarify and articulate what you most want from life, what is holding you back, and where you want to go from here.

It’s about results – and we get there by accessing YOUR inner wisdom.

Of course the most profound results require a deep dive. That’s why I created the 6-session program.

If, however, you’d like to just dip in and try life coaching out – I also can do single sessions.

What If I Live in Timbuktu?

Well, I don’t know how to get there – but your inner GPS does.

Seriously, though. You get to experience life coaching no matter where you are on the planet – as long as you have access to a phone and/or an Internet connection. Like most coaches, I conduct sessions over the phone, Skype, or in person. And all sessions are 100 percent confidential.

Your inner GPS always leads you to your most radiant way of living.

It shows you the path to true self-love. It takes you out of Overwhelm because when you are tuned in to its frequency all that information overload sifts into a pattern that makes sense. You know what parts to incorporate and what parts to let go of.

YOU are your own wisest teacher.

Time for another installment of Inspiration Sauce, my interview series where I delve into fun conversation with some of the most interesting and inspirational midlife women I know.

Women who have touched my life and healed my spirit in some way, women that might do the same for you.

Holistic Hot Sauce is about much more than wellness for our external bodies. Here, I explore my own journey (and YOURS) to healing and wellness from the inside out, and how to turn up our inner pilot lights so we can shine that beacon out to the world.

Inspiration Sauce will highlight women that are blasting their own light out into our (sometimes) bleak world. They are making a real difference – not just in the lives of countless women but to our planet as a whole.

The video interview format has proven to be a lot of fun – despite the huge learning curve on my end. As always you can watch here, or download the mp3 and listen to this fantastic interview on the go.

Finding the Fun On the Spiritual Path

Sometimes the idea of spiritual growth and development seems weighty and solemn – like you have to stop doing frivolous things like watching Mad Men or reading recipes and buckle down. Go on retreat or live like a monk and meditate for hours on end.

You might feel like you want to explore your own spiritual development, but frankly it just doesn’t seem like much fun.

Well, what if you had a spiritual cheerleader on the journey? Complete with pom-poms?

Guess what? I’ve discovered that cheerleader!

Loran Hills is a wise and gentle spirit with a wicked sense of humor and an irreverent spirit of fun. I instantly adored her, and her website Loran’s Heart the instant I met her. And today you get to meet her too.

Loran is all about taking your time, finding your own spiritual center – which can guide you to your particular right life. Spiritual practice takes many forms, and Loran is no dogmatic preacher on this. Her way is to softly guide you to your own inner whisperings. Plus she’s just a blast.

She’s a talented photographer, taking stunning shots of the natural world surrounding her wild Utah property plus she’s an artist and has created three fabulous journals for the spiritual seeker. These alone can take you quite far on your seeker’s journey.

However, if you’re looking for some personal guidance on the journey you’ll want to check out Loran’s brand new, three-week Seeker’s Journey course, which is starting up very soon.

We talk about The Seeker’s Journey toward the end of this video interview – but you’ll find out a lot more here on this page.

Watch the video below (or download the mp3 to play on the go), and in just 20 minutes learn about:

• How to connect to a spiritual practice. And what to do if yours falls away.’
• The spiral as a metaphor. This journey isn’t like climbing a ladder folks!

• The connection between heart and spirituality…. and how that relates to creativity and even business ventures.

• How to get the the (metaphorical) mountaintop where the air is clear and fresh – and where you can find some clarity among the overwhelm.

So, what’s your take? Does fun belong on the spiritual path? Can spirit intersect with business? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below!

Photo by myyogaonline via Flickr

How do YOU spend the first hour of your morning?

Is it a flurry of racing around to get yourself together and gather everything you need before dashing out the door to work? Or, perhaps you grab your phone, iPad or computer and check your email as soon as your eyes flutter open?

If you’re nodding in recognition, I’ve got one question: how’s that working out for you?

I only ask because I’ve been there – and it took me close to 50 years to figure out that the disconnection of my scattered morning routine reached into my whole day.

I’m now finally getting it:  It’s all about intention.

Those first moments of your morning are a time when you can set intention and touch in with your essential self, that core of your being that is so much greater than the everyday, ego-driven you.

I’ve come to realize how profoundly this can affect my whole day, and ultimately my whole life. A morning ritual, created with intention, will take you toward your dreams.

We all have some sort of morning ritual, whether it’s intentional or not. Even that bathroom time upon awakening is a ritual of sorts. Brushing your teeth can be a ritual, as can making your coffee or tea.

These practices are all lovely and can enhance your life. But they may not be the sort of rituals that change your life

A ritual is different than a routine. While both are important, a ritual is more of a celebration and a devotion. An acknowledgement of your own connection to the sacred and to that great well of creativity that we all spring from. Rituals can be practiced in groups as well as solo, but generally your morning ritual is a practice just for you.

Now I know what you might be thinking. Are you kidding? How can I add one more thing into my already packed day?

And yes, I hear where you’re coming from. I have so been there. I’m just asking you to suspend your judgment and disbelief a few minutes and hear me out.

This one simple addition to my day has really and truly changed my life. It’s catalyzed breakthroughs that I once wondered would ever be possible.

It might do the same for you.

What’s A Morning Ritual?

Your morning ritual doesn’t have to be some sort of solemn, spiritual practice – although by all means it can be if that’s what calls to you. This isn’t about the actual content of what you choose to do. The magic happens with ritual when it is practiced with intention and repetition.

Repeating any sort of intentional practice each morning can connect you with the infinity that we are all a part of, releasing you temporarily from the endless whine of the ego. And, on a more mundane level, it allows you to start your day with the experience of feeling grounded; setting yourself up to more easily handle whatever life brings your way.

It can be as short as two minutes or as long as a full hour. As simple as closing your eyes and grounding to the earth, or as complex as an involved meditation and yoga routine.

Your ritual can be done in stillness or in movement, inside or outside, in silence or in song.

Your world, your choice, your ritual.

A morning ritual is akin to the sacred practice in eastern spiritualities known as puja. Although the dictionary defines this word as “a Hindu practice of the worship of a particular god,” I believe it refers to the act of showing reverence to the divine, a practice of devotion.

Puja is used to describe many forms of devotion. And the thing about it is there’s no right way to do it; there’s only what’s right for you.

Whether you believe in God, Goddess, the Universe, some other sort of higher power – or none at all, your puja connects you each day with that divinity that resides in all beings and in all things.

It’s ideal to do your morning ritual right after awakening – but let’s face it, that doesn’t work for all of us. Kids might be up earlier than you, or other demands might claim your time. If you must wait an hour before you get those 15 minutes of you time, so be it. It’s still so worth it to build this habit.

Finding My Own Morning Ritual

As I mentioned, it took me a while to get here. I finally incorporated a ritual into my morning about a year and a half ago.  I’d been wanting to get a meditation practice going for years, but never seemed to stick to it. Then of course I just created more resistance my berating myself for my lack of dedication

So this time went for the baby step approach. I decided that I was  going to meditate for just five minutes a day. I challenged myself to try this for a month and see what happened. And I committed to meditating BEFORE I turned on the computer, checked email or otherwise got caught up in daily demands.

For me, what made this more pleasurable – and more like a ritual – was to build some other fun stuff into it. So I’d start by lighting my special candle and smudging myself with some white sage –a plant used by Native Americans to clear psychic energy. Then I’d set a timer for the five minutes and just practice that stillness. Afterward, I pulled three Angel Cards for the day and wrote a page or so in my journal.

Simple, sweet, and it worked for me. I didn’t hold myself to some unattainable goal of a 20-minute meditation twice a day or something. Soon I was able to up the meditation time to 10 minutes.

The activities I built around this mediation time were familiar and comforting to me – and they were things that I sometimes ‘forgot’ to do for myself in the hustle bustle of daily life. Setting some intentional time aside each morning to do this has very subtly, over time, made huge differences in my life and in the decisions I make.

Even though my monkey mind usually babbles away during those 10 minutes, somehow the devotion and the focus has, over time, stripped away various illusions that said monkey mind had set up inside me.

Ideas For Your Morning Ritual

As I said, there are as many sorts of rituals as there are unique fingerprints.

Your ideal morning ritual consists of things that especially delight YOU. The only ‘rule’ that I suggest – and of course it’s just a suggestion – is to try to fit in your ritual before engaging in activities that drag you into the day.

Some people like to exercise as their morning ritual. Or to get outside for a walk.  Devoting the time for prayer, singing, chanting, or saying mantras works for others. Simply lighting a candle and creating a little sacred space for a few minutes is a ritual.

If, like me you lean towards the woo woo, incense, candles, and anointing with oils can set the tone for your day.

Dancing is an invigorating and empowering morning ritual. Journaling or writing can ground you and focus your intention for your day. In her seminal book The Artists Way, Julia Cameron describes a practice called Morning Pages – and thousands upon thousands of people use this practice as a daily ritual to stimulate their creativity – no matter what medium they work in.

Morning Pages, as described by Cameron, involves keeping a notebook right by your bed, and writing three full pages of stream of consciousness right after you open your eyes. It’s basically like freewriting, and it’s writing that no one ever sees but you. Anything goes – whining, dreaming, gibberish. It’s just a way to free up your creative spirit, and so many people swear by this practice.

Another great morning ritual – particularly if you’re pressed for time is to do a simple and short grounding exercise, connecting yourself with the earth before you begin your day.

Okay, this is all well and good, but here’s the thing:  practicing or not practicing a ritual such as this is definitely not another excuse to beat yourself up!

Do it if you are called to, don’t if you are not. But whatever you do, please don’t spend any time thinking that nasty ‘should’ word!!

Remember too that if you get a sweet little ritual going and then you get derailed – maybe family comes to town, or you go traveling and your routine gets disrupted. Or maybe you just forget and or get distracted for a few days – or weeks, or months. NO BIG DEAL!

All you do is begin again. This  all about you and nurturing and caring for yourself! All too often when we fall off the wagon with a new healthy practice, we decide ‘that’s it, I blew it.” Guess I can’t do that. So, so not serving! Every present moment is a point of power, so who cares what you did or didn’t do yesterday or last week? Who cares if you will follow through tomorrow or the next day? Do it now if you want to do it.

Okay, so I won’t lie, there is one thing that really really REALLY sucks about all of this (at least for me), And its having to get up that much earlier to allow that ritual time. But the psychic spaciousness it creates is worth it many times over. I believe it even makes up for 15-30 minutes less sleep (but don’t push this too far! )

This is one of those ‘healthy’ practices that can become just as addictive as potato chips or your favorite TV show. You start to feel like something’s missing if you skip it.

Your morning ritual can make all the difference in how you show up to your day, to others and most of all for yourself.

Do you already have a morning practice? Or if not, what would your idea morning ritual comprise? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

I talked about all this and more on the Golden Goddesses radio show a few weeks ago. If you want to hear the expanded audio version, it’s right here.

Happy Dance!

Have you ever made a decision that turned out to be a big mistake – but you kept going with that path because by golly you made the decision and you’re sticking to it?

I’ve done that way too often in my life. But you know what? The times they are a’changin’!

I recently took a part-time job at a tea bar / spa here in Portland. What a disaster it turned out to be!

I wrote about it in my last email update to my subscribers, and so many people resonated with the story I decided to go ahead and post it.

At first I was so glad I hadn’t mention my new employed status in the previous email, because the thing was short lived. I quit less than 2 weeks after accepting the job.

In the past I would have kept the whole thing under my hat and told as few people as possible. After all, it’s kind of like a failure.

But I’m beginning to understand there is no failure – just learning.

That’s my new mantra – also the more raunchy version:  There is No Fucking Up – Just Learning.

I’ll spare you the details on what brought me to the heart racing, face flushed, fight-or-flight mode that made me realize I was in the WRONG place. But I will share how the whole experience is making me think:

There I was smacked with the realization that I had seriously fucked up. This was NOT what I thought it would be. WRONG decision!

Here I was at one of those crossroads again. This job sucked. My coworkers were miserable and cowered in fear of the dysfunctional owner.

Uh oh, I thought, I took a wrong turn here. Do I just keep going and hope it works out?

After all, ‘logic’ dictated that I should wait things out, maybe the road would curve back into the direction I wanted to head.

I mean I’m really wanting to pull in a little extra cash, and to get out into the Portland community and meet people. And I’ve discovered that it’s not quite so easy to land a part-time service or retail job when you’re 50 as it is when you’re oh, say, 22.

When they offered me the job I was delighted. A tea bar and spa seemed to be the perfect spot for me to land.

Except it wasn’t.

My inner self began whispering as much on the very first day, but I didn’t listen.

It would be stupid to give up this opportunity, said Lizzie my Lizard Brain. Who knows when you’ll get another offer?

Lizzie almost had me talked into doing a tap dance to the twisted demands of the owner. I was starting to feel like I was in Catholic School again and just had to shut up and keep my head down even as my whole inner being was screaming, Injustice!

But something amazing happened this time.

That midlife fire flamed up in my belly and screamed NO-O!

I decided to trust what my heart was telling me. To trust that if I listened to that message something better would work out.

But what if?….what about?….isn’t it irresponsible…?
I told Lizzie to take a nap, and picked up the phone. After that call, joy flooded through me and I danced around the room.

Lizzie’s still glaring balefully from the corner. Now what? she sneers.

And honestly, I don’t know.

Still trusting. I’ll keep you posted.

Have YOU ever defied logic or ‘real world’ demands and listened to your heart? I’d love to hear about it! Tell us in the comment section or over on Facebook.

Ready for another installment of Inspiration Sauce? It’s my new(ish) interview series where I delve into fun conversation with some of the most interesting and inspirational midlife women I know.

Women who have touched my life and healed my spirit in some way, women that might do the same for you.

My first thought was to focus on herbalists and health coaches for this series, but then I thought, why stop there?

After all Holistic Hot Sauce is about much more than wellness for our external bodies. Here, I explore my own journey (and YOURS) to healing and wellness from the inside out, and how to turn up our inner pilot lights so we can shine that beacon out to the world.

Inspiration Sauce will highlight women that are blasting their own light out into our (sometimes) bleak world. They are making a real difference – not just in the lives of countless women but to our planet as a whole.

The video interview format has proven to be a lot of fun – despite the huge learning curve on my end. As always you can watch here, or download the mp3 and listen to this fantastic interview on the go.

Recover That Inner Glow With Juicing

Green drinks are all the rage these days – and for good reason. Whether the veggies have been juiced or pulverized into a smoothie, these drinks are a concentrated blast of vital nutrients. Your body will gratefully soak this up and return the favor with a surge of energy.

I first encountered the idea of fresh vegetable juice years (well, decades) ago as a young woman.  I experimented with several bouts of juice fasting – following strict regiments laid out by self-proclaimed health gurus who pretty much said, “it’s my way or the high way.”

That highway being to hell as far as your health was concerned – according to these gurus.

Ahh, well that was the way of it in the natural health world a few decades ago. Health regimens were followed with a religious fervor and people who couldn’t who wouldn’t (or couldn’t) stick to the program were considered lazy weaklings.

Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration – but I have to say I’m so glad that we’ve loosened up the stringent standards and accepted there are many pathways to good health.

And the lovely Farnoosh Brock is a brilliant example of this updated outlook on health – especially when it comes to achieving a level of energy and vitality you’d thought you’d lost forever – simply by incorporating some fresh juice into your day.

You might remember Farnoosh (how could you forget such a charming name?) from the post I wrote several months ago on baby steps to getting the body moving and her 10-Minute Daily Invigorator video series. Well, now she’s got lots more to share on stoking up our inner fire and vitality.

Watch this video to find out:

• How can you incorporate fresh juice into your daily routine (even if you’re crazy busy).
• What’s the difference between fresh juice and green drinks?
• Can fresh juice made from vegetables actually taste good?
• Do you have to fast to get the benefits from juicing?
• What’s the best juicer to use? And what’s the difference between the various types?
• What’s the best time of day to juice?
• How a juicing habit can heal your joint pain and other chronic pain and health issues.

And my favorites:

• How to turn a juicing routine from a chore to a practice that cultivates new connections to mindfulness. And to move from that dread of the hassle involved to an embracing of the Zen of Juicing.
• How to beat that internal resistance to healthy habits like juicing – especially once that novelty wears off.

See, juicing is about so much more than physical nourishment and well being.

Learn from Farnoosh how juicing affects her emotions and her whole way of looking at the world. I’m telling you – she’s got me excited about getting myself a juicer! Even though I don’t even have a kitchen to call my own at the moment.

Even if you’re not so sure about this whole juicing thing – in fact ESPECIALLY if you’re not so sure – I invite you to set down your doubts and cynicism just for a few minutes and check out what this powerhouse woman has to say.

Farnoosh literally ‘wrote the book’ on juicing. Her new book The Healthy Juicer’s Bible: Lose Weight, Detoxify, Fight Disease, and Live Long just hit the shelves last month. It’s crammed with facts, stories, encouragement, and mouth-watering photos and recipes.

Farnoosh shares one of her favorite juicing recipes here on the video – it’s delicious! And so simple. You’ll find it around minute 26.

If you’d rather download the Mp3 and listen on the go, here’s the link.  (Right click or option click on the mac to download). But, do at least take a peek at the video to check out Farnoosh’s fresh juice-induced glow!

Oh, and if this gets you all jazzed up about juicing, and you think you might need some support, you’ve got it with Farnoosh’s online Juicing Clinic. Join a community of juicers, and get juiced!

Have YOU ever tried juicing? How did you like it, and has this video changed any of your thoughts about it? If you’ve never juiced, would you consider giving it a go? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

That post explained natural, biodentical progesterone cream is, and why it can relieve crazy-making symptoms as estrogen levels begin to shift, but why do medical experts recommend applying this hormone topically? Why can’t we take it with the rest of our supplements by swallowing it as a pill?

Well, it turns out that progesterone is a fat soluble compound so is ineffective it you take it orally. Your liver will just slough it right out. When researchers first experimented with how progesterone might balance out whack-o hormones in a woman’s body, they  dissolved it in vegetable oil and administered it as a shot. While that seemed to be a workaround, and women did assimilate the hormone that way, it wasn’t much fun because the shots could be irritating and painful.

So – Bravo to whoever got the brilliant idea of dissolving progesterone into a cream that could be easily applied to the skin. I recently heard a doctor refer to this hormone as a natural valium – I think we definitely want enough of it in our bodies!

My Personal Experiment With Progesterone

A few months ago I remembered those happy midlife women I’d helped in my store, and decided to give Progest Cream a go.

I’ll be honest here:  my decision was at least 50 percent based on vanity. Sure I’m having menopausal symptoms, but thanks to my daily intake of maca, the hot flashes and night sweats are few and far between (This might also be due my recent commitments to listen to my own inner calling, create clear boundaries, and/or a significant reduction in red wine intake – but all of those are stories for another day.)

Still, I’m not exactly sailing through the menopausal transition. My periods can no longer be counted on to arrive with any semblance of regularity – and when they do show up they are often accompanied by heavy cramping and other weirder discomforts. I experience some moodiness and insomnia. Oh yeah, and then there’s the sex drive (or perhaps more accurately: what’s a sex drive?)

Overall though, my physical discomfort from menopause is so far fairly mild.

My mental discomfort with the proliferation of wrinkles and overall dryness in my body is not so bearable. I’m not really liking this physical manifestation of my estrogen levels dropping. More wrinkles, flabbier skin tone, less lubrication, an overall feeling of dry, dry, dry.

I’ve spoken to women who go the synthetic hormone route solely for this reason, and although I am not looking for the fountain of eternal youth I don’t mind prolonging some of its moisture for a few more years.

So I figured I’d pick up a tube of Progest cream and find out what all those women were talking about.

I noticed a significant change within a week. At first I wasn’t sure I liked it. My period arrived two weeks after I began using the cream and I felt sure it had been stimulated by that. The accompanying symptoms were quite similar to the days before perimenopause kicked in.

I kind of liked this feeling of rolling back the clock. I’ve always enjoyed the cyclical nature of the monthly visit from ‘my little friend,’ and how it helped me feel aligned with nature and the moon. When the friend became fickle and I never knew when she was going to come calling, I felt a bit bereft.

Yet I know this particular friend will be passing out of my life soon, progesterone cream notwithstanding.

I’m not sure if supplementing with progesterone is stimulating those last few eggs to do their thing so I can get on with the rest of menopause, but since I started using the cream I’ve been back on more regular menstrual cycle.

The cream also seemed to plump out my breasts and while I didn’t exactly feel like I’d gained any weight or fat, I noticed a distinct difference in the substance of my body flesh. I no longer felt like all the fluid was draining away.

I’m only a few months in, but I think I’m sticking with this stuff for now.

My biggest challenge during the first month or so (and still) was remembering to use it regularly. Especially since you need to take a break for seven days out of the month. Just when you get used to applying it morning and night you have to stop and then begin the habit anew.

I’ve tried several techniques to remember. Phone or calendar reminders are good, but the best trick for me so far is to set the tube where I’ll see it in the morning as I get ready – and then put it on my nightstand so I’ll see it as I get ready for bed.

You’ll figure out what works for you if you decide to do your own progesterone experiment.

An Midlife Ally From PMS To Menopause

I sometimes wonder if it might have done me some good to check out this cream back in my 30s when all those menopausal women were clamoring for it at Moonrise Herbs. Back then my periods – though still regular – began to give me more and more grief.

Often I’d be plunged into depression during the week leading up to my menses, which would greet me with debilitating cramps and two days of such heavy bleeding I was constantly coming up with new expletives to describe it. They were often so bad that I’d plan parties and other events in avoidance of that dreaded time. I was also plagued by a painful breast cyst that would swell up a week to two weeks before my period.

Using progesterone cream may well have helped since is not only can relieve heavy and painful periods, but it is often prescribed for fibrocystic breasts, and generalized breast swelling and tenderness.

Additionally, like many other women working full time and raising young kids, I struggled with mood swings, fatigue, and weight gain that were probably precipitated by adrenal fatigue and the subsequent imbalance of hormones. Translation: my adrenal glands were just pooped out by my attempts to push, push, push and work through it all while getting an average of 5-6 hours of sleep per night.

A daily dose of progesterone cream might have been helpful during those years (although not as helpful as simply slowing down of course.) According to Dr. John R. Lee, author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, depleted adrenals often lead to unstable blood sugar (which exacerbates all of those symptoms mentioned above.)

And guess what hormone helps to stabilize blood sugar as well as mood? Ten points if you guessed the one that starts with a P!

If you’re at that phase of life right now, and are battling exaggerated PMS symptoms as well as plain old exhaustion, you might want to check in with your medical practitioner and consider using progesterone cream.

Another benefit, perhaps more welcomed by older women, is progesterone cream’s ability to stimulate moisture production in the body. Many women use it to relieve the vaginal dryness that plagues the menopausal years, and even to juice up overall skin dryness. (Bye bye prune face!)

Various respected medical doctors, including Dr. Christiane Northrup (of The Wisdom of Menopause fame), recommend using the cream to relieve the intensity of hot flashes and night sweats. Whatever the phase of menopause, the use of bioidentical, topical progesterone cream has helped many women keep their sweaters on.

Progesterone is Sexy

But it can also help to get the sweater off! Although this hormone is well-loved for being responsible for feelings of relaxation and contentment, the benefit that lots of midlife women find most appealing is its ability to re-invigorate a flagging libido.

Progesterone has been shown to restore sex drive for many perimenopausal and menopausal women, often more effectively than HRT.  Dr. Lee notes in his book that  the confluence of symptoms that accompanied his patients’ lack of interest in sex led him to conclude that loss of sex drive correlates with progesterone deficiency, not estrogen deficiency.

However, correct dosage is key. Dr. Lee says that the amount of progesterone should never exceed the amount the body would normally produce (called a physiologic dose). He recommends 20-30 milligrams per day administered topically through a progesterone cream. This will simulate normal progesterone production.

According to Dr. Lee, this dosage ‘secret’ is why progesterone therapy sometimes seems to reduce sex drive – which it does in higher doses.

Although over-the-counter progesterone cream can’t be a panacea for every woman, it’s can be an excellent solution to restore some balance to hormones gone awry.

If you are dealing with severe symptoms though, your best bet is to get your hormones checked by a qualified medical practitioner or doctor. There can be many factors at work here, and the good news is that it’s possible to get a prescription for a natural, bioidentical hormone formulation that is specially compounded to fill in just where it’s needed in your own body.

However, progesterone cream is an effective and convenient intermediary step, and one worth trying out – certainly if you’ve been troubled by any of the symptoms discussed above.

Your turn! Share your stories or concerns about progesterone cream with our Holistic Hot Sauce Circle. And let us know if you’re using another remedy that’s giving you some relief from the wild roller coaster ride of the midlife hormone dance! Use the comment section below or post your thoughts over on Facebook.

And, if you haven’t already, be sure to check out Part One of this article for important background info about progesterone.

Photo by KellBailey via Flickr

A few weeks ago I visited the Portland Zoo with Genevive, my  niece (by marriage) and her two children. They’d arrived in town early that morning, ready for adventure. Which for Lutian, the 5-year-old, meant the elephants at the Zoo.

I’m not a fan of animals in captivity so I usually avoid zoos, but I did feel a child’s sense of wonder at the exotic animals wandering about in little slices of nature meant to replicate their natural habitat. Especially the giraffes and zebras. Lions, cheetahs, leopards. Made me want to visit Africa.

Soon after we arrived we came upon the eagles.  I winced since they were enclosed in an area so small for these mighty birds. They’d spread their great wings and fly from corner to corner, and I couldn’t help but mention my discomfort with their enclosure.

Genevive  said she thought this zoo contained only animals who’d been injured and wouldn’t survive in the wild.  I hoped this was the case while watching these regal avian beings, lords of the air yet here confined to a few hundred yards of air space.

And then Genevive told me something else I’d never known about eagles. She’d learned that when an eagle reaches a certain age its beak becomes so bent and deformed from devouring its prey that it can no longer get enough food.

At that point it does one of two things. It dies – or it bangs and bangs its beak on rocks and trees until it falls off completely. Then the eagle grows a new beak and is able to live for another fifteen years or so.

Wow.

If the bird is to live, it must violently and painfully get rid of that old part of itself that has now become a hazard to its survival. It’s a step beyond just releasing and letting go. It’s ripping away the old, the no longer useful and serving. And then waiting as a fresh appendage grows.

I was stunned to hear this, and frankly kind of shuddered at the mental image it evoked.

And then I thought, I wonder if that’s what I’m doing now? Is this why it hurts so much sometimes? Is this why it’s so scary?

It also struck me how this is a metaphor for the fire we are called to walk through at midlife. If we turn from it, cling to those old patterns, we may not perish physically like the eagle, but something inside surely withers and dies.

Midlife – menopause – is a time when the veils fall away. A new clarity arises, often a painful and scary one..

For me the question remains: Are there still remnants of the old beak I must bang away? Or am I finally at the phase where regeneration is happening? I want to grow my new beak, my new piece of myself, the part that will allow me to nourish, feed and love myself.

Yet it might take the courage and grace of an eagle to be with the pain until the old bits have all been knocked off.

The day after my sojourn at the zoo I picked up The Pocket Pema Chodron and opened randomly to “Everything Has to Go.”

“All of us are like eagles who have forgotten how to fly,” Chodron writes.

She goes on to explain that somehow we got trapped in our nest despite our longing to soar through the vast skies. We’re like eagles, but we’re weighted down. She uses the metaphor of our clothing and sunglasses, iPod etc. We need to take off a few things.

Then, as we begin flapping through the air, we realize we have to take it ALL off if we’re truly to fly. We have to let go of it all. Because you can’t fly when you’re wearing all that stuff. Everything has to go.

I don’t know about you, but that scares me.

What more must I relinquish, I wondered? What more must I beat away, let go of, so that I can finally fly?

How about you? Are you growing your new beak yet?

photo: Matthew Kenwrick

Have you tried out natural progesterone cream?

You may have experimented already with a few herbal therapies to steady out those hormone swings, such as maca or vitex, especially if you’ve been following along with my Power Surge series.

Herbal formulations often offer some level of relief, sometimes eliminating the need for anything else. Natural progesterone cream, however, definitely bumps things up a notch.

I found this out way before perimenopause hit. Since many of the women who visited my herb shop were 10-20 years older than me, I got a good dose of what to expect when my hormones started doing their perimenopausal dance.

While in my mid-30′s (right around when the first baby boomers were turning 50), I saw an influx of 40-something women requesting information, books and herbs for menopause and perimenopause. The herbalists I admired began writing on the subject, and suddenly I was stocking fewer books about natural pregnancy and child rearing, and more on menopausal wisdom.

I read these books and I helped hundreds of women put together herbal formulas to address their symptoms.

At the store we began getting requests for natural progesterone cream – specifically the one made by Emerita. Some of these requests were triggered a popular book of the era, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, by Dr.John R. Lee - still a good read today, as is the companion, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause: Balance Your Hormones and Your Life From Thirty to Fifty.

Despite entire books devoted to the subject, most of the progesterone cream requests were coming in due to word of mouth. Apparently this stuff worked – and fast.

We went through dozens of tubes every month in the store. It got hard to keep it on the shelves. I can remember one woman holding the box in her hand with reverence when we got it back in stock. Thanking me from the bottom of her heart.

That was all more than a decade ago, and I filed that information away in my brain for future reference. Progesterone cream might do the trick when nothing else will.

Wait A Minute – Don’t I Need Estrogen, Not Progesterone?

We always hear about how our dropping estrogen levels are responsible for hot flashes and other symptoms. How the heck does progesterone cream work to relieve menopausal woes?

Progesterone levels plummet at menopause even more than estrogen levels. This can affect us in so many areas beyond the typical physical discomforts that signal the change of life.

Progesterone is a precursor to estrogen (as to a lesser degree it is a precursor to testosterone in males.) It is also a precursor to many other important hormones, including those which reduce stress and normalize blood sugar levels.

A decline is progesterone levels is one of the first hormonal changes that cause symptoms for women approaching menopause. That’s why supplementing with progesterone is particularly helpful for perimonenopausal years.

And progesterone actually has a balancing effect on estrogen. When this hormone becomes less plentiful, then estrogen will dominate, which causes all sorts of yucky symptoms. It’s important to remember that ‘estrogen dominance’ doesn’t mean you have too much estrogen. It simply means that the levels are way higher than progesterone, which creates an imbalance with all those nasty side effects.

Therefore, supplementing with progesterone can bring these two hormones back into balance, thus alleviating many of those symptoms.

Many doctors and medical experts  have noted that regular use of USP grade progesterone cream can be effective for such (peri)menopausal symptoms as:

• Declining sex drive
• Vaginal dryness, and overall skin dryness
• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Mood swings
• Unstable blood sugar
• Heavy and painful periods
• Irregular periods in the years leading to menopause
• Fibrocystic breasts and/or breast swelling and tenderness
• Migraine headaches (triggered by hormonal changes)

Of course if you’re eating Fruit Loops for dinner and your idea of exercise is getting up to look for the remote, you may experience less than stellar results. Progesterone cream, like anything else, will work best along with a sensible nutrition and exercise regime.

NOTE: If you have or have had breast cancer, it’s best to consult with your oncologist before using progesterone cream. Although there is a general concensus today that the substance is safe for breast cancer survivors, this can vary from individual to individual.

What Exactly Is Natural Progesterone Cream?

Natural hormone treatments are known as ‘bioidentical’ hormones, meaning that the molecular structure is identical to the form that is naturally produced in the body. The body can accept a bioidentical substance much more easily than one that has been synthetically produced.

USP progesterone comes from plant fats and oils, often from a substance called diosgenin which is extracted from a certain type of Mexican wild yam, or from soybeans. In the laboratory diosgenin is chemically synthesized into real human progesterone.

The low dose 2% USP topical cream (such as that made by Emerita) is what most medical practitioners recommend. Emerita Pro-Gest cream contains 20 mg. of USP progesterone per 1/4 teaspoon – the recommended dosage.

Is Wild Yam Cream The Same Thing?

You may have heard that you can substitute wild yam cream for the more expensive bioidentical progesterone creams. This is a myth. You will definitely NOT get the same results by using any of the various wild Mexican yam creams on the market.

Although this wild yam contains a precursor to progesterone, this does not activate when applied to the skin. Unfortunately the only way that this Mexican wild yam can be converted to progesterone is in a laboratory setting.

Sure you might get some milder beneficial results from the phytoestrogens present in the wild yam cream. But if you are looking for the more noticeable symptom relief reported by hundreds of thousands of women, you need to get laboratory grade USP progesterone cream.

How To Use Progesterone Cream

This stuff is easy to use – simply rub 1/4 teaspoon into your skin twice per day. Often I see recommendations to alternate what section of the body to rub it into, and to do it on a ‘fattier’ part, such as thighs or buttocks. But then other experts recommend simply rubbing it into your hands. I think it works either way.

Important:  You must take one week off per month!

Topical progesterone cream is meant to simulate the hormone your body would naturally produce. In this case, it is aligned with the menstrual cycle. Therefore, use the cream regularly for three weeks and take one week off. If you are still menstruating on a monthly basis, follow your menstrual cycle and stop using the cream on Day One of your period, and then resume after seven days.

If you are no longer bleeding, or your periods have become erratic, use the cream for 21 days, and then take one week off. Count that first day off as Day One of your period. After seven days, resume using the cream. If your period does start during that time, once again stop using the cream for seven days. Let’s not mess with the body’s natural way of things. We just want to give it a little help here – not throw things way out of whack!

Next week in Part 2 of this article I’ll go into more detail about natural progesterone cream can alleviate the discomforts listed above, and more. I’ll also discuss my own personal experiment with progesterone cream.

How about you? Have you tried natural progesterone cream? I’d love to know your experience – good or not so awesome. Leave your testimonials and questions in the comment section so we can share the wisdom!

photo: JenavieveMarie

Here’s the next installment of Inspiration Sauce – my new interview series where I delve into fun conversation with some of the most interesting and inspirational midlife women I know.

Women who have touched my life and healed my spirit in some way, women that might do the same for you.

Although I’ll be interviewing herbalists and health coaches for this series, I thought, why stop there?

After all Holistic Hot Sauce is about much more than wellness for our external bodies. Here, I explore my own journey (and YOURS) to healing and wellness from the inside out, and how to turn up our inner pilot lights so we can shine that beacon out to the world.

Inspiration Sauce will highlight women that are blasting their own light out into our (sometimes) bleak world. They are making a real difference – not just in the lives of countless women but to our planet as a whole.

Today I offer you another video interview – and I apologize in advance for the poor quality sound. This is still a learning curve for me!

Busting Out Of The Approval Trap With Amy Pearson

If you had the misfortune to be like me – and found yourself among those picked very last when the kids were picking teams in gym class – well you’ll understand that burning need to be liked, to be approved of, to be picked.

I’m betting that even if you spent your childhood excelling at athletics – you may still find yourself making adjustments to your style so that you can be accepted. And of course this is totally normal. After all as human beings we’re hardwired for belonging.

But for some of us this need to belong gets twisted up along the way. We begin to compromise our true selves in order to achieve a false sense of belonging, one that ultimately will never fulfill that need.

Amy Pearson, a Master Life Coach, has made a study of this phenomenon and she’s even given it a name: The Approval Trap.

As we travel into the midlife years, the Approval Trap can get a lot more constrictive. It starts to feel less like a cocoon of belonging and more like – well – a trap!

I know it has for me, and that’s why I called Amy up for an interview

Although she’s not quite at that stage of life we’d call ‘mid’, she’s closer than she looks. (Really, despite that youthful beauty, she’s not 25! I think that glow has more to do with self-knowledge and understanding than age.)

Although Amy lives right here in Portland I didn’t meet her here. I serendipitously came across her work last fall, when she was spreading the word about her free Approval Trap teleclass.

I had a sneaking feeling that I’d lived my life thus far in an ‘approval trap.’ I had to find out more.

Well, Amy delivered more in that hour and a half teleclass than I could have imagined.

A self-described ‘recovering approval addict,’ Amy shows a pathway out of that constant need to be liked and approved of – and she leads the way by telling her own story of approval addiction.

Check out Amy and I talking about all this in the video below. (Or if you’d rather listen on the go, download the Mp3 here, and put it on your phone or mp3 player.)

You’ll find out:

• What exactly IS The Approval Trap’.
• How can you know if you’re stuck in it.
• Some of the 8 approval-seeking personalities.
• How moving through her own approval issues changed Amy’s life.
• Beating the Bitchy Inner Critic (who Amy calls “The Voice”).
• What does it mean to be ‘radically authentic?’
• Why perfectionism is not the same as striving for excellence and what is its sneaky agenda.
• Most importantly…. what are some steps for climbing out of this trap.

(Once again, apologies for the sound quality on this interview. This is my own experiment in overcoming perfectionism! And yeah, we won’t even talk about what that crappy lighting does to my face!)

If this interview and the concept of the Approval Trap intrigues you as much as it did me, you’ll want to take this a step further and listen to the full recording of The Approval Trap teleclass. As I say, it’s pretty awesome.

Click here for access to that free training.

And note: although in the teleclass Amy talks about the approval trap specifically as it manifests for women involved in solo businesses (particularly coaches and healers), this information benefits everyone. “Magnetizing your ideal client” easily translates into magnetizing the people, creativity and success you crave in life.

Amy’s work is geared to women on a mission’– and aren’t we all on a mission in some way or another?

Her free training is an introduction to her 5-week class (called Be Brazen) which goes way deeper into how to drop the approval addiction and become radically authentic.

If this interview has got you charged up to get brazen NOW, skip on over to get the scoop on her class.

And full disclosure – these are affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to sign up for Amy’s full class through these links you’ll be supporting Holistic Hot Sauce and helping to keep the blog posts coming!

Over to you! What’s your take on ‘The Approval Trap?’  Does it sound familiar? Have you ever been in it? Found ways to climb out?
Let’s get a conversation going in the comments so we can all help each other get true to our own selves!

photo: Kenneth Dagenais

That comes from the inside out, so I share quite a bit more than simply my stash of herbal and natural wellness tips. I also write about that confrontation with our internal obstacles, those gremlins that keep us stuck and trip us up on the path to vitality.

You can learn a lot from reading about these topics, and I love that I can help you through my writing. But so much more is available to you when you experience the exhilaration of one-on-one work tailored to your life and dreams.

A one-on-one session can reconnect you to your own innate vitality and natural wisdom. You get strategies tailored to your specific circumstances.

You CAN get your radiance on!

When I see that light bulb go off and watch a woman take steps to true transformation – well, I am seriously lit up myself. This is Radiance Coaching, and it is my heart’s calling, my deep service.

Introducing your Personal Herbalist and Radiance Coach…..that would be me.

To celebrate the official launch of this heart-centered service I’m GIVING AWAY THREE FREE RADIANCE STRATEGY SESSIONS.

A Powerful Fusion

Radiant vitality comes from the inside out – and you need to stoke your inner pilot light by building a foundation of physical well being. 

I offer you a powerful fusion of herbal health consulting and life coaching.

Together we tackle those internal demons that hold you back from being who you want to be and living the life you want to live.

It’s me being there for you – to offer exactly what you need in this moment, at this stage of your life, to feel utterly vibrant and energized from the inside out.

Together we nurture the radiant, powerful fountain of juicy inspiration and spirited love that is waiting to be unleashed.

I’m so done with all the negative talk about how women are ‘invisible’ after a certain age, or that once we’re no longer reproducing we’re pointless. What a bunch of BS!!

Want To Win A Free Radiance Strategy Session?

I know you want to get in on this!

It’s easy!

You’ve got two options (and if you do both, I’ll put your name in twice!)

1. Leave a comment below. It can be as brief or as lengthy as you want. (Note, no special sign-in required anymore!)

2. “Like” the Holistic Hot Sauce page on Facebook and post something on the page. (A thought, a comment, an image – whatever.)

If you’re ready for a Power Surge, don’t delay! Comment or visit me on Facebook right now!

Contest ends Friday, March 15th!

 I’ll put all the names in a hat (or maybe a cauldron) and draw three winners at random. Then I’ll get in touch with you either via email or Facebook (if that’s how you connected) so we can schedule the session. It’s that simple.

You can dance into spring (or fall) feeling charged up, radiant and revitalized!

Can’t wait to meet you!

If you’re wondering if a Radiance Strategy Session is really for you, I invite you to learn more about my vision of unleashing the transformative power of women at midlife. Read my Radiance Manifesto.

And – please share with any and all midlife women you know who would be inspired by this and might value a Radiance Session.