Vol 2.12 Women & T, a Listicle
Plus how to help Morocco, The Brain Health Kitchen, and 7 free workouts that may reinvigorate your MVMNT practice.
The Sober Glow Studio is a weekly newsletter providing stories, recommendations, and resources on the art of living an alcohol-free lifestyle, navigating midlife, and anything that simply feels good.
READ: The Brain Health Kitchen by Annie Fenn, M.D. I recently came across Dr. Annie Fenn’s Substack and ate up all the information regarding her book released earlier this year. Any woman going through perimenopause will likely have concerns about brain health at some point. Of course, we all should be concerned about the health of our brain no matter our sex or age, but for me personally, and I am sure many of you, it probably wasn’t top of mind until you started noticing cognitive disruptions in your day-to-day life. Brain fog is typically one of the significant symptoms mentioned as we enter perimenopause. For me, specifically, my focus continues to be on limiting my sugar intake, something I have shared here before. And for anyone who doesn’t know me personally, I have had this sweet tooth since I was in my early twenties, and it’s something that kicked up even more once I quit drinking alcohol. I have come to believe that though I never had an EtOH problem, I 100% have a sugar problem, and once I quit drinking and removed that sugar from my body, my cravings became relentless. Add to it perimenopause and a stressful, chaotic career, and those relentless cravings need to be addressed before they wreak havoc on my body and brain.
While research on the relationship between sugar and brain health during perimenopause is limited, basic knowledge could confirm this logic. Excessive sugar consumption can lead to inflammation and insulin resistance, which may negatively affect brain health. And if we are dealing with fluctuating hormone levels during perimenopause, that too may affect mood, cognition, and memory. And to make matters worse and complete a vicious cycle, perimenopause may cause increased cravings for sugary foods. And now we have a chicken or egg scenario.
Two more newsletters from Dr. Annie Fenn worthy of our attention
HELP: Artists For Morocco. Image used via GQMiddleeast. It seems tragedy happens every single day around the world. Sometimes, so much it’s too much to handle. On the evening of Friday the 8th, I had just walked out of a restaurant with some girlfriends when I casually went to check my phone and saw the headlines that stated Morocco Hit by Devasting 6.8 Earthquake. Currently, the death toll sits around 2900, and I can only imagine it will continue to grow as help can reach the more isolated areas in the Atlas Mountains. Morocco has a special place in my heart, and over the coming weeks, I will be sharing more about this country as I prepare to leave my home in Los Angeles and travel there, which has been planned for months. Since the night of the earthquake, I have had many conversations with my husband, with people who live in Marrakech, with people who were visiting during the earthquake, as well as listening to the directions of Moroccan business owners and NPOs. I feel confident in the decision to continue this journey, though it was not taken lightly. However, what this trip was going to be will now be quite different. Circumstances have changed. My expectations have changed. Needs have changed. And not my needs but the needs of the people of Morocco.
Without going too deep into this conversation at this time, I want to share some sources and ways you can help if you feel called.
Eve Branson Foundation (mother of Sir Richard Branson) - HERE
One of many articles I have read recently, and the same sentiment runs through them all - After the Earthquake in Morocco, Tourists Grapple With the Ethics of Travel.
MVMNT: EVLO Fitness - 7 Free Workouts. Trust me when I say it’s worth the moment it takes to add your email address (yes, you can immediately cancel a newsletter subscription if you want). After becoming privy to Dr. Shannon Ritchey, the co-founder of EVLO Fitness, on this podcast, I started following her educated guidance on her style of movement practices. Her mantra is “Slow consistency,” which feels really nice and welcoming.
Scroll down to catch up on some of the people, conversations, and studies I am following on the topic of Women, HRT, and Testosterone.