We have a winner.
Oh my Dames! I woke up this morning with such a start, heart racing and the thought (in a Kath Day-Knight voice), ‘you stupid girl, you forgot to draw the winner of the July detox package’.
So at 6am this morning I wrestled with all of the accumulated crap in my store room to locate the Bingo Wheel. I then had to figure out how to use it again (I had such high hopes for it when I bought it…) – turns out I was spinning the wheel in the wrong direction.
Finally one ball dropped (ooh matron). Drum-roll please, number 27. I counted to the 27th person who came to see me in July and that was Dame Suzanne. Congratulations! I’ll ‘DM’ you with the details.
Now, that that weight is lifted, here’s an unusual recipe that may help you sleep better.
Pick of the bunch
Bananas are a bit like coriander, you either love them or hate them. I remember years ago having to peel a banana for my friend’s baby because my friend dislikes them sooooo much.
Sad for her because bananas are packed with so much good stuff that can settle your nervous system before hitting the hay.
‘What good stuff?’ I hear you ask. Well thank you for asking:
- Magnesium – the magic mineral
- helps relax muscles
- supports healthy stress response
- supports the production of GABA, which helps you to sleep better
- relaxes smooth muscles of the blood vessel linings – think cardiovascular health
- L-tryptophan
- an amino acid that gets converted to 5-HTP in the brain, which helps you make serotonin and melatonin (the sleep hormone)
- Potassium
- This one is a biggie – researchers have found that women over 50 who ate the most potassium were 12% less likely to suffer a stroke in general and 16% less likely to suffer an ischemic stroke than women who ate the least. ***You’d have to eat about 7 bananas to get your recommended daily intake, but some is better than none right? You can check out the research here.
Bananas are also a good source of fibre and you know my motto:
Eat Fibre
Meditate
All is well
An unusual recipe
What makes this recipe different is that it uses the whole banana, skin ‘n all.
Before I get to it though, I was just speaking with a colleague and she reckons rubbing the banana skin on your décolletage helps improve the appearance of it – no more chicken neck for me!
Ingredients:
- One organic (you’re using the skin) banana, sliced
- 1.5 cups of water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Slice of ginger
You can add other spices, such as cloves, star anise, cardamom – be bold, be daring, be experimental.
Method:
- Add all the ingredients to a saucepan, bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Strain and drink warm, half to one hour before bed.
Nighty night!
Hey! You know you should not be doing menopause alone? I’ve got your back Dame (and your front and all those new squidgy bits in between). If you haven’t done so already, book yourself in for an appointment so we can discuss which options are best for you and make a plan that’s just for you.
Until next time, I’ll leave you with this:
““I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?” ~ Ernest Hemingway
Keep being great.
Marnie
P.S If you haven’t already done so, make sure you download your FREE Survivor’s Guide to Menopause (did I say it’s free?).
P.P.S If you know someone who is struggling with all the changes, please share this with them.
