MetaWell

17/02/2026

Last week I had a great pleasure to talk about menopause at Sonardyne International Ltd. at their monthly Menopause Café meetup.

Sonardyne has only a small proportion of women working in the local facility of around 400 staff, so that makes it even more impressive to learn that they have set up a regular meetup to help their staff better understand the menopause transition and to learn about the support that is available.

These meetups are open to the male staff members too but this time we had no men attending.

I spoke about the menopause as a natural and inevitable stage in the lives of us women and how accepting it rather than trying to fight it, was what helped me a lot.

We talked about how hormones are not the only determinants of menopausal health because metabolic health plays a huge role in it too. Hence small changes that support better metabolic health and metabolic flexibility can make a big difference in how smooth the transition is and how severe the symptoms are.

It was great to have this opportunity to chat with the ladies at Sonardyne about the important topic of menopause health.

"Your presentation was well received with positive feedback. 😊 We are still talking about it in the office."

Does your workplace run a Menopause Café?

If yes, I'd love an opportunity to chat with you about how we can collaborate in order to bring more awareness and knowledge of how to support the transition to your staff.

Feel free to get in touch.

22/01/2026

What do you have a plan for? Have you ever thought of including health in those plans?

How do you want to spend your retirement? Stress-free and healthy?
Worried and sick?

Health is wealth and you most valuable currency.

I've talked with so many people who are recently retired, and they are now "consumed" with taking care of their health. They expected rest and an easy going time of life in their non-working years, but didn't prepare for it in the previous decades. It's so important to think and DO something for our health today.

Don't wait for retirement!

17/01/2026

Just booked my first full day seminar for my 2026 CPD:

'Effective solutions for healthy weight loss'
..in order to continue my learning on the various aspects of weight management and weight loss drugs:

💉 Different weight loss drugs (GLP-1, GIP and Glucagon agonist medications i.e., Ozempic, WeGovy, Mounjaro & Retratrutide.

💉 How to support clients using weight-loss medications.

🥗 Diet and lifestyle interventions to minimise muscle loss.

💊 Nutritional risks of weight-loss medications, calorie restriction and fasting approaches.

💊 Diet and supplementation for natural stimulation of GLP-1.

🍽️ Fasting interventions for sustainable fat reduction and weight loss.

👩‍⚕️ Effective collaborating with GPs and prescribers.

👩‍⚕️ How GPs are approaching assessment and prescription of weight loss medications.

If you need help in this area, please get in touch.

14/01/2026

~2 year old jar of honey fermented garlic.

It's been sitting in the cupboard for all these months and years while I've been scared of trying these for so long. The garlicky smell was not very inviting when I've undone the lid. 😁

But the other day I was brave and, in the hope of scaring the persisting cough away with garlic, I decided to dive in.

I chopped some cloves and mixed with brown rice miso and spread it on my cottage cheese and veg flat bread.

I topped it all with homemade fermented turnip slices.

Oh my! It was yummy.

Mellow garlic, sweet honey, tangy turnip.

What a combo!

Yum yum! 😋

Who's fermented something, forgotten it or been to scared to try and then finally realised how good it was?

That's the magic of fermentation!

Food doesn't go off and the flavours improve with time.

11/01/2026

The latest MetaWell email 'This too shall pass. Plus digging deeper...' just went out.

It's all about my own health rollercoaster ride over the past few months, as well as how I've been digging deeper to understand my body better.

Check your inbox if you are a subscriber.

Or read it here:
https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/772051/emails/176300121510643002

And you can subscribe to my fortnightly emails here 👇to get them directly to your Inbox:
https://www.subscribepage.com/happygut-happyyou

10/01/2026

Menopause, Metabolism and Cravings: Setting Yourself Up for a Healthier 2026

Join us, Karen Pancholi and me, in person, to learn how nutrition can ease menopause symptoms and boost your well-being.

A fun and eye-opening in-person (and FREE!) event on Tuesday, 20th January in central Bracknell.

Are you ready to start eating healthier but aren’t sure where to start?

Nutritionist Minna Wood will be sharing simple but powerful insights on how you can get a healthy ‘head start’ for 2026 and fuel your body for a smooth menopause transition, reduce cravings and boost your mood.

Thermomix Advisor Karen Pancholi will show some delicious, simple, healthy Thermomix dishes, time-saving tips, and clever techniques that you can use every day.

Expect education about menopause nutrition and diet.

Expect delicious food tasting.

This free session will be part nutrition talk and part cooking.

Booking required.

Comment ME 👇🏼 to get the link for reserving your free seat.

10/01/2026

Really looking forward to this event, finally getting to collaborate with my friend Karen Pancholi and her Thermomix.

Expect education on menopause nutrition and diet. 👩‍🎓
Expect delicious food tasting. 😋

Book your free tickets here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/menopause-and-nutrition-tickets-1979896353290?

Join us in person to learn how nutrition can ease menopause symptoms and boost your well-being!

07/01/2026

Multiple studies show that regular short bursts of movement can improve various health parameters.
 
1️⃣ 1-minute of vigorous activity counts as much as 50-100 minutes of light movement for cardiometabolic health benefits.  
 
2️⃣ 2 sessions of strength training per week, even when started later in life, can mitigate age-related functional decline.
 
3️⃣ Interrupting prolonged sitting time with standing or light-intensity walking can lower blood glucose levels and improve insulin sensitivity, significantly reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes.
 
4️⃣ Daily hopping can improve hip bone strength.
 
5️⃣ Moderate exercise enhances gut microbiome diversity, increases SCFA production, improves nutrient utilization, and modulates neural and hormonal pathways, improving gut barrier integrity. 

6️⃣ Regular exercise snacks throughout the day are better for regulating blood glucose levels than 1 longer session.

7️⃣ HI IT, e.g. 6x 6-second sprints on stationary bike, with 1-min rest in-between increases brain energy levels, oxygenation, blood supply and fuel utilisation, improving focus, cognitive functions and mental status.
 
👉🏼To get health benefits from exercise, you don’t have to spend hours on the treadmill/at the gym.

Here 👇🏼 are some of my movement non-negotiables and small but great habits from 2025 that I will take with me into the new year.
 
These don’t take long to do but give me so many gains:
 
🦵🏼 A stretch/mobility session on waking
🧘‍♀️ A weekly mat yoga class
🤸‍♀️ A monthly swing yoga class
🏋‍♀️ 2-3x short (outdoor) strength training sessions per week
🤸🏼‍♀️ Daily headstand practice
🚶‍♀️ Almost-daily walks
⭕ Almost-daily rebounding
💆‍♀️ Daily MELTing
🏊‍♀️ Lake swims in the summer, twice daily during our summer holidays in Finland
 
A further habit that I want to make more consistent this year but often forget, particularly now in winter when it's dark and cold and going out is not so attractive, is a short walk/movement session after dinner.
 
The benefits of moving you body go well beyond the superficial!

It can be your health insurance against frailty and cognitive decline as you age.

What are your movement non-negotiables in 2026?