Deb Gowen is a Registered Nurse and Certified Nurse Midwife, who has extensive experience in working with women and men on working with their bodies instead of fighting them. 

I speak from experience, as working with her has shifted my thoughts about the aging process, and have given me more confidence in what my body is capable of in my late forties (and beyond!). 

This episode is really "the talk" that I wish all of us had gotten on our fortieth birthdays!

Here are Deb's Ten Tips that she discusses in more detail on this episode:

Stress has real consequences. Stress is not simply the result of your inadequacies,  your inability to cope or multitask, or any of the things you tell yourself to rationalize  why you cannot do it all. Stress makes changes in your health in a real way. 

Small, positive changes that appear to be way too small or minor can actually  matter in health maintenance.  

Find time to take 10 deep breaths as slowly as possible at least once a day. It takes  only 1-2 minutes and reorients your brain and neurotransmitters.  

Five minutes of closed eyes and quiet breathing can be very beneficial. Set a phone  alarm so you don’t have to worry about falling asleep or keeping track of time. Start  once daily, then work up to twice daily or 10 minutes daily. The often recommended goal is 20 minutes a day and is then called meditation. Skip the  labels or the right way to do it. Just start small and do 5 minutes. 

Hormones are a bigger deal than just for menstrual cycles and pregnancy.

Food quality matters. Try to have easy-to-grab, quality food around. For example,  cook a lot at once and make portions for the week. 

Sleep matters. Use sleep hygiene methods, and if they don’t work well enough,  look for other options, including hormone assessment for adequate progesterone  or for cortisol support.

Movement matters. Stand up and dance to a tune every hour or so. Or walk for 10  minutes a couple times a day. Pick your movement. Everything is on the table. 

70% of all people have at least one ACE (Adverse Childhood Event) or trauma,  which makes reactivity and resistance more active than resilience and solution seeking. Trauma is less about what it was or the perceived severity of the event,  and more about context and feelings of powerlessness at the time of the event.  Trauma keeps the adrenals overworking, resulting eventually in hormonal  imbalance and poor health. 

Discrimination against women is real in all sectors, including health care. Racism  worsens it. Don’t doubt yourself. If you have someone who is not listening to you or  is speaking down to you, get the care you can at the moment, then find someone  else. If you don’t have the option of switching providers, don’t be reluctant to bring  your sweetly-spoken but more assertive male of female friend to your next visit.

This list is intellectual property of Deb Gowen. © 2021 Deb Gowen. All Rights Reserved Paths to Wellness

Music, "Georges, Part Deux" by Art Mawson and Yinh Kiefer.

Produced by Yinh Kiefer, Final Mix by Jasmati Productions