The Aporia · As a GP, these daily habits make me feel better at 56 than I did at 26

Life as a junior doctor specialising in hospital medicine was hectic. asserted

Life → specialise → medicine

I was in my 20s and used to eat badly, my meals were out of sync because of shift work and I rarely found time to exercise. asserted

I → use → time

Then, as a working mother, I was all over the place for years, working as a GP while getting up at night with young children. asserted

I → work → children

But in recent years I’ve revamped my wellbeing and become regimented with my schedule. asserted

I → revamp → schedule

I feel better at 56 than I ever did when I was young. asserted

I → feel → 56

As a hormone expert, I see some women who think they can just start taking hormone replacement therapy and sit back and let it all happen; that their energy levels will be transformed, as well as their skin and their mental health. asserted

levels → see → therapy

Well, it’s not like that. asserted

it → ’ → that

We should be doing a lot more to try to prevent diseases and improve our healthspan – the number of healthy years we enjoy – and not just our lifespan asserted

we → try → years

These are the daily habits that help keep me on track. asserted

that → help → track

Yoga and headstands to kick-start the day My alarm goes off early. asserted

alarm → kick → day

I like to get my exercise done and out of the way. asserted

exercise → like → way

I have migraines that rule my life, so I have to be obsessively routine about everything I do. asserted

I → have → everything

If I eat at a different time, or don’t follow my exercise regimen, it will often cause a migraine. asserted

it → eat → migraine

When I’m on my yoga mat I don’t have my phone, and I find that with balancing postures I really have to concentrate, so I can’t ruminate. asserted

I → ’m → postures

If I skip my yoga sessions, it doesn’t take long for my mental health to wobble. asserted

health → skip → sessions

For about a year, I’ve alternated yoga with doing weights twice a week, lifting 10 to 30kg. asserted

I → alternate → kg

As we get older, we often lose muscle strength, so doing anything to keep muscles and bones strong is important. asserted

doing → get → muscles

I also really don’t want to get bingo wings, which sounds vain but is motivating. asserted

which → want → wings

I always end with a headstand to improve my core strength and keep my mind focused. asserted

I → end → mind

After, I do shavasana for up to 10 minutes, lying down, legs and arms slightly apart. asserted

legs → do → minutes

It’s like a free-form meditation to clear my mind. asserted

It → ’ → mind

My instructor used to tell me it was the most important part of the session, and I would think “Don’t be ridiculous”, but over time I’ve realised it really is. asserted

it → use → time

6.30am: Intense heat to beat the migraines Having an infrared sauna, which we had installed last year, helps me to avoid migraines. asserted

me → beat → migraines

It was expensive, and there’s limited evidence as to why it helps, but anything that can help reduce their frequency and severity feels worth it. asserted

that → ’ → frequency

Infrared has been shown to reduce inflammation – the crux of everything for metabolic diseases, cardiovascular disease, dementia and cancers – which is probably why it works for migraines. asserted

it → show → migraines

After my shower, I use my hormone replacement therapy. asserted

I → use → therapy

I had been using higher-than-licensed doses of oestrogen, which I know has been controversial, but I couldn’t absorb it fully; the gel floats off my skin, and patches don’t stick on very well. asserted

patches → use → skin

Now the doctor I see has prescribed me a compounded preparation of estradiol (a custom mix created by a specialised pharmacist), so my dose is a lot lower because I’m absorbing it better. asserted

I → see → it

I also use testosterone as a cream through my skin, plus progesterone to help with my mood, clarity of thought and migraines as well. asserted

I → use → thought

Then I also use vaginal prasterone (DHEA) for dryness and urinary symptoms, which converts to oestrogen and testosterone. asserted

which → use → oestrogen

This has been transformational because I used to have frequent urinary tract infections and now I don’t. asserted

I → use → infections

Before I have breakfast, I head outside and walk barefoot on my lawn while looking for my tortoises, Hadrian and Pinky. asserted

I → have → tortoises

I’ve had Hadrian my whole life. asserted

I → have → Hadrian

It’s a great excuse to get some morning light and fresh air. asserted

It → ’ → light

Every couple of months I make a massive witch’s cauldron of muesli because the sugar content in the shop-bought varieties is too high and would trigger migraines. asserted

content → make → migraines

I roast oats and then add chia seeds, flax seeds, sultanas, oat bran and wheat germ and stir it all up and store it in a massive Tupperware container. asserted

I → roast → container

I drink hot water with a slice of lemon – I gave up caffeine years ago on the advice of a doctor helping me with my migraines – and then it’s time for my supplements. asserted

it → drink → supplements

Each day I take fish oil, vitamin D, plus magnesium, which helps my migraines and contains vitamin Bs to aid the absorption of the magnesium. asserted

which → take → magnesium

I also take an iron supplement because I always seem to have low iron, and two or three times a week I take a probiotic. asserted

I → take → probiotic

My guts are pretty good, so I don’t need it daily. asserted

I → need → it

As a GP, these daily habits make me feel better at 56 than I did at 26

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