WEBVTT - Ask Me Anything: Creatine bloat, peri stages & multivitamins - yay or nay? 0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:03.160 Why is it so hard to get real answers about 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:06.560 your health? If you've been told that everything looks fine, 0:00:06.760 --> 0:00:09.640 but you know that something is off, we're not imagining it. 0:00:09.880 --> 0:00:13.200 That's why I created Vitality three sixty to help you 0:00:13.240 --> 0:00:16.439 better understand what's going on inside your body so that 0:00:16.520 --> 0:00:19.680 you can take the targeted action needed. With a functional 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:23.560 health approach plus testing, we go beyond the guesswork to 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:26.960 uncover the root causes of your symptoms. I've teamed up 0:00:26.960 --> 0:00:31.160 with Doctyesmina, an incredible integrative GP, and together we will 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:34.879 help you decode your body's signals and answer questions like 0:00:35.120 --> 0:00:38.880 why am I always exhausted? What's really causing my stubborn weight? 0:00:39.159 --> 0:00:43.520 Am I inflamed? Insulin resistant? Or maybe missing key nutrients? 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:46.800 Because when you understand your body better, you can transform 0:00:46.840 --> 0:00:49.680 your health. Visit v three sixty dot health or check 0:00:49.720 --> 0:00:53.239 out the show notes for more. This is Healthy Heer 0:00:53.320 --> 0:00:55.800 with Amelia Phillips and welcome to this month's Ask Me 0:00:55.960 --> 0:00:59.760 Anything episode, where I get to answer my wonderful listener questions. 0:01:00.200 --> 0:01:03.760 I actually love hearing what's on your mind. I love 0:01:03.840 --> 0:01:07.959 knowing what you're grappling with. Maybe some wins you've been having, 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:11.880 or maybe it's something that you're outraged by, because there's 0:01:11.959 --> 0:01:14.960 a few things out there that we can be outraged by. 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:18.000 But look, today, I've got a range of questions, questions 0:01:18.040 --> 0:01:20.960 from whether we should be taking a multi vitamin or 0:01:21.040 --> 0:01:26.040 is that just expensive? Week? To troubleshooting some creatine side effects. 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:28.520 And we've also got a listener wondering how to work 0:01:28.520 --> 0:01:31.800 out what stage of perimenopause she's in, because there are 0:01:32.000 --> 0:01:36.720 multiple stages in perimenopause. So before I dive into those questions, 0:01:36.800 --> 0:01:40.520 I thought I just might tell you about something I'm 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:42.880 a little bit excited about. I think I might have 0:01:42.959 --> 0:01:45.560 mentioned in a previous episode that I have been working 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:50.520 very hard on a really exciting, brand new program. So 0:01:51.080 --> 0:01:55.880 this program, it's short, it's targeted, and it's just gone 0:01:56.240 --> 0:02:00.640 live like literally yesterday. It's called the four teen Day 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:04.800 Vitality Reset, and it's honestly something that I actually do 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:07.960 myself a couple of times per year anyway, when I've 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:11.359 kind of let my healthy habit slide a little bit, 0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:14.200 so often I'll do it towards the end of winter 0:02:14.400 --> 0:02:17.079 and then again after the summer holidays when i've been 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:21.120 away in January. So I've really designed this for those 0:02:21.160 --> 0:02:23.960 who are wanting to shift a few kilos, but of 0:02:24.000 --> 0:02:27.400 course in the healthiest way possible. It's also perfect for 0:02:27.480 --> 0:02:30.600 those who are trying to build muscle whilst stripping fat 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:33.120 at the same time, which I guess is also me. 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:36.760 So yeah, I pretty much designed this for myself, let's 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:40.000 face it. But of course it's relevant to everyone, so yes, 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:42.160 I guess it is really perfect if you are looking 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:45.919 for that short, sharp reset. So here's how it works. 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:48.120 I'll put the link in the show notes, but you 0:02:48.160 --> 0:02:50.440 go to the link and you can read all about it, 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:52.400 and then you sign up to it. And once you've 0:02:52.400 --> 0:02:54.760 signed up to it, you then get to choose your 0:02:54.800 --> 0:02:57.760 start date. So you can choose any Monday in the 0:02:57.800 --> 0:02:59.440 future that you want to start it. So you might 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:01.520 not be ready to start it next week. You might 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:03.639 want to start it a few weeks ahead, and that's 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:05.880 totally fine, but it has to be on a Monday 0:03:05.960 --> 0:03:08.400 when you start, so that my meal plan aligns with 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:11.360 the weeks and the weekends. You then get a complete 0:03:11.520 --> 0:03:16.040 fourteen day meal plan with the overview, with your recipes 0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:20.480 with a shopping list, Plus you get an exercise plan 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:23.239 as well, and it's an exercise plan that really focuses 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:26.040 on strength training but also still has the cardio and 0:03:26.080 --> 0:03:29.200 the VO two max in there as well. Plus once 0:03:29.240 --> 0:03:32.400 you start the fourteen days, you get an email every 0:03:32.480 --> 0:03:37.120 day from me which is full of inspiration, daily instructions, 0:03:37.240 --> 0:03:41.760 plus other lifestyle leavers you can be pulling around stress management, sleep, 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:44.720 emotional health, and of course over the fourteen days, you 0:03:44.720 --> 0:03:48.000 have twenty four to seven access to me, to Doctyasmina, 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:50.880 and to our team of naturopaths and dietitians, so you 0:03:50.920 --> 0:03:54.120 can email us anytime with questions about your plan or 0:03:54.320 --> 0:03:57.000 just questions about your health in general. You also get 0:03:57.040 --> 0:04:01.800 to do especially designed online vitality assessment that doctor Yasmina 0:04:01.840 --> 0:04:05.480 and I designed ourselves, and we created this so that 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:09.120 you can get a vitality score, which is an overall score, 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:12.440 but then you get a report outlining specific scores for 0:04:12.560 --> 0:04:16.080 each of the four key health pillars. So in our 0:04:16.120 --> 0:04:19.320 programs we have these four key health pillars of metabolic health, 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:22.200 gut health, hormone health, and inflammation, so you get literally 0:04:22.200 --> 0:04:24.560 a score for each of those to see which ones 0:04:24.720 --> 0:04:28.800 maybe need the most attention. And this actually then informs 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:32.080 which meal plan we send you. So, for example, if 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:35.960 you score porous in inflammation in your vitality score, then 0:04:35.960 --> 0:04:37.640 we're going to be sending you a meal plan that 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:41.880 really focuses on lowering inflammation. So let me touch on 0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:45.559 the meal plans as well. So I personally developed these 0:04:45.920 --> 0:04:50.599 and I painstakingly designed them to reach the holy grail 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:53.839 of over one hundred grams of protein per day. Yet 0:04:53.960 --> 0:04:58.240 they still remain in a modest caloric deficit. So that's 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:00.400 how you're going to protect that muscle but also be 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:04.040 stripping fat. So in addition to this lovely macro balance, 0:05:04.240 --> 0:05:07.279 we also then your meal plans. Every single day, you 0:05:07.320 --> 0:05:10.880 are getting to that magic twenty five grams of fiber level. 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:13.440 You are getting to that magic between one thoy to 0:05:13.520 --> 0:05:17.280 thirteen hundred milligrams of calcium per day, so that's amazing 0:05:17.320 --> 0:05:21.080 and super important for bone health. You're getting eighteen milligrams 0:05:21.120 --> 0:05:23.440 of iron per day, so that's for those of you 0:05:23.520 --> 0:05:27.360 that struggle with iron. That's the RDI for iron. Plus 0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:29.599 you're getting that one hundred grams of protein per day 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:32.560 as well, So it's a really great template. It's basically 0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:36.280 the perfect midlife template for a woman, so you can 0:05:36.320 --> 0:05:39.120 get a sense of, oh, this is what a balanced 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:41.920 meal plan looks like, and then you can use that 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:45.080 template going forward after the fourteen days. The meal plans 0:05:45.080 --> 0:05:47.280 as well are practical. You know, they've got lots of 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:51.920 repeat breakfasts so you're not having to gourmet cook the lunches, 0:05:52.240 --> 0:05:56.040 same thing, lots of leftovers and no cooking required for lunches, 0:05:56.360 --> 0:05:59.719 plus lots of delicious snack options as well. On top 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:03.359 of that, we also have a supplement stack recommendation based 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:07.640 on those Vitality Score results and included in your supplement 0:06:07.640 --> 0:06:10.960 stack at the brands that we recommend the dosages. Of course, 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:12.960 it's optional if you want to take them. You don't 0:06:12.960 --> 0:06:15.839 have to, but it's there for you. So it really 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:21.040 is that fourteen day perfect reset time. I love fourteen 0:06:21.120 --> 0:06:25.440 days because it's short enough to be super manageable and achievable. 0:06:25.560 --> 0:06:28.200 Anyone can do anything for fourteen days, but it's actually 0:06:28.200 --> 0:06:30.200 long enough that you can really start to feel the 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:33.200 benefits and get a level of confidence that it's working 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:36.680 and that you've had that reset so you're feeling motivated. 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:39.880 So anyway, I just thought i'd let you know about 0:06:39.920 --> 0:06:42.280 the Vitality Reset I'd love for you to check it out. 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:44.520 I'll pop the link in the show notes and you 0:06:44.560 --> 0:06:47.359 can do a little bit more digging around and hopefully 0:06:47.720 --> 0:06:50.920 we'll get you on there. In other exciting news, I'm 0:06:50.960 --> 0:06:53.200 also excited to announce it I'm going to be speaking 0:06:53.360 --> 0:06:59.080 at the Prevention Magazines World Menopause Day Lunch in Sydney 0:06:59.600 --> 0:07:02.760 on Setday, the seventeenth of October. It's at the Softo Tel. 0:07:02.839 --> 0:07:05.599 It's going to be the most divine lunch. Tickets have 0:07:05.760 --> 0:07:08.240 just been released and I would love to see you there. 0:07:08.640 --> 0:07:13.200 Come alone, bring a friend, doesn't matter. Everyone's welcome and 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:16.679 it's going to be an amazing day with beautiful energy 0:07:16.680 --> 0:07:20.760 in the room. It's an awesome lineup of incredible menopause experts, 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:23.840 many I've actually interviewed here on this podcast, such as 0:07:23.960 --> 0:07:28.760 neuroscientist doctor Sarah Mackay, doctor Ginny Mansberg as well. Actually 0:07:29.240 --> 0:07:32.920 believe the Greek goddess Effie might even be making a 0:07:32.920 --> 0:07:35.240 special appearance on the day. I can't imagine what she's 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:38.400 going to say about menopause. I'm sure it will be hilarious. Anyway. 0:07:38.400 --> 0:07:41.680 I will pop that link to this Menopause Lunch in 0:07:41.720 --> 0:07:44.760 the show notes. I'd love to see you there and 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:47.840 come and chat to me. All Right, enough about my 0:07:48.000 --> 0:07:50.720 news for the month, Let's get on to some of 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:55.320 our great questions. Kicking off with Ann Harrison, who sent 0:07:55.360 --> 0:07:58.920 me a DM over Instagram. Should everyone take a good 0:07:59.040 --> 0:08:03.440 multi vitamin? This is a very controversial question, and there 0:08:03.560 --> 0:08:08.920 are experts that I highly respect that are really divided 0:08:09.080 --> 0:08:12.480 on this. Doctor Norman Swan, He's like, absolutely not, They're 0:08:12.560 --> 0:08:14.880 just expensive WII. But then you've got, you know, the 0:08:14.920 --> 0:08:19.480 incredible Ronda Fitzpatrick who is a real fan of them. 0:08:19.720 --> 0:08:24.160 So it definitely is a jury is out answer, But 0:08:24.200 --> 0:08:27.120 I'm going to give you my take on it, and 0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:29.480 I have to say I have vacillated a little bit 0:08:29.560 --> 0:08:31.880 over the years as well. I used to be quite 0:08:31.920 --> 0:08:34.080 against a multi vitamin. I used to kind of sit 0:08:34.120 --> 0:08:36.480 with doctor Norman and think, you know, it's just expensive. 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:39.600 We often the formulations in there, they're not reaching those 0:08:39.640 --> 0:08:43.320 therapeutic doses. So I didn't really support it. And I 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:45.960 was much more of a fan of targeted supplements, so 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:49.040 testing and seeing what you're deficient or insufficient in, and 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:51.400 so I didn't really support this idea that everyone needs 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:54.520 a multi vitamin. You know, because of an insurance policy 0:08:54.640 --> 0:08:57.240 for you know, just getting those nutrient levels. But I 0:08:57.320 --> 0:09:00.680 must say I have become increasingly interested in this topic 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:03.839 since I've been following the results of a trial. It's 0:09:03.880 --> 0:09:07.480 called the Cosmos trial, and it is kind of challenging 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:11.080 my thinking. So this Cosmos trial, a really important study 0:09:11.120 --> 0:09:15.360 found that taking a daily multivitamin was associated with slower 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:18.920 cognitive aging in older adults, or a good thing, slowing 0:09:18.960 --> 0:09:24.360 down aging in older adults. An even epigenetic researcher, doctor 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:29.319 Stephen Horvath, has a new analysis suggesting that when combined 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:34.400 with regular exercise and AMEGA three supplementation, a multivitamin even 0:09:34.600 --> 0:09:38.680 has a modest effect on slowing biological aging. And that's 0:09:38.720 --> 0:09:42.000 really interesting. In our programs, we test our members biological 0:09:42.080 --> 0:09:46.400 age and we are all quite focused on lowering that number. 0:09:46.559 --> 0:09:49.280 So that pricked my interest as well. Now, I guess ann, 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:53.120 if you are thinking of taking a multivitamin, you want 0:09:53.160 --> 0:09:56.280 to make sure it's a high quality multivitamin that can 0:09:56.360 --> 0:09:59.280 help fill nutritional gaps, because that's kind of what they're 0:09:59.280 --> 0:10:02.000 designed to do. Even people who eat a healthy diet 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:06.839 often don't get enough nutrients like magnesium, vitamin D iodine, 0:10:07.040 --> 0:10:10.400 vitamin K, some of the B vitamins, and so I 0:10:10.480 --> 0:10:12.880 do see a multivitamin as a way to improve that 0:10:13.040 --> 0:10:17.920 overall micronutrient intake. It's definitely not a replacement for eating well, 0:10:18.200 --> 0:10:20.040 and I want you to just be really clear that 0:10:20.080 --> 0:10:23.400 diet should always come first. The other thing to think 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:26.400 about with a multivitamin is a quality really does matter. 0:10:26.480 --> 0:10:29.120 So I wouldn't just be grabbing any chemist shop brand. 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:32.120 I'd be choosing a well formulated multi vitamin that uses 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:37.920 really bioavailable forms of nutrients that avoids unnecessarily high dosages. 0:10:38.360 --> 0:10:41.200 So particularly something I'd like you to look at is 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:45.160 B six vitamin B six and have a look at 0:10:45.320 --> 0:10:49.600 the percentage RDI of the recommended daily intake. Make sure 0:10:49.720 --> 0:10:52.240 it's not too high because vitamin B six can be 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:57.360 toxic at high levels. Personally, I still like to individualize supplementations. 0:10:57.400 --> 0:11:01.440 So although a multi might provide a good found I 0:11:01.480 --> 0:11:06.000 also believe that targeting specific nutrients based on testing and 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:09.840 on your individual needs, based on your blood work testing 0:11:09.960 --> 0:11:14.440 is really really important. In particular vitamin D amiga three. 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:19.040 I took about amiga three index testing on here. Magnesium creatine. 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:23.120 You can't test for unfortunately, but iron as well, and 0:11:23.160 --> 0:11:28.000 then trace minerals like iodine, zinc, copper. We can test 0:11:28.040 --> 0:11:31.360 all of those now, so it really isn't a slam 0:11:31.480 --> 0:11:34.480 dunk whether you should be taking a MULTI. The other 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:38.080 thing to consider is that these positive effects happen over 0:11:38.160 --> 0:11:41.600 a really long period of time, So over this Cosmos trial, 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:43.360 it's not like you just take them for a month 0:11:43.400 --> 0:11:46.640 and then it has this great effect on longevity and 0:11:46.640 --> 0:11:49.120 biological aging. It's something that you really need to be 0:11:49.200 --> 0:11:52.559 taked consistently, So that's something that you've got to decide 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:56.000 if you're willing to do that. But this research is 0:11:56.040 --> 0:11:58.520 showing that people that are taking them consistently for a 0:11:58.520 --> 0:12:01.839 long period of time it is having this benefit later 0:12:01.960 --> 0:12:03.960 on in life. So you might be taking a supplement 0:12:04.080 --> 0:12:06.080 or a multi now, but you're probably going to be 0:12:06.080 --> 0:12:09.560 really noticing the benefits once you're in that older stage 0:12:09.640 --> 0:12:12.240 of life. So I'm sorry, I don't have a clear, 0:12:12.280 --> 0:12:15.920 definitive answer for you. I personally am not taking one. 0:12:16.080 --> 0:12:21.000 I just focus on my targeted supplementation. But you know, 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:24.360 and if you maybe think that your diet isn't super healthy, 0:12:24.600 --> 0:12:27.079 or maybe you might be on a GLP one for example, 0:12:27.160 --> 0:12:29.600 have a very low caloric intake, so you're just not 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:33.680 getting enough nutrients, then absolutely go for it. So sorry, 0:12:33.800 --> 0:12:36.840 not all answers are definitive yes or no, but watch 0:12:36.880 --> 0:12:39.840 this space. I'll actually put a link in the show 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:43.880 notes for a really interesting episode of another podcast called 0:12:43.960 --> 0:12:47.360 Found My Fitness by doctor Rohnda Fitzpatrick. She dives into 0:12:47.400 --> 0:12:50.280 this in great detail. It's a really interesting episode on 0:12:50.320 --> 0:12:53.280 biological aging as well. It's quite long, so I'll pop 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:55.680 some time stamps in case you want to just fast 0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:58.280 forward straight to the multivitamin. But she goes into that 0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:13.120 Cosmos trial in a lot of detail. Why is it 0:13:13.200 --> 0:13:16.040 so hard to get real answers about your health? If 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:19.200 you've been told that everything looks fine, but you know 0:13:19.280 --> 0:13:22.280 that something is off, you're not imagining it. That's why 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:25.360 I created Vitality three point sixty to help you better 0:13:25.440 --> 0:13:28.480 understand what's going on inside your body so that you 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:31.800 can take the targeted action needed. With a functional health 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:36.000 approach plus testing, we go beyond the guesswork to uncover 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:38.920 the root causes of your symptoms. I've teamed up with 0:13:39.000 --> 0:13:43.040 doctor Esmina, an incredible integrative GP and together we will 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:46.720 help you decode your body's signals and answer questions like 0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:50.760 why am I always exhausted? What's really causing my stubborn weight? 0:13:51.040 --> 0:13:55.400 Am I inflamed? Insulin resistant? Or maybe missing key nutrients? 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:58.680 Because when you understand your body better, you can transform 0:13:58.720 --> 0:14:01.560 your health. Visit VS three sixty dot health or check 0:14:01.600 --> 0:14:16.000 out the show notes for more. Okay, next question, Lisa Gleeson. Hi, Lisa, 0:14:16.120 --> 0:14:18.400 She's got a question about creatine. She said, it makes 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:22.440 me bloated and uncomfortable, even if I take small doses. 0:14:22.720 --> 0:14:25.320 You know, it's interesting. We don't get that many people 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:29.360 that have gastro intestinal issues with creatine, but we do 0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:32.680 get a couple. So I'm just going to run through. Obviously, 0:14:32.720 --> 0:14:34.720 I don't know your background, Lisa, I don't know if 0:14:34.720 --> 0:14:37.240 you have any medical conditions or any gut issues, but 0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:40.480 let me just run through a few tips and maybe 0:14:40.520 --> 0:14:43.960 you can apply some of these and see if it helps. So, firstly, 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:47.400 trying a smaller dose, and I know you did say 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:50.359 you'd tried a smaller dose, but even just three grams, 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:53.560 so just getting you know, that's kind of like a 0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:55.800 half a tea spoon. I know it doesn't sound like 0:14:55.880 --> 0:14:57.800 a lot, but just getting your gut used to it. 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:00.680 The other thing you can do is you can split 0:15:00.760 --> 0:15:03.120 the dose, so instead of taking it all at once, 0:15:03.200 --> 0:15:05.760 you might take a quarter of a teaspoon in the 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:08.040 morning and quarter of a teaspoon in the evening, and 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:11.600 then slowly build that up. Give that a try. Taking 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:14.000 it at the end of a meal give that a 0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:17.640 try as well, because when your tummy is full of 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:20.280 food and it's taking a lot longer to digest, then 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:23.800 it's just hitting your system a lot more gently and slowly. 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:27.200 So having creatine with food rather than on an empty stomach, 0:15:27.520 --> 0:15:31.640 see if that helps to reduce any digestive upsets. Also 0:15:31.920 --> 0:15:35.240 check the type you're using, so creatine monohydrate is the 0:15:35.560 --> 0:15:38.040 type that has the strongest evidence, but you might want 0:15:38.080 --> 0:15:42.280 to choose a high quality micronized version that can improve 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:45.400 how well it mixes and it might be easier to tolerate. 0:15:45.440 --> 0:15:49.120 So look for something that says micronized and see if 0:15:49.200 --> 0:15:53.080 that might help mix it really well. So when you 0:15:53.120 --> 0:15:55.040 have it in your glass of water, first of all, 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:57.960 get a good half to three quarters of a glass 0:15:58.200 --> 0:16:01.720 and let it fully dissolve in the water before drinking it, 0:16:01.880 --> 0:16:04.520 rather than swallowing it gritty and I must say, I 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:07.880 am really guilty of this. If I'm in a rush, 0:16:07.920 --> 0:16:10.480 I'll literally just like put a tiny bit of water 0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:13.520 in it and just take it down gritty. So make 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:17.000 sure it's fully dissolved, and that just gives your digestion 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:19.480 a little bit of a helping hand. The other thing 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:23.160 to think about, Lisa, is not to confuse bloating with 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:27.720 water retention, because creatine does draw water into your muscle cells, 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:31.840 which is exactly what helps them work better. So most 0:16:31.880 --> 0:16:37.000 people might not notice visible bloating, but they might kind 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:40.520 of feel a little bit more water logged, and you 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:43.160 may be a little bit more sensitive than other people. 0:16:43.200 --> 0:16:46.120 So just make sure you're not confusing bloating with water retention. 0:16:46.400 --> 0:16:48.920 And then look, Lisa, if you've tried all of this 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:52.000 and you still feel uncomfortable, I'm afraid it just may 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:55.600 simply not be the right supplement for you. And this happens. No. 0:16:55.720 --> 0:16:59.800 Creatine has fantastic evidence behind it, but it's certainly not 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:04.080 life saving essential, and you're going to be absolutely fine 0:17:04.119 --> 0:17:07.159 without it. You can still make great progress with strength 0:17:07.200 --> 0:17:11.000 training with adequate proteins. So now try those tips that 0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:14.000 I gave you. But you know it's not the end 0:17:14.080 --> 0:17:16.359 of the world. If you can't take your createin, pass 0:17:16.400 --> 0:17:18.560 it over, send it to me. I'll take it. I'll 0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:22.000 take it off your hands, all right, And onto our 0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:26.720 final question from Jody Saxon sent me a DM over Instagram. 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:30.760 She said, I am loving all your perimenopause education. Oh well, 0:17:30.800 --> 0:17:33.840 thank you, Jody. I am still confused as to what 0:17:34.000 --> 0:17:38.360 the stages of perimenopause are and therefore where I am 0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:41.880 at on this journey. Thank you, love your work. Look, 0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:45.960 it is very confusing, and what is in the research 0:17:46.200 --> 0:17:49.920 and what clinicians like to talk about when it comes 0:17:49.960 --> 0:17:52.840 to the stages can vary as well. You know, I've 0:17:52.880 --> 0:17:57.440 heard people talk about between three to four stages of perimenopause, 0:17:57.520 --> 0:18:00.680 whereas the clinical guidelines tend to talk more around two 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:03.760 stages of perimenopause. So don't think that you have to 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:07.560 follow this really clear linear map. And of course, the 0:18:07.600 --> 0:18:12.840 female body, being such a wondrous, mysterious creature that she is, 0:18:13.000 --> 0:18:16.480 we all really go on our own unique journey. Some 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:21.040 women sail through perimenopause and menopause. They don't even get perimenopause. 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:24.280 Their periods just stop one day, minimal symptoms and they're 0:18:24.320 --> 0:18:27.320 out the other side in postmenopause, and then you've got 0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:30.960 everything in between, all the way up to a dipolical 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:34.960 train wreck. But look what Doctorasmina and I like to 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:40.480 educate on is basically two stages of perimenopause, so early stage, 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:44.920 late stage perimenopause, and then postmenopause. So I'll quickly fly 0:18:45.040 --> 0:18:48.879 you through these and you can help decide which stage 0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:51.080 you might be at. So and I guess before I 0:18:51.160 --> 0:18:54.560 dive into this. Another really helpful thing to know is 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:57.360 that the average age of menopause in Australia is around 0:18:57.520 --> 0:19:02.640 fifty one years old, andopause lasts for anywhere from they 0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:05.880 say three to ten years. So basically, if you'll call 0:19:05.920 --> 0:19:09.479 it thirty nine to fifty, you are most likely in 0:19:09.560 --> 0:19:12.600 some stage of perimenopause. So I think that's really helpful. 0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:16.120 The second helpful tool is to talk to any female 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:19.520 close relatives that you have, your sisters, your older sisters, 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:24.479 your mom, your grandma, your aunties, because reaching menopause has 0:19:24.560 --> 0:19:28.200 quite a strong genetic link. So for example, my mom 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:32.440 and my sisters all reach menopause quite late, like fifty three, 0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:35.160 fifty four, and so in my mind, I'm thinking I'm 0:19:35.200 --> 0:19:36.959 going to be a little bit later as well. So 0:19:37.000 --> 0:19:40.879 they're two helpful clues. But then looking at the stages, 0:19:41.160 --> 0:19:44.199 so we've got early stage perimenopause, which is usually that 0:19:44.280 --> 0:19:47.800 three to ten years before you reach menopause, so think 0:19:47.840 --> 0:19:51.480 of that as approximately thirty seven to forty seven years old. Now, 0:19:51.520 --> 0:19:55.679 a really good telltale sign that you are in early 0:19:55.800 --> 0:20:00.159 stage perimenopause is that your cycles are still regular, but 0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:02.280 they may have shortened a little bit. So if you're 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:04.560 a twenty eight day girl, maybe you're a twenty six 0:20:04.640 --> 0:20:06.360 day girl. If you're a twenty six day girl, maybe 0:20:06.359 --> 0:20:08.320 you're a twenty four day girl, but you still get 0:20:08.320 --> 0:20:11.720 these nice regular cycles. Okay. The next thing in early 0:20:11.760 --> 0:20:15.199 stage perimenopause is that you might notice more PMS. So 0:20:15.280 --> 0:20:18.560 you might notice that those premenstrual symptoms are starting to 0:20:18.720 --> 0:20:21.639 ramp up a bit. You also might notice that ovulation 0:20:21.880 --> 0:20:24.320 you can feel, you really feel when you're ovulating. You're 0:20:24.560 --> 0:20:28.000 you know, suddenly you're just feeling quite randy. You're watching 0:20:28.119 --> 0:20:31.120 John Hamm on TV and you're like, Ooh, I'd never 0:20:31.160 --> 0:20:33.800 notice how handsome he was until now. You're really feeling 0:20:33.800 --> 0:20:37.800 those hormonal fluctuations kicking in quite strongly. You might start 0:20:37.840 --> 0:20:41.800 to notice heavier periods, sleep disturbances and a little bit 0:20:41.800 --> 0:20:46.399 of anxiety, irritability, night waking starting to creep in. I 0:20:46.440 --> 0:20:49.240 certainly notice it quite a bit of breast tenderness as well, 0:20:49.400 --> 0:20:53.320 and that's because we're seeing progesterone declining during this stage, 0:20:53.440 --> 0:20:59.159 testosterone fluctuating, and estrogen fluctuating as well. So there's just 0:20:59.280 --> 0:21:02.000 quite a lot of stability in this stage. So then 0:21:02.040 --> 0:21:05.239 we move on to late stage perimenopause, so this is 0:21:05.480 --> 0:21:09.560 really getting close to that menopause date. So this is 0:21:09.560 --> 0:21:12.840 that one to three years before menopause. So if you're 0:21:13.040 --> 0:21:15.600 kind of forty eight, forty nine years old or older, 0:21:16.000 --> 0:21:18.960 there's a high chance you might be in late stage perimenopause. 0:21:19.040 --> 0:21:22.080 A really big hallmark of this is where your cycle 0:21:22.160 --> 0:21:25.600 now starts to vary by more than seven days, so 0:21:25.720 --> 0:21:28.359 instead of being that lovely consistent a little bit shorter, 0:21:28.640 --> 0:21:31.720 one month, it's twenty three days, then the next month 0:21:32.040 --> 0:21:34.879 your cycle lasts for thirty days, then it drops to 0:21:34.920 --> 0:21:37.760 twenty two days, then it lasts for thirty seven days. 0:21:37.880 --> 0:21:41.639 You've seen this wider variation, you might have skipped periods altogether. 0:21:42.040 --> 0:21:44.719 You might have a double period in a month as well. 0:21:44.960 --> 0:21:48.760 Suddenly the PMS gets much worse. This is where migraines 0:21:49.080 --> 0:21:52.399 can kick in much bigger mood swings, and you get 0:21:52.480 --> 0:21:57.320 those heavy for some women, flooding periods or prolonged periods. Also, 0:21:57.400 --> 0:22:00.320 when we see a lot more hot flushes, nights sweat, 0:22:00.440 --> 0:22:03.600 NAT's because progesterone is really getting low and we've got 0:22:03.600 --> 0:22:07.840 this wildly fluctuating estrogen that is starting to also pitter 0:22:08.080 --> 0:22:10.480 right out as your eggs are running out. So that 0:22:10.680 --> 0:22:15.000 is late stage perimenopause and certainly a time when you 0:22:15.040 --> 0:22:19.040 see those symptoms really kicking in quite hard, when HRT 0:22:19.280 --> 0:22:21.800 can be super super helpful. Well, it can be at 0:22:21.840 --> 0:22:26.040 any stage, but particularly that stage. So then Jody, we 0:22:26.160 --> 0:22:29.600 get to menopause. Now, menopause is just one date in 0:22:29.640 --> 0:22:33.800 the calendar, okay, and that is menopause is defined as 0:22:34.200 --> 0:22:38.920 the first day of your last period. But sadly you're 0:22:38.920 --> 0:22:41.639 not going to know that date until it's been twelve months. 0:22:41.880 --> 0:22:45.520 So you can't actually say you've reached menopause until you've 0:22:45.560 --> 0:22:49.280 gone twelve consecutive months with no period. But once you have, 0:22:49.680 --> 0:22:52.520 if your last period was a year ago today, well 0:22:52.520 --> 0:22:55.320 then that date a year ago. Today was when you 0:22:55.359 --> 0:22:58.160 should get your menopause certificate. Hopefully it's in the mail. 0:22:58.440 --> 0:23:02.560 And so once you have reached that menopause transition, that 0:23:02.680 --> 0:23:07.200 date in the calendar, you're officially post menopause. So hopefully 0:23:07.800 --> 0:23:11.040 once you're in postmenopause, things start to settle down. You've 0:23:11.080 --> 0:23:14.520 got fewer migraines and mood symptoms, you're no longer getting 0:23:14.560 --> 0:23:17.560