Liz Earle: why self-care isn’t selfish

On this week’s podcast Dr Louise Newson is joined by her friend Liz Earle MBE, writer, TV presenter, award-winning entrepreneur and best-selling author of A Better Second Half: Dial Back Your Age to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life.

Liz is synonymous with wellbeing, and as we head into 2025, she talks about why most New Year’s resolutions fail because they are unachievable. Instead, Dr Louise and Liz together offer practical tips on making some small but meaningful changes to improve health and wellbeing in midlife and beyond, including nutrition, exercise, mental health and hormones.

They also talk about the importance of prioritising yourself – and why self-care is anything but selfish.

For more about Liz, visit www.lizearlewellbeing.com

You can follow Liz on Instagram @lizearleme

Click here for more about Newson Health.

Transcript

Dr Louise Newson: [00:00:11] Hello. I’m Dr louise Newson. I’m a GP and menopause specialist, and I’m also the founder of the Newson Health Menopause and Wellbeing Centre here in Stratford-upon-Avon. I’m also the founder of the free balance app. Each week on my podcast, join me and my special guests where we discuss all things perimenopause and menopause. We talk about the latest research, bust myths on menopause, symptoms and treatments and often share moving and always inspirational personal stories. This podcast is brought to you by the Newson Health Group, which has clinics across the UK dedicated to providing individualised perimenopause and menopause care for all women. So today on the podcast I am very excited because I have someone who is a friend and mentor. She’s very inspirational and I’ve learned a lot from her in various ways over the years, and she’s been on my podcast before. So welcome back Liz Earle. [00:01:17][67.0]

Liz Earle: [00:01:18] Hello. [00:01:18][0.0]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:01:19] Thank you so much for joining me today. [00:01:19][0.4]

Liz Earle: [00:01:22] Well, honestly, it works two ways, you know? You’ve taught me so much. So I’m really delighted to be here, thank you. [00:01:27][5.6]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:01:27] Ah, well, you’re inspirational in many ways. And one of the things that I’ve really enjoyed over the years, knowing you, is that you’re very evidence based. There’s lots of people I talk to who take things at face value, and you don’t. And I can see as soon as I say something, you’re constantly thinking right, why has she said that? What does it mean? Let me look at some papers. Let me get back to you. You’re very calm in your approach. And one of the things, I’ve been reading a book recently about how to slow down to achieve more, which I think is actually really interesting because then you do, you’re very considered and I think this is so important when you’re talking about areas that not everyone’s in line with. So I’m sort of thinking many years ago, you talking about olive oil, actually. And people were all into Flora and, you know, low fat spreads and you knew that it was the right thing. But we were all thinking about low fat at the same time. [00:02:28][60.8]

Liz Earle: [00:02:30] We were. Yeah, it felt really quite perilous back then. I mean, this is going back more than 30 years, when I dared to question the narrative that saturated fat was bad and that actually we should all be eating low fat. And of course, well I mean you know, from a hormonal perspective that if you go low fat, your hormones fall apart. But actually, you know, we need fat in our brain. We need it for our skin. We need it for overall good health. And, you know, thankfully now I think people are beginning to realise that it’s carbs and sugars that cause the issue. It’s not cholesterol and it’s not saturated fat. [00:03:01][30.6]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:03:01] Yeah, but you were very ahead of your time then, weren’t you? I mean, there’s lots of people who obviously agree and it makes so much sense, but at the time it must have been quite. Was it difficult to continue messaging when other people are saying no? [00:03:14][12.9]

Liz Earle: [00:03:15] It was. Well, I don’t know. I mean, I hopefully I am a truth seeker. And so I think, you know, that when fundamentally it is the right thing, that definitely emboldens you. But yes, it it is hard to kind of stick your head above the parapet. I mean, nobody knows that more so than you. And it can be quite isolating and particularly when you are up against big organisations who have a lot of funding, there’s a lot of vested interest, there is the ability to throw rocks at you and to skew information and you know, these days it’s, you know, it’s about being cancelled, isn’t it? I mean back then we didn’t even have social media, so that wasn’t a risk. But yes, I think we have to be very careful. And also on social media, I think as a lone woman, that is also potentially quite a perilous place to be. So, but then hopefully there is strength in numbers and I think you do kind of find your tribe and you do realise who the good guys are out there and the ones who are really trying and who are evidence based and who have the best interests of women at heart. I mean, hopefully all of humanity. But you know, particularly my tribe is midlife women. That’s who I’ve, yeah, I’m punching for. [00:04:20][64.9]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:04:21] Absolutely. And it is so important because, you know, when you came to my show and I was talking about Semmelweis, you know, that amazing obstetrician who quickly realised that washing hands saved lives, but they didn’t know about germs then. And he was completely ostracised by the medical community. And actually ended up in an asylum, beaten to death. And many times I’ve thought about. Am I mad? Am I absolutely mad? Am I just looking at one part of the evidence? Have I not looked at the bigger picture? And if I didn’t have such a supportive tribe as you like, I think I would have driven myself mad just by this one part, thinking about hormones. But that’s the same with a lot in, when you’re sort of a thought leader, a pioneer, just thinking ahead of time, you know? And I think what’s amazing with your work is that you are always looking in a very considered way, and often it is the most obvious thing. So one of the things I really want to talk to you is about the obvious things about how to keep healthy because, you know, you talk about midlife, but you’ve just had your amazing book out thinking about you and your 60th birthday and your second half of your life. So it’s, it’s so much that we forget because we have this fast paced life we’re, well I say we I don’t eat it, but fast foods, processed foods, you go into any, I was in the supermarket the other day and the colours, the brightness, the packaging like I tend to shop online so I’m not experienced with this overload often because it would trigger a migraine. But just think, God there’s all this awful stuff that’s going on, but it helps us because we’re so busy. But it doesn’t really because it’s making us far more unhealthy. Slowing us down in the way that we’re putting on weight. We can’t think the same way. We’re not sleeping the same way. So there’s things that are working against us. So I’m really keen to just learn more about what we can do that’s very simple. It’s not very expensive to keep healthy because as we age, it’s not so easy to keep healthy you know, and we have to invest in ourselves and be true to ourselves. It’s, you know, the beginning of a new year. We always think it’s going to be a better year this year and various things we can’t control, as you know. But the things we can are the things that can make quite a big difference to us and the people around us. Because if we’re healthier, we can help others. [00:06:54][153.2]

Liz Earle: [00:06:55] That is such a good point. Thank you for mentioning my book. And actually, you know, when I was writing that, I did start, the starting point is how do you start? And it’s about deciding to prioritise yourself. And I think the thing that I’ve learned over the years as somebody who’s now, you know, going to be 62 this year, so I’m kind of of that slightly older generation where being selfish in terms of looking after yourself was seen as really a bit self-indulgent and you should actually put everybody else first. And of course we do need to look after others. And a lot of midlife women spend their lives doing that. You know, they tend to be the primary caregivers, having children, looking after elderly parents, being active in their own communities, their workplace, whatever. And so deciding that actually we’re going to push ourselves up the to do list is quite a big thing for a lot of women. And actually self-care is not selfish. It’s really important. And if we are not fully capable ourselves and how on earth can we help others? So let’s prioritise ourselves. Let’s switch that mindset right now. You know, to quote another beauty giant ‘because we’re worth it’. We really need to be doing that because this is our time and we’ve probably put the time in for lots of other people over the years, and this is our time to thrive. And, you know, when I hit 60, I realised that I was actually healthier, happier, stronger, fitter, more purposeful, more sorted than I’ve ever been in my life. Definitely during my 40s and 50s when I kind of lost myself a bit, as so many women do. And I thought, you know, if that’s the trajectory I’m going on this upward, why can’t I be better at 70? That’s my goal. You know, a better second half is literally, I’m aiming to hit 120. Actually, I was speaking at a longevity conference in Oxford recently and listening to what’s going on, I’m think I’m going to push it to 130. But it’s not so much just about adding on those years. It’s about having the healthy years and having full brain health, cognitive function, muscle strength, motivation, mobility, all of those things. Otherwise you kind of think, well, what’s the point? So let’s age but age well. [00:09:09][134.7]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:09:10] Well, you’re absolutely right. And, you know, I often say to people, you have to look after yourself first. And it was one of my take home messages from the tour is, you know, because it feels really self-indulgent and it’s not self-indulgent, actually, because I know that if we do look after ourselves physically and mentally, we’re going to have more energy to look after others. We’re going to be in a better place as well. And I’ve always tried that even for my patients, because the last thing you want to do is visit a doctor who’s really unhealthy because. [00:09:43][33.1]

Liz Earle: [00:09:44] That’s not a good look, is it, really? [00:09:45][1.0]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:09:45] It’s not a good look. But it also it’s so easy to say you need to exercise more, but if you’re not doing it yourself, then how can you really understand how to fit it into a timetable? Because we’re always busy. It’s always like, I never have time. [00:10:00][14.3]

Liz Earle: [00:10:00] There’s always a reason why we can’t. [00:10:01][0.6]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:10:01] Of course there is, course there is. And it’s… [00:10:04][2.2]

Liz Earle: [00:10:04] It’s tiny changes. You know, it’s little things. It’s not, certainly why do most New Year’s resolutions fall down? It’s because they’re too big and they’re too fast. And actually, you know, just pick one tiny thing that you’re going to do this week. Is it having an extra glass of water? I mean, it could be something as simple and as easy and accessible and as free as that. Yeah. You know, is it the fact that you’re going to turn the water down to cold at the end of your shower for 10 seconds to give you that little micro cortisol spike first thing in the morning that will set you up for the day and that will help boost your blood circulation and help your lymphatics and all of that. And then you build up. Is it about swerving that muffin or bowl of granola or whatever first thing, and thinking, do you know what my first mouthful of the day is going to be protein. I’m going to have a boiled egg, I’m going to have some yoghurt, I’m going to have a bit of avocado. You know, I’m just going to make sure that I don’t spike that insulin during the morning, which is going to make me crave more carbs. So tiny changes and, you know, I think of these things as individual beads in that in and of themselves they are small and insignificant and can get lost. But when you add them up and you string them together, whether you can make a bracelet or a necklace or whatever, it becomes something quite substantial and something really valuable. So let’s add in these little tiny hacks and be kind to ourselves and reward ourselves, you know, put a picture on the fridge like we used to do with our kids and go, Yeah, you know, I did that. I’ve had those five glasses of water today. I’m winning. [00:11:32][87.4]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:11:32] Yeah. And I think you’re right. It is. And I’ve said this before, it’s adding rather than taking away because it’s so easy to say, I’m not going to eat X, Y, Z. But actually, if you do add in A, B, C, you’re less likely to be hungry, less likely to have those sugar cravings, less likely to want those things that aren’t so healthy. So it is a different mindset actually is adding something, even if it’s really small, adding, I love the idea of building a new bracelet or necklace rather than changing the one that you like that you’ve won for years, you know, because it will over a while, yeah so over a while, it can take, because it takes quite a few months doesn’t it, to change eating habits. yeah. You know, foods are very addictive and they’re more addictive than ever now. You know, I was watching something. I mean, I love Chris Van Tulleken, and he was talking about the processing and, you know, just even I mean, I make cakes for the children. We don’t buy cakes. And as you know, they’re really easy to put together. But, you look at the ingredients of cakes, even just very simple cakes that you buy from supermarkets and you just think, actually, this is really not good. And it doesn’t taste as nice, but of course it lasts longer. But actually a lot of people don’t realise that. They’re like, really? Gosh I didn’t, you know, whenever I make a cake, people are like, How have you got time? Well, literally it doesn’t take very long. The cakes I make are not very complicated. [00:13:00][87.8]

Liz Earle: [00:13:01] It’s five minutes throwing it together. [00:13:01][0.9]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:13:02] Yeah. But if you’d never learned it. [00:13:03][0.9]

Liz Earle: [00:13:03] Flour, sugar, butter, eggs. Yeah. And it’s very satisfying. I love actually cooking. You know, I don’t have a huge amount of time. And, you know, one of the things, you know, people say is that, you know, cook from scratch is going to take so much time, is literally scrambling an egg and chucking a bit of grated cheese. You know, serve it with a bit of, I don’t know, veg on the side or you know, chop up an avocado or something. It is super easy. It takes less time actually than unwrapping a packet that you’ve had to go out and buy in a supermarket, shoving it in a microwave and waiting for it. And it’s I think it’s the whole thing, isn’t it? It’s the plastic packaging, it’s the ultra processed nature of it. It’s the fortified with synthetic vitamins which actually aren’t bio absorbed. So it’s a whole complex thing. And just getting back to real food. Somebody said to me recently about food, their mantra was don’t eat anything with a label on it because it has to have a label on it, it’s not real food, is it? I mean, why do you need a label to tell you what it is? It should be fairly obvious that what you’re eating is whole food. [00:14:03][59.8]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:14:04] Yeah. [00:14:04][0.0]

Liz Earle: [00:14:05] But you know, things like lentils. You know, lentils are our best friend. They’re really cheap. I shove them into everything. Sauces, make lentil soup. You know, my bolognaise, don’t tell the kids I hope they’re not watching this, but it’s, you know, it’s half lentils and it’s half meat. They just have no idea. [00:14:21][15.7]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:14:22] No, I mean I grate all sorts, finely chopped, I’ve got one of those whizzers. So I’m chopping all sorts of vegetables and, and it makes it cheaper as well because meat’s expensive if you have good quantity meat. So then you can, you know, make it better. [00:14:33][12.0]

Liz Earle: [00:14:34] But that’s the thing. By less but better quality. [00:14:36][1.6]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:14:36] Yeah, I think so. You know, I cook a lot for the freezer as well, which is definitely a godsend because suddenly when the children are all there and you’re busy working, you’ve got to have things ready. So food, I think. Well, of course, it’s the most important thing. You know, we can choose whether we drink alcohol or not. We can choose if we smoke or not. We can’t choose whether we eat or not. We all have to eat. And a lot of people I speak to either actually aren’t eating enough, but they’re trying really hard. So I’ve got patients that say to me well I only have, you know, fat free yoghurt in the morning and then I have a low calorie something bar at lunchtime, and then I’ll have a ready made sauce with some pasta and maybe a glass of wine. So actually they’re not eating much, but they’re not getting much nutrition. So I think the first thing, if you agree, is looking at this new year and what we can do is adding fresh veg, fruit, protein, obviously we’ve got to think more about protein because so many people don’t have enough. But in really simple like 1970s type food, don’t you think? [00:15:39][62.3]

Liz Earle: [00:15:39] Yeah, I do. Just really stripping it back. And you know, eggs are one of my favourite food. You know, they’re very sustainable. They’re just they’re a complete form of protein they have those are choline, which is great for the brain. There’s this whole question about, you know, cholesterol. But of course it’s that they have the good type of fats. And, you know, we need to get away from this narrative. And I think it’s about not having the processed stuff. I mean, the only bit of processed food that I probably do use quite a bit of actually is protein powder. But I tend to have it unflavoured. It’s literally like pure casein powder or bone broth powder, and I just shove that into loads of things. I put it into my coffee, I put it into soups and sauces and, you know, yoghurt. I mean, everything basically has a bit of extra protein powder put in it because a midlife woman worried about sarcopenia and losing my muscles and wanting to have higher protein and I’m busy. And you know, it’s easy when we’re out and about. You know, most of those snacks that we might reach for don’t have very much protein in them. So, you know, that is one of the things that I do use in the house that is a bit more processed. [00:16:41][61.7]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:16:42] Yeah, I shove it on my yoghurt in the morning, but also thinking about adding things, like obviously not if you’ve got an allergy, but nuts are really good. Seeds are very good. You know, herbs, even just having some fresh herbs on your windowsill can make a big difference, can’t they? [00:16:57][15.7]

Liz Earle: [00:16:59] Yeah. And spices and all this talk about diversity, you know, and having 30 plants a week or whatever. I mean, you can have 30 plants a day if, you know, without really thinking about it because, you know, you could put ten different herbs and spices in a sauce. You know, you can put ten different herbs and spices and nuts and seeds and berries and all the rest of it in a bowl of yoghurt. So it’s not actually that hard to get lots of little things and doesn’t have to be a great big portion, you know, a little teaspoon of kimchi, which is one of my favourite kind of fermented foods. So good for the gut. And we know that the gut oestrogen link is obviously really important as well. So we’re looking after our hormones as well. But one little teaspoon of kimchi can have a billion beneficial bacteria in it. So it’s little teeny things that we added that will build us, make us stronger and fitter. [00:17:46][47.0]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:17:46] Yeah. And then thinking about being fitter, I know your exercise regime has changed quite a lot over the last ten years or so, hasn’t it? [00:17:54][7.5]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:17:54] Other than that, yeah, it has so much. I used to leap around like Jane Fonda wearing leg warmers and Lycra and I kind of look back now, I think what was the point? You know? I mean, yes, it got my blood circulation going and it used up a few calories. But, you know, I wish somebody had said to me earlier, Liz, you need to lift weights. You need to lift weights to keep your bone density, to keep your bones strong, to create stem cells and just be more resilient overall. And so now I was lifting weights this morning and, you know, I lift I mean, not crazy heavy weights, but I have I do weighted squats with 20 kilos in each hand, which is more than half my body weight. And that’s kind of the guide that you should aim for when you are building up to lift weights is you should really be able to hold half your body weight for at least a minute. So that’s, you know, if you’re say, 60 kilos, then you should maybe be holding two lots of 15 kilo weights. And I love that challenge of, you know, every six months or so I’ll go up the stage. So when I started lifting weights for doing squats, I was maybe having ten kilos in each hand. And then I went up to 12 and then 16 and then 18. And then recently I bought myself a pair of 20s. And, you know, that was a great moment. And, you know, maybe during this year ahead, I’ll be up to 22s in each hand. I don’t know. [00:19:14][79.7]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:19:14] So it’s really important. As you know, one of the things I as a menopausal woman are scared about is osteoporosis, it’s such a common condition. 1 in 2 women over the age of 50 who don’t take hormones will have it. I’ve seen so many women with osteoporosis of their spine. The pain, the deformity is really difficult to describe, and many people don’t know they have it until they have fractures and fractures in the spine can be very painful as well. So anything to keep our bones but also, like you say, the sarcopenia, loss of muscle mass really important. So definitely more and more people are talking about using weights, in the right way. And it’s really important that it is done in the right way. But, you know, I’ve got weights at home. I do it, you know, a lot of yoga. But I also will add in some weights as well. But my husband’s got weights from university days and they’re so heavy I literally move them just because he leaves them lying around and when I’m trying to tidy up I’m like how does he carry these? But we are all different and it doesn’t matter. And sometimes even using lighter weights, but more repetition can be as beneficial as just trying to lug a big weight and think you’ve done it. So you have to be really careful how you do it. [00:20:28][73.3]

Liz Earle: [00:20:28] There are lots of different ways I agree. And actually you don’t even need to buy weights. So using your own body weight, just doing squats up and down with no weights at all, just doing push-ups, you know, start doing them against the wall, standing up and gets a little bit of strength and then, you know, go down and you can do them on your knees and then you can do, you know full plank push-ups. You’re using your own body weight. And then if you want to, you can think about, you know, maybe doing some weights or not. [00:20:53][25.3]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:20:54] Yeah, absolutely. And there’s a lot we can do with our own body weight. And obviously I’m biased with yoga, but it still is really important. And well, you know as well as I’m quite a huggy person, I often have hug people when I see them rather than just shake hands. But actually, as we get older, you can feel whether someone exercises or not. And I was in Norway recently and these women are really strong and you hug them and you’re like, Wow, they’re solid. Whereas sometimes you hug people people our age and you can just feel, that they don’t have muscle tone. And that is so important when, you know, we look at older people sitting in nursing homes and, you know, they can’t get up by themselves, they find it very difficult to be independent. And, you know, I think one thing is people think we exercise because we want to look really good in a bikini or whatever, which is actually not true. What we want to do is to be really independent and get out of that chair, go for a walk in the garden, be independent when we’re older and because we’re living so much longer. You know, you talked about the longevity conference. People are not waking up to the fact that women especially are not ageing well, and in the last ten years of a women’s health is often in poor health because of inflammatory diseases. And some of it is related to not having hormones, and some of it is related to not having the right lifestyle as well. And I worry it’s going to get even worse because we’re eating inflammatory diets we’re more sedentary than ever before, and the majority of women are not taking hormones. So there’s things stacked against us, but we’re still living longer. So it’s it’s really important isn’t it? [00:22:36][102.1]

Liz Earle: [00:22:37] It is a terrifying thought, isn’t it? It is. And I think it’s terrifying these you know, how do we live our later years well, pain free and with joy and purpose and all of those things, you know, that we want to live live, we probably earnt it? You know, and we take retirement and unfortunately, you know, that’s when, you know, your hormones conspire against you and all of that. So, you know, I’m very grateful that I kind of, and I wish I’d started my hormone replacement earlier. You know, I didn’t start it until I was kind of early 50s. And I look back on my perimenopausal years, I just thought I was stressed, you know, that’s why I didn’t sleep. And I had headaches and I had tinnitus and all of that. So many UTIs, you know, all of that. Thankfully, now that is all resolved. So I can move on to then think about, well, now I’ve got some more energy and I’m sleeping. So now I can go and lift my weights and I can actually be motivated to want to eat better. And I do it because it is a form of future proofing. And, you know, when you think about your body, it’s the only place you have to live. I mean, it is that is it. You know, we have one body, we have one brain. You know, we have one central nervous system. This is it, guys. So how do we prioritise it? And, you know, I take a lot of supplements, for example, and people say, you know, you know, how do you afford to do all of this and say, I can’t afford not to. I cannot afford to be ill. I’d rather spend my money on that than other things. And I think we just need to perhaps take a little bit more ownership about how we age and just realise a few of these basic fundamentals, you know, food, fitness, human health, lifestyle, purpose, community, you know, you talk about hugging, but you know, what is it that we need to have? Is it seven hugs a day or five hugs a day? I forget what the exact number is, but, you know, the act of just boosting your oxytocin in your brain. And if if you haven’t got anyone, you know, romantically, you could hug a friend, you could hug a pet, you know, hug a colleague if that’s, you know, allowed, you can hug yourself. Even this very action of just hugging is creating happy hormones within the body. [00:24:48][131.3]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:24:49] Yeah. And that is so important. I think so often neglected. And, you know, mental health has got to come into this conversation as well. You know, how we can look after ourselves and others. And, you know, I think it’s so easy to compare ourselves to others and think we’re no good. We’re not right. Because you look at all this rubbish on social media and everyone having their perfect lives and everything else. But one of the books I’m also reading is about kindness actually, and it’s so interesting. Just being kind to people makes you feel happier yourself rather than this self-critical, and critical about other people because it’s so easy to judge people in the wrong way. And then that brings you down internally and then you start to critique yourself and then that downward spiral. So and one of the things I think you are always so good at is focusing on positive things because everybody has got negative things going on in their life. But actually, for most of us, what’s the point of sharing them? Because who wants to see a negative person? You know, you work out who you can share some things with and who you can’t, and that’s fine. So but it’s also not being shaped by negative experiences. I think having anything negative, acknowledging it, but turning into a positive way. So some of the things that have been very negative to me have taught me resilience. Taught me independence, has taught me not to depend on other people, you know. Taught me just different things about myself. Rather than wallowing in self-pity. And for anybody listening, there are going to be things that have happened or are going to happen that are going to really challenge you. But dealing with it is very important. Talking about it to the right people is crucial. But moving forwards, I think, is even more important, would you say? [00:26:42][113.8]

Liz Earle: [00:26:43] I would. And it’s you know, it’s like they say, you know, bullies at school are ones who are likely to have been bullies. And I think, you know, when people are unkind and, you know, I think a lot of us have experienced that. And certainly, you know, if you have any kind of profile in the media or in social media or whatever, you know, there is a risk of that. You kind of almost have to take a step back and think, you know, what’s going on in that person’s mind. You know, are they mentally unwell? You know, is there some kind of awful situation that they’re facing that is making them so angry and agitated and, you know, get the wrong end of the stick or whatever? Or is there a vested interest, you know, something that’s, you know, kind of hidden, that hidden agenda behind that. So I think it’s really important just to sort of start try and protect yourself and stay distanced from it and realise that there actually is you know, there are an awful lot of good people out there. And, you know, you can probably well, I’m sure you do, get tens of thousands of amazing comments and support, but of course it’s the 1 or 2, you know, that may be deliberately there to chuck rocks that are the ones that stick and that you remember. And actually, we just need a bit of balance, don’t we? Remember that most people want the best for everybody. [00:27:54][70.8]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:27:55] Yeah, I think balance is so important and prioritising. We only have one life. It’s never going to be perfect, but optimising it for our future health is so important and there is so much information in your book. You’re updating it as well, aren’t you, for a paperback, are you? [00:28:13][18.6]

Liz Earle: [00:28:14] Yeah, I am. Well, no, they’re going to keep it in hardback. Okay. A big revised section. You’ll be pleased to hear there’s quite a bit of revision on hormones as well. Not changing, but actually just beefing up, you know, things that we’ve become more aware of, I guess, in recent years. There’s quite a big section now on testosterone, right. Which I think is really important for women. You know, it’s something that I benefit from. You know, I’m very lucky. I have a very enlightened, forward thinking NHS GP. It was interesting actually, because I, you know, I was first prescribed it really very much for my memory and for brain, and it was at a time when I was single, so I wasn’t being prescribed it for libido. And it has made such a difference and also with muscle tone and just overall vitality. So I think the more research that we see coming out hopefully this year, yeah, about testosterone and its use for midlife female health is going to be really valuable for us. [00:29:11][56.8]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:29:11] Yeah, we’ve well, we’ve published one paper showing about mood and cognition improving with testosterone, women who take HRT and we’ve just submitted another paper actually it’s quite interesting. It’s written with some pre-clinical researchers in America who do a lot of research in mice, and so they look at the effects of low testosterone in mice and rodents and show that actually those that have low testosterone have this anhedonia, I can’t be bothered to do anything. So even if you give them sugared water, they won’t be interested. Give them testosterone, they go straight for the sugared water. They’re more motivated, they exercise more, and they’ve done lots of experiments looking at the role of testosterone, especially in the brain. So we’ve written a paper showing, looking at their preclinical research with, you know, the effects of testosterone in the human body and our clinical research as well. So it’s a very meaty paper. It’s quite hard, some of it it’s quite technical to understand, but hopefully that will be published later this year. So that’s going to be really interesting too, because it’s just showing basic, basic, you know, science. So this is what this is all about. And so, you know, we’ve talked a lot about keeping things basic, and I think that’s really important. We almost need to being go back in time. I often think about how my parents lived in the 70s. So simple food, simple exercise, simple hormones and looking after each other and keeping happy. So really key messages that we need to remember actually, and try and move forward this year to be healthier and happier. So very grateful, obviously, for your time, again, Liz. Before we end, I always ask for three take home tips. So some people might have been listening to this and think, it’s all very well she’s saying that, but how am I going to do? What am I going to do? How am I going to start? So what are the three main things that you think people could prioritise to feel better and be healthier? [00:31:01][109.9]

Liz Earle: [00:31:02] Well, one of the things that I’ve learned over the years is that sleep is a superpower and we really do need to prioritise. I used to think it was just flopping into bed and switching off, but actually it’s a really active process and it helps regulate our mood, our hormones, our emotion, our weight, everything. So prioritising sleep, prioritising getting to bed a little bit earlier and think about setting up a good sleep routine. And there are lots of resources you can find online to help you with that. I think also the morning routine is actually really important. How you set up your day is how you set up almost the rest of your life. So people say, I have no time in the morning. Well, okay, why don’t you set your alarm clock for just ten minutes earlier so that you can do something simple, like drink a glass of electrolytes. That’s your first mouthful to rehydrate and give you a bit of cellular energy in the brain. Open a window. Look at the day. I talk a lot on my Instagram about this. The importance of real daylight, especially the low level ultraviolet and near-infrared that we get first thing in the morning, get that light into the retinal cells in your eyes. Again, it’s a free health hack is there for everybody, but don’t do it wearing contact lenses or glasses or through a glass. You have to actually open your window. Ideally step outside and if you can take your shoes and socks off, do a bit of grounding. You know, it sounds a bit woo woo, but the studies are there that it can lower inflammation in the body and just help you feel more connected. And then I think ultimately don’t beat yourself up when things don’t go right. I have a very simple rule of thumb. It’s the 80:20 rule 80% of the time, you know, it’s pretty good. 80% of the time I’m mindful of what’s on the end of my fork and what I put into my body. 20% of the time it’s tequila and cake. So it’s just keeping that right ratio of 80:20 and not letting it slip the other way around and just being consistent just every day. Little tiny things, consistently small changes adds up to a big difference. [00:33:00][118.4]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:33:01] Perfect. Really great advice. So thank you ever so much. So let’s hope we can all do it. [00:33:06][5.0]

Liz Earle: [00:33:06] Well, honestly, more more grit to your wheel or whatever it is that you need grit with. Because what you’re just carrying us through this year ahead and look forward to connecting much more in the months to come. [00:33:18][12.2]

Dr Louise Newson: [00:33:19] Thanks, Liz. You can find out more about Newson Health Group by visiting www.newsonhealth.co.uk and you can download the free balance app on the App Store or Google Play. [00:33:19][0.0]

ENDS