I Tried The 12 Days & 12 Ways Challenge - it worked and I am still living by most of the principles.

Healthy and mindful eating, regular exercise, getting outside and an overall focus on being there for yourself, should all be a priority, right? But this busy world, with our work commitments, motherhood, hormones, housework, exhaustion, overwhelm, etc. makes it hard to achieve sometimes.

The Owning Your Menopause (OYM) App, where I found this challenge, is a brilliant place to go and get support, to change your habits and feel motivated to focus on you, get strong and generally feel happier. I have been a member of the OYM App for the last two years and I also joined the OYM team to teach Face Yoga last year, so it is a big part of my life, personally and professionally.

The App with its excellent classes, resources, teachers, support system and community, has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. I do still fall off the healthy wagon sometimes though and I was mid one of my falls when this fabulous challenge - 12 Days and 12 Ways to Nourish Your Mind and Body - arrived on the App in May 2024. So it was perfect timing!

The 12 Ways were created by Katie Skrine (resident OYM Nutritionist) and Kate Rowe-Ham (OYM Founder). They ranged from nutrition goals, including upping our protein, veg and whole grains, cutting down or eliminating alcohol and anything junky, to motivating habits like journaling and food diaries and of course, exercise goals. The challenge supplied us with delicious recipes and meal plans to either stick to or be inspired by. OYM have shared with us a breakfast, lunch and supper recipe from the challenge, which I’ve included for you below. During the challenge, Katie checked in with us for live chats to keep us supported and motivated. The lovely thing too, is Kate and Katie both joined us all on the challenge, so it really felt like an OYM family affair. We all shared photos of our delicious meals on the community chat, we cheered eachother on and we shared our progress and feelings and the physical and emotional changes we were experiencing.

I stuck to the 12 Ways almost religiously, but in true me style I did have the odd slip up. Like a glass of prosecco on Hove beach on one of the few May hot days we’d had (that was my excuse, a hot day). But because I was on the challenge, I felt mindful and I sipped and savoured that glass of prosecco, rather than gulping it down too quickly like I sometimes would. Other than that I pretty much stuck to it.

A typical day for me on the challenge, looked something like this:

6am wake up, coffee and face yoga

6.30am live exercise class with Kate on the App

7.30am prepare healthy breakfast and lunch ready for work

10am breaky

1pm lunch

4pm walk with dog

6pm supper

7pm journal about food and feelings and meal prep for the next few days

By Day 3 I was starting to feel the benefits. I was sleeping better and waking up feeling a lot less foggy. By Day 5 I was feeling less bloated, lighter and more energised. On the Monday, which was Day 7, I felt stronger than usual for the Upper Body Strength class with Kate and got a PB! I lifted 15kg dumb bells for my bent over row for the first time. By Day 9, I had a spring in my step, I was walking tall, my mood was lifted and I had a permanent smile on my face. By day 12 I was feeling amazing and I didn’t want it to end.

In conclusion, this challenge worked so successfully that I am still living the principles most days. I‘m not surprised it worked because the 12 Ways are all sustainable lifestyle habits we can and should try to live by. There is also something so motivating about doing a challenge, especially alongside other like minded women, all supporting eachother along the way. It holds you accountable but with a big supportive hug rather than the crack of a whip.

Are you inspired? Fabulous! There is another challenge starting on September 9th on the OYM App. I’ll be right there with you, come and join us! Please feel welcome to use my code: TAMU50 which will get you 50% off your first three months subscription :-)

www.owningyourmenopause.com