June's Health Host - Xena
As a Hampshire based local business focusing on health & wellbeing I'm blessed to meet like minded businesses such as Xena. Championing female health & wellbeing. Octavia, the power woman behind the brand has written a blog for us on resilience, confidence & empowerment. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
I am Octavia, a physiotherapist, and the founder of XENA. I stumbled upon Catalyse when I was 5 weeks into sobriety. I had stopped drinking due to a busy working schedule and the need to ensure I was supporting health from every angle.
I am 40 years old, with two children and supporting a pair of auto-immune disorders so hormonal health is something I am acutely aware of. I was experiencing perimenopausal symptoms last year and though I had optimised my health through practicing mediation, optimising sleep, ensuring good nutrition and regular exercise, but my stress levels were still high. If I am honest just listing this sounds exhausting!!! Then someone close to me was diagnosed with an oestrogen driven breast cancer.
High stress levels on an already wobbly immune system are not a good mix. With my hormones edging towards perimenopause, I knew that by stopping drinking I would be ensuring my liver had the best chance to breakdown any excess oestrogen in my body. It was also an omission from my life rather than adding something in so it felt like it wasn’t one more thing to add to the list of “things I should be doing”.
Finding a non-alcoholic drink is much more fun these days. Back when I was pregnant (only 5 years ago) it was elderflower all the way. Boring. Fast forward to 2024 and it seems the options are vast making non-drinking not feel quite so like you are reverting to be a child.
Something I love about the Catalyse products are how clean they taste. Knowing they are under 25 calories also helps and the fact that they have so many amazing supplements added to them is a win win. They taste good and good for you… hello new life.
Since stopping drinking I have noticed my hormones have stabilised and with that my mood and symptoms. My cycle is regular and longer, my sleep is better. The list goes on. I have my focus back and I feel I have gained hours of the week.
Taking the time to look after yourself is no mean feat. We are often the bottom of our own list. However, it is only us who can make the steps towards feeling better.
Women's health is finally being taken seriously. This is being seen in initiative by the WHO, nice guidelines, and an explosion in the media. Now more than ever, the narrative around and self-care is being embraced and explored, advocating for holistic approaches that encompass physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
The pillars of XENA's echo the heart of this movement, emphasising understanding one’s body and the changes that occur, giving you confidence in the decisions you make around your health, and resilience in your body and mind.
Whatever stage you are at in life, supporting your health and wellbeing is multifaceted: physical, emotional, cyclical, and spiritual. And each play into each other. Knowing what you can do to support each area could be the difference between just surviving or thriving.
In a broken healthcare system, self-management is at the heart of preventive health care and optimised recovery. XENA is the tool kit you need offering a holistic approach to supporting your health and well-being through pregnancy, postpartum and perimenopause.
Love,
Octavia X