If anyone has been wondering where I have been, although I highly doubt anyone has been worried over my disappearance, I moved and I have just been too busy to read or write for the past few weeks. I am finally settled in enough that I can get back to reading books and writing reviews for them. And hopefully I will be able to stay consistent with my usual weekly schedule.
So, while I finished this book prior to my move, I have not had a chance to write anything until now. But I was so intrigued by the contents that it is still fresh in my mind. I enjoyed this book thoroughly, it was well written, absolutely fascinating, insightful, and full of very valuable knowledge that I will need one day. I already started implementing some changes into my life in the hopes of seeing some improvements in both my body and my mind.
The subtitle says it all, this book will tell you everything you need to know as a woman, how you can make changes to improve your life now and how you can prepare for the future. There is abundance of information about hormones, how they fluctuate throughout the month, which ones make you frisky and which ones make you find sex unappealing, and what hormones you’re going to have more or less of as you age. It goes over what certain foods and beverages might be good or bad for you throughout your cycle and your life. Apparently, I need to enjoy coffee while I am young because I may need to steer clear of it as I get older. It talks about sleep, how much you need, the cons of napping, and what may be affecting your sleep (food, drink, alcohol, drugs, hormones, stress). If you have questions about your sex drive, chances are you will find answers here. There are discussions regarding the effect of drugs on the sex drive, including birth control and psychiatric medications. Having children and a career makes it very difficult for a lot of women to switch from mother/business woman mode to their sexual self, there are suggestions for what you can do to find that woman again. That is a general overview, it would be impossible for me to summarize this book, and I wouldn’t want to anyway. I believe that every woman should read this book. Why wouldn’t you want to know more about your own body? I also believe that men should read this book too. It would benefit any man that is in a relationship with a woman, understanding what they go through not just day to day but over the course of their lives would strengthen any relationship.
I do want to give special attention to one chapter in this book, the one discussing perimenopause. I only heard this term very recently, but since becoming aware of it I have been very interested in learning more. Perimenopause is the stage that occurs before menopause, it can begin years before the female body is getting ready to enter menopause and it can begin earlier than you think, sometimes even in the late thirties. Menopause actually only lasts one day, and that day is the anniversary of your last period. Before that day comes, women experience irregular periods, hot flashes, and a slew of other unpleasantness. Knowing that perimenopause is coming, that it might be closer than you think, can enable you to prepare yourself for it. Knowing what you can do to try to make the inevitable changes easier for you is even better.
I would also like to make mention of just a fun and thought provoking subject matter that was discussed a few times in the book throughout. Human bodies produce their own cannabinoids, the molecules get pumped into production during times of stress. Besides cannabinoids being effective in calming you down, they also regulate your metabolism. You wouldn’t think so, but people who partake in cannabis regularly have smaller waistlines than those who don’t. So if you do smoke or ingest recreationally you don’t have to worry about the munchies affecting your weight.
Well that’s enough praise from me. Woman, man, or anyone in between, I highly recommend reading this book.
Nonfiction and Nonsense 