MOUNTAINS, MENOPAUSE AND MY BALLS

THE MT KILIMANJARO DIARIES – PART 4 – MOUNTAINOUS CHALLENGES

Last Sunday, we walked 14.9k to highlight the gender pay gap which is a mountain itself. I wonder how long will it be before that is not a thing anymore? The day a woman says; women used to get paid less for the same job as a man? It’s important that we recognise that women are being paid so much less than their male counterparts for doing the same job. It’s not just for the women we know, it’s for the next generation of young women and girls who deserve to be valued and paid an equal wage.

Rather than demonstrating with placards, burning our bras or chaining ourselves to Blackpool Tower, we walked along the promenade with The Lancashire Women and Emma Atkins aka Charity Dingle from Emmerdale and chatted to people along the way.

This year, our EVAS2023 Charity Partner is the Community Foundation for Lancashire and Merseyside. All funds raised at the ceremony will go to The Lancashire Women Fund. This will go towards breaking down the barriers that affect girls and women in the region. The fund helps grass roots community organisations feel supported and encourages them to achieve their potential. These groups are there for women in real need, including refugees and those who are suffering from domestic abuse, and will help them to aid women who are fleeing domestic abuse and violence.

If you have been following my blogs then you know that I am preparing to climb Mt Kilimanjaro which is one hell of a mountain, but I am not the only one facing such mountainous challenges.

Lizzie has been making a few changes to her daily routines and adding in walking. Prior to our walk she had achieved just over 9k steps, this walk was nearly 25k steps. Huge respect to Lizzie she was unsure she could do it, but we had faith that she could with a little team encouragement.

Jackie Speight also has a mountainous challenge; she set out to walk 1000miles in 2023. She is raising funds for Thrombosis UK and has completed 712 miles so far!

We walked as a team, supporting each other, and not racing. It really wasn’t about the fastest finish but finishing together.

TRAINING AND MENOPAUSE

I know that training is key and have been putting the miles in and this week saw me make two visits to The Altitude Centre gradually exercising at over 3000 metres above sea level.

I have to admit I am running low on energy after all the activities I have been doing. It’s been relentless, every weekend climbing a mountain, doing long walks, gym work outs. On one walk with Darren Jenkinson, he was shocked to hear that I sleep on average 2 to 3 hours a night due to menopause and this has been nearly a year now.

One of our male allies is Lee Chambers. He works with companies to help them understand the effect menopause has on the female workforce. I didn’t realise quite how bad it would be and there are days I have cried because it can be so exhausting not to sleep. I take magnesium before bed and cbd gummies but I still wake. I hope that I am able to switch off that brain in my tent on the mountain because I need energy for this challenge.

MY BALLS

Well it will not surprise you to know I have dropped a few balls recently.

Training has been intense, visits to the Altitude Centre is a 3 hour round trip, working 12 hours a day to get ready for the EVAS and washing all this active wear which is endless and then there’s the shopping for Kili.

We all find at times when demands on our time increase, we drop a ball or two and this has been no different for me.

Let’s put it this way I would not be hosting a dinner party any time soon. My friends have not seen me properly for months and I can’t remember the last time I did a big food shop. We know that to get to where you need to be that some sacrifice can be necessary, but it will all be worth it.

I went on UPW with Tony Robbins a few years ago and one of the techniques he talks about is immersion; when you completely immerse yourself in one thing, live and breath it, dedicate time, thinking etc to achieve that goal. Well my spare bedroom floor is fully immersed in Kili shopping in preparation for packing and weighing, not sure if Tony meant that, but I am all in.

Thank you to those who have donated, please help I have a mountain of a target; donate button

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