Coached by Fab

02/11/2026

Are menopause supplements actually worth your money? 💊
Because some women are spending nearly £100 a month on products promising to help with everything from hot flushes and brain fog to sleep and hormonal balance.
But what does the evidence actually say?
A new investigation by Which? reviewed 26 menopause supplements, and not one qualified for their Best Buy recommendation.
Meanwhile, researchers at UCL analysed 201 products and found huge variations in ingredients, doses and prices.
Here's the thing.
I'm not anti-supplement. Some supplements have genuinely useful applications.
But there's a big difference between taking something to support a specific nutritional need and buying an expensive product because it has menopause written on the label.
And when women are already navigating a challenging transition, I think we deserve better than expensive promises backed by limited evidence.
I've broken down the research in my latest YouTube video, including which supplements may actually be worth considering.
🎥 Watch the full video on Coached by Fab on YouTube.
And tell me, have you ever bought a menopause supplement that promised the world but didn't deliver?

Which? (30 September 2026)
Menopause markup: Which? investigation
University College London (11 September 2026)
Calls for better research into menopause supplements
Original peer-reviewed research
Sullivan, P., Boylan, A.-M., & Harper, J. C. (2026). What is in the bottle? An analysis of the ingredients in menopause supplements. Climacteric.
Read the published study

29/10/2026

Cortisol. The hormone everyone on the internet seems to be blaming for everything right now.
Let’s clear a few things up.
Cortisol is a completely normal and important hormone. It helps regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, metabolism and your stress response. And it naturally follows a daily rhythm. It’s usually highest around the time you wake up, helping your body become alert and ready for the day, and then it gradually falls throughout the day.
So no, being a midlife woman does not automatically mean you have “high cortisol”.
And that whole idea that cortisol is the reason you can’t lose weight? It’s much more complicated than that.
Chronic stress can affect sleep, appetite, food choices, recovery and how much you move, which can absolutely influence body weight. But midlife weight and body composition changes are usually a combination of things, including changing oestrogen, loss of muscle mass, activity levels, sleep, diet, ageing and genetics.
And those cortisol-balancing supplements you keep seeing online? Be careful. You don't need to “fix” a normal cortisol rhythm, and there isn't good evidence that everyone needs a supplement to lower their cortisol.
Cortisol isn't the enemy. Chronic stress is something worth paying attention to.
So instead of obsessing over whether your cortisol is “too high”, focus on the things you can actually influence. Sleep, movement, strength training, nutrition, recovery and managing the stress in your life.
Your hormones are more complicated than an Instagram supplement ad makes them sound.

27/10/2026

26/10/2026

Alcohol and menopause. 🍷
That glass of w**e might be affecting more than you think.
Alcohol can be particularly unhelpful during the menopause transition because it can trigger or worsen things like hot flushes and night sweats, disrupt sleep and leave you feeling more tired the next day.
And then there’s the bigger health picture.
Alcohol is a known carcinogen, and the more you drink, the greater the risk. For breast cancer specifically, research estimates that women drinking up to 2 units a day have around a 9% higher risk compared with non-drinkers. At 6 or more units a day, the estimated increase is around 60%.
That doesn't mean one glass of w**e means you're going to get cancer. It means the risk increases with alcohol consumption, and there isn't a completely risk-free level.
Alcohol can also affect your brain, cardiovascular health, liver and recovery. And let's be honest, if you've had a few drinks and slept badly, you're probably not waking up the next morning thinking, “Right, can't wait for my strength session!” 😂
So I'm not here to tell you that you can't drink.
But it is worth being aware of what alcohol is actually doing, particularly if you're already struggling with sleep, hot flushes, energy or recovery.
The current UK guidance is no more than 14 units a week if you drink regularly, with several alcohol-free days.
You don't have to give up your glass of w**e.
Just know that less is lower risk, and your midlife body might thank you for drinking a little less than it used to.

24/10/2026

Movement in midlife isn't about burning as many calories as possible.
It's about keeping your body capable.
Walking more.
Building strength.
Working on your fitness.
Moving your joints.
Doing things you actually enjoy.
And you don't need to be exercising for an hour every day to make a difference.
Your everyday movement matters too.
The aim isn't to punish your body.
It's to build a body that can keep doing the things you want it to do.
Move more. Get stronger. Stay capable.

21/10/2026

“Aches and pains in midlife? Is it menopause?”
Right, let's be honest.
Joint pain, muscle aches and stiffness can be part of the menopause transition.
But that doesn't mean every pain you experience in your 40s is automatically menopause.
Because there are loads of other reasons you might be experiencing pain, from an old injury, arthritis, how you're moving, stress and poor sleep, to conditions that actually need investigating.
So if you've suddenly started getting aches and pains, don't just think, “Oh well, that's menopause.”
Pay attention to it.
Keep moving.
Build your strength gradually.
Look after your sleep and recovery.
And if the pain is persistent, severe, unexplained, getting worse, or starting to affect what you can do day to day, get it checked.
Menopause might be part of the picture.
But it's not always the whole picture.

“Aches and pains in midlife? Is it menopause?”
Right, let's be honest.
Joint pain, muscle aches and stiffness can be part of the menopause transition.
But that doesn't mean every pain you experience in your 40s is automatically menopause.
Because there are loads of other reasons you might be experiencing pain — from an old injury, arthritis, how you're moving, stress and poor sleep, to conditions that actually need investigating.
So if you've suddenly started getting aches and pains, don't just think, “Oh well, that's menopause.”
Pay attention to it.
Keep moving.
Build your strength gradually.
Look after your sleep and recovery.
And if the pain is persistent, severe, unexplained, getting worse, or starting to affect what you can do day to day — get it checked.
Menopause might be part of the picture.
But it's not always the whole picture.

20/10/2026

In midlife, it’s worth knowing about because it can support muscle strength and performance, particularly when combined with resistance training.
Research in postmenopausal women is showing improvements in lean mass and strength, especially when creatine is combined with strength training.

And there’s growing interest in the brain too. Creatine plays a role in energy production in the brain, and research is exploring potential benefits for memory and cognition. There’s some really interesting early research in perimenopausal and menopausal women, but we’re not at the point of calling it a brain health miracle just yet.

For most healthy adults, a simple approach is 3 to 5g of creatine monohydrate every day. You don’t need to load it, and you don’t need to take it at a particular time. Consistency matters more.

It’s generally considered safe for healthy adults, although you may notice a small increase on the scales initially because creatine draws water into your muscles. That’s not body fat.

And as with any supplement, if you have a medical condition, take medication, or you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to your healthcare professional first.

So no, you don’t need to be a bodybuilder to take creatine. If you’re looking after your muscle, strength and healthy ageing, it’s definitely one worth knowing about.

18/10/2026

World Menopause Day - 18 October

This World Menopause Day, we're talking about pain.

And this one feels particularly relevant to me.

I've lived with chronic back and musculoskeletal pain for years, so I know how much pain can affect your movement, your sleep, your confidence and just your ability to get on with normal life.
And when you're in midlife, it can be tempting to think:
“Well… I suppose this is just menopause.”
Muscle aches and joint pain can absolutely be part of the menopause transition. But not every pain is menopause, and persistent or changing pain shouldn't simply be written off as hormones.
So this World Menopause Day, let's talk about it.
Let's ask questions.
Let's get things checked.
And let's remember that movement and strength still matter, even if sometimes we have to adapt what we're doing.
Getting older doesn't mean you have to accept being in pain and feeling rubbish.
We're not done yet.