#post-menopause fitness

[dynamichealthinsights]

How to Maintain a Healthy Weight After Menopause: A Comprehensive Guide

Maintaining a healthy weight after menopause is a multifaceted challenge that involves understanding hormonal changes, making mindful dietary choices, and adopting sustainable lifestyle habits. Menopause brings a series of physiological and psychological changes that can significantly impact weight management. Estrogen levels decline, leading to shifts in body composition, a reduction in…

[suzieb-fit]

My three reasons to smile for Sunday -

1. Knowing I have the energy and determination to live well, no matter what my body keeps throwing at me.

2. A beautiful morning, not as cold as yesterday. But hey, it's only October 😂.

3. An excellent pyramid workout. Although I committed the cardinal sin. I deadlifted with my ego, not my strength.

That's one golden rule I tell anyone I've ever trained with weights!

I'm clearly stronger on my squats. I'll behave myself next time.....I was just being lazy with not wanting too much time changing the plates. Silly old woman 😂.

Anyway, that was a great workout! I equally love and hate the fabulous women's fitness expert, Stacy Sims, for making me aware of the benefits of sprint intervals 🫣

A second little walk after lunch finished today's fitness.

I have eaten well, of course. That is just a non negotiable. No matter how restrictive my diet feels to be right now, I'm heavy on high quality nutrition.

[runs-4-pinkcupcakes]

Hi bunnies!

Post op week 14. Healing well. My surgeon has released me to run and exercise as I wish.

I have reduce my bra size from a 36E/F to 36B (full). Or 34C (which women know is the same size cup).

My belly and legs have gone soft and fluffy. So I welcome the Spring and being free to run again outside! But I wouldn’t trade a day exercise restricted to go back to this size!

Hope you all are happy and getting plenty of Vitamin D! ☀️☀️☀️☀️

💋

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

Folk were really into the post I made about Tandie, the zoo lion with a (then) undergrown mane due a period of time on testosterone blockers. He's having quite the glow up this summer.

But!

Did you know that manes are hormone dependent in both sexes of lion?

Let's talk about maned lionesses!

To recap the previous post quickly: the existence of a mane, and it's color, appear to be pretty heavily androgen-dependent. Neutered males or males put on testosterone blockers, like Tandie was, will drop their manes - but like Tandie, if taken off the meds, it will generally grow it back. Darker manes are indicative of higher testosterone levels, and long/lush manes are generally a good signal of a male's fitness and mate quality. Females seem to show a preference for males with longer, darker manes and other males will preferentially avoid scuffles with them. (Yes, as many comments have pointed out, that means Scar was actually a hunk. Do with that as you will.)

The fascinating thing about androgens being linked to manes in lions is that it goes both ways - females with higher levels will also grow manes!

Mane growth in females lions is most commonly seen with elderly animals who have stopped cycling and are basically in lion menopause. And they have to get pretty old for it to happen - captive lions generally only live into their late teens and early second decade, and most of the maned ladies I know about started growing manes around like, seventeen.

Not all old female lions grow manes, but some of the career cat people I've talked to said it happened to about a quarter of the females they've worked with over the years. Which... is an interesting contrast to the news articles about Zuri, who we'll meet in a bit, that breathlessly reported in 2022 that her mane growth "left scientists baffled."

Old lady lion manes are just... precious. They grow in first at the chest and then around the sides or on the back of the head, but they don’t normally get the length, density, and connectivity seen in the mane of an adult male. It leaves the lionesses manes kind of awkward, in the way I associate with very young males, and they're absolutely adorable. Prepare yourself for the photo spam.

I have to start with Daisy, because she's the only maned lioness I've had the privilege to meet in person.

I don't know exactly when she started growing her mane, but she was over 20 years old when she passed in 2019 with these luscious locks.

Here's another female at the same facility, named Adeena. On the left is a photo of her from 2021, on the right is from this spring (I think she's mid-sneeze in the photo). She turns 20 in October.

If you've heard about maned lionesses before, it’s probably because of Zuri, at Topeka. She’s the most recent one to get media coverage and she went a little viral.

(Just a side note here, but I have some strong feelings about knowledge loss in the exotic animal management world due to political/philosophical schisms. This is one of those topics where it's clear: Topeka told a reporter that the zoo had “never" heard of this happening before, but it's common enough to be well known as a thing in other sectors of the exotic cat world. There's so much expertise and knowledge being lost due to infighting between accrediting groups, and it drives me up a wall).

Anyway. Zuri had one of the best manes I've seen on an elderly lioness. It grew long and lush and she totally could have done shampoo commercials. I mean, look at this.

Zuri lived with her sister, who didn't grow a mane in her old age. Here's the two of them together, Zuri on the left, Asante on the right.

We don't completely know what's going on with these golden girls to cause them to grow manes. It's theorized to be related to the end of estrus and higher levels of androgenic hormones, although it's not clear if that's just due to lower levels of other hormones during "meownopause" or if there's something else also going on.

There was some speculation with Zuri's mane growth that it was caused by the death of the male she lived with, in some biological need to "take over the role." The zoo dismissed that idea pretty quickly, and it makes sense, although there is one other instance where I've heard of that happening before.

The cat people I've talked to say that older lionesses who grow manes don't tend to act differently - they're not taking over new social roles in their prides or anything. Sometimes they can be less active, or be a little more nervous around males, and want to be left alone more, but it was emphasized to me that those behaviors could also just be associated with the fact that manes tends to develop in elderly lionesses.

The mane growth can happen pretty quickly, as we saw in the photos I've posted of Tandie over the last year. Here's Bridget, from the Oklahoma Zoo. The left photo was taken in March of 2017 and the right in November - look how much hair she gained over six months!

The zoo did some research into what might have cause Bridget's mane growth, and found that she had elevated levels of androstenedione, which is a hormone that can be converted by the body into either testosterone or estrogen, depending. In AFAB people, it's known to have a masculinizing effect. The zoo theorized that this was the cause of her mane growth, and that the elevated levels might have been caused by a benign tumor. Fascinatingly, though, blood draws revealed that her testosterone levels were the same as her mane-less sister, Tia.

Tia is on the left in the photo below, Bridget and the beginnings of her mane are on the right. Bridget was 17 when her mane started growing in.

I don't think there's any formal hypothesis that there might be a genetic component to lionesses growing manes in old age, but it's interesting to note that one of Tia's daughters, Zari, also grew a mane. (And she grew it young! It started around age 13, interestingly, also right after their male died). She's on the left in the photo below.

And to circle back around to where we began: Tandie is related to a number of maned ladies! His father, Xerxes, was Bridget's son; Zari was Xerxes' half-sister.

Here's a few more beautiful maned ladies to leave you with. In order, Ngala, Pepper, Skye, and Dandy Lion.

Next up, and last in this lion mane series, is the story of five younger lionesses in Botswana who not only have manes but also express a range of masculine behaviors.

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.

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A huge thanks to all the folk who shared photos of and stories about their golden girls for this post: M. Townsen, S.W. Simpson, E. Day, S. Cook, M. Stinner, M. Paul, K. Vanaman, D. O'Halloran, R. Simpson, D. Souffrant.

[metalheadsforblacklivesmatter]

Heat Intolerance

This disability pride month I'd like to talk about heat intolerance. Because honestly although it's not the first health issue that presented symptoms in my life. It was the first time I was like "I don't think my body works right".

And honestly given disability pride month is during one of the hottest months in the year. It seems fitting. Especially because there's a lot of disabilities and medications that cause it.

What is heat intolerance?

Simply speaking it's the inability for the body to regulate it's temperatures especially in hot settings to cool itself down.

Why is awareness important?

Because gaslighting people or worse not providing them a place to cool down just because you "feel fine" is extremely fucking dangerous.

What are the medicines that can cause heat intolerance?

Antihistamines (Allergy medications) . Decongestants (Sudafed or any medication that has the D at the end of it). Stimulants (ADHD medications. Steroids. Caffeine.) Beta-blockers (blood pressure medications). Overactive bladder treatment. Psychiatric medications (including but not limited to medications for depression and anxiety). Pain relievers. Antibiotics.

What medical conditions can cause heat intolerance?

EDS (Elhers-Danlos syndrome). Autism. ADHD. Migraines. Brain/spinal-cord injury. Sensory processing disorder. Chronic fatigue syndrome. Endocrin problems. POTS. Menopause. Hypothyroidism. Diabetes. Heart Disease. Multiple sclerosis. Mental health disorders.

What should I do if I suspect I have heat intolerance?

Reduce time outside during hot months. Keep your electrolytes up. Drink plenty of water. Stay out of the sun whenever possible if outside. Be aware of the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Clothes that are best worn for heat intolerance. Loose lightweight breathable fabrics. Natural fibers. Long sleeves that protect from sunburn as sunburns will increase your risk. Light clothes that reflect light. Wide brimmed hats that shade the face and neck.

Cool. So what are those symptoms I'm supposed you be looking for?

Headaches. Excessive fatigue. Mood changes. Muscle cramping or weakness. Nausea/ vomiting. Rapid heartbeat. Excessive sweating or not sweating at all.

When should I do to the doctor?

If you suspect you have heat intolerance you can go to your PCP to discuss what medications you may be on and what you can do about it. Otherwise, please go to the emergency room if you have symptoms of heat stroke.

This is good information and all but why are you making this post?

To raise awareness. Not just for the people that have it but weren't aware of what it was called. But for all of the idiots that tried to gaslight me when I was in school because I was like "I don't think this is normal. Every time we do our mile run outside I vomit all over the place but other kids aren't doing that."

Also because people always blame me for over heating if I wear long sleeves or pants. I always like to take notes from what people in the middle east wear because they literally live in the excessive heat and spend long hours in the excessive heat. Often in clothing that covers most of their body. They've gotta know what they're doing, right?

I have some type of xenophobic comment about why people from the middle east cover up

Shut the fuck up 😊

-fae

[spinewala]

Activities and exercises for osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens bones and increases the risk of fractures. Regular exercise can help to maintain and improve bone density, strength, and balance, reducing the risk of falls and fractures. Here are some activities and exercises that can be beneficial for people with osteoporosis:

Weight-bearing exercises: These are exercises that involve supporting your own body weight, such as walking, jogging, dancing, stair climbing, and tennis. These exercises help to stimulate bone growth and improve bone density.

Resistance exercises: These exercises involve using weights, resistance bands, or body weight to strengthen muscles and bones. Examples include lifting weights, doing squats, and doing push-ups. These exercises help to build and maintain muscle mass, which can help to protect bones from fractures.

Balance and stability exercises: These exercises help to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls, which is especially important for people with osteoporosis. Examples include standing on one leg, walking heel-to-toe, and doing yoga or tai chi.

Low-impact exercises: These exercises are gentler on the joints and bones and can be a good option for people with osteoporosis who may be at higher risk of fractures. Examples include swimming, cycling, using an elliptical machine, and doing low-impact aerobics.

It's important to work with a healthcare professional or qualified exercise specialist to develop a safe and effective exercise plan that is tailored to your individual needs and abilities. They can help you choose exercises that are appropriate for your level of fitness and bone health, and provide guidance on how to perform exercises safely and effectively

Dr Om a Patil is is spine surgeon in Mumbai talking on osteoporosis

[fozmeadows]

TERFism really is just white beauty politics in a pseudo-feminist hat, because there's simply no escaping the fact that every concern-trolling argument TERFs make against transition, and particularly towards trans men, boils down to the worst thing you can be is an ugly woman, where "ugly" is code for "insufficiently young, white and/or traditionally feminine."

The ridiculing of trans women, for instance, centers disgust at the idea of anyone with traditionally "masculine" features attempting to pass as female, which - as has been well-documented by this point - frequently sees butch women, women of colour, older women, tall women, strong women, and any other woman who doesn't fit this dogwhistle standard of prettiness caught in the crossfire. Masculinity is incompatible with beauty, this logic goes, and all women must be beautiful. Ergo, the more masculine you appear, the less female you are. TERFs, of course, will try to deny their active participation in anything so ragingly unfeminist as policing women's bodies in pursuit of a narrow physical ideal, and yet, as the recent furor over Imane Khalif has roundly shown, this is exactly what they end up doing: an endless reinvention of new and shittier forms of phrenology to explain why this woman or that is not, in fact, really a woman.

Accepting trans women who don't, by conventional standards, pass, means accepting the femininity of women - both cis and trans - who diverge from these beauty standards: who have facial hair or receding hairlines, deep voices or big hands and feet, who are muscular or tall or strong-jawed, who are either incapable or undesirous of pregnancy, or one of a thousand other things we're told (despite the fact that humans are not a strongly dimorphic species) are exclusively masculine traits. But trans women who do pass engender a different terror: the fear that beauty is not an exclusively "feminine" inheritance, such that someone deemed a man might natively posses it and thereby render "real" feminine beauty somehow less special.

And then we have the scaremongering around trans men, which frequently presents as "concern" over, specifically, impressionable girls and young women being tricked into harming their healthy bodies by the nefarious Trans Cabal. That this same concern is never extended to adult women is the giveaway, because adult women are, by this reckoning, inherently less valuable, being neither as pretty nor as fertile as their younger counterparts. It's already too late to prevent their inevitable descent into the ugliness of ageing, and either they're parents already (in which case, their biological purpose has been served, thus rendering their identities past that point moot) or else have been written off as too old for childbearing anyway (which adds to their irrelevance).

Which makes it all the more ironic how many of the stated negatives of transition for trans men dovetails with things the cis female body normally does as it ages and/or postpartum. Long-term binding is decried for the way it causes the breasts to sag or deform and the nipples to enlarge, for instance, when this is exactly what happens as a consequence of pregnancy and breastfeeding. An increase in facial and body hair is common for post-menopausal women, let alone those with PCOS. Plenty of women naturally have deep voices, with many growing raspier regardless with age, while both ageing and childbirth inevitably alter the appearance of genitalia, sometimes radically. Even top surgery, the procedure most maligned as "butchery," has its cis analogues: not only for survivors of breast cancer or those who, due to genetic predisposition towards aggressive forms of it, opt for preventative mastectomies, but those who undergo breast reduction surgery, whether for cosmetic or health reasons - while some women, on yet a third hand, are natively flat-chested.

Taken together, then, what unifies the demonizing fear of trans women and the infantilizing dismissal of trans men by TERFs is an obsession with a specific, youth-and-Eurocentric-based notion of female beauty, where being deemed too masculine in either direction is the disqualifying factor. In TERFlandia, masculinity therefore becomes a synonym for ugliness: trans women can't shed it sufficiently to be counted at any age (unless they pass, which is a prospect too terrifying to countenance), while trans men must be stopped at all costs from embracing it (unless they're already old, in which case they no longer matter). Which is not to say that transphobia more broadly lacks for other avenues of attack; it's just that concern around trans bodies and the necessity of controlling them inevitably circles back to beauty, youth and fertility as the abiding hallmarks of womanhood, and as soon as you point this out, all the other arguments start to unravel.

[macrotiis]

I wanna rant a little bit about that last post coz like I have feelings about it.

Reproductive rights are a huge part of feminism, but it's really important that it ISNT "sex-based oppression" bc tying birthing ability to the universal experience of womanhood is actually REALLY FUCKING MISOGYNIST. Like you're rly gonna say that women incapable of having children experience less oppression than those who can?

The bioessentialist idea of "sex-based" oppression is heavily weighed on the idea of a cis woman capable of giving birth to children as the definition of woman as a sex & gender. It is a damaging social construct that harms all who are socially classed as women in some way, regardless of actual gender or actual sex.

Like you realise already that definition of womanhood excludes a huge amount of women? And that it is so untrue to these women's actual experiences of misogyny?

It misses how misogyny treats infertile women regardless of sex as being "broken" because they are unable to fit the social role of womanhood.

It's also just like incorrect to the wider experience of misogyny of women who can have children at certain points in their lives, bc girls & women aren't capable throughout their entire life of having children. But young girls still experience misogyny up until puberty & past that, & misogyny doesn't go away after menopause, in fact menopausal women are treated as undesirable or used goods because they aren't typically capable of having children anymore.

The bottom line to all this is that, there is no one single universal experience of womanhood as a social role beyond just being a woman & you cannot exclude trans women from the experience of misogyny. Misogyny isn't "sex-based", bc sex is socially constructed in a way that does exclude a lot of women.

I rly beg fellow transmasc's & trans men to go out & spend time with trans women, talk to them about misogyny & their experiences with misogyny.

You wouldn't have these weird ass ideas about misogyny if you branched out more & tried to relate to trans women & their experiences with misogyny. It would fix a lot of the misconceptions folks have about radfems, TERFs & transmisogyny. Ppl get too caught up on this idea that TERFs hate trans women for their supposed relation to men & maleness, which is actually deeply untrue because really the crux of TERF ideology & most transmisogyny IS misogyny. It's rooted deeply in trans women not neatly fitting into the box of cis perisex white abled womanhood, it's about trans women being the wrong kind of woman, which IS the universal experience of misogyny & womanhood that all women & those socially classed as women face.

The sooner you stop treating transmisogyny & TERFism as a symptom of hating men & actually about hating women, the better your understanding of these ideologies & the better your understanding of where trans women fit in social roles of womanhood AND of your own place as a trans man.

You should rly be open to relating to & talking with ppl about any experience of misogyny that is outside your own, be that from trans women, women of colour, disabled women, intersex women, ect, because there are facets of misogyny you haven't experienced that are important to talk about & recognize.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

hey sex witch, is it possible to have the ovaries removed and not the uterus instead of the other way around? would there be any benefit to this? im just curious, i saw your other post about partial hysterectomies and my brain was like "but what if you flipped it" lol.

hope youre having a good day!!!

hi anon,

yep! that's called an oophorectomy, which I know a decent amount about because my boss had one a few years ago. he and my mom, who's had her uterus out but kept the ovaries, used to joke that between them they'd had one full sterilization.

in addition to stopping ovulation, taking out the ovaries means you'll be removing your body's main source of estrogen. that can be a huge perk for some people but does also come with some sexy little side effects, namely the early onset of menopause. those symptoms can usually be alleviated with an estrogen supplement (not enough to counteract the effects of testosterone, if you're also taking that) until you're of an age when menopause would occur naturally.

as with any sterilization method, it's definitely something to talk over with a healthcare provider to establish whether or not it's a good fit for you.

[nychthemeron-rants]

Butch Chilchuck AU Pt2

(Pt. 1)

As I mentioned in my previous post, the only real difference in this AU is that Chilchuck is a butch woman who uses he/him pronouns instead of a man.

No one in the main party knew he was a woman because he couldn’t be bothered to correct their assumptions about his gender when he’s busy trying to be treated as an adult.

He revealed that he was a woman after the bicorn when Marcille accuses him of keeping more secrets. “Its not a secret but I guess I should clarify that I'm a woman since I don't think any of you have caught on yet.” type thing. Cue everyone's shock, especially Marcille.

Since there's been at least one woman in the party who's been uncomfortable with Chilchuck bathing with other women (because they think he’s a man), and he's doesn't give enough of a shit to argue, he’s been bathing with the men instead (because again, he simply doesn’t give a shit)

Senshi thought he was trans (though I'm not sure he knows about trans people as like an actual identity, he just saw him bathing with the men and being treated as male and ran with it. Thats Chil's business after all.)

Laios just thought half-foots had internal ��equipment” until it was needed. Wanted to ask about it but even he has the social grace to not question co-workers about that.

Shuro fully suspected Chilchuck was a woman but was too awkward to say anything

Namari knew almost immediately and has been the only one in the party to fully understand whats up with Chilchuck because she was respectful and understanding. (Plus they're drinking buddies)

Falin thought he was a man but also didn't really give a shit when he tried bathing with the other women. It was the marriage seeker who threw a fit before Marcille.

Post reveal, Marcille is just pissed he didn't say anything so she didn't have to go through this adventure up until Izutsumi joined the party feeling like the only woman.

Laios asks if he needs to change anything about how he treats him in the same vein as asking if he should call him Sir when he revealed his age

Senshi is just trying to process how wrong he was about literally all of his assumptions about Chil, as he is a middle aged woman and not a little boy. Feels embarrassed about his misunderstandings, no judgement towards Chil.

Marcille has questions post reveal. She gives me the vibe of a sheltered cis woman who has never questioned what makes her a woman, so when she’s presented with a woman who is more comfortable with mostly masculine presentation, uses “male” pronouns, and has even voluntarily removed his breasts as a woman, she is confused. She initially struggles to understand how a woman can be so against femininity and still be a woman. Chil, while reluctant to answer questions about his personal life, explains that he isn’t against femininity but simply feels more comfortable presenting more masculinely. And that he simply can’t be fucking asked to correct people when they guess wrong. He also ends up helping Marcille understand that gender isn’t expression and connect to her womanhood in a new way that isn’t necessarily linked to her femininity.

Laios does ask why he had facial/ body hair as a tall man and dwarf. Chil gets annoyed about him basically asking about his medical history but answers that he has PCOS and is also menopausal.

This causes Senshi to get annoyed that he didn’t mention this earlier as those conditions can lead to different nutritional needs (I.E. PCOS diet to manage symptoms or extra calcium and vitamins after menopause.)

Senshi and Laios start getting weird around Chil, no longer worrying about him being a kid, and are instead trying to be respectful of the fact he’s a woman (such as being less touchy, trying to give him privacy when changing as if they hadn’t bathed together before, etc.) Chil gets annoyed because while he appreciates the lack of touchiness and the added privacy, he’s pissed that they’re acting different after discovering he’s a woman and overthinking how they interact with him. They also start fucking up his pronouns because they’re ingrained in “women = she/her” mindset and feel like they need to “correct” themselves.

Izutsumi doesn't care and fails to see how Chilchuck being a woman instead of a man changes anything. Chil really really appreciates this.

Chil has to sit them down and explain that LITERALLY NOTHING has changed. They get better after this. (Senshi decides to go ahead with making sure he adjusts Chil’s meals to his needs.)

Post canon, Chil and his family goes to a dinner at the castle, and he shows up in a dress because A.) he wanted to match his wife and B.) kinda wanted to fuck with his friends. He succeeded as everyone was very taken aback by the sight of Chilchuck in a dress and “actually dressed as a woman for once” (a comment that annoys Chil because he is always dressed like a woman because he is always a woman who is dressed.)

[suzieb-fit]

Thursday's three reasons to smile -

1. Despite my stubborn hormones trying to trip me up, I'm fighting back even more stubbornly!

2. Double frothy coffee day! Double peanuts too. Second lot tonight for an uncommon late snack.

3. Feeling that winter is finally beginning to lose it's power. Slowly (and most thankfully) edging towards spring.

I've had a pretty good day, and I'm so glad I pushed against my phantom PMS symptoms that have been trying to trip me up!

My final workout was this full body routine. Lots of combination moves, but nothing too complicated. It kept things interesting. I usually prefer more basic routines, but never a bad idea to change things up occasionally.

All my boxes ticked.

Tomorrow is my "free food" day. Then Sunday is my full rest day.

[runs-4-pinkcupcakes]

Hi bunnies!

Yesterday, first run in 4 months. My thighs were very unhappy. My hips tight. But my breathing steady. I only ran 1.5 miles before stopping. I know I could have kept going but my pants were too big and kept falling down. 😂

Monday! Go get it!

💋

[naturallyteal]

Good Omens (pod)fic recommendation for July

The Voice of the Lion Was Heard in the Land

by A_N_D @madenthusiasms

Summary: Everyone said that working on the "Leo and Friends" cartoon was like heaven, it was so much fun… until a homophobic campaign attacks Tony Crowley (voice of Simon the Snake) and he is cast out.

As paradise crumbles, Az Fell is faced with a dilemma – can he save both Tony and Leo? Or is he going to have to choose between his heavenly job and the man he loves?

~~~

I’ve always read a lot. Since I saw Good Omens S2 last Fall, I read a lot of Good Omens fanfics, and listen to podfics of them.

Some stories stay long and live in my heart, and one of those I want to recommend today especially.

It’s a beautiful, heartwrenching but also heartwarming story. It is deep and I learned from it and it helped me deal with things.

👍

GO read!

Or

Here is @skyasimaru ‘s original tumblr post for the podfic.

👍

GO listen!

In 7 chapters, the Human AU is ~22 k words and the podfic ~3.5 hours.

It’s rated „Teen and Up“.

A little warning: Might result in crying a lot, so keep your hankies close!

More about the picture (that I tempered with) and it‘s artist, Rene Magritte, below the cut, if you’re curious:

The original is called „Homesickness“, by Rene Magritte, 1940

Fun fact: Magritte originally thought of calling it Menopause (a period of depression) but his final title is Le Mal du Pays (Homesickness).

Both titles fit wonderfully with the story.

I changed the blackwinged person‘s hair to red, and added the snake tattoo and glasses, so you can more easily imagine it’s Crowley. Here’s the original version:

[yuri-for-businesswomen]

i think it's misguided to claim that trans activism goes against the interest of feminism. it's in the best interest of the movement to include ALL women, including those that don't have periods, can't get pregnant, women with "unattractive" bodies, etc. you don't have to be trans to experience any of this.

there are SO many cis women that are not affected by the causes you listed. post-menopausal women, infertile women, women who have had hysterectomies, etc. surely you would agree that feminism is still for them. i think the same goes for trans women. they face a unique kind of misogyny that feminism needs to address, and that means by tweaking the definition of woman.

the fluidity of the definition of woman is not harmful to feminism. its not bad or scary that more people can be helped by feminism. this happened in the 1960s and 70s with welcoming lesbians into the movement. people were concerned that doing so would hurt the movement; of course it didn't. alienating trans women is not the answer to your concerns.

"who are womans rights for ... if woman is a feeling one has or doesnt have and not a fixed characteristic?" the only thing ALL women have in common, is the feeling that they are women. trans men arent women because they dont have this feeling, and trans women ARE, which is why feminism is for them.

i understand being scared that feminism will lose all meaning, and that women will no longer be easily defined. but the concern of feminism is recognizing that fact. gender is enigmatic and that's not something to be afraid of. feminist theory has asked the question of what a woman is for decades.

this is stupid.

women who dont get periods for whatever reason are still and have still been affected by menstruation in their lifetime. when a younger woman doesnt get a period thats a sign of a health complication. infertile women are of the birthing sex so the whole topic still affects them, a lot. etc. none of this affects trans identified men, but it very much affects trans identified women.

this has been said a million times before and im sick and tired of this bullshit but what the fuck does feeling like a woman mean. its a circular definition. being of the female sex is the only definition of woman because any other meaning of woman is subjective and individual. feminists ask: what does it mean to be a woman? not: what is a woman? feminists over the centuries have been very aware that women are of the female sex and men over the centuries have been aware women are of the female sex and are to be subjugated and excluded.

men who outwardly „identify“ as women face the same as effeminate men who dont „identify“ as women. its homophobia and the backfiring of male ideals - its a male issue. men who dont adhere to masculinity are sanctioned by other men; men who are effeminate scare masculine men because it shows that femininity is not a natural state for women and that gender roles and norms are arbitrary which is an attack on what they deem the natural order of men dominating women. men are not able to articulate this but thats why they do it.

therefore trans identified men should go back to how it was when they were transvestites and transsexuals who belong with gay men. marginalised men deserve their own advocacy and women deserve their own advocacy and when it fits we can work together.

edit: i skimmed past the lesbian part at first. what the fuck

[remindingpersephone]

Here we go again

Hi gang. I'm back on my Chris-Get's-Healthy kick, again. I know I've talked about this and asked for your help in the past. I am once again attempting to quit sugar and work out more.

If you have offered me advice in the past and are tired of my requests, yet again, for advice and ideas, I understand. I get it. Believe me, no one is more tired of my bullshit and my inability to stick to a regimen and make the healthy choices than I am.

This last time I was derailed by my mom's illness and death. I just did not have the mental space or physical energy to commit to disciplined nutritional choices and consistent work outs while taking care of her. But the reasons don't really matter because there were excuses before this one, and on and on. I have been starting and giving up on, healthy living routines since I was 18 years old. Let's do the math, that's 30 years!

A little background: I am not a yo-yo dieter. I very slowly put on weight starting with my first desk job at 20 and never dropped it. The weight has never bothered me. I am a confident woman who has never needed to fit into a six 6. I am also single by choice and nothing in the last 30 years has given me a reason to change my mind about this.

This situation now is that I'm looking hard at 50 and the little aches and pains: the trick knee, the occasional sciatica, the feet that get a little too sore too soon, are, I feel, all red flags signaling that hitting snooze on my health is no longer an option.

I truly believe that fitness and nutritional eating are not only the key to staying fit and active, but I think if I just commit and get through those first few tough months, I would actually like it.

Lately I've been drinking my Dr. Pepper and eating my high-calorie cheesy pasta and lots of sourdough bread (all my favorites), but they just haven't been as satisfying as they once were. [Sidebar: I realize some of this could be residual depression and grief making life just not as wonderful as it once was. That will take time.]

Mostly, I'm just tired of giving the "I have got to get my health in order" thoughts the mental real estate in my brain. I need to deal with it so I can move on from it. So it is not such big part of my daily thoughts.

My long-winded and self-indulgent post here is just to ask once again - and I swear for the last time - what do you all find works for you as far as fitness and nutrition goes? My fitness goals are:

to get stronger and improve flexibility and mobility while protecting the joints and ligaments

staving off osteoporosis

alleviating some peri-menopause symptoms

My nutrition goals are:

to kick the sugar addiction once and for all and change my palate so I don't crave sweet things so much

prevent diabetes/heart disease, etc. before they start

improving gut health

I welcome all comments and advice, and that includes the tough-love "girl, you have got to get your shit together!"

[pudding-parade]

OK, world…

What is it with bras with padded/molded cups? Does anyone actually like these things? To me, they're uncomfortable and too thick. The edges of them show through shirts when I'm wearing something even remotely form-fitting. And I don't want my tits pushed up/squeezed together, but I also don't want to wear sports bras because all of the above just make me sweat, and there's very little worse than a sweaty bra. Ick! But, since I don't have much going on up there (I'm like a B- cup), I'm hard-pressed to find a bra in my size that fits and that isn't molded/padded/push-up. Even some sports bras are padded/molded nowadays! I get that some people might want their tits pushed up under their chins, but I can't be the only one who doesn't. Right? RIGHT??!!

Thankfully, I can usually go braless because there isn't much going on up there, especially because I'm post-menopausal so I don't have the week or so of cycle-related painful tits anymore. But sometimes the nips get uppity, usually when I want to wear something remotely tight, so… sigh

Bras suck. Rant for the day: Done.