Friday Musings—13/06/25

What's new with me

I’m getting ready to decamp to the Alps ⛰️ Looking forward to lots of nature and cool nights.

I also just finished reading Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, and I must say I struggled a bit, despite usually loving the classics. I found it a tad too slow, and it reminded me of a conversation I had with a student recently. He told me he can’t watch old movies anymore because they feel too boring. Of course, we then blamed social media and its constant overstimulation for this!

Still, despite the slow pace, I found myself really conflicted about the main character and genuinely curious to know what would become of him. I suppose that’s one of the hallmarks of great literature? Building characters that make us question our values, the kinds of people we relate to, and how we view things like society, relationships, and justice.

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As I’ve been doing lymphatic drainage workouts as part of my morning routine, last week the algorithm gods started recommending similar videos, but in Spanish. They also threw in some Pilates workouts in French. I thought, why not? Give both body and mind a little extra challenge.

A few days after, I came across a neurologist's top advice for long-term brain health. In short: learn a new skill, make sure it involves some degree of challenge, and do it consistently. Playing an instrument appears to be a particularly good choice, but any new hobby will do. Personally, I find that when body and mind have to work together it’s even better.

I was reminded of this again today when my hairdresser mentioned one of his clients, who’s 92 and just enrolled in a five-year Chinese course! A few years ago, he had enrolled in a Japanese one. Of course, many factors shape how we age, but surely this man’s drive to keep learning and challenging himself plays a part.

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Let’s talk women’s health for a moment. After years of being let down and dismissed by many healthcare professionals (though there are a few good ones out there), I realised I needed to take my health into my own hands. Do more research. Become my own best advocate.

That also led me to notice just how much of health research, advice, and practice is built around men’s needs and physiology. But as Dr Stacy Sims points out in her now-pivotal TED Talk, Women are not small men!!

I highly encourage every woman, and every man with a sister/partner/mother/female friends, to look at her work. Dr Sims is an expert in training and nutrition for women at different life stages (for instance, now that I’m entering perimenopause, my needs and hormonal balance are very different from what they were in my twenties and early thirties, and I need to adapt how I train, increase my protein intake, and so on). If you're interested, there are many podcasts on YouTube that have her as a guests and are packed with advice. But other professionals, particularly in fields like endocrinology, are also advocating for more research and a more tailored approach to treating women.

That gives me hope. Even though the first half of my life has been far from ideal medically speaking, I believe I can expect better moving forward. And I want to stress again how important it is to stay attuned to your own needs, to listen to the signals your body and mind are sending, and to keep learning.

Quote of the week ✍️ 

"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge".  (Stephen Hawking)

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you have any suggestions or insights, feel free to share them in the comments. And if you know someone who might enjoy my musings, please pass this along, I’d love to grow this community.

Until next time,

ML