About

I am Stefanie, born in the 70s and I am certainly not a couch potato because I have always loved to be active – athletics, martial arts, horse riding and table tennis growing up and nowadays enjoying yoga, belly dancing and walking. But in recent years I started feeling different – not myself anymore – not sleeping through the nights, tearing up easily, having a short fuse with my daughter, being terribly impatient, pants sitting tighter and my mid section feeling swollen. The list is long.

It took a while to come to terms with the fact my body was changing. Something was just not right.

I went to see a GP to get my blood checked, finding out what my thyroids and hormones were doing– with the frustrating result – of neither showing any signs of perimenopause nor anything else. All changes must have been due to the recent pandemic – moving less and eating more.

Most shockingly, the female GP suggested losing ‘some’ weight – a staggering 9 kg! – as my BMI suggested ! That statement shocked me even more…the last time I weighted 9kg less was when I was just 17 and and again in my late 20’s as I was backpacking through South East Asia…I disagreed with the GP and said that is not sustainable for me and left the practice.

I left feeling very unhappy, frustrated and not at all satisfied with the appointment and the doctor’s help. 

I haven’t mentioned yet, but I am a Sports Teacher with 20+ years work experience in health and wellness – so I decided to take things back into my own hands and see what I can do to make me ‘feel more myself’ again.

First thing, I went straight to the library where I got books about perimenopause/menopause and dug straight into them (yes, I still prefer holding a book in my hand). What I found was very eye opening and comforting. Reading that I am actually dealing with hormonal changes – well I was 48 then – without it showing in my blood result. Hormone levels change on a daily basis, depending on our way of thinking, activity levels and food intake. The research into hormones is still in its infancy and it will be continuous learning and exploring.

And let’s not forget the male form – andropause – which kicks in a couple of years later – around the age of 50 – but affects male hormone levels in a similar way.

So I started my journey to get my life back on track. Implementing first changes following the books, combining them with my knowledge as a sports teacher but most importantly  listening to my gut!

In this process I discovered Hormone Yoga Therapy with all it’s benefits for your overall health and was able to complete a training with Shakti from Yoga Vidya. It also sparked my old passion for learning and I added a Relaxation Therapy diploma to my repertoire as well – and don’t be too surprised my journey is ongoing and I have a couple more things lined up for everyone’s benefit.

Why? Because I promised myself, not only to help and educate myself but also other women in similar situations out there. That was the start of Tribe45. Bringing us – the tribe of men and woman in the middle age together for support and to have a much more relaxed time during perimenopause, menopause or andropause.

Let me take you on this journey – embracing the years to come, coming together to exercise body & mind. Let’s share the pains, laughs and tears to experience a more joyful time.

I am looking forward to meeting you soon. Let the ride begin!