Learning to be

I’m sitting in my kitchen writing this with my red light mask on and a glass of water spiked with creatine beside me. Over the last year, I’ve absorbed an overwhelming amount of advice about what I
should be doing as a 38-year-old woman. Some of it—salmon sperm under my eyes, for example—I’m very happy to ignore. Other suggestions, though, have quietly drawn me in. Here’s my honest take on a few of the things I’ve tried.

1. Creatine

I started taking creatine daily about a year ago after reading that women tend to have 70–80% lower creatine stores than men, and that supplementation can improve strength and exercise performance (Creatine supplementation in women’s health: a lifespan perspective). I thought it was worth a try.

If I’m honest, I haven’t noticed much difference in my strength or workouts. What I have noticed, though, is a surprising change in my mental health.

Over the summer, we went abroad and I took a two-week break from creatine — partly because I was worried about travelling with a bag of white powder. About a week into the holiday, I noticed that when I woke up in the mornings, my mood felt low. Then it hit me: this is how I’d felt most mornings since I was about 16.

The low mood was never overwhelming and never lasted long — usually around ten minutes — and I’d never felt the need to medicate. But since starting creatine, that feeling had disappeared. It was only when I stopped taking it that I realised.

I’ve since read that creatine helps the brain regenerate energy more efficiently, which may play a role in emotional regulation. Since then I have taken creatine and have built it into my daily routine by adding it to my water bottle every morning.

2. Magnesium glycinate

Around November, I noticed that my sleep quality was starting to decline. I love my sleep and I’ve put a lot of effort into good sleep hygiene: I go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each night, avoid my phone for an hour before bed, and keep the bedroom cool.

My children had finally reached a stage where they were sleeping well, so you can imagine my frustration when I found myself lying awake for an hour before falling asleep, and then waking again during the night. I had a lot on my mind, and bedtime often felt like the only quiet space I had to think.

I read that magnesium can help calm the nervous system, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep, so I decided to give magnesium glycinate a try. I take two tablets about an hour before bed. After a few days, I noticed a slight improvement, although I wasn’t sure whether it was a placebo effect.

About a month later, my sleep still wasn’t great, so I kept taking the magnesium but also tried a simple way to slow my thoughts before sleep. I count my breaths up to ten, then start again at one, gently clearing my mind of anything else. This worked on the very first night.

I still take magnesium, but not every night.

3. Strength training

I hear a lot about the importance of strength training, particularly as we get older. I like the shift in focus from being thin to being strong, and I like that this is the message my children are growing up with.

I don’t go to the gym, but I try to do some strength work at home using handheld weights and dumbbells. I find it hard. It hurts. I don’t really enjoy it. But I do enjoy feeling stronger, and I like that I can still carry my children.

I also like my boys seeing me train — seeing their mum as someone who is strong. I hope that the work I’m doing now will help me stay active and capable as I get older.

That said, if anyone has found a way to make strength training more enjoyable, I’m all ears.

Looking back at these small changes — creatine for my mornings, magnesium for my nights, and strength training for my body — I realise that being healthy isn’t about perfection. It’s about noticing what works, experimenting, and paying attention to both body and mind. Some days are easier than others, and some experiments stick while others fade away. Next, I want to explore nutrition — what I’ve learned, what I’ve tried, and what actually feels sustainable. That’s a whole other adventure- one I’m curious to explore next.