The pace of modern life versus our cavewoman biochemistry: Dr Libby Weaver at TEDxQueenstown

"There is a crisis facing women's health." At TEDxQueenstown 2014 - Sense of place, Australasia's leading nutritional biochemist Dr Libby Weaver talks about how in today's age women are feeling the pressure of trying to be all things to all people and our current biochemistry has yet to catch up with this change in pace. She shares practical solutions for how modern 'juggling' woman can mend this mismatch with her cavewoman biochemistry.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[Paarthurnaxdova]

I’m not doing the non stop work thing! I sold my house and bought a tiny home. Got rid of every material thing I didn’t need and work half the time. I spend the rest of my free time enjoying coffee and breathing the fresh air. I stopped competing with the world. Women do not need men to feel loved and worthy! Find it within yourself.

[Megan]

When she said “I'm not brave enough to be a mother”... hats off to you for being brave enough to say this out loud. & good on you for having the emotional awareness and not just blindly bringing a child into this world, unprepared. 👏👏👏

[kalissahood]

We took the pay cut, and I became a stay at home mom 9 years ago. Easily one of the best decisions of my life. He is the breadwinner, and I handle all the housework. As a result we BOTH have so much more free time. He thinks he has the better end of the deal, but I know I do. We don't earn as much, but we are both spoiled rotten (lifestyle not material), and happier than we've ever been. I don't miss the consumer life one bit.

[effexon]

very interesting. i watched male testosterone documentary. for women, progesterone is blocked by stress (=cortisol) and for men, cortisol blocks testosterone. Effectively meaning for both men and women, it's impossible to feel manly or womanly when overly stressed.

[Eijididnothingwrong]

This made me cry my eyes out, because I deeply identify with the issues she presented. Thank you for the thoughtful talk, Libby.

[StaringCompetition]

Not brave enough to be a mother. You are extremely brave for having voiced this. People think women are selfish for not having kids. It's not that the societal expectations are contradictory and toxic, we're just selfish.

[AaliyahThePug]

i'm glad to see another woman so genuinely fascinated and awed by the natural occurrences of our own body and our functions. I feel crazy sometimes because of how much the body wows me but i don't feel so crazy anymore seeing others feel the same :)) this entire talk was outstanding.

[Cyanopteryx]

This is not a women vs. men issue, this is not about feminism vs. traditionalism. This is about how our culture of consumerism, hyper-individualism, and false narrative of perpetual economic growth has propelled our entire population into a constant state of anxiety and hedonism. We don't need to try and throw feminism back in women's faces or yell at men about how they don't understand what it's like to be a woman. That's a distraction. We just need to all slow down and live more mindfully.

[EllyPeers]

SO interesting and true. You only realise why your own Mother was so crazy once you start growing older and gaining the same pressures and worries yourself. Now... I think I may join a yoga class

[lendyt.]

im a male and i thought this was interesting. another surprise after looking at the comments was how some men are butt hurt over this! its amazing how defensive some of y'all are.

[Anneshealthykitchen]

Wonderful talk, relevant to SO many women around the world. I was coaching a friend recently who wanted to lose weight; and her main issue was her stress, with a demanding full time job, 2 kids, ... I told her that the #1 action she had to take wasn't to adjust her diet but to lower her stress levels. You are such an inspiration. Thank you!!

[indyd]

She made a lot of good points about the situation modern women often find themselves in. Her recommendations for deep breathing, healthy eating, and gentle exercise are all good and a nice place to start, but what women really need is a societal shift that reduces women's work hours (in and outside the house) to a sane amount.

[anonysable]

It's interesting to me that some men are attracted to come and watch this type of thing and then call out demands for their own needs to be met, with indignation and rage. In opposition to women's absurd needs or wants. I read something on another video written by a man outraged that men's status wasn't getting the same reception. Any feminist worth her salt does recognize that men have their own gender issues in relation to equality and these issues are also necessaryfor change. Why is it necessary to be one or the other? It's both, but it would be ridiculous to ignore the magnitude of women's issues.

[brawndo]

I was engaged to a woman that refused to help with cooking or cleaning. It took me two years before I finally burned out. Not sure how anybody does it throughout their adulthood...

[lamichiganr]

I am not in the Medical Field anymore and everything else seems so laid back. As long as it is not life or death, things can get done whenever.

[susanlabonte]

Almost brought tears to my eyes that Dr. Libby validated what many women have been feeling for years. Very powerful message!

[dawnhapgood]

This video is so important thank you for putting it out there. 5 years ago I had a full time job, which often lead to me working late, coming home, cooking dinner, cleaning up and spending my weekends doing housework and “serving” a toxic relationship. I knew I didn’t want kids with this man because I didn’t have time to do everything! I worked out frantically and drank heavily to try and feel better about myself. I still believe this lead to me getting a serious case of hyperthyroidism where I was in a constant state of anger and panic. Something had to give so I quit my job, worked from home, left my partner and replaced him with my dog. My health improved and I have time to stop and smell the roses. I don’t earn very much but I am happy. It is so important to put ourselves first because no one else is going to for us!

[universally]

Dr Libby... Im a nutrition student and you are one of my biggest inspirations. Just know that your message is spreading and that you truly are making a difference. I love your books and hope to one day see you speak live. Thank you so much for caring and this amazing talk. 

[kingcountry]

The cause of all this is really simple. Over inflated cost of housing

[lynda_lou]

Words can’t express how amazing your talk was. Thank you 50 trillion times 😊❤️