Women's Health UK

Can you remember the first issue back in February 2012, with Kate Beckinsale on the cover? I can picture it vividly. As obsessed with wellness then as I am now, I felt like I finally had a magazine that spoke directly to me. Suddenly, health was cool, rather than wholesome. It’s thanks to Women’s Health that I first heard the term ‘fitness influencer’ and became obsessed with an Australian trainer called Kayla Itsines. Kayla went on to become the most famous trainer in the world – gracing the cover of this very magazine four times – but you’d have read about her here first. It’s also because of these hallowed pages that I started to appreciate the importance of strength training – pivoting my cardio-heavy workout programme to a much…

Make that at least four – if you’ve not experienced the menopause yet. A UCL study found that women who engage in regular sexual activity – that is, weekly – have a lower risk of experiencing early menopause – when a woman’s periods stop before the age of 45. The research, published in Royal Society Open Science, is one of the largest and most diverse longitudinal studies into aspects of the menopause transition, following nearly 3,000 women over a 10-year period. Participants who reported engaging in sexual activity weekly were 28% less likely to experience early menopause than women who engaged in sexual activity less frequently than monthly. We’re not just talking missionary with a partner, though; sexual activity includes intercourse, oral sex, sexual touching and masturbation. All the fun…

New research from the University of Bristol has shown that cuddling a cushion that accurately simulates real breathing is as effective an anxiety-reliever as a guided meditation. The cushion reduced feelings of anxiety among participants who were given eight minutes to prepare for a (gulp) maths test – a response researchers believe is down to the way in which the cushion encourages a slower pace of breathing. 69 Not the position, this time, but a percentage. Those of us who subscribe to a plant-based diet are 69% more likely to be pursuing an open relationship than those who eat meat, fish and dairy. That’s according to data from the vegan and veggie dating app Veggly. News to share with your matches. SLEEPWALKING LUNGES New American Heart Association research shows that resistance training can beat…

Q What should I be eating on rest days? • Probably not much different from usual, tbh. ‘I always remind my clients that rest days are recovery days and food shouldn’t be reduced significantly,’ says sports dietitian Kathryn Stewart (@edible_evidence). ‘Protein intake should be kept similar, but you may want to reduce portions of carbohydrate at meals if you’re doing less activity. For example, a quarter of a plate of carbs instead of a third or half a plate on training days.’ Trying to gain muscle? You’ll want to keep your burrito bowl pretty full, Stewart says. ‘Building muscle requires energy, so cutting intake is counterproductive,’ she adds. ‘If your appetite is lower, focus on more energy-dense foods, such as oils, nuts, seeds and avocado.’ As well as planning your gym-free day…

With, perhaps, the exception of your nightly eight hours, there are few health targets as etched into our collective consciousness as the five-a-day. And yet, the number keeps on climbing, with recent research pointing to the benefits of upping your daily intake of fruit and veg portions to seven or even 10 a day – the latter has been shown to help protect against heart disease, high blood pressure and some cancers. There’s just one potential snag. With studies linking high consumption of fructose – a natural sugar found in fruit – with metabolic disorders, can you have too much of a good thing? A quick glance at the research would suggest so. There’s a great deal of evidence to show that high intake of fructose is associated with an imbalance in…

POSTURE PERK-UP LEVEL WHY WE LOVE IT: Gain superhero strength with this total-body burner you can do anywhere. The standard move targets the posterior chain (all those back-of-bod muscles from the neck down to the traps, hamstrings, glutes and beyond) and activates the core, says PT Kristina Earnest. Now, add the pull-down and you put a major emphasis on the tough-to-hit lat muscles, which are key for maintaining top-notch posture and preventing lower back pain. Super, we say. STEP 1 LIE FACE DOWN, with your arms extended in front and your palms facing the floor. Hold a resistance band in both hands, keeping a slight tension in the band. STEP 2 CORE AND GLUTES engaged, lift your legs and arms off the ground simultaneously. STEP 3 SLOWLY BEND your elbows to pull the band to your chest, contracting…