Tabla de contenidos para Issue 14 en Gathered

If you're looking for a comforting way to add more collagen into your diet, make yourself an anti-ageing cuppa… White tea Hailing from the same plant as black, Oolong and green teas, white tea is made slightly differently. Leaves are picked from the plant when they are very young – before they've even opened – and they are dried before they have a chance to oxidise. Because the leaves aren't so heavily processed, there are many more antioxidants present than in other teas, especially polyphenols and catechins. That means lots of free-radical busting powers, which protects your skin's collagen levels, reducing wrinkles and promoting a youthful glow. Rooibos tea From the red bush of South Africa, Rooibos is full of antioxidants too, and several minerals, such as zinc (an excellent…

Breathing just happens; it isn't something we think a lot about. But therein lies the problem: we're all so busy thinking about other things that we've forgotten how to breathe fully. And this lack of conscious breath is stopping us from living calmer, happier lives. “Breathing is something we all know how to do, and yet the majority of teenagers and adults let go of their natural ability to breathe fully,” says breath coach Rebecca Dennis (www.breathingtree.co.uk). She has a point: research shows that the majority of teenagers and adults are only using about 30% of their lung capacity. “We are conditioned from an early age to control our feelings and emotions and, as a result, our muscles tighten and our breathing patterns become restricted. The impact on our mental…

1. Is it normal to pass blood clots during my cycle? Blood that has grouped into clots is normal and to be expected on the heavier days of your period. Periods aren't just blood but also discarded uterine lining mixed and vaginal fluid, so it can appear gel-like, clumpy or even stringy. “Passing small blood clots during your period isn't unusual, but if they're larger than a 10p coin this is a sign of heavier periods,” says Dr Stephanie Ooi, who works with Active Iron to encourage women to speak up about menstrual fatigue. “Your GP can carry out tests to determine the cause of your heavier bleeding and, if appropriate, offer advice on things that can help.” Dr Shireen Emad, a GP and Medical Educator, adds: “Sometimes heavy periods…

Your hands can be a very visible sign of ageing and they're also a hard-working body part that we often neglect. David Conner, Skincare Expert and Co-Founder of Kanzen Skincare says that we invest so much time into our faces but our hands deserve the same care if we want them to stay youthful for longer. So why is hand ageing such an issue? David explains, ‘Our hands are exposed daily to UV light, environmental stressors, and frequent washing – all of which break down collagen and elastin over time. Unlike the face, the skin on the hands is thinner and contains fewer oil glands, making it more vulnerable to dryness, thinning, and pigmentation, and causing them to show signs of ageing more quickly.’ There are preventative measures and practical…

Who knew tea would be trending on TikTok, but social media has gone green over a certain cuppa. Matcha tea is brewing up a social media storm, with an incredible 161 million posts on TikTok alone, about the wonder stuff. Packed with antioxidants, matcha is credited with helping everything from anti-ageing to boosting your mood and even dementia prevention, and the superfood is proving so popular, it's causing a shortage in its homeland of Japan. Despite being drunk in China and Japan for centuries, matcha tea has soared in popularity in the past few years, thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow who first posted about her matcha latte on Instagram, in 2015, sending it viral. Wellness influencers quickly embraced it, such as Kourtney Kardashian who credits her matcha latte recipe with aiding…

Retinol and collagen – both important building blocks in our bodies – are skincare ingredients that have been transforming the beauty industry with promises of more youthful-looking skin. But which one really delivers? Let's dive into what these wonder products are and how they work. Retinol is actually a form of vitamin A, specifically vitamin A1, a fat-soluble nutrient found in food such as eggs, butter, liver, mackerel and salmon. Our body naturally uses retinol and other forms of vitamin A to support vision, cellular development, maintenance of skin and mucous membranes, immune function and reproductive development. Used topically in skincare, retinol helps neuturalise free radicals in the middle layer of your skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and enlarged pores. It also reportedly increases the thickness and elasticity of…

Heart pounding? Shallow breathing? Tired? If this describes how you feel a lot of the time, it may be that you have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is a normal stress response that can protect us from harm, but when feeling anxious becomes a daily occurrence, it can escalate into a real problem. This level of anxiousness means that you're constantly ‘primed’ and expecting impending threat, and this can negatively affect your daily life in a number of ways, including difficulty in concentrating, irritability, fatigue and panic attacks. A variety of factors can increase the risk of anxiety disorder. Anxiety affects twice as many women as men, and age also plays a part, with the greatest risk for those aged 10-25. Research also shows that children who are shy or who…

Eva's qigong exercises Cleanse the Qi Start in a wu ji posture (feet about hip distance apart, knees slightly bent and shoulders back and down). Extend your arms out to the sides, with palms up, slowly lifting your arms and gathering the earth qi around you. When your arms reach shoulder height, bring them in front of you, about shoulder width apart, gathering the sky qi from above. Then, with palms facing the earth, slowly bend the elbows, bringing the energy down in front of you and ‘cleansing’ your qi. 10 Dragons Run Through The Forest Place all 10 fingers along your hairline, then use them to gently rake your scalp, stimulating dozens of therapeutic acupuncture points. When your fingers reach your occiput (your neckline), throw with a flick of the…

Whilst many women will automatically avoid exercise during their period, experts believe doing the right exercises will help reduce or relieve period cramps and combat pain and fatigue. Bobbie Butters, a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science representing Mirafit says, “The menstrual cycle consists of four different phases, and each phase may elicit different symptoms in the body. Energy levels can increase during the follicular and menstruation phase, which is when bleeding occurs. Therefore, symptoms can be significantly alleviated by consistently staying active and incorporating certain exercises during all four stages.” Here are the four stages: Menstrual phase (days 1-5)- Progesterone and estrogen levels are low at the start of your period. This causes the tissue lining the inside of the uterus, or endometrium, to shed through the vagina. Symptoms…

Fibre is the term used for the carbohydrates found naturally in plant food. Unlike other carbs, such as sugars and starches, it's not digested in the small intestine, and it reaches the large intestine intact. According to The British Nutrition Foundation, it's important to eat a variety of fibre-containing foods for a variety of benefits, including a healthy digestive system, prevention of constipation and even type 2 diabetes. A fibre rich diet is considered healthier because it includes a variety of plant foods, including fruit, vegetables, pulses, seeds and wholegrains – which are all packed with vitamins and minerals. According to one of the UK's leading health coaches, and author of Fibre First, Steve Bennett, fibre can play a huge role in weight loss. Steve had invested millions into research…

As well as these diet suggestions, there are lots of day-today activities you can try to help ease anxiety. Calming the mind through meditation or prayer is known for relieving stress and anxiety – research from Johns Hopkins university suggests that 30 minutes of daily meditation may alleviate some anxiety symptoms and act as an antidepressant. Some essential oils have also been shown to help with anxiety, boosting mood and calming the mind, including bergamot, lavender, clary sage, grapefruit and ylang ylang. Various clinical trials have demonstrated the benefit of yoga and tai chi for reducing anxiety, while yoga has also been shown to increase more of the neurotransmitter GABA, which is associated with calmness and improved mood. In one study, attending yoga classes for two months reduced stress symptoms…

Whether it's wanting to clear the air, ensuring we listen enough and being ‘kind’ – sometimes even when we do the right thing, a relationship can flounder. But here two top relationship experts tell us the ‘right’ things we do that we might actually be doing WRONG in a relationship… 1. You want to solve arguments It's natural to want to solve a problem. But some experts say that's not the point. ‘Sixty-nine percent of disagreements don't get solved in relationships,’ says relationship expert Shelley Whitehead. But there's a reason, she adds: ‘Because not everything needs to be solved.’ We're taught to ‘clear the air’ to ‘have it out’ and get things sorted. But Shelley says that's not always necessary. ‘Sometimes it's important just to be heard. It is not…