Women's Health Australia

thoughts on resolutions

Contrary to popular opinion, I’m a big fan of making new year’s resolutions. I know all the arguments against it: they’re pointless; the changes only last one week and then you’re in the exact same spot in 12 months; blah, blah, blah. But to me, a new year represents a fresh start, the chance to remind myself of what I truly want out of life. My resolutions are the intentions that become the framework for my goals. If you also love the idea of taking advantage of the new year energy, head to page 86 to read my interview with cover star, Cass Olholm. She breaks down how you can conquer your 2022 goals. Say, you want to be healthier this year, to paraphrase Sweat’s next top trainer, rather than trying…

ask women’s health

THE BIG QUESTION Do Your Taste Buds Really Change Every Seven Years? Answer Not quite. You’re born with somewhere between 2,000 and 10,000 taste buds. Each is a cluster of taste receptor cells, which send signals to the brain through the olfactory system – aka, the nose – when encountering a taste, explains GP Dr Shazia Bhatti. The buds regularly regenerate after these receptor cells expire, but the actual turnaround time is more like two weeks. While that fortnightly switcheroo of your tasting hardware doesn’t determine your current palate, your tastes can change. “During pregnancy, nearly two thirds of women experience changes in taste, known as dysgeusia,” says Bhatti. As for your current tastes, they’re informed by your environment (culture, upbringing, memories), the number of buds you start with (having more can…

on our radar

What’s firing up the wellness world? SUPPORT SQUAD Non-profit The Sports Bra Project gets sports bras to those who don’t have access. The goal? To make sports more accessible to women and girls worldwide. Visit thesportsbraproject.org TOP-TO-TOE NOURISHMENT Hello, TLC for hair, skin and nails! Active Collagen’s All-In-One Vanilla Collagen Powder is clean, sustainably sourced and contains vitamin C, silica and biotin too. Available for $79.99, activecollagen.com.au COMFORT KIT Set up to empower people living with chronic illness, The Spoonie Society offers a range of pain-soothing buys, including a neck heat pack, from $28, and rectangle heat pack, from $24.95, thespooniesociety.com.au. COMPILED BY: ALEX DAVIES. PHOTOGRAPHY: JENNA GANG/GALLERY STOCK;SHUTTERSTOCK; JOHN RINTOUL…

the sleepy magic of sweat

Juicy news. Shareable stats. Convo starters A fresh antidote to poor Zs? Consistent exercise. Just 150 minutes of moderate physical activity (or more than 75 minutes of the vigorous kind) a week may help to counteract negative health impacts associated with lack of shuteye. As long as you’re not completely running on fumes from a restless night, getting in your planned workout – perhaps at a lower intensity – can boost your endorphins and energy. But that doesn’t mean going to bed at 3am can be cancelled out by a 6am workout. It’s all about snooze and sweat in moderation. SOURCE: BMJ COMPILED BY: ALEX DAVIES. PHOTOGRAPHY: NICOLA MAJOCCHI/GALLERY STOCK…

nutrition

24,000 IN A STUDY OF THIS MANY US ADULTS, RESEARCHERS UNCOVERED AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EATING MUSHROOMS AND LOWER ODDS OF HAVING DEPRESSION. THEY NOD TO ’SHROOMS AS A TOP SOURCE OF ERGOTHIONEINE – AN ANTIOXIDANT THAT MAY REDUCE THE RISK OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND, IN TURN, SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH. SOURCE: PENN STATE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE OILY FISH FOR A LONGER LIFE Enjoying the likes of salmon, sardines and mackerel on the regs is linked with a life expectancy increase of almost five years. That’s the latest from research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which looked at levels of omega-3 fatty acids (of which oily fish is a rich source) in the blood of more than 2,000 people over an average of 11 years. Nothing fishy about that. Plant Power You’ll know by…

health

Score Gamer Gains Turns out that being a Nintendo master can fine-tune your grey matter until it’s elite athlete level. That’s according to Queensland University of Technology researchers, who discovered similarities between high-performing e-sport players – that is, those competing in professional gaming tournaments – and Olympic athletes, in terms of mental toughness and ability to cope in high-stress situations. League Of Leg Day, anyone? A BOSS MOVE If the thought of busting out a power pose in the office triggers your gag reflex, we have news. A recent study found that a quick morning reflection could be key to bossing it at work. When participants of varying seniority levels began their days by thinking about what kind of leader they’d like to be, they were more likely to report feeling powerful and…