This month,

Welcome to I’m loving

Women’s Health Meder Beauty
This brand was
recommended to me
I’m writing to you exercises consecutively, I’ve been by Dr Sophie Shotter
and it’s really helping
at 6pm and it’s still missing the point; the USP of supersets my rosacea-prone skin.
light outside. Last is resting one muscle while working
weekend, my lash on another, allowing you to pack more
extensions were into your workout. Confused? Head
put through their to our Best Body section to find out
first test of the year how to build a superset, tri-set,
when my eyes started streaming as pyramid set and more.
I watched my son play football – Another one of my obsessions is
signalling the arrival of the hay fever skincare. I work hard to make sure
that will last until September. And my skin is as healthy as it can possibly
my children are fascinated with the be. I know my acids from my serums
frog spawn in our garden pond – – and the order in which to apply them. LNDR’s
staring intently at the twitching What I didn’t know is that it’s not quite Forever range
water as tadpoles come to life. as simple as chucking every product The entire
range is
Yes, spring has most definitely on your face every day. Instead, in designed
sprung. It’s my favourite season; order to make our products work to be fully
when the dark mornings make way harder, we should be cycling our biodegradable
in landfill
for daylight and birdsong, we breathe skincare ingredients throughout conditions in
a collective sigh of relief and you can the week. Find out how to do just five years. And
feel the positivity in the air. And it’s that by turning to page 17. the quality
is second to
with a renewed sense of motivation There’s so much to get stuck into. none. Prices
that I’m looking forward to what the So find a comfortable corner, grab start at £58.
rest of 2023 has to offer. a cup of coffee and keep a pen close
If improving your health is your by for note-taking (if you’re anything
goal (of course it is, you’re reading like me, you’ll want to action your
Women’s Health), this month’s learnings). Don’t forget to let me
magazine is a belter of an issue. know how you’re getting on.
I like to think I’m a walking, talking Until next month...
wellness encyclopaedia; someone
whose fitness knowledge could rival
that of a personal trainer, who could
nail a pub quiz round on nutrition. But
I’ve been humbled by how much I’ve
learned from these pages this month. Claire Sanderson Monica Vinader
Initial necklace
Take the feature on strength training Editor-in-chief The art deco
on page 51. After lifting weights for 25 Follow me on Instagram design of this
years, I thought I knew my way around @clairesanderson Monica Vinader New Balance
initial necklace trainers
a superset – and how to build them (£95) is so fresh, I love the new
into a workout effectively. Turns out I’m putting it on my minimal version of
I didn’t. By working the same muscle, birthday list. Let’s New Balance’s
hope my husband bestselling 327
let’s say triceps, with two different shoe. The perfect
is reading this.
pairing with…
well, anything.
£100, Schuh
PHOTOGRAPHY: STUDIO 33

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4 | APRIL 2023
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APRIL 2023 | 5
April
Know How
09 | IF YOU DO ONE
THING THIS MONTH...
10 | IN THE KNOW
News you can use, direct
from the science lab
12 | ASK WH
How to have a safe, sanitised
mani in a post-Covid age
14 | MOVE OF THE MONTH
Rebel against a weak core
with the renegade row
15 | FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Fermented food may be the
new MVP for battling stress
16 | WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
…you’re deprived of sleep
17 | SKIN DEEP
Skin cycling is big on TikTok,
but is it worth your time?
18 | DOES IT REALLY WORK?
Interested in your vaginal
health? Take the tampon test
19 | ASK THE WH FIT SQUAD
How much is too much in
terms of postpartum exercise?
6 | APRIL 2023
Eat Smart
31 | OFF THE MENU
Exploring the inherent biases
in the nutrition advice we’re
all encouraged to follow
37 | WHAT’S YOUR BEEF?
Steak and lentils make the
perfect midday meal
Strong Mind
39 | THE ART OF CRAFT
Why life crafting can
help you make good
on all of your goals
44 | RIGHT OF WAY
How to find a new
sense of direction
after receiving a life-
changing diagnosis
48 | TAKING THE PEE
One woman’s daily struggle
with urinary incontinence
after the birth of her child
Best Body
51 | SET IN YOUR WAYS
Switch up your sets to get
more from each sweat sesh
56 | GOING OFF TRACK
The metric that’s giving fitness
trackers a run for their money
60 | WH LAB
If it’s data you want, these are
the smartwatches that deliver
Wear Well
63 | TREND ALERT
Consider this your spring
athleisure update
69 | FIT KIT HERO
Putting Sweaty Betty’s
multipurpose parka
to the test
Beauty Lab
71 | FEELING BLUE
The latest beauty trend is
tapping into water’s healing
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: MARK CANT. HAIR: CARL BEMBRIDGE. MAKE-UP: KRYSTAL DAWN. STYLING: SASKIA QUIRKE. EKIN-SU WEARS (ON THE COVER): SWIMSUIT, MEDINA; WRISTBANDS, LULULEMON; LEG WARMERS,
powers. Fancy a dip?
ELLE AT SOCKSHOP; SHOES, JUSTFAB. (THIS PAGE) WRAP TOP, ALO; LEGGINGS, LULULEMON; LEG WARMERS, ELLE AT SOCKSHOP; SHOES, AQUAZZURA. ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF SILVERWIND
77 | SPECIAL BREW
Grab yourself a cuppa and
pore over the many perks
of tea-based skincare
82 | #SKINSHELFIE
U Beauty founder and
influencer Tina Craig shares
her skincare success secrets
Features
84 | TRIP OF A LIFETIME
Psychedelic therapy is
making headlines. But
does it have substance?
90 | LIFE SUPPORT
Why pairing AI algorithms
with IVF could prove to
be a fruitful partnership
96 | PHONE A FRIEND
Our comprehensive guide
to making – and maintaining
– close connections with pals
104 | ENTER A NEW AGE
How to get the most from
life, no matter how many
candles are on your cake
113 | TRAVEL WELL
Spring into the new season
with a getaway to banish
those winter blues
122 | MY LIFE IN WELLNESS
Broadcaster and menopause
campaigner Lisa Snowdon
 22

Ekin-Su
After emerging victorious
from the villa last
year, the Love Island
contestant has her heart
set on breaking the
reality-star mould

APRIL 2023 | 7
 Know How

Add some colour

to your thinking

If you do one In the market for a new hobby or habit? Step one
on a beginner’s journey is getting uncomfortable.
thing this month The thought of trying something new can induce
fear of rejection or embarrassment, says Keith Rollag,
a professor of management at Babson College in

Reframe Massachusetts and author of What To Do When You’re

New: How To Be Comfortable, Confident And Successful
WORDS: LINDSAY GELLER. PHOTOGRAPHY: JOBE LAWRENSON

In New Situations. But a quick mindset shift can help

your you embrace this awkward feeling and find confidence

where you least expect it. First, think about something
you’re good at. Then imagine a nervous newcomer

beginner’s asking for your help. How do you feel? We suspect you
neither look down on them nor make fun of their lack
of experience; instead, you’re happy to show them the

mindset ropes. ‘Putting yourself in the “expert” position helps

you realise that we all tend to overestimate the risks
and underestimate the benefits of trying new things,’
says Professor Rollag. ‘When in doubt, go for it.’
Permission to try, granted.

APRIL 2023 | 9

The number of minutes
you should spend in snowy
surrounds for greater
body appreciation. That’s
according to new research*
conducted on women
in Poland. Researchers
suspect white spaces, like
green, encourage a focus
on body functionality.
Consider this permission
to book your next break.
G E T TH E
LOW- DOW N
- doing so could keep you healthier.
Researchers have
found lowering
weights, as opposed
to lifting them, to be
more effective when
increasing muscle strength and
size*. To add this to your routine,
use two hands to help with the
concentric (lifting) phase and one
arm for the eccentric (lowering)
phase when performing a bicep
curl, overhead extension, front
raise and shoulder press.
M I N D TH E
BUMP
- READ
Prenatal wellness classes
have been shown by
University of California
researchers to benefit the
mental health of mothers
almost a decade later. Those
who took the eight-week
course were half as likely to be
depressed than the women who
didn’t, likely due to the power of
community, researchers said.
RISE AND
SHINE
-
Emphatically not
a morning person?
There’s hope for
you yet. University
of California researchers tasked
participants with a series of
lifestyle changes over a two-week
period and found the secret to
feeling energised in the AM was
threefold: exercising the day
before, sleeping longer and later
into the morning and eating a
breakfast high in complex carbs.
10 | APRIL 2023
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Want the latest health intel? We’ve combed
the science journals so you don’t have to
In the
know
Good
brews
Put the kettle on while we tell you why
Supported by The Heart Foundation, the
study found elderly women were far
less likely to have extensive build-up of
abdominal aortic calcification (related
to higher cardiovascular risks) if they
consumed high levels of flavonoids,
found in both black and green tea. Not
a fan of builder’s? You can find them
in berries, citrus fruits and nuts, too.
MANY
TH A N K S
-
You can futureproof your
relationship against financial
anxiety and ineffective arguing
(you know the kind) via two
words that have little to do with
love, according to new research*.
Over a 15-month period, couples
who simply said thank you – or
expressed gratitude in another
way – enjoyed ‘stress-buffering
effects’, which had a protective
impact on their relationships.
S TR E S S LE S S
-
If completing another lap around
the sun is a source of annual
stress, it may not always be
the case. A study* of more than
3,000 adults across 20 years
has shown that as participants
got older, they endured fewer
daily stressors and reacted with
less emotion to the stressors
that remained. Basically, what
causes you angst at 25 will feel
like a walk in the park by 50.
Something to celebrate.
TH E TO -
D O LI S T
WORDS: NIKKI OSMAN. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES. *SOURCES: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND
PUBLIC HEALTH; EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY; JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS; DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
Doing for
sensitive souls
what Susan
Cain’s Quiet did for
introverts, Hannah Jane
Walker’s Sensitive (£9.99,
Octopus) reveals why the
trait is a wellbeing win.
WATCH
After a brief
autumnal
interval, the TCS
London Marathon returns
to its spring schedule on 23
April. Show your support by
donating to a worthy cause
or cheer from the sidelines.
SUPPORT
Bowel cancer has
skyrocketed in
attention lately,
thanks to the work of WH
cover star Adele Roberts,
among others. Find ways
to show support this Bowel
Cancer Awareness Month
at bowelcanceruk.org.uk
Know How
Still carting around hand
sani? Join the club. While it
might seem a little extra to
some, erring on the side of
caution is no bad thing –
especially when you’re getting
a manicure, haircut or facial.
In fact, salons can harbour
I’m more aware harmful pathogens, according
to a study published in Infection
of microbes And Drug Resistance. Given
post-Covid, but manicures involve clipping,
snipping and often breaking
I love getting skin, the nail salon can be a hot
spot for infection, but there are
manicures. steps you can take to feel safe.
Any advice for ‘It’s a red flag if a nail salon
avoids answering questions
staying safe? about their cleaning practices,’
says celebrity nail technician
Jin Soon Choi. The same goes
Ask WH
12 | APRIL 2023
for hair salons and spas. Choi
suggests getting to the salon
early so you can scope it out.
A few things to bear in mind:
before you sit down for a
pedi, check that the tubs are
being deep-cleaned with an
antibacterial spray. Consider
bringing your own tools, such
as nail files and clippers. And
watch what’s happening during
your service. If your technician
cuts corners, like nicking a
cuticle and moving on without
cleaning it, then they’re inviting
infection – and they might be
skipping other steps, too. ‘Focus
and patience are signs of a good
technician,’ says Choi.
Keep
it clean
 While theories about
the origins of desire have
shifted with time, most
How can experts now agree that
desire isn’t one-size-fits-
my partner all. Sexual harmony is
about pinpointing each
and I find a person’s brand of desire
and catering to it. So get
sex routine to know your real mode
of desire more intimately.
that works Write out a pleasure map
to gain a bit of ‘sexual
for us? self-awareness’, suggests
Desire discordance
Dr Hargons, and have
your partner do the same.
can land any couple on
a relationship therapist’s
First, jot down the areas
of your body where you
sofa, says psychologist like to be touched, noting
Candice Hargons, the pressure, rhythm and
associate professor at the any textures you like to
University of Kentucky. feel, she adds. Then
Get on the
same track
WORDS: SAMANTHA MACAVOY; ARYELLE SICLAIT; DEANNA PAI. PHOTOGRAPHY: STOCKSY; GETTY IMAGES
The tangerine-sized fruit has
been cultivated in eastern Asia
for centuries, and it’s a leading
ingredient in Japanese cuisine
I keep hearing for its deliciously sour, slightly
about yuzu. floral juice that’s squeezed
on to sashimi and stirred into
What is it? drinks. Since yuzu is full of
seeds, there’s only a smidge of
liquid per fruit (two teaspoons,
on average), but it’s gold.
‘Among citrus fruits, yuzu has
the highest amount of vitamin
C, which is vital for the immune
system and the production
of collagen,’ says dietitian
Asako Miyashita. You’ll find
it in Japanese supermarkets
and, conveniently, Waitrose
consider ‘what contexts
and environments are
most pleasurable’. Next
up: activities. Think about
which sexual moves you
like, says Dr Hargons.
Pleasure map looking
nothing like your
partner’s? That’s okay.
‘Commit to remaining
curious,’ she adds. ‘People
can evolve new sexual-
pleasure maps.’ This
way, you’re making space
for each other’s desire
despite the mismatch
and with mutual respect
for boundaries.
(Cooks’ Ingredients Yuzu
Juice, £4.75 for 60ml). Plus,
the tangy orbs are a recent
favourite in tea and mixers.
Pure bottled yuzu juice is  building blocks before
the best way to add a citrusy
spark (similar to how you’d
use lemon juice or vinegar)
to dressing, dips, drinks and
more. Miyashita, who was
born and raised in Japan,
turns yuzu into yuzunade
by adding a splash of juice to
a glass with honey and ginger,
topping it up with water.
Also, look out for products
made with it, such as ponzu,
yuzu kosho and miso-based
dressings. Yuzu you.  the refresh button?
I need to
refresh
my fitness
routine.
Any tips?
Loads. Let’s begin by
creating a new narrative
around what it is you might
enjoy. Emphatically ‘not
a runner’? Think you’re too
‘uncoordinated’ for yoga?
‘Give yourself permission
to see yourself in a different
way,’ says LaKeitha Poole,
assistant athletic director
for sport psychology and
counselling at Louisiana
State University. Uncovering
new sides of yourself will
unlock a whole new level of
joy by releasing endorphins.
Next, set yourself some
holistic performance goals.
Aim to acquire a new skill
that will challenge you both
physically and mentally,
says trainer Madeleine
Conti, founder of Kettleclub.
‘By being excited about
what you’re doing, you’re
no longer counting down the
minutes,’ she says, adding
that even her most advanced
clients run through the
doing more complex moves
– practising a kettlebell
high-pull before a snatch,
for example. And finally,
whatever you choose, it’s
worth mastering some basic
movements. ‘What’s great
about learning skills is you’re
forced to slow down and
go through all those little
checkpoints to remember,
practise and master them,’
adds Conti. Ready to press
APRIL 2023 | 13
Know How Move of
the month

FULL-BODY
Muscle maker
Combine two classic exercises – a plank and row
STRENGTH
LEVEL

– for a core-crushing stability challenge

WHY WE LOVE IT: The renegade

row is like an all-inclusive resort
for your fitness. In one dynamic
move, you involve all the muscle
groups and, in turn, reap countless
body benefits. What a deal. Like a
plank, it requires core stabilisation
and lower-body strength, but it
Feet should be comes with an added challenge
hip-width apart,
or wider for of recruiting your back muscles
more stability and triceps in the row, says PT
Taylor Rae Almonte-Roman,
who adds that it’s also great
for balance and coordination.
Grab a pair of light-to-medium
dumbbells and give it a go.

START in a high plank with your

STE P 1
shoulders stacked over your
wrists, a dumbbell in each hand.
Engage your core and glutes.

KEEP your hips and torso still

STE P 2

as you drive your right elbow

towards the sky to lift the weight.

WORDS: JACQUELINE ANDRIAKOS. PHOTOGRAPHY: TYLER JOE. STYLING: ROSE LAUTURE. HAIR AND MAKE-UP: JUSTEN BROSNAN
PAUSE with the dumbbell close
STE P 3

to your rib cage. Then, slowly

lower it back to the starting
position and repeat with the
other arm. That’s 1 rep.

!
Hips stay parallel MAKE IT A LEVEL UP
to the ground WORKOUT Balance a light
the entire time Do as weight plate
many reps as on your back
possible for 1 or add a press-
to 5 mins, or up after the
do 8 to 10 reps row – but only
every min if your form is
on the min. *chef’s kiss*.

MODIFY THE MOVE

Almonte-Roman suggests dividing FORM FIX
it up into a single-arm bent-over Hips wobbling side to side? Lower
row and a plank for a more your knees and/or ditch the
beginner-friendly combo.  dumbbells until you gain control.

14 | APRIL 2023
 Food for
thought

fibre diets. The psychobiotic

group were told to aim for

Can fermented six to eight servings of fruit

and veg high in prebiotic fibre
(such as apples and cabbage),

foods help you

five to eight servings of grains
and two to three servings of
fermented foods (such as kefir,
sauerkraut and kombucha) every

manage stress? day. They were also instructed to

eat three to four servings of
legumes (chickpeas, kidney
They’re the gut-health MVP, beans, lentils) per week.
but should fermented foods Over four weeks, they saw
be considered bona fide a 32% reduction of perceived
cortisol calmers? stress, compared with the
control group, who only
Move your enjoyed half this perceived
body. Practise stress reduction. The
mindfulness. psychobiotic diet also improved
Get a good both sleep quality and duration –
night’s sleep. All two key factors in lowering stress.
What’s your
sound advice in gut feeling? While the psychobiotic diet only
THE EXPERT the battle to beat caused slight changes in the gut
Tai Ibitoye, stress. But what microbiota, researchers found
registered dietitian;
taitalksnutrition.com
you’re putting on significant changes in certain key
your plate can also chemicals produced by the gut
be a great antidote – and not just the microbes. One of these was
first bite of pizza after a day you’d lipid metabolites, which have
rather forget (although there’s been associated with better
a time and place for that, too). mental health outcomes.
I suspect you, WH reader, However, the small scale
are familiar with the concept of the study means we can’t
that food can influence your speculate on the long-term
mood – and that it does so via implications of such a diet
the gut-brain axis. Multiple on the wider population. That
studies have shown that participants were expected to
changes in gut microbiota are record their daily diet is another red
linked to stress-related physiology flag – remembering everything you
and behaviour. And given that ate in a day is no mean feat, so
strains of bacteria in the gut high in fibre and fermented errors need to be accounted for.
PHOTOGRAPHY: ROWAN FEE; GETTY IMAGES; STUDIO 33. *SOURCE: JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY

produce around 90% to 95% of the foods – may contribute
body’s serotonin, it’s no surprise to mental wellbeing by
that keeping your gut healthy lowering stress levels. And
can also help keep you happy. while this research topic
Eating high-fibre foods, such is still new, the evidence
as oats, whole grains and pulses, so far is compelling.
is a good place to start; doing so A recent randomised,
can increase the diversity of the controlled study*
microbiome and promote good gut investigated the effects of a
health. But it’s also thought that psychobiotic diet on stress, general
having a psychobiotic diet – one health and microbial function in
healthy adults who tend to eat low-
Can fermented food really
help manage stress? Possibly.
The reality is that, with the
pressures of modern life,
some stress is inevitable
– with or without a taste for
kombucha. But a healthy gut
can only have a positive effect on
your mood, so incorporating more
fibre and fermented foods into
your diet will always be a win.

1 2 3
SAUERKRAUT BIO-LIVE YOGHURT TEMPEH
It’s a great source of This yoghurt contains Made from fermented
probiotics, fibre and live, active cultures of soya beans, tempeh is
OPERATION iron. Make it by mixing lactobacillus that help rich in lots of probiotic
FERMENTATION shredded cabbage keep ‘bad’ bacteria in strains. Thanks to its
Three foods to help with salt, peppercorns check. It’s also a good high fibre content and
you tap into the and caraway seeds and source of protein, calcium, isoflavones, it may help
gut-brain axis leaving it for a few days. potassium and vitamin B12. reduce cholesterol, too.

APRIL 2023 | 15
Know How
…I’m sleep deprived
understanding the impact of a restless night can help you fight back
01
Multitasking
It’s unlikely to surprise
anyone who’s made it
through a budget meeting
with their eyes open, but
different regions of the
brain can be awake and
asleep at the same time,
says Heather Darwall-
Smith, psychotherapist and
author of The Science Of
Sleep. Fortunately, even
if you felt like you were
alert all night, you might
still have slipped below
the ‘sleep threshold’.
And given anxiety about
perceived sleep loss can
perpetuate the problem,
try to avoid clock-watching.
As Darwall-Smith puts
it, ‘Don’t feed the beast.’
16 | APRIL 2023
What happens when…
A solid seven hours can be as elusive as a sunny bank holiday. But
02
Hungry, hungry
hormones
You’re not the only one
feeling discombobulated.
Missed sleep can also
disrupt the appetite-
balancing hormones
ghrelin and leptin, causing
you to crave extra calories
your body doesn’t need.
If you can, resist the urge
to use Red Bull and
chocolate bourbons as a
crutch – oscillating blood
sugar levels will further
intensify energy dips,
exacerbating tiredness.
Instead, prioritise protein,
says Darwall-Smith,
particularly at breakfast.
A mid-morning cup of tea
might help, too: the amino
acid l-theanine improves
feelings of both calm and
alertness simultaneously.
Dog tired
03
Growing pains
The golden hour for
growth hormone
production? Shortly
after you drop into deep
sleep, says Darwall-Smith.
While a single restless
night won’t stunt your
gains, sleep loss can have
an impact on muscle
growth over the long
term. Expect to perform
below your usual capacity,
too – but don’t use that
as an excuse to sit down
and rest all day. According
to a recent study by the
University of Tsukuba
in Japan, just 10 minutes
of moderate-intensity
running is enough to
increase blood flow to
the brain, enhancing
your mood and
cognitive function.
04
Napper’s delight
Sleep deprived or not, your
circadian rhythm naturally
includes a mid-afternoon
energy dip. Pick between
a speedy power nap (10 to
20 minutes) or a full sleep
cycle (90-plus minutes)
depending on your daily
schedule, says Darwall-
Smith. Avoid the middle
ground or you risk waking
up groggy. As a bonus?
Studies suggest napping
might boost memory and
athletic performance, too.
05
The long run
Chronic sleep loss (fewer
than six hours a night over
multiple months) can come
with other risks, such as
high blood pressure or
depression. But assuming
you’ve addressed the
obvious stuff – lack of
daytime light, late-night
screen use, alcohol – try
switching your focus
from chasing sleep to
pursuing relaxation.
Learn to self-soothe,
says Darwall-Smith, who
recommends researching
non-sleep deep rest
(NSDR) or yoga nidra.
Even a bath and a book
can do the job. Let the
rest take care of itself.
WORDS: TROY DA COSTA; SCARLETT WRENCH. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

Is skin cycling
worth the hype?
It’s the skincare
hashtag that’s
racked up an
impressive
3.5bn views
on TikTok. But
far from being
THE EXPERT
Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme, a Gen-Z led
founder & medical beauty trend,
director of Adonia skin cycling is
a new phrase
for something dermatologists
and aestheticians have been
promoting – and practising
themselves – for years.
To put it simply, it’s the
method of rotating key
ingredients in your skincare
routine every few days,
allowing for rest days; this
means you’re not always
using the same actives, such
as vitamin C, beta hydroxy
acids (BHAs) and retinoids.
The goal? Maximising
results while minimising
skin barrier irritation – the
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
consequences of which
range from acne to eczema.
Before we get into the how
to, first make sure your daily
routine is up to scratch
(see right for a morning
and evening example). Next,
consider your skin concern.
For example, for ageing or
blemishes, you’ll need two
actives: a BHA, such as
salicylic acid for tackling
spots, and a retinoid (vitamin
A) to reduce the appearance
of fine lines. If your concerns
are purely about ageing, then
cycle in a vitamin C serum
and a retinoid.
Now you can get started.
As above, if you want to cycle
in a BHA and a retinoid, use
the latter as your treatment
step on Monday, Wednesday
and Friday evenings. Then
you can use a BHA cleanser
both morning and evening
on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Saturday and Sunday will be
rest days, where you’ll use
no BHA or retinoid products.
Or to address ageing on
its own, cycle in your
vitamin C serum as your
treatment step every
morning. Then use your
retinoid as your final step
on Monday, Wednesday
and Friday evenings. The
weekend will be your ‘rest’.
Skin
deep
MORNING
STEP 1: Cleanse to ensure
you’re starting the day with
a healthy blank canvas.
STEP 2: This is the treatment
part – use an antioxidant-
laced serum to protect skin
from free radicals found in
pollution and UV rays.
STEP 3: Moisturise to keep
your skin barrier hydrated
and working at its optimum.
STEP 4: Use an SPF to
protect against UV rays
that cause skin ageing.
EVENING
STEP 1: Cleanse to remove
make-up, SPF and the daily
build-up of pollution and dirt.
STEP 2: Use an antioxidant-
laced serum to help support
your skin’s overnight
rejuvenation process.
STEP 3: Your treatment step
is customisable depending
on what you consider your
core skin concern to be.
STEP 4: Moisturise to keep
your skin barrier hydrated
and working at its optimum.
SPIN TO WIN WITH
THESE ACTIVE
INGREDIENTS
1
The Ordinary Vitamin C
Suspension 23% + HA
Spheres 2%, £6.90
Brimming with hyaluronic acid that
draws moisture from the air to
quench skin’s thirst, this vitamin C
serum tackles dryness as well as
dullness and fine lines.
2
Kiehl’s Retinol Skin-Renewing
Daily Micro-Dose Serum, £65
Ceramides help to minimise any
irritation caused by retinol, as
they flood the skin with healthy
fats, which prevents moisture
loss. Expect impressive results
in a matter of weeks.
3
3
Medik8 Crystal
Retinal 3 Serum, £49
The star ingredient is retinaldehyde:
a next-gen type of vitamin A that
delivers results up to 11 times faster
than normal retinol. There are four
strengths, but number 3 is great
if your skin is used to vitamin A.
4
Paula’s Choice 2% BHA
Liquid Exfoliant, £11 for 30ml
This fast-absorbing lotion helps
to obliterate breakouts by blitzing
pores and removing the build-up
of dead skin cells and oil.
APRIL 2023 | 17
Know How
Does it really work?
The tampon test
for vaginal health
It’s a revolutionary way – using a
familiar method – to get you more
intimately acquainted with your vulva.
But do we really need more data?
It’s not the first
time I’ve inserted
a tampon, but it’s
the first time I’ve
popped one in
THE between periods,
GUINEA PIG pulled it out 20
Lauren Clark, minutes later and
30, freelance
posted it off to a lab.
journalist
But while it looks,
feels and acts like a tampon, it isn’t.
I’m trialling the new at-home
screening kit for the vaginal
microbiome from Daye (of CBD
tampon fame), to help me better
understand my gynaecological
health. For £89.95, the test claims
to detect the presence of vaginal
infections, evaluate your risk of
contracting STIs and UTIs and
identify if you’ll have issues
conceiving or undergoing IVF.
Like most women, my vaginal
education thus far has been limited
to cervical smears and the odd STI
test. But with the vaginal microbiome
a key predictor of gynaecological
health complications, becoming
acquainted with your own can be
useful. So says Valentina Milanova,
who, in addition to founding Daye,
has a background in biomaterial
engineering and nanomedicine
– a branch of medicine focusing
on using materials and devices for
the prevention and treatment of
disease. ‘Studies from the 1980s
showed that tampons were both
more comfortable and more
effective at collecting comprehensive
samples from the vaginal canal
than a standard swab, which covers
a much smaller surface area,’ she
explains. ‘But, for various reasons,
it’s only been brought to patients
now.’ And in a rare bit of positive
PR for the pandemic, the at-home
element has been enabled by
18 | APRIL 2023
Time to
screen?
PCR technology capacity being
expanded in labs.
After completing a detailed
questionnaire, offering up details
such as the heaviness of my bleeds
and my vagina’s scent, I insert
the tampon, then post it in
specially sealed, iced packaging.
Days later, I get my results. The
report confirms that my levels
of Lactobacilli and anaerobic
bacteria are positively in
abundance, with my levels of
other microorganisms in the normal
range or – in the case of pathogenic
microorganisms – ‘not detected’.
But while the process is about as
seamless as a pair of Skims knickers,
and a good deal more comfortable
than a vaginal swab via a speculum,
I wonder how helpful it is to focus on
the vaginal microbiome – a question
I put to Ashfaq Khan, gynaecologist
and founder of Harley Street
Gynaecology. ‘My concern is that
the test highlights things that aren’t
really affecting women’s health and
that this could create unnecessary
anxiety. For example, a positive
result for bacterial vaginosis from an
imbalance of “good” and “harmful”
bacteria isn’t that helpful because
research doesn’t yet fully understand
what could be causing it.’
For those in the market for
fertility data, he recommends a
check-up of your ovarian reserves
and hormone levels, as well as an
STI test, rather than looking at
microorganisms that could be a
‘very distant’ cause of the problem.
And while results can be exported
to show your GP, not all NHS doctors
will act upon private samples. If you
require a prescription, Daye can
issue one at a price that matches
Superdrug and Boots. Need further
support? A video consultation
with a qualified PCOS (polycystic
ovary syndrome), endometriosis,
menopause, microbiome or fertility
specialist costs £30.
My take? The science might not
be quite there yet, but I think Daye
is doing something very cool in the
gynaecological health space, while
its recommendations (eg, adding
more probiotic-rich foods to your
diet and looking at ingredients in
your lube) are evidence-based and
easy to implement. Its next mission
is STI and HPV screening, and with
female health historically neglected
in terms of both research and
investment, I’m here for the progress.
The verdict
Ease of use
Quick results
PHOTOGRAPHY: STOCKSY
Value for money
Health-informing
OVERALL SCORE

Fit Squad
Want to run further, lift heavier or nail your first pull-up? Each month,
we put your questions to our team of the finest fitness brains to
give you the tools you need to make good on your goals
Q I’ve just had sign-off to start
exercising after having a baby.
How can I tell if I’m overdoing it?
Rosie Stockley says: First of all,
congratulations on the birth of
your little one, and great news that
you’re ready to exercise again.
Before we discuss signs of
overexertion, it’s important to
understand what your body has
been through. It makes many
physiological adaptations for
pregnancy and birth. Your pelvic
floor muscles will have stretched
and weakened from the pressure
during pregnancy – then more so
if you had a vaginal birth. Your
breasts will be heavier as your
milk-producing cells expand and
your centre of gravity will have
changed since losing your bump,
which could compromise your
balance. If you sustained a vaginal
tear during birth, your pelvic floor
muscles will need more healing
time, and this applies to your
abdomen for C-section births,
when your abdominal muscles
are gently pulled apart for the
surgeon to access your uterus.
Whichever birth you
had, lay the groundwork
for exercise by slowly
strengthening your pelvic
floor and core. Practise
isolated pelvic floor
AS TOLD TO BRIDIE WILKINS. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES. *SOURCE: SCIENCE ADVANCES
exercises (aka Kegels)
daily, then consider
incorporating body-
weight core work and
steady walks before
adding any full-body
strength sessions.
Your pelvic muscles
will automatically
GOT A QUESTION FOR OUR SQUAD? DM us on Instagram @womenshealthuk or email us at whfitsquad@womenshealthmag.co.uk
Ask the
activate themselves during
workouts, but focus on steady
breathing (equal inhales and
exhales) to maintain core
activation; your diaphragm and
pelvic floor work together to
strengthen your core as, when
your diaphragm rises, your abs
tense and your pelvic floor lifts.
Core strength will support you
in almost every exercise.
As for overdoing it, your
body has many ways of letting
you know. Look out for intense
feelings of achiness while working
out – beyond the typical exercise
‘burn’, a considerably higher
heart rate that you have trouble
A bit of a
stretch?
slowing down, feeling dizzy or
faint, heaviness or pain in your
abdomen or pelvic area and
vaginal leaking or bleeding. In
any case, always ease off. Cut
your workout short, rest and
lower the intensity of the
workout for your next attempt.
In the interim, stick to your pelvic
floor exercises and consult your
GP if you feel unsure.
It’s also worth noting that you’ll
almost certainly feel more fatigued
than normal – and not just because
you’re probably getting by on less
sleep. A 2019 study* found that
during pregnancy, women live
near the absolute limit of human
endurance, so it isn’t surprising
that workouts can feel harder. As
most new mums feel fatigued, it’s
not necessarily a sign that you’re
overdoing it, but it could have
a knock-on effect on other
symptoms, so go easy.
After both pregnancy and
labour, your ‘overexertion
threshold’ (how much it
takes for you to overdo
it) is much lower than
it was pre-pregnancy,
and that’s normal.
Start small; you
can’t build a great
building on a
weak foundation.
Meet the
squad
The team share
their favourite time
of day to exercise
Saima Husain
PT, online fitness coach
Between 9am and 11am, just after
breakfast when I’m more awake.
Rosie Stockley
PT, prenatal and postnatal expert
First thing, so I get something done
for myself before I care for my kids.
Amanda Ngonyama
Athlete, sports scientist
In the early afternoon, after lunch
has given me an energy boost.
Izy George
Strength and conditioning coach, PT
In the morning because the later
it gets, the more life happens.
Alice Liveing
PT and bestselling author
Between 7am and 8am. That way
I don’t have time to make excuses.
Michelle Griffith-Robinson
Olympian, life coach and PT
It’s the morning for me; it sets
me up for the day ahead.
Sanchia Legister
Yoga teacher
It changes almost every day,
depending on what I have planned.
APRIL 2023 | 19
 As the most popular winner of the most
popular reality dating show, Ekin-Su
Cülcüloğlu seems well placed to make good
on her mission: breaking the mould of what
people expect from the former Love Island
lot. But can the 28-year-old actress – and
gym-loving self-improvement evangelist
– actually pull it off?

W O R D S R O I S Í N D E R V I S H – O ’ K A N E

P H O T O G R A P H Y M A R K C A N T

22 | APRIL 2023
or anyone keen to evidence that this ‘United
Kingdom’ we call home is a big fat oxymoron,
examples abound right now. While some
have dropped down the zeitgeist barometer
(Brexit got done, after all), others catapulted
to the top faster than you can say ‘frozen
todger’. Then there are the Great British
divides that form part of our cultural
furniture. Like whether you’re prepared
to willingly sacrifice 96 of your unsalaried
hours following the exploits of squint-and-
you’ll-miss-the difference-between-them
twentysomethings in a luridly decorated
Spanish villa. Or whether you’d rather
endure literally anything else.
At the time of writing, the ninth series of
Love Island – this time in South Africa – is
well and truly underway. But my mind is on
the reigning champ: Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, the
28-year-old who was born in north London
to Turkish parents, raised in Essex and
whose one-liners and slightly offbeat charm
proved irresistible to viewers last summer. It
was hard not to fall for the woman who spoke circuit for six years than six months. But in the weeks
with her chest, laughed with her belly and since she posed up a storm in a house that could be OPENING SPREAD:
SWIMSUIT, MEDINA;
seemed genuinely at home in her body. An straight out of a Martin Parr exhibition, Ekin-Su’s name WRISTBANDS,
ease infused by daily visits to the (historically has hardly left the headlines. First came the tearful exit LULULEMON; SHOES,
male-dominated) Love Island weights area to from Dancing On Ice – not before she earned hundreds JUSTFAB
swing, squat and lunge. Her power proved of Ofcom complaints for her ‘too-racy-pre-watershed’ THIS PAGE:
SWIMSUIT,
international. New York Magazine dubbed debut routine. The same week, the most devastating LULULEMON;
her ‘the best reality TV star the world has earthquake in a century struck the area of southern HEADBAND
ever seen AND a total sweetie pie’; Turkey where her family live. Ekin-Su appeared on (WORN AS BELT),
FP MOVEMENT;
Twitter rechristened her news channels, revealing that her LEG WARMERS,
‘Icon-Su’; and she and her
on-screen love interest
‘On Love Island, if family – mercifully, safe – had been
affected. She encouraged followers
ELLE AT SOCKSHOP;
SHOES, ZARA
(now live-in boyfriend) I didn’t agree with to donate to the Red Cross and
Davide Saclimenti, 28,
received the largest
something, I would shared hopes to join the relief effort.
The next week, she was posting
number of votes in have my opinion. And from Maldives, presumably for
a Love Island final, ever.
Within weeks of leaving
I’m still like that’ sun, sea and, er, scrolling – as
reports emerged that Oh Polly
the villa, she’d signed a would not be renewing her record-
deal with the fast-fashion brand Oh Polly and breaking contract. Then, in a charmingly timed podcast
landed a travel show with Davide. And by the kiss-and-tell, Balearic bar tycoon Wayne Lineker claimed
time I sat down with our cover star in her they’d dated. And that’s just before WH went to print. If
Dancing On Ice dressing room in January, the rate at which the narrative has twisted and turned
it felt more like she’d been on the celebrity is testament to the turbulence of reality TV fame, who,
I want to know, is the woman behind the headlines?

24 | APRIL 2023
 The real deal
SPORTS BRA, On the news about Oh Polly, I’m told that Ekin-Su
P.E NATION;
SHORTS, ADANOLA; won’t be commenting. But I wonder how much this
SHOES, RAID will really rock her. During our interview, I was struck
by how readily she displayed her fatigue with the
reality-fame bubble. ‘Deep conversations!’ she said,
of what she wants right now. ‘Not just talking about
social media, Instagram brand deals or fashion or
what bags you have, you know?’ On our shoot, she
shared that she won’t be watching the current series
of Love Island – and appeared utterly unbothered
that the celeb factory gears were greased and ready
to mould a fresh batch of stars. ‘They always say,
“There’s a new Love Island, there’s this, there’s that,
you’ll be forgotten.” But that doesn’t bother me
because of who I am. I know what I’m going to do
in life. And I know my dream.’
The dream she speaks of is acting. ‘Acting in films;
playing roles and quirky characters; something that
would make you think, “Oh, Ekin is not this,” but then
I smash it.’ While her post-villa commitments haven’t
afforded her the time to lay the groundwork for this
next act, she’s pegged March as her month. ‘That’s
when I start looking for an acting agency, putting
myself out [there], you know, try to distance myself as
much as I can from the Love Island scene and, yeah, be
my own person.’ Does she think ‘being her own person’
and being her screen persona marry up, I wonder?
‘So, I think I’m always the same. Confidence-wise, if
something pisses me off, unfortunately – even in this
society, where sometimes it’s good to be quiet – I will
say it... I was the same on Love Island. If I didn’t agree
with something, I would have my opinion. And I’m
still like that. The only thing that has changed is
I probably don’t let things bother me as much.’
Such layers of emotional Teflon – as is so often the
case – were forged in hard times. Of her childhood,
Ekin-Su paints a lonely picture. At school, she was the
APRIL 2023 | 25
 student hurling her hand up would look at me and say,
in class and spending break “Fatty, fatty, look, scoffing
times alone, except for when ‘Life is about how your face.” So, then I started
her teacher would come and
talk to her. An only child
you feel and what to do that secretly and eat
in a toilet or somewhere no
until the birth of her younger makes you feel one would see me scoff it
brother, Arda, when she was
10, Ekin-Su was eager for
good in your soul’ all down. And then hide the
wrappers in my house.’ Of
connection at home, too, the binge-eating episodes
where she’d spend hours speaking to strangers on (which were never doctor-diagnosed), she says, ‘It
MSN Messenger. Her appearance was picked apart was a way to escape, I guess, the mental state I was
by classmates; she was shamed for having dark hair in at the time... Like a rush. I had nothing else that
on her arms, and for her size (a size 16 by her early was exciting to me apart from chocolates.’
teens). ‘I was bullied for being “fat”,’ she recalls – an What followed was, while not the most body-positive
experience that fuels her passion for the anti-bullying coming-of-age tale, a scenario in which you may
work her publicist tells me is in the pipeline. ‘[Our local recognise your own adolescent self. When Ekin-Su
supermarket] used to have these packs of Smarties noticed that the boy she liked favoured a slender
cookies I used to buy… every time I’d eat them, people aesthetic, she started looking for ways to emulate it.

26 | APRIL 2023

After reading about calories online, she consciously
ABOVE:
BIKINI TOP, COSSIE + ate less and would skip for hours in her bedroom. After
CO; LEGGINGS, a month, she began to see the shape of her cheekbones;
SPLITS59; HAIR TIES, the same boys who used to call her names started
BOTH MAIYO; SHOES,
AQUAZZURA
giving approving signals. Before long, the way she
ABOVE, RIGHT:
looked became her calling card. After being scouted by
WRAP TOP, ALO; a woman who ran beauty pageants, aged 16, Ekin-Su
LEGGINGS, began to compete. ‘I heard someone being sick,’ she
LULULEMON; LEG recalls of her experience, aged 17, at the Asia Pacific
WARMERS, ELLE AT
SOCKSHOP; SHOES, Pageant in South Korea. ‘I thought someone was
AQUAZZURA probably ill, so I went and was like, “Hi!” and she was
like, “I’m just doing my routine… I do this before I go
on, you should try it.”’ Thankfully, Ekin-Su never did.
The ‘shocking’ experience taught her a lesson. ‘I looked
at her and I thought, “Gosh, she’s absolutely beautiful…
But then all she was doing was crying, being sick. It
made me realise that… life is about how you feel and
what makes you feel good in your soul.’
Who’s that girl?
This positive motivation, Ekin-Su explains, is what
drives her healthy habits. While she prefers to kick off
her day with eggs and favours a protein-packed salad
for lunch, she doesn’t deprive herself of the food she
loves – generous plates of pasta included. ‘Carbs are
fine! Chocolate is fine! Having a drink is fine! It’s
all about balance,’ she says. As for those gym stints,
her ideal sessions involve strength work and sweat-
inducing intervals on the treadmill (‘by the time I’ve
done 20 minutes I look a mess’) and, to keep her mood
and energy levels buoyant, she likes to get fit done
most days. ‘I feel like you need to really understand
that [the point of training] is not about looking like a
very good-looking woman who’s got a very small waist,
big boobs, big bum, or the Kardashians or someone
else. It’s not about looking like what’s [in] fashion.’ 
If your brow furrowed at that last line coming from
an ex-Islander who was introduced to us looking like
an AI rendering of a Very Good-Looking Woman –
complete with breast implants, Botox and filler – I can
empathise. But, according to Ekin-Su, she’s leaving
that version of herself in the past. ‘I’ve tried to go away
from all this – er, I don’t want to word it without
being…’ she looks at her publicist. ‘I want to say like
APRIL 2023 | 27

TRACK JACKET, that, not fake look, but…’ she tries a different tack.
‘Even Davide says he loves me more now than he
SLEEPER; SWIMSUIT,
NORMA KAMALI; HAIR fancied me on the show… [when] I had a lot of make-up
TIES, BOTH MAIYO;
LEGWARMERS (JUST on, my hair was lighter. Yeah, he said, “You looked like a
VISIBLE), LULULEMON footballer’s wife from Miami.”’ We laugh at his savagery.
Would she ever do a Molly-Mae, I ask, referring to
the 2019 runner-up turned influencer extraordinaire
and PrettyLittleThing creative director’s decision to
have her fillers dissolved. ‘Yeah. I’ve not had anything
done to my face for ages,’ she says. ‘Nothing. And
I don’t want any more. I want everything removed.’
Not 100% sure I understand her intentions, I ask for
clarification. ‘I’d have everything done [removed]
but my lips,’ she concedes. ‘I’ve dissolved the main
things, so it’s just that left now.’
I assure her that, with my chemically impeded
frown, I’m not here to judge her. But there’s no getting
28 | APRIL 2023
around the fact that there are many who
are; not least the parents of pre-teens who’ve
expressed deep concerns about the impact
cosmetically enhanced reality TV stars are
having on their children’s self-image. Has
making her name from a show that many
believe makes young girls feel inadequate
ever made her feel… icky? ‘It makes me more
angry than “icky” because I do agree with the
mums,’ she says, acknowledging the image
pressures placed on adolescent girls. But
there’s a ‘but’. ‘The reason I won Love Island
wasn’t just my looks, it was the personality.’  
Love on top
Of course, our cover star was only one half
of the winning couple – a coupling that,
eight months on, seems to be going strong.
She laughs off rumours that their union was
something of a showmance, painting a sweet
scene of their life together. ‘I’ll come home
tired and he’s there with food prepared,’ she
smiles ‘I’ll feel like
I’m gonna have a
breakdown and he’ll
‘Training be like, “Why? Relax.
isn’t about Eat… you’ve got this.”’
Of the role he’s
getting played in the wake
a small of the Turkey/Syria
earthquake, she
waist’ says, ‘Davide has
been great supporting
me emotionally. I was with him when we
heard and I just couldn’t comprehend the
devastation. I’ve been keeping up with the
news since it struck… I hope to visit the affected
area with The Red Cross as soon as it’s safe.’
Despite desires to tap out of the reality-
fame bubble, Ekin-Su is game to ponder
how Love Island’s new rules will change the
nature of the career springboard it offers
(contestants’ social media accounts are now
frozen while they’re on the show, meaning
STYLING: SASKIA QUIRKE. HAIR: CARL BEMBRIDGE. MAKE-UP: KRYSTAL DAWN
they’ll no longer accumulate millions of follows
in absentia). ‘Pausing profiles, I think, is good
– but then I think there are loads of negatives
[for the careers of potential contestants],’
she reflects. ‘Why I think it’s good is because
it’s purely based on finding love. People use
Love Island as a platform…’ ‘As you have?’ I
interrupt. ‘Which I didn’t plan to,’ she replies,
pointedly, but with a smile. ‘It’s just what
happened and, yeah, I’ve made the most of
it... But the concept is of finding a partner...
Instagram, all that stuff is a bonus.’ And by
that – most meaningful – metric, our cover
star appears to be on to a winner.
 advice
really
serving?
From research and education to
WORDS: YOLANDE CLARK-JACKSON. PHOTOGRAPHY: BEN GOLDSTEIN

the advice that informs our food

choices, biases are baked into the
nutrition industry. Are we missing
out on a world of nutrients?

Time to add more

foods to the healthy
eating menu

APRIL 2023 | 31
Depending on who you are
and where you’re from,
food advice can either feel
helpful or make you think
everything you’ve ever eaten
is wrong. Eating well means
something different to each
of us, and the foods you grew
up with play a role in what
you want to eat. But when
advice makes your favourite
foods seem like the enemy
– or excludes your heritage
entirely – you start to think
you’re the problem. You’re
not. Experts say biases are
baked into nutrition advice.
Getting past them can bring
a new understanding of food.
Is it time to add more foods
to the healthy eating menu?
A diverse diet
Nutrition advice has to come from
somewhere, so we turn to experts.
Yet, 81% of registered dietitians
in the UK are white and only 4%
are Black, according to the Health
and Care Professions Council
Diversity Data Report 2021. This
can affect both perspective and
messaging. ‘The top-down effect
contributes to a very narrow
definition of what “healthy” means,’
says Laura Iu, owner of Laura Iu
Nutrition. ‘The lack of nuance
affects policymaking and, on an
individual level, sends the message
that to be healthy you must look
and eat like white women.’
Food scientist and nutrition
expert Kera Nyemb-Diop recalls
having been one of two Black
students in a human nutrition
32 | APRIL 2023
course in which a professor
described African food as ‘gross’.
In addition to the comment being
inappropriate, she also felt that
it was uninformed – there’s huge
diversity in foods from the
continent of Africa. And what’s
said in classrooms, she points
out, can have a deep impact on
perceptions of cultural foods.
‘The gaps are in the people
giving the advice, which affects the
practical application,’ explains
Allyson Johnson, a Black dietitian
who’s also the nutrition services
manager at Loma Linda University
Medical Center in California.
When people who give advice lack
exposure to – and understanding
of – other cultures, they often rely
on stereotypes to make suggestions.
‘Society-wide stereotypes – such
as Chinese, Indian and soul food
being too oily or too salty – grossly
misunderstand that our cultural
dishes are vast and complex, are
rich in vitamins and nutrients,
and include whole grains, proteins
and vegetables,’ says Iu.
Plate expectations
Many foods from Black and brown
cultures have simply not been
studied comprehensively, either.
‘Nutrition scientists will say the
research is backed by evidence-
based practice, but the research is
done on Western foods, by white
people,’ says Dr Nyemb-Diop, who’s
of African and Caribbean descent.
Take a study published in Journal
Of The American Heart Association
that found a decreased risk of cardiac
arrest for people who adhered to
the Mediterranean diet versus
those who didn’t. Researchers
divided various cultural foods into
categories and compared them
with the most nutrient-dense
foods in the Mediterranean diet.
Food hailing from southern US
states, often linked with Black food
culture, was explained as a diet
relying ‘heavily on added fats, fried
foods, eggs and egg dishes, organ
meats, processed meats and
 Eat Smart

Many foods from

Black and brown
cultures have not
been studied

APRIL 2023 | 33
 Are we putting
the Med diet
on a pedestal?
Health food trends come and go, but
with the Mediterranean diet named
best diet by US News and World Report
for the fifth year in a row, it’s hard to
avoid the perception that this is the
superior way to eat. It’s certainly
healthy: the Mediterranean diet is
predominantly composed of plant-
based foods such as legumes, nuts and
grains with a moderate amount of dairy
and lean proteins, such as seafood and
chicken. It includes very little red meat
and few sweets, and its primary fats
come from olive oil. The diet was
developed from the work of researcher
Ancel Keys, who, in 1958, conducted
studies in seven countries and found
that people who adhered to this eating
style had a lower incidence of heart
disease and better overall health.
However, critics claim that despite
the health benefits, to centre the
Mediterranean diet as the best is to put
primarily white nations on a pedestal.
The Journal Of Critical Dietetics points
out that the participants in Keys’
studies were mostly white. Some
countries largely made up of
communities of colour, such as Egypt,
Libya and Turkey, are part of the
Mediterranean, but their foods – such
as rice, kebabs and pitta bread – aren’t
included in this idealised diet. In fact,
most of the 21 countries bordering the
Mediterranean – many of which are in
Africa or the Middle East – are not
represented in this way of eating.
Not many experts dispute the
benefits of a diet that features mostly
vegetables and minimises meat and
sugar. It works for Johnson herself:
‘I have an autoimmune disease called
systemic lupus erythematosus, and the
Mediterranean diet is highly
recommended for people like me
because it’s high in anti-inflammatory
foods,’ she says. The problem is the
relentless focus on the Mediterranean
diet at the expense of foods from other
cultures. Many Asian and African diets
have plant-based traditions, and many
cultural foods can be adjusted to up
their nutritional benefits. For example,
foods from Ethiopia, Morocco, Pakistan,
China and India include many
vegetarian dishes, which are high
in fibre and plant protein.

34 | APRIL 2023

sugar-sweetened beverages.’
This study, Dr Nyemb-Diop points
out, led many US newspapers to
print headlines such as ‘too much
Southern food can cause a sudden
heart attack’. She argues that the
researchers mischaracterised
foods hailing from this US region
when, in fact, the cuisine features
an array of vegetables, including
collard and mustard greens, peas,
okra, cabbage and sweet potatoes.
What’s more, she adds, the
historical foods of communities
The foods of of colour are often not deemed
Egypt, Libya acceptable until they’ve been
and Turkey
aren’t included ‘gentrified’ and absorbed into
in the idealised mainstream culture. ‘I see cultural
Med diet foods being deemed unhealthy all
the time until they’re promoted
by white influencers,’ agrees Iu.
Quinoa, a staple food in Central
America for thousands of years,
only became a popular grain
alternative elsewhere after being
embraced by white health experts.
Then there’s ‘Golden Milk’.
‘Turmeric and milk was part of
Indian food culture and is now [so
mainstream that it’s] sold in some
Starbucks,’ says Dr Nyemb-Diop.
Shifts happen, but most
often this occurs without any
acknowledgement of the
indigenous cultures newly
popular foods come from. When
influencers fail to acknowledge
foods’ cultural roots, it comes
off as cultural appropriation,
notes Iu. ‘Recently I noticed
white influencers on social
media using rice paper for
spring rolls and dosas and
claiming them as their “low-carb”
inventions when in reality these
traditional foods are not for
white influencers to tokenise
and appropriate.’
Rewriting the menu
When people are told that they
need to abandon their cultural
foods to improve their health,
they’ll often avoid following a
prescribed eating plan at all, says
Johnson. The first step? Reclaim
these foods in a nutritious way.
To start with, Iu recommends
making small changes to your
current diet that don’t take away
Eat Smart
your enjoyment of cultural foods.
You could change the cooking
method – say, by swapping out
fried foods for ones cooked in
an air fryer. ‘I’d suggest focusing
on adding fruits and vegetables
where it makes sense and still
honours your culture and taste
buds,’ says Iu. ‘So to make
a stir-fry, you don’t need to
use cauliflower rice instead
of white rice. You can use white
rice and add other vegetables
that you enjoy.’
Jocelyn Ramirez, chef, founder
of food brand Todo Verde and
author of La Vida Verde, says she
did this when she created plant-
based versions of the foods she
grew up eating that were ‘culturally
relevant’ to her community. For
example, the sauces pipián rojo
and mole. ‘In Latinx communities,
as I’m sure is true in many
communities of colour, food
is so centric to the way we live
together,’ she says. You can start
moving beyond the Mediterranean
diet through books and blogs that
dive into how to embrace your
culture with health in mind. Books
such as Decolonise Your Diet by
Luz Calvo and Catrióna Rueda
Esquivel and The Southern
Comfort Food Diabetes Cookbook
by Maya Feller can help you
connect with your cultural foods
in a health-conscious way.
But to turn the tide towards
more culturally affirming advice,
the food science, health and
nutrition industry must become
more committed to inclusivity,
too. Improving the advice requires
considering the experiences, food
culture and social determinants of
health that affect the Black, Asian
and minority ethnic communities,
while adding cultural foods to
future research, nutritional
recommendations and classroom
discussion will create a more
comprehensive approach on
a larger level as well. Nutrition
experts can then bridge the
gap and see better outcomes
for their patients that will
have positive ripple effects
in families and communities.
Some food for thought.
APRIL 2023 | 35
Eat Smart

The cost
of living
and
nutrition
The difficulty a person may
have in getting their hands on
healthy food can be another
barrier to following popular
nutrition advice. Research has
shown that Black households
are four times as likely to be
food insecure than white
households, and low-income
communities face both
geographic and economic
barriers to healthy choices.
These families often live in
so-called ‘food swamps’
(areas in which processed
and packaged foods are
more widely available than
healthier options) and food
deserts (poorly connected
areas with few supermarkets).
And this affects health in
a real way. Of the 55% of
people who told a recent
YouGov survey that their
health had been negatively
affected by the rising cost
of living, 84% cited increased
heating costs, 78% pointed
to the rising cost of food and
46% blamed rising transport
costs. Fixing food inequality
requires systemic change,
but you can help connect
families and communities
with healthier food options
by supporting organisations
such as The Trussell Trust
and Feeding Britain.

Traditional
foods are not
for white
influencers to
tokenise

36 | APRIL 2023
 Food in
a flash
PHOTOGRAPHY: JULIA GARTLAND. FOOD STYLING: REBECCA JURKEVICH. PROP STYLING: MAEVE SHERIDAN
Raising
the
steaks
Grab some smoked paprika
to add instant fire to a
plain cut of steak. Double
the protein with a tin of
lentils on the side
Smoky steak and
lentil salad
Total: 30 mins  Serves: 4
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard  stir in the onion and let
½ small red onion, finely
chopped
2 inch-thick sirloin steaks
(about 600g total)
1 tbsp smoked paprika,
plus more for serving
2 tbsp olive oil
400g tin of lentils, rinsed
and drained
½ head of radicchio,
chopped
140g baby kale
Method
01. In a large bowl, whisk
together the lemon
juice, mustard and ¼ tsp
side for medium-rare).
Transfer to a chopping
board and let the steak
rest for at least 5 mins
each of salt and pepper; before slicing.
04. Add the lentils to
it sit for 5 mins.    the onion and toss to
02. Meanwhile, pat the combine. Toss with the
steaks dry with some radicchio, kale, remaining
kitchen roll, then rub tbsp of oil and ¼ tsp
with paprika and ½ tsp each of salt and pepper.
each of salt and pepper; Serve with the steaks.
shake off any excess.
03. Heat 1 tbsp oil in Per serving: 498 cals,
a large frying pan on a 18g carbs, 45g protein,
medium heat and cook 26.5g fat
the steak to your desired
level (4 to 5 mins per
APRIL 2023 | 37
 Craft the
life you
(actually)
want
You may think purpose is a
destination, but psychology
professionals say it’s more
of a project – one you have
to continually reshape
WORDS: AMELIA HARNISH

Take a
hands-on
approach to
redirecting
your life
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

APRIL 2023 | 39

From the outside looking in, Tenise Hordge
had it all. After spending 18 years climbing
the corporate ladder, the 39-year-old engineer
had the impressive title, big salary and corner
office. But she wasn’t happy. After her daughter
was born prematurely in 2017, she began to
feel adrift at work. ‘Who cares about this title
I have?’ she remembers thinking. After all, the
money wasn’t helping her daughter come home
from the hospital any sooner. She was already
struggling to care about her projects when
2020 arrived. Tenise was exhausted, in so
many ways. ‘I didn’t want to continue being
this person I no longer was,’ she recalls.
You might call it an identity crisis,
but psychologists would describe
what Tenise was going through as
a crisis of purpose. It’s a driving
force in your life that connects you
to your values and ideals bigger than
yourself, says Chloe Carmichael,
psychologist and author of Nervous
Energy. Some prioritise nailing
it in their careers. ‘The drive to be
excellent as a professional can be
a purpose,’ Dr Carmichael explains.
But it can also take other forms –
you may be motivated to devote
yourself to religion, create art or
advocate for a social cause.
All this talk may seem abstract,
but research shows purposeful
living has a real impact on our
wellbeing. People who have a
40 | APRIL 2023
defined purpose are more likely to
stay happy in their jobs, they’re also
better at keeping up with regular
health screenings, are less likely to
have anxiety and depression and
may have greater longevity, too.  life no matter your circumstances,’
Rethinking and renewing your
purpose can help you stay in tune
with what’s important to you at
different points in time, too. FYI:
adults are more likely to feel happy
if they have a purpose and concrete
strategies to carry it out, found
a study in Frontiers In Psychology.
On that note, let us introduce
you to a process called ‘life crafting’.
This involves reflecting on your life
via writing and thinking exercises
– then setting goals to change how
you spend your time, so it starts to
align with what you value most,
says Michaéla Schippers, professor
of behaviour and performance
management at Rotterdam
School of Management, Erasmus
University, in the Netherlands, who
coined the term. You’re prompted
to take an honest look at your
passions, skills and social life.
‘Without realising, a lot of people
find themselves working a certain
job or living in a way that their
parents wanted for them or what
they think society demands of
them,’ says Professor Schippers. 
In Tenise’s case, it took time to
figure out her next steps. She wanted
to help new mothers navigate the
same challenges she had faced,
especially breastfeeding. When her
daughter was in hospital, having
a lactation consultant made a huge
difference. So she decided that’s
what she wanted to do and nailed
down the specifics of how to turn
it into reality. She used her bonus
to cover a year’s worth of expenses;
she and her husband paid off their
car loans and debts; she found a
certification programme near her
family, so she could complete her
clinical hours and have help with
her two children. Today, she runs her
own business helping new mothers.
‘You can create meaning in your
says Professor Schippers. ‘But you
have to set aside time to focus on
it. It’s something you create for
yourself. You’re the only one who
can do it.’ The good news is anyone
willing to put in the effort can reap
the benefits of life crafting. Keep
reading for a step-by-step guide on
how to find your spark, design your
future and set your vision in motion. 
Every day is
a blank slate to
create meaning
The first step is clarifying your values. ‘My
biggest piece of advice is to relearn yourself,’
says Tenise. ‘Once you understand who you
are, you’ll know what’s important to you.’
The cultural obsession with status or
achievement drives many to go after the next
pay rise or better title versus something
that’s truly meaningful. ‘For high-achieving
women and especially women of colour,
we’re valued and judged by what we do and
not who we are,’ says Omolara Thomas
Uwemedimo, founder of the health platform
Melanin & Medicine. ‘That allows people to
do all these things because of positive
reinforcement from others without asking,
“Is this what I really want?”’

TRY THIS

Explore says. ‘That can help

your values you find what brings
Organising your joy and lead you to
thoughts in writing where you should
is key. Ideally, you put your focus.’
want to identify
a passion that aligns Look to the
with your values. future
Pick a prompt that Think about the
speaks to you from kind of relationships
the two below and you’d like to have in
write a short essay your private and
to discover where professional life and
you stand. the kind of career
you want. Also,
Look to the past become aware of
Sure, your past your current habits
experiences shape and skills while
you – but they can reflecting on the
also teach you a lot ones you adore or
about your purpose. want to develop.
‘Look back at the That’s the first step
moments in your towards breaking
life that have been old patterns and
meaningful to you,’ building new
Dr Uwemedimo routines.

APRIL 2023 | 41
 TRY THIS

What are the Research shows that goals that
building blocks are aligned with values are better
of a good life? for overall wellbeing. So, once you
clarify your values, you’re already
halfway there. Now think about
how you might action them. For
Tenise, that meant a career change.
But finding your purpose can just
mean making time to do more of
what brings you meaning. For
example, if it’s being a parent, try
finding a way to delegate more, so
you can hang out with your family.  limits of any kind? When
Imagine the
alternate
universe…
Reflect on what your life
will look like if you don’t
take any actions. This
actually motivates you
to follow through because
you’re confronted with
the consequences. Ask
yourself, ‘What would
my future look like five
to 10 years down the
road if nothing changes?’
…then prioritise
 Write a passage laying
out your ideal life. How
would you spend your
days if there were no
Professor Schippers
started assigning
first-year students this
exercise, the university
saw a 22% decrease in
dropout rates among
those who wrote it.
List specific goals that
will help you achieve
your ideal life, then
prioritise them. Identify
the stumbling blocks
that could get in your
way and write down
how you might work
through them.

Open up TRY THIS

Visualise your success

Finally, announce your plans to the world,
says Professor Schippers. Sharing your goals
increases accountability and makes it more
likely that you’ll achieve them. Post your goals
on Instagram, or simply talk through them
with your partner or friend.
It’s also important to start a new conversation
with yourself. Life crafting can help you to
cultivate what’s known as an internal locus of
control. It’s when you believe that it’s within
your control to shape and affect the outcomes
and experiences you have in life.
Once you get the ball rolling, spend a few
minutes each day or week picturing yourself
living the ideal life you wrote about in your
essay. If your goal is to travel the world,
you might imagine yourself looking up at
the northern lights or chatting with the
locals in Rome. Then envisage yourself
messaging your [future] self to let her know
you’re proud of her. ‘This can help you feel
connected to the person you aspire to
be,’ says Dr Carmichael. ‘This way, your
aspirational self feels more attainable.’

42 | APRIL 2023
 Identity
shift
A major health event can fundamentally
transform how you view yourself. But
wellbeing experts can help you find a new
sense of direction. Right this way…

WORDS JACKIE LAM

Is it time to find
a new direction
of travel?

44 | APRIL 2023
 Katie McKnight knew
breast cancer ran in
her family. Her great-
grandmother, great-aunt,
and grandmother on her
father’s side all had it.
When the 32-year-old
environmental scientist
tested positive for the
BRCA1 gene mutation –
linked to a higher risk for
developing the disease –
she decided to do all she
the process
could to stay healthy (eat
well, keep active, limit
alcohol) and have regular
screenings. Even so, she
wasn’t prepared for the
life-altering shock when
she was diagnosed in
September 2020.
‘I thought of myself as
strong and in control of
my health and future,’
says Katie, who learned
she had triple-negative
breast cancer, which is
considered an aggressive
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES; SHUTTERSTOCK
form that grows quickly.
She feared death, but was
angry, too; she had been
living carefully and
thoughtfully to stave
off the disease. ‘My
diagnosis shattered that
sense of who I was.’
Taking an
emotional
U-turn? Katie was already grappling with
All part of complicated emotions after finding
out, one year earlier, that she had
psoriatic arthritis, a chronic
inflammatory disease that affects
the joints. ‘I see my peers and
think, I’m not supposed to be in
a body that feels 80 years old,’ she
says. ‘I’m supposed to be able
to go on long bike trips and go
camping without worrying about
taking medication.’ Her fears and
frustrations snowballed when she
faced cancer, as well.
The identity crisis Katie went
through is common among those
newly diagnosed. Illness changes
your sense of self because there
are many inherent losses – and
they mostly have to do with giving
up the way you were, says Katie
Willard Virant, a psychotherapist
who specialises in counselling
patients with chronic illness. The
diagnosis experience interrupts
who you are as a parent, a spouse
and a friend, not to mention your
professional roles and how people
see you. It also puts you in touch
with challenging feelings you
may not have been exposed to
before, such as vulnerability and
helplessness, she adds.
Given that an estimated 15
million UK adults suffer with
a chronic condition, if you can’t
relate yourself, someone you know
probably can. Of course, identity
shifts can happen to anyone, not
just those experiencing ill health,
Willard Virant points out. Maybe
you had a bad knee injury and now
can’t go as hard as you used to,
or you became a caregiver for an
ageing parent. ‘Everyone has to
shed old skin and grow a new one,’
she says. ‘But people with chronic
illness have to live particularly
close to that reality.’
Research has delineated four
distinct illness identity states, and
each has ramifications for physical
and mental health. One, the
rejection state, is when someone
refuses to accept illness as part of
their new life. They may not
APRIL 2023 | 45
 Strong Mind
believe they’re sick or may try to
minimise the impact of their
disease, leading to non-compliance
with treatment. Another is the
engulfment state, where illness
takes over every aspect of life
and can result in depression and
anxiety. Then there is acceptance,
where you embrace the new
normal and it’s neither ignored
nor all-consuming. Last but not
least, there’s the enrichment
state, which is when someone
recognises that positive changes
can and have happened as a result
of their sickness, such as resilience
and gratitude. Those latter two
stages are closely associated with
improved wellbeing.
It might seem as if everyone
should strive to reach acceptance
and enrichment states, and avoid
those terrible-sounding earlier
two, but that’s not always possible
or realistic. Take engulfment,
MEET YOUR
MATCH
Not sure how to get the right kind of mental
health help? Look for a therapist who specialises
in chronic illness and/or grief. Dealing with loss is
such a big part of this particular journey, notes
Willard Virant. Consult three experts you’re drawn
to and ask them, ‘What did you learn from
working with people who live like me?’ and ‘What
are common themes you see in working with
chronic illness?’ In their answers, listen out
for grief, identity issues and relationship
changes. This should help you
gauge whether they understand
your unique needs. Start by
visiting bacp.co.uk and using
the therapist directory.
46 | APRIL 2023
which usually happens when
you’re in a lot of pain or frequent
discomfort (think of a flare-up
of an autoimmune condition)
– it’s not something you always
have control over.
To be clear, the goal is not to
get to a particular state and stay
there. It’s to allow yourself to flow
between states and get quicker at
bouncing back from the lows, says
Amanda Pratt, owner of Imagine
Life Therapy, a virtual therapy
service for those living with
chronic illness. ‘When you’re able
to do that, you’re more likely to be
able to be flexible and resilient.’
There are a number of ways
to inch toward the acceptance
and enrichment zones if you’re
struggling to find them. Ahead,
read the accounts of women who
have been there, starting with
Katie. They share how they came
to terms with their illness – and
then found their path forward.
TIP 1
OPEN
YOURSELF UP
TO SUPPORT
Katie encourages people to look
for ways to let others in – be it a
close circle of family and friends
or a network of acquaintances. The
outdoor enthusiast went as far
as updating a website about her
treatment experience for loved ones
and colleagues – an effort to be
‘radically transparent’. Why? ‘The
compassion I’ve received from
those around me has been critical in
helping me integrate my illness into
my identity in a way that allows me
to feel self-compassion and support,
rather than fear and shame,’ she says.
Katie also found a local survivors’
Slack network for those 45 and under,
which showed her she could handle
Experts can her diagnosis by connecting with
help you others going through a similar
tackle bumps experience. Looking for a community?
in the road Start with CISFA UK – a network for
anyone suffering from a chronic illness,
where they can feel safe, heard and
understood. Visit cisfauk.org for more.

TIP 2
IDENTIFY
YOUR
MISSION
Catina Morrison had lived with joint
pain and swelling since childhood.
But it became more pronounced and
frequent after a car accident in 2012.
After seeing more than 10 doctors,
the 38-year-old corporate nurse and
blogger got an answer: rheumatoid
arthritis. Her symptoms were so
limiting at one point that she couldn’t
perform everyday tasks, such as
styling her hair, without assistance.
She’d lost her sense of dignity and self.
Starting simply by voicing her
needs at home and work, Catina
began viewing her situation as a
lesson in self-advocacy instead of
limitation. She channelled that
newfound strength into starting
a business, Nurse Loves Essentials,
in 2021 to coach others living with
conditions. ‘I transitioned from feeling
weak to someone with purpose.’
Catina recommends two books to
those who want to find their spark,
whatever that may be. (No, you don’t
have to start a business.) The first
is The Mountain Is You, by Brianna
Wiest, which helps to pinpoint
self-limiting beliefs (including
impostor syndrome, which Catina
says many people with chronic illness
struggle with). Unclear on what
your unique talents are right now?
The second book is The Genius Zone,
by Gay Hendricks, which shows you
what you’re good at and what brings
you the most fulfilment.
TIP 3
REWRITE
THE
NARRATIVE
After Annie Brewster learned she
had multiple sclerosis at 32, she
went into denial for years. As an
internal medicine doctor, she was
used to patients being consumed
by their diagnosis. ‘I was terrified
MS would become me,’ she says
– that it would erase her identity
as an athlete, or as someone who
can push through any issue.
Annie craved hearing how
other people in the same boat
had spun their experiences. That
gave her hope, so the mother
of four founded Health Story
Collaborative, a not-for-profit
organisation dedicated to helping
people with health challenges
craft their perspectives and share
them with a live audience. ‘We
can’t change a diagnosis. But it’s
the meaning we make out of
what happens that matters for
our mental health,’ she says.
The quote ‘we’re both the
main characters and the narrators
of our stories’, from Jonathan
Adler, clinical psychologist and
Health Story Collaborative’s chief
academic officer, gave Annie a lot
of hope in the beginning of her
journey. ‘We play an active role in
deciding how we’re going to shape
our story. That doesn’t mean we
have to make it all rainbows and
roses, but it’s up to us how we
interpret it, the meaning we make,
how we move forward,’ she says.
We couldn’t agree more.
Find a
new focus –
change your
destination
Care crew
Solace from the
passenger seat helps
keep someone with
chronic illness on a path
forward. Experts share
how to thoughtfully
show up for someone
in their time of need
Lean into feelings
People are often afraid to
explore negative emotions
for fear of drowning in them.
Allow a friend to wallow for
a bit in a safe space, and act
as a life raft for them by
saying,‘I can hear the anger,
the sadness, the grief. I can’t
solve it, but I can sit with it
with you. I’m not afraid to
hear it,’ says Willard Virant.
Focus on the moment
Listen to, ask about and
watch for your friend’s ‘happy’
triggers, so you can use them
as healthy distraction when
they’re needed. For instance,
if they look worried or
overwhelmed and you know
a silly movie or TV show
tends to put them in a good
mood, remind them of that
fact and suggest streaming
an old favourite to bring
their attention back to
a joyful present – rather
than the unknown future.
Share the losses
As a caregiver, it’s okay to
recognise that you’ve lost
parts of your life, too. View the
shift as a ‘we’ problem. Say
out loud to each other, ‘This
is no one’s fault and we’re
both feeling sad about this,’
says Willard Virant, to create
a sense of camaraderie that will
strengthen your relationship.
APRIL 2023 | 47
 Speaking
my mind

‘I feel that my body

has let me down’
It affects one in three women after childbirth, yet a
silence of shame means urinary incontinence is rarely
discussed. Here, Georgie Lane-Godfrey explains the
toll leaking for years on end can take on your mind

48 | APRIL 2023
 On my first day at floor, any weighted or higher. Shame means it’s rarely
Women’s Health, I wet high-intensity exercise is discussed, and if it is, it’s whispered,
myself. And not in the ‘fun’ out. Even yoga can cause wrapped up in more palatable,
way either (although they leakage if you lift your legs comedic packaging or normalised as
are a hilarious bunch). too enthusiastically. The a ‘little oops moment’. To be clear,
Georgie
No, I mean that my Lane-Godfrey, 35,
most rigorous activity I’ve there’s nothing ‘normal’ about it.
bladder gave way while Women’s Health been able to do since my As for treatment, I’ve hit
I was making tea. Reader, features director daughter’s birth is a brisk a stalemate. I’d heard enough
there’s nothing quite like walk; a reality that’s made stories from friends to know that,
disappearing from your it harder to shift my baby as a first-time mother, I’d need
desk for 40 minutes while you try weight, and my confidence has to advocate for myself during
to rinse and dry out your knickers plummeted. Looking in the mirror the birth. But I didn’t expect the
to really impress your new boss. often leaves me feeling disgusted. gaslighting to continue throughout
I suffer with post-partum I know this doesn’t adhere to my post-partum recovery. I was
incontinence, a condition resulting the popular feminist narrative. told the incontinence was ‘to be
from the birth of my daughter in That one of ‘self-compassion’ and expected’, that it would improve
2021. The birth wasn’t traumatic, ‘kindness’; the one that tells you after three
but it was fast and caused my pelvic to celebrate your body for what months, after
floor muscles to weaken and my it has achieved (read: bringing ‘No one I stopped
bladder to prolapse, partially
descending into my vagina. My
a baby into the world) rather than
berating it for how it looks. But it’s warned breastfeeding,
after I stuck
case is mild, but it’s left me dealing incredibly patronising to hear this,
with urinary incontinence on a not to mention frustrating – how
me of this with those
pelvic floor
daily basis. It came as a shock – no
one warned me of this risk before
I feel about my body isn’t simply
about aesthetics. On a fundamental
risk before exercises for
just a little
the birth. If I’d known what I’d be level, I feel as though my body has the birth’ longer. The
living with now, I’d have insisted let me down. Yes, it gave me my truth is that
on a caesarean. amazing daughter, but it broke sexism within the NHS is pervasive.
Incontinence isn’t a mental in the process, and I have to live Do I think we’d be expected to
health condition, but it’s the with the consequences of that live with this if it were a problem
bedfellow of many well-known malfunctioning every day. Is it affecting men? Absolutely not.
symptoms. The constant paranoia any wonder I don’t feel the love? The reality is that I will need
that you stink of piss, for example. While I know that plenty of surgical intervention to fix the
The anxiety that you’re going to women are dealing with this, no issue, but the NHS won’t intervene
get ‘caught out’ when you leave the one ever shares their experience, until I’ve ‘completed my family’ –
house. The depressing thought that so I’m left feeling dirty and alone. something I’m terrified to do as
you might well have to live like One in three mothers in the UK pregnancy will only serve to make
this forever – feelings I deal with suffer with urinary incontinence the incontinence worse. In the
every day, woven together in my after childbirth, according to the meantime, I’ve been referred for
own miserable personal tapestry. National Childbirth Trust. Not to physio, which has made zero
But its impact on my day-to-day mention the number of women difference – it turns out that it’s
life isn’t just limited to always affected during the menopause; not just that my pelvic floor is
being armed with a spare pair of it’s thought that 40% of women weak, but my urethra is damaged,
knickers and an excessive amount over the age of 50 experience something no amount of Kegel
of pads. It’s the insidious effect it pelvic organ prolapse. But the exercises will fix. Like so many
has on your body image. Due to reality of under-reporting means women, I’m being told to wait. For
the stress it puts on your pelvic that these figures could be even now, the future is looking… damp.

How might incontinence
INCONTINENCE affect mental health?
AND MENTAL Incontinence can lead to feelings
of shame and embarrassment,
HEALTH which often results in people
The expert avoiding certain activities. In
ILLUSTRATION: ANDREA MANZATI
How does stigma make
it harder to deal with?
The societal taboo of talking
about these things can increase
anxiety and a sense of isolation.
When you feel unable to talk
How can you support
a friend going through it?
Create a non-judgemental space
for them to express how they
feel and what they’re worried
about. There’s no need to try to

doing so, people can feel like
view their identity has fundamentally
Dr Sula Windgassen changed. Women can worry
is a psychologist and about incontinence being
researcher specialising in untreatable, and a lot of anxiety
chronic health conditions comes from not knowing the
best way to deal with symptoms
and whether they can be tackled.
about your vulnerabilities, it
increases the burden. Over time,
this can leave people feeling
really low. There can also be
a lot of dismissal that happens
in healthcare consultations
that feeds into feelings of
isolation and shame.
problem-solve. Good humour
can be a wonderful antidote
to shame and embarrassment.
Supporting your friend to feel
comfortable doing things that
they have withdrawn from can
make a big difference in making
them feel more like themselves.

APRIL 2023 | 49
 Best Body
Turn the
page to get
repping

Rearranging your
reps into different
set styles is an easy
way to refresh your
routine, providing
you know why, when
and how to use each
WORDS: BRIDIE WILKINS. PHOTOGRAPHY: STOCKSY

kind. Consider this

your handbook

APRIL 2023 | 51
‘Are you here for the
AMRAP class?’ ‘Can
you spot me?’ ‘How
are your DOMS today?’
If you think walking
into a gym in 2023
feels like landing in
a foreign country
without the Duolingo
app, we see you.
There’s enough fitness
lingo out there to fill
a dictionary, and
admitting you don’t
know the term your
PT just used 17 times
can feel like admitting
to your boss you
don’t read her emails.
But if there’s one piece
of jargon that’s worth Set it up
knowing, it’s the and reap
different types of sets. the benefits
In a nutshell, sets
are a way to cluster
your reps, but the
optimal way to
structure them will
depend on the goal
you’re shooting for.
Going for sets that
don’t include rest
periods, such as drop
sets, will improve
your endurance,
while straight sets,
with the longest
recovery time, are
best for building
strength. You’ll also
need to consider
your individual fitness
level – the higher the
training volume, the
harder your workout
will be. Supersets
are good if you’re
tight on time, but
you’ll need to be
able to move from
one exercise to the
next as quickly as
possible. Granted,
this can sound a bit
much, but learn it
now and you’ll be
set for life.

52 | APRIL 2023

S T R A I G H T
BEST FOR: Beginners, anyone in
need of a form refresher, anyone
looking to maximise strength.
AVOID IF: You’re short on time.
HOW: Perform the same exercise
for the same number of reps with
the same weight (if you’re using
one) for a number of sets, resting
between each.
EXAMPLE: 3 x 12 lunges, with
a 60-sec break between sets
PROS: If strength is your goal,
straight sets give you the longest
recovery time between sets,
meaning you’re more likely to lift
your heaviest. ‘They also allow
you to focus on one exercise at
S U P E R S E T S
BEST FOR: Intermediate to
advanced exercisers who
want to improve power and
hypertrophy, aka muscle growth.
AVOID IF: You want maximal
strength. Supersets can help you
build muscle, but you’ll need longer
rest time to hit those PBs.
HOW: Perform two exercises back
to back before resting. There are
three main types: agonist (aka
compound) supersets, involving
two exercises targeting the
same muscle group; antagonist
supersets, using two exercises
that target opposite muscle
groups; and upper- and lower-
body supersets, pairing an
upper-body and lower-body move.
EXAMPLE: Agonist superset:
8 x single-arm row + 8 x
meadows row. Antagonist
superset: 8 x bicep curl +
8 x tricep press. Lower- and
upper-body superset: 8 x
bent-over row + 8 x lunge
PROS: Providing you pair your
exercises correctly, supersets are
a solid time-saving tactic. ‘You’ll do
more exercises in one session than
you would in a standard workout,’
Best Body
S E T S
a time, so you can concentrate
on form and technique,’ says
strength and conditioning
coach Andy Vincent.
CONS: Time is not your friend.
‘Straight sets can take a long time
to complete as you rest after
every set and, by the end of your
workout, you’ll probably only have
managed three or four exercises,’
says Florence Wong, CrossFit
coach and athlete.
IDEAL EXERCISES: Use straight sets
to hone compound lifts – those
that work more than one muscle
group, such as squats. ‘These
need more recovery time so you
can execute them with good
technique to maximise your
gains,’ says Vincent.
says Vincent. And studies show
that supersets don’t typically
inhibit the quality of training,
despite a lack of rest. ‘Antagonist
supersets have even been shown
to improve the performance of
your lifts, as you train both sides
of your joints, therefore making
you stronger,’ adds Vincent.
CONS: You’ll only progress if you
marry the right moves. ‘If you pair
two moves that both require good
grip strength, for example, your
hands may give out before you
place enough stimulus on the
intended muscles,’ says Vincent.
Likewise, ‘if you team compound
exercises such as deadlifts and
military presses, it’s unlikely you’ll
be able to increase your load over
time – they’re taxing enough
individually’. Not only do you run
the risk of injury, less rest and more
work can make a superset feel like
cardio, which could hinder muscle
growth as you lose energy to lift.
IDEAL EXERCISES: For every type,
couple one harder exercise
with one easier, says Vincent.
Take an agonist superset. ‘Try
a heavy compound exercise,
such as a deadlift, with an
isolation exercise, for example
a Bulgarian split squat,’ he says.
APRIL 2023 | 53
 P Y R A M I D
BEST FOR: Switching up your
routine, intermediate to
advanced exercisers keen to pack
in maximum training volume per
session, anyone looking to
increase muscle hypertrophy.
AVOID IF: You’re new to training
or you’re unsure of your max
load for each rep range.
HOW: There are three types:
ascending, descending or full
pyramid. With ascending pyramids,
start with your heaviest weight and
fewest reps, then reduce the weight
and increase the reps. A descending
pyramid involves starting with your
lightest weight and maximum
reps. A full pyramid starts with
a descending pyramid, with the
heaviest weight at the ‘peak’, and
finishes on an ascending pyramid.
Take 45 to 60 secs’ rest in between.
EXAMPLE: Ascending: set 1: heavy weight, 6 reps. Set 2: medium weight,
8 reps. Set 3: light weight, 10 reps. Descending: set 1: light weight, 10
reps. Set 2: medium weight, 8 reps. Set 3: heavy weight, 6 reps
D R O P
BEST FOR: Breaking through
plateaus, and advanced exercisers
looking to improve power,
hypertrophy and endurance.
AVOID IF: You’re new to weightlifting
or recovering from injury.
HOW: Perform a number of sets
of the same exercise, gradually
‘dropping’ the effort within each,
without resting. You might reduce
the weight or the mechanical
work required (think: switching
from a unilateral exercise, such as
a single-leg lunge, to the bilateral
equivalent on both legs, for
example, a squat). The goal? To
reach fatigue by maximising reps.
EXAMPLE: Set 1: 8 x 30kg
bench press. Set 2: 10 x 20kg
bench press. Set 3: 12 (or to
failure/exhaustion) x 10kg
bench press. Move from one
set to the next without resting
54 | APRIL 2023
S E T S
PROS: ‘Pyramid sets are mentally
stimulating as you use a variety of
rep ranges and weights,’ says
Wong. And by kicking off with
lighter weights and increasing the
load, you gradually prime your
muscles for heavier lifts. Studies
have shown that the high intensity
also increases the amount of
muscle fibre tears which, when
repaired, lead to muscle growth.
CONS: You’ll need to be familiar
with the weight you can lift.
‘A lot of people go too heavy,’
shares Vincent. The result?
They’re too tired to finish.
IDEAL EXERCISES: ‘Anything you
can repeat for several reps with
proper form,’ says Vincent. ‘Make
sure you know your max load and
rep range, so you hit your targets
without overdoing it.’
S E T S
PROS: Muscle hypertrophy. ‘Your
nervous system has to recruit the
greatest amount of motor units
(bundles of muscle fibres) with
heavier weights,’ explains Luke
Worthington, sports scientist and
strength and conditioning coach.
‘But by moving from heavier
to lighter weights, you recruit
a bigger proportion of muscle
fibres as you train both your
fast-twitch muscle fibres, for
power, and your slow-twitch
fibres, for endurance.’
CONS: DOMS (delayed onset
muscle soreness). ‘Training a
muscle to failure can create high
levels of DOMS, so the benefits
could be mitigated by the inability
to train in the following days,’
warns Worthington.
IDEAL EXERCISES: Anything that
can be adapted to reduce the
weight or intensity quickly.
Wong recommends dumbbell,
kettlebell and machine exercises.
 Best Body

T R I S E T S
BEST FOR: Intermediate to
advanced exercisers with
adequate strength and cardio
fitness, those looking to improve
muscle power and hypertrophy.
AVOID IF: You struggle with
cardio – trisets can improve both
strength and cardio, but you
won’t reach your lifting potential
until your cardio fitness peaks.
HOW: Perform three exercises
back to back, resting only after
each triset. They’re an advance
on supersets, involving the same
pairings (agonist, antagonist or
lower- and upper-body), plus one
additional exercise (‘a core, skill
Share the or isolation move’, says Vincent).
rep love
with mates
EXAMPLE: 8 x chest press
+ 8 x dumbbell row +
45-sec side plank

PROS: Providing you’re fit enough

to tolerate a third exercise
without resting in between,
trisets support both hypertrophy
and cardio. ‘Adding one more
exercise makes your whole
session more demanding from
a cardio perspective,’ says
Vincent. A study in the European
Journal Of Applied Physiology
found that, for the participants
who took adequate rest days,
trisets helped improve strength
and cardio fitness (although this
was a male-only study).
CONS: As with supersets,
structuring your trisets
intelligently is key to reaping
rewards. They’re also tough.
‘Make sure you’re fuelled well and
always take a rest day afterwards,’
Group four says Vincent. Alternatively,
or more exercises you could also perform a single
together in the same triset as a finisher to a workout.
way to try giant sets. IDEAL EXERCISES: ‘Make sure
The same pros and
your third exercise isn’t going
cons apply, but the
to affect your performance in the
intensity will
increase first two,’ says Vincent. ‘The goal
should be progressive overload.
The harder the exercises are, the
more exhausted you’ll become
and the less able you’ll be to
increase load over time.’

APRIL 2023 | 55
While fitness trackers can
give you a rough idea how
hard a workout was, experts
say your ‘rate of perceived
exertion’ could be a more
useful reference. WH reports
on the latest trending metric
WORDS: BRIDIE WILKINS
I L L U S T R AT I O N : B R AT I S L A V M I L E N K O V I C

56 | APRIL 2023
 Best Body

On a scale of stroll to burpee, how much

did you exert yourself in your last workout?
Perhaps you could hold a conversation.
Or maybe you were holding your nerve to
push out just one… more… rep.
No longer just another stick to beat
yourself with, exertion is fast becoming
fitness’s most talked-about metric. Known
as rate of perceived exertion (or RPE), it’s a
self-monitored scale of how hard a workout
feels. For the committed trackers among
you, the idea of forgoing your fitness
wearable for something as unreliable as
your own memory is enough to make you
skip a workout. But while fitness watches
are typically based on little more than
your heart rate – influenced by everything
from your menstrual cycle to the coffee
you necked before hitting the gym – RPE
accounts for everything from your mood
to how much sleep you’ve had.
It’s this holistic approach that because it’s influenced by factors
makes it such a useful metric for beyond your fitness levels, including
those in the business of building everything from the quantity and
gains; adapting your routine to quality of your sleep the night
your RPE could give you a better before to the food you ate that day
understanding of both when you’re and even the weather, if you were
overdoing it and in need of a rest exercising outside.
day, and when you’re in a position For this reason, working it
to really give a workout your out can feel difficult. But in the
all, without running the risk of absence of someone to compare
injury. Ready to exert yourself? stats with, there are a few signs
you can be mindful of, such as
breathlessness (could you easily
What is RPE? hold a conversation?), sweating
‘It’s a way of personally rating how (could you go straight back to the
hard you find a specific activity or office sans shower?), muscle fatigue
exercise,’ says Darran Lightbody, (could you do your usual rep
a strength and conditioning coach range?) and energy levels (are you
who uses RPE with his clients. As feeling mentally drained, did you
such, it’s entirely subjective – and struggle with sleep, or are you in
no two people will have the same a position to smash your PB?).
RPE for any one workout. That’s

APRIL 2023 | 57
Best Body

can also give you a good idea as

How is RPE calculated? What are the benefits? to whether you’re ready to push
The OG RPE scale was developed Quite besides saving yourself a few your workouts further, he adds.
in 1982 by Swedish researcher quid on a fitness watch in a cost ‘Say you’re targeting a sub-20-
Gunnar Borg to determine an of living crisis, RPE can help you minute 2km row. The first time
individual’s level of exertion during measure your progress in a way you reach 2km (regardless of time),
physical activity. This was known that can support you to achieve might feel like a nine on the RPE
as the Borg scale and had a range your goals, says Vincent, who gives scale; you should stick at this
of six to 20 (six being no exertion the example of a 5K PB. ‘Some days, pace until it feels like a seven
whatsoever, 20 being maximum you might have less energy and before attempting to go any faster.’
effort). ‘The original Borg scale be off the pace, but that doesn’t If RPE helps you smash your
was used as a way of measuring mean you’re not progressing. An goals, it also helps you do so
an individual’s heart rate,’ says effort-based score will help you without smashing yourself in the
Andy Vincent, a strength and understand why your run may have process. ‘Tracking your RPE means
conditioning coach and fellow RPE felt harder.’ Measuring your RPE you’re unlikely to overtrain and
fan. But given your heart rate is
determined by various underlying
factors, it doesn’t necessarily
provide a reliable picture of how
hard a workout might be for you.
Happily, we now have a revised
version. The more commonly used
RPE scale ranges from one to 10,
where one is the equivalent of
watching Netflix with a camomile
tea, and 10 is legs shaking, sweat
dripping, nothing left in the tank.
And it’s this version the experts we
spoke to recommend. ‘We now
have fitness trackers to do what
the Borg scale once aimed to
do,’ says Vincent. ‘Whereas
the RPE scale is entirely
subjective and can be
applied to everything
from strength training
to cardio workouts.’
Lightbody agrees,
adding that the RPE
scale offers a more
‘holistic perception
of the difficulty of
your workouts’.

Take it easy if
life’s weighing
you down

58 | APRIL 2023

‘RPE can be
applied to
any workout
and provide
a holistic
perception of
its difficulty’
push yourself too hard, since it
takes account of external factors,
rather than just relying on your
heart rate,’ says Lightbody. ‘In
doing so, you’re less likely to injure
yourself or reach burnout.’ Track
your RPE regularly and it can also
guide you as to when you need to
build in some time for recovery.
‘If you’re training hard and
progressing, your sessions might
always feel like a nine or 10 on the
RPE scale,’ adds Vincent. ‘Without
the scale, you’d probably just
continue, but consistently working
out at a rate of nine or 10 is a sign
Feeling
good? Jump
it up a gear
that you need to implement
a de-load week. I’d recommend
one of these every six to 10 weeks.’
An indication you need one now
would be feeling exhausted after
every workout in a way that’s
affecting your sleep and mood.
That being said, it’s not a perfect
metric. When you’re just starting
out, it can be tricky to gauge what
level you’re at. Plus, it can often fail
to take your skill level into account.
Take a high-skill move such as a
clean and jerk, for example. ‘You
may well fail at the lift but still have
a low RPE – skill is a different kind
of effort that the RPE scale doesn’t
represent,’ adds Vincent. As such,
it shouldn’t be pursued at the
expense of other useful metrics. ‘If
you have a goal in mind, remember
that performance metrics such as
speed, distance and load are still
useful. RPE isn’t binary; all the
data should be used together.’
RPE at
a glance
We asked the experts for the
recommended RPE for each
of these common workout types:
strength training, running and
HIIT. ‘These depend on your goal
and experience but could be
useful as a rough guide of how
hard you should be working,’
says Lightbody.
Strength training
6 to 9 RPE
‘It’s at this point that you will be
lifting enough load or working
with enough resistance to activate
and strengthen the muscles that
you’re working,’ says Lightbody.
A good way to grasp this is
via the number of reps you can
complete; if you could manage
another two or three after your
set, you’re probably at an RPE of
eight, but if there’s no way you
could do another, you’re at 10.
Running
4 to 10 RPE
‘This very much depends on the
type of running you’re doing,’
says Vincent. ‘Interval runs will be
higher, while steady, slow runs will
be lower.’ Lightbody adds, ‘With
running, I’m a big believer in the
80/20 rule: 80% should be at a
low RPE (three to five), while 20%
should be at an RPE of five plus.’
HIIT
9 to 10 RPE
‘When doing it correctly, you
should give HIIT max effort,’ says
Lightbody. ‘You should perform
every round of exercise at max
effort, then take a rest period
that’s four times the duration of
the exercise period, so that you
can give every exercise interval
everything you’ve got.’
APRIL 2023 | 59
 Smart 02
Garmin Venu Sq 2 Music
Edition, £259.99, garmin.com  
Score

watches
Welcome to the WH Lab, where we put health
Garmin is renowned for its
impeccable running tracking,
 

but it was the array of health

features that stood out with this
nifty bit of kit. It offers heaps of
products through rigorous tests to see which stats including heart rate, stress,
deserve a place in your wellness arsenal respiration and hydration, along
1 with a ‘body battery’ monitor to
help you decide whether to have
a rest day or push harder. You can
WINNER track more than 25 sports, choose
from a variety of pre-set workouts
or create your own. Plus, it can
store up to 500 songs, so you 3
can soundtrack your morning 5K
while leaving your phone at home.
The WH Lab verdict: Beyond
the extensive health and recovery BEST FOR
insights, this watch also has IPHONE
smartphone notifications,
USERS
contactless payment, Spotify
playlists and a workout screen
that’s a cinch to navigate. It’s
an excellent all-rounder.
Key specifications
Like Marmite and Weight: 38g 
coriander, tracking
isn’t for everyone.
01 Screen size: 1.4 inches  03
Samsung Galaxy Watch5, Battery life: Up to 11 days  Apple Watch Series 8,
But for those for
£289, samsung.com Works with: Apple, Android £419, apple.com
whom data is an
Score Score
addiction of nut
butter proportions, a
smartwatch is a non- With cutting-edge tracking tech Apple’s latest drop is all about
negotiable. And with and in-depth health stats, this in-depth monitoring – we’re big
the new-generation beauty was an instant hit. Not fans. There’s a blood oxygen
only does it offer more than 90
RUNNER-UP monitor and the ability to take
offerings tracking
everything from REM workout modes, but gym bunnies 2 an ECG, plus REM, deep and core
to ECG, your 5K PB is can also track individual exercises sleep tracking. There’s a skin
the tip of the iceberg. from bicep curls to squats. The temperature sensor – handy for
But while divergent bioactive sensor measures heart fertility tracking – and even car
price points and rate, blood oxygen levels and crash detection in which the
features provide body composition, while device will contact emergency
options for everyone, the sleep coach will help you services if you’re unresponsive.
they can leave understand your slumber to Fitness-wise, new metrics
consumers feeling help you get more of it. include heart-rate zones, running
overwhelmed. With The WH Lab verdict: A strong power and customised interval
that in mind, our choice for anyone on Android, workouts. It’s got it all.
testers at the WH Lab but it’s the dream for Samsung The WH Lab verdict: It doesn’t
strapped on and users, with added features such come cheap and the battery
geeked out to bring
as blood pressure and ECG life is mediocre, but it’s slick,
you the smartwatches
measurement. It provides all the responsive and its cellular tech
worth your time...
data on a neat screen and takes means you can pretty much
30 mins to go from 0% to 45%. run your life from your wrist.
Key specifications Key specifications
Weight: 28.7g  Weight: 38.8g 
Screen size: 1.2 inches  Screen size: 1.5 or 1.8 inches 
Battery life: Up to 40 hours  Battery life: Up to 18 hours 
Works with: Android Works with: Apple

60 | APRIL 2023
 LAB
2023

04 06
Amazfit Bip 3 Pro, £69, Polar Pacer, £169.50, polar.com  
amazfit.com Score
Score Data
nerds will rate this GPS watch,
For a winning watch at a lower which provides reams of metrics
price point, this lightweight from your training sessions, as
model is a savvy buy. With 60 well as in-depth sleep info. Our
workout modes (you can even tester raved about the display,
track fishing!), heart rate reports, which clearly shows what HR
sleep and stress analysis, and zone you’re in while on the move,
cycle tracking, it has absolutely and loved the fitness tests, which
everything you need from a measure VO2 max for monitoring
smartwatch. Our tester found progress. Based on your
the in-workout data screens super performance, it gives you daily
detailed, providing all the stats workout suggestions and tells you
you need to optimise your training when you need to ramp up the
and recovery – it’ll even tell you pace or slow things down. Not in
if your session was fat-burning, the mood to pound pavements?
aerobic or anaerobic.   Worry not: it can log more than
The WH Lab verdict: The 130 different activities.  
pre-set heart rate zones needed The WH Lab verdict: Unlike the
tweaking and detailed sleep BEST FOR many bulky (read: ugly) running
data is only available on the app.
WELLNESS 5 watches out there, this one is
FEATURES
But it’s good value. The bright lightweight and comfy to wear.
screen is super responsive, the It lacks a touchscreen, but the
battery life holds up well and buttons are responsive and easy
it’s a doddle to use. to press with sweaty hands.
Key specifications Key specifications
Weight: 33g  Weight: 40g 
Screen size: 1.7 inches  05 Screen size: 1.2 inches 
Battery life: Up to 14 days  Fitbit Sense 2, £269.99, fitbit.com Battery life: 35 hours 
Works with: Apple, Android  Score Works with: Apple, Android  

If your approach to health and

BEST HOW WE fitness is more holistic, this one’s
BUDGET TEST for you. The Sense 2 is big on
BUY Our team of health
and fitness fanatics stress management, with an
BEST FOR
put a range of EDA sensor that measures tiny
smartwatches from
RUNNERS
electrical changes in your skin
4 leading brands
to work out how stressed you
through their paces,
wearing each model are. Our tester loved the daily
6
for a range of readiness score, which uses your
activities including data – including sleep, heart
walking, running, rate and skin temp – to tell you
CrossFit and
strength training. if your body is up for some
Smartwatches were exercise. If it is, there are 41 modes
WORDS: PRIYANKAA JOSHI. TESTING: YANAR ALKAYAT; JODIE MORRISH

judged on their to choose from and a handy

accuracy, battery in-workout display that gives the
life, charge time,
lowdown on your performance.  
comfort, practicality
and aesthetics – The WH Lab verdict: The screen’s
because who wants a tad glitchy, and it can’t compete
an ugly watch with the likes of Apple or
draped across their
Samsung when it comes to smart
wrist all day? We
also checked out tracking. But this Fitbit is good
special features for those looking to live mindfully.
such as sleep Key specifications
tracking, workout Weight: 37.6g 
recommendations
and recovery Screen size: 1.1 inches 
insights. Battery life: 6 days 
Works with: Apple, Android 

APRIL 2023 | 61

Dance, discuss, repeat
Fuel your heart and your head at KITE festival this summer
KITE is a festival with a
difference. Launched in 2022,
it combines an exciting mix
of iconic, contemporary and
emerging music acts with
a thought-provoking line-up
of speakers. In other words, in
the space of a long weekend,
you can lose yourself – and
find yourself again – amid
Oxfordshire’s green fields.
Here’s why we’re adding KITE
to our summer bucket list.
Class acts
Celebrating alternative music
from across indie, soul, funk,
dance and jazz, this year’s list
of artists includes some of the
festival scene’s best live acts.
Crowd-pleasers including
Suede, Pretenders, and
four-time Grammy nominee
Candi Staton (right) will take
to the main stage, while the
A DV E R T I S E M E N T F E AT U R E
varied bill also features
chilled house from DJ Sofia
Kourtesis, and disco, funk,
new wave and house courtesy
of DJs Raw Silk.
Dance and debate are given
equal weighting with a strong
line-up of speakers, tackling
topics big and small. As well
as model and activist Munroe
Bergdorf, you can catch talks
by How To Fail podcaster and
author Elizabeth Day and
award-winning comedian
Rosie Wilby, who’ll be sharing
tales of heartbreak and
recovery with special guests
as she records a live episode
of her much-loved podcast,
The Breakup Monologues.
Green spaces
This three-day event is held in
the beautiful Kirtlington Park
vehicles on-site. Regardless of
in Oxfordshire, overlooking
your level of comfort, you can
the Chiltern Hills, so you’re
guaranteed a tent with a view.
As well as seven unique
stages, you’ll find street-food
stalls catering to all tastes,
including lots of vegetarian
and vegan options, a book
shop and even a record-shop
truck where you can ask the
artists to sign your vinyl.
It’s clear the future of
festivals has arrived.
KITE at
a glance
Dates: 9-11 June 2023
Location: Kirtlington
Park, Oxfordshire
Accommodation: Choose
between camping or
glamping (a luxurious tent
will be pitched and waiting
for you), or you can park
campervans and live-in
rest assured that, last year,
even the toilet facilities
received rave reviews!
Tickets: Prices start from
£59 plus booking fee for
a day pass, and from £154
plus booking fee for entry to
the campsite and the full
weekend of entertainment
Book your tickets
for KITE now at
kitefestival.co.uk/tickets
 Welcome to the WH
fashion desk’s monthly
dispatch: springtime
edition. Here, we share
the latest innovations,
inside intel and editor-
approved product
picks for rain or shine
SHOPPING EDITOR: MADDY ALFORD. PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF ROXY X MIZUNO

Blasting away
the cobwebs in
Roxy x Mizuno

APRIL 2023 | 63
 STAFF PICK
LOVE ALL
Courtney Smith,
fashion assistant
‘Studio Éhr’s active
dress looks uber trendy,
is made from recycled
material and, luckily for
me, has launched in new
colourways just in time
for the start of my tennis
lessons.’ Yaz Active Dress,
£140, Studio Éhr
STAFF PICK
STEADY SIPS
Maddy Alford,
shopping editor
‘I’ve used a Nalgene as
an “emotional support
water bottle” since long
before TikTok coined
the phrase. Years ago,
my ex bought me one,
plastered it with
stickers and gave it to
me to sip when I felt
anxious. They’re BPA-
free, indestructible,
leakproof and you’ll
never lose the attached
lid. I never leave home
without it.’
Water bottle, £15, Nalgene
64 | APRIL 2023
IF YOU
FANCY…
LoveShackFancy, the
cult-favourite label
loved for its frills and
florals, has launched
its first activewear
capsule. If you love pink,
pastel and an ultra-
femme feel (even when
you’re getting your
sweat on), this nine-
piece collection will
be right up your alley.
Prices from £100,
LoveShackFancy
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): COURTESY OF NEW BALANCE; ACAI OUTDOORWEAR; ELLESSE; VUORI
PHOTOGRAPHY: (THIS PAGE) COURTESY OF LOVESHACKFANCY; THE NORTH FACE. (OPPOSITE PAGE,
WILD BLUE
YONDER
For serious outdoor
gear, we’re into The
North Face’s Technical
Hike collection. It’s
got us covered for multi-
day excursions, or just,
you know, long pub
crawls along the canal.
Whether you need a
Polartec fleece or
a hardy rucksack,
this range has it all.
Technical Hike collection, prices
from £27 to £245, The North Face
 Wear Well
Kasia Bromley,
creative
director, Acai
Outdoorwear
THE
LONG RUN
In celebration of
April’s London
Marathon, New
Balance has
launched its new
marathon training
range. Expect NB
Heat, NB Ice and
NB Dry technology
throughout for your STAFF PICK
fastest time ever. FAST
Pictured: London Edition Heat
Grid Half Zip, £80, New Balance AND FREE
Thérèse Hillman,
fashion intern
‘It’s so comfortable.
I can’t go on a run now
without my favourite
running belt.’ Fast and Free
CALI COOL Running Belt, £28, Lululemon
Meet Vuori, purveyors of laid-back
luxury staples inspired by an ‘active SUCCESS
coastal California lifestyle’. Since STORY
launching a UK website and opening Acai Outdoorwear,
a shop in London’s Covent Garden last the UK’s first and only
year, the brand is steadily growing a outerwear brand for
buzz on these shores. Our shopping women, has secured an
editor swears by the Clean Elevation investment of £3m
Leggings for buttery-soft comfort this year to fuel its
at the gym (or on a long-haul flight). explosive growth.
Pictured: Clean Elevation Leggings, £100, Creative director and
and Mindset Bra, £60, both Vuori co-founder Kasia
Bromley filled a gap in
the market for timeless,
sustainable, technical
garments for women, and
customers love it. Search
for its Outdoorsing
Club free organised
walks near you to
join in the fun.

BLUE CRUSH
We’re refreshing our
gymwear for spring with
Ellesse’s blue and white
micro collection. How
good are those ombre
shorts? Keep a lookout
for the monochrome
tennis collection, too.
Prices from £25, Ellesse

APRIL 2023 | 65
 MAKING
MOVES
The spring collection FULL SPRINT
from Goodmove at M&S Meet your new marathon
is the best yet. It focuses runners: the Under
on practical outdoor Armour Flow Velociti
pieces, such as warm Elite, launching 7 April.
colour-pop fleeces, as Designed as marathon-
well as waterproof specific shoes, these are
finishes and moisture- built with flexibility and
wicking gymwear staples. cushioning in mind. A full-
Goodmove at M&S, length carbon fibre plate
prices from £12.50 is nestled inside soft
midsole foam for
explosive lift-off,
and the upper
offers supreme
STAFF PICK lightweight
breathability.
BRIGHTER
Flow Velociti
DAYS AHEAD Elite, £220,
Natasha Harding, Under Armour
fashion editor
‘A chic pair of sunnies
instantly elevates any
spring outfit – even
my favourite comfy
leggings and oversized
tees. I’m loving this
caramel-toned Jimmy
Fairly pair.’
Sunglasses, £149, Jimmy Fairly

MODERN
ICONS
Calling all minimalists:
the new Adidas by
Stella McCartney Icons
collection is a work of
art. This spring, iconic
designs are reimagined
in a neutral palette, so
the focus stays on your
GLAM SQUAD gains. We’re impressed
Skechers has with the Sportswear
collaborated with Shoe, thanks to its
fashion icon Diane gender-neutral look and
Von Furstenburg renewable materials.
on a fun capsule Adidas by Stella McCartney Icons
collection, featuring collection, prices from £60
the brand’s signature
lip-print motif on
activewear and
shoes. DVF is
known for elegant,
ladylike style – and
we’re all on board
with bringing that
vibe to our next
gym class.
Skechers x Diane
Von Furstenburg

66 | APRIL 2023
 Wear Well
RUN FREE
APRIL SHOWERS
Roxy, the outdoor brand If you’re a keen outdoor runner, the
famed for its cool surfer chilly, drizzly spring weather can put
style, has teamed up a bit of a dampener on things. Enter
with the running Lululemon’s SenseKnit Running
experts at Mizuno on collection, which considers weather
a dream collaboration. protection, thermal comfort and
Choose from two storage solutions for your runs.
head-to-toe running
Pictured: SenseKnit Composite
outfits, each anchored Running Jacket, £198, Lululemon
by a pastel pair of the
bestselling Mizuno
Wave Rider 26 trainers.
Happy trails.
Prices from £35, Roxy x Mizuno

FLOWER
POWER
When we find gym kit
that looks amazing and
is kinder to the planet,
we can’t help but shout
about it. Silverwind
creates its trendy
patterned sets with
recycled materials
and ships them in
plastic-free packaging.
We’re picking up this
fresh wildflower set.
(OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) COURTESY OF M&S GOODMOVE; ADIDAS; SKECHERS

Meadow bra, £39,

PHOTOGRAPHY: (THIS PAGE) COURTESY OF ROXY; LULULEMON; SILVERWIND; ROXY X MIZUNO.

and shorts, £45,

Silverwind

STAFF PICK
THINK PINK
Sophie Leen,
bookings editor,
‘I’m still riding the
Barbie pink bandwagon
– from my everyday
wardrobe to my
activewear. I love the
criss-cross detail on
this cropped sports bra.’
Sports bra, £26, Next
 Wear Well

MICRO TREND

LOCO FOR
LOGOMANIA
All eyes will be
on you in this
season’s mega
logo revival

SAVE
Leggings, £30, Adidas
at jdsports.co.uk
Have a major
monochromatic
Motion Longline moment in these
Parka, £220, bold logo leggings.
Sweaty Betty

Fit kit
hero

Spring showers SPEND

Sweatshirt,
£148, P.E Nation
There will be no
I blame my day-to-day wear. Sweaty way zip is a lifesaver, especially question about which
frizz-prone Betty’s Motion Parka hits that on my commute. The material fave brand you
hair: I’ve always sweet spot. First, the relaxed is lightweight but insulating, nabbed this gorge
sweatshirt from.
hated the rain. But silhouette is perfection. I like while the ventilation at the hem
despite the pull of the option to layer up beneath, allows for some much-needed
THE vanity, I’m almost so it works all year round. I’m air flow when the bus gets
GUINEA PIG never prepared after winter drizzle protection stuffy (which is always).
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF SWEATY BETTY; GETTY IMAGES

Sophie Leen, for a downpour.
bookings editor
I’ve balanced bags
over my head and
made makeshift hoods out of
scarves. Umbrellas feel antisocial
on crowded city pavements,
plus you can’t easily bring
them on hikes or bike rides.
My wardrobe desperately
needed a good raincoat. One
that’s practical for outdoor
pursuits but stylish enough for
just as much as a summer
festival companion, and this
one is fully waterproof.
While the longline hem,
roomy hood and high funnel
neck mean more coverage and
storm protection, the adjustable
toggles at the waist still provide
a flattering shape. It’s a bit of a
splurge, but it’s built to last, and
I love that it’s made from 100%
recycled fabric. The handy two-
Two deep, zipped waterproof
pockets at the hip and another
two popper pockets are handy
if you want to forgo a bag,
which suits my penchant for
outdoor adventures. (Long walks
and bike rides are always on the SPLURGE
cards.) Oh, and not to brag, but Jacket, £230, Lacoste
I bagged Glastonbury tickets, so It’s an investment,
but this retro-inspired
SB’s dream parka will certainly
windbreaker will
be joining me on festival duty. stand out from
Talk about an all-rounder. the crowd.

APRIL 2023 | 69
Beauty Lab

Blue wave
Skincare and fragrances that tap into the magical
powers of lakes and oceans are part of a rising
tide of innovative beauty products
Words: Brian Underwood

APRIL 2023 | 71
 Beach person. That’s actually how I described myself in my A WAVE OF STRESS-
Tinder profile circa 2018. (This was pre-fiancé, of course.) It RELIEVING SCENTS
might seem like an insignificant detail, but I believe it’s one
Blue health is the guiding principle
of my defining characteristics. I could spend all day at the behind Water Therapy, the latest
shore. There’s something about the rhythmic sound of the launch from functional fragrance
lapping waves, the sharp smell of salt air mingled with the faint brand The Nue Co. Using scent-
earthiness of decaying seaweed and the feeling of the sun’s capture machinery, perfumers isolated
four volatile organic compounds found
warmth on my skin that instantly brings on the zen for me.  in the atmosphere in marine settings
Studies support my aquatic obsession: spending time in or near – things such as aldehydes and ketones
bodies of water can profoundly improve one’s mood and mental – and blended them into a perfume.
state, according to research. In fact, urban blue spaces – areas The theory: because the olfactory
system has a straight line of
of both natural and man-made surface water – had a positive connection to the brain, these
impact on nearly every marker of good health, according to a imperceptible odorants can inspire
meta-analysis published last year in the journal Cities. These the sense of calm many associate with
encouraging findings are spurring researchers to take an even being near water. And in company
consumer trials, the fragrance helped
deeper look at the effects of marine environments on overall 94% of wearers feel less stressed.
wellness –an emerging area of science known as ‘blue health’. The juice itself is light and fresh
The beauty industry has taken notice, too. Ingredients sourced – you’ll mostly get the hints of
from oceans and lakes have long been used in over-the-counter sandalwood, rose and vetiver.
‘We wanted the scent profile to
skincare for their protective, complexion-boosting benefits – and be elevated – to do justice to the
now brands are really taking the plunge, developing other products science,’ says Flo Glendenning,
inspired by the waters that surround us. It’s time to dive in.  vice president of product and
sustainability at The Nue Co.
Of course, there are other
perfumes designed to smell just like
a day at the beach. Louis Vuitton’s
Seaweed thrives On The Beach, a blend of bright
in a challenging
environment. Can it help
yuzu, herbaceous rosemary and
your skin do the same? woody cypress, is one. Maison
Margiela’s Beach Walk is another –
it combines citrusy notes (bergamot
and lemon) with pink pepper,
coconut milk and musk. Both are
transportive: one whiff and you’re
under an umbrella, toes in the sand.

SOURCED FROM
THE SEA 
For decades, cosmetics companies
have turned to the sea to help us
achieve smoother, brighter skin. One
of the most well-known examples is
La Mer, founded by aerospace
physicist Max Huber in 1965. At the
core of the brand’s products, including
its cult-favourite cream Crème De La
Mer, is the proprietary ‘Miracle Broth,’
a blend of sea-sourced ingredients
including sustainably harvested kelp.
La Mer has recently relaunched its

72 | APRIL 2023
 These products bring
the ocean’s bounty to
your bathroom

1 | Salt bae
Close your eyes. Now... take
a deep inhale of this scent.
The aromas of sunscreen,
briny water and coconut
will instantly take you
on a mental holiday. 
Maison Margiela Replica
Beach Walk, £51 for 30ml,
sephora.co.uk

2 | Emotion capture
In the brand’s own tests, this
fragrance brought on the
feelings of calm some
experience in marine
environments in less
than 30 minutes.
The Nue Co Water Therapy,
01
£85 for 50ml, cultbeauty.com

3 | Sea change
Fermented kelp is at the core
of this new-and-improved
cream, which now contains
special ‘moisture spheres’
to deliver hydration.
02
La Mer The Moisturizing
Soft Cream, £150 for 30ml,
cremedelamer.co.uk

05
4 | Coast is clear
Maritime-based hydrators
such as active algal water and
sea herbs join forces with
lactic and flower acids to
improve skin’s texture. 
Mara Flower Acid Algae
Serum, £68 for 30ml,
freepeople.com

5 | Smooth move
Vitamin C is a proven skin
03
booster. Here, it’s sourced
from blue-green microalgae
and paired with a complexion-
refining blend of three acids.
04
Algenist Blue Algae Vitamin C
Dark Spot Correcting Peel,
£80 for 45ml, cultbeauty.co.uk

APRIL 2023 | 73
Moisturizing Soft Cream, a lighter
version of its standout offering.
But is there science to support the
idea that marine-derived ingredients
have skin-saving powers? Yes, says
dermatologist Patricia Farris,
a clinical associate professor of
dermatology at Tulane University
in New Orleans and an expert in
topical cosmeceuticals. ‘Brown and
red algae and spirulina are rich in
protective antioxidants that can be
very beneficial.’ And like a band of
sea-born superheroes, each variety
also has unique characteristics that
target different complexion woes,
says Dr Farris. Red algae is full of
a carotenoid called astaxanthin,
while its brown cousin is rich in
skin-brightening phlorotannins
and a moisturising polysaccharide
74 | A P R I L 2 02 3
called alginate. (Marine-derived
carbohydrates such as these may help
improve hyperpigmentation, wrinkles
and dry skin, according to research.)  If a spa day is more your speed, there are
A San Francisco-based biotech
company found something similar
while it was studying microalgae to be
used as biofuel. ‘Scientists discovered
a polysaccharide compound called
alguronic acid and found it increases
skin cell turnover, boosts firmness
and minimises the appearance of
fine lines,’ says Tammy Yaiser, vice
president of product development
at Algenist, the skincare brand
established by that biotech company
in 2011. Alguronic acid is now at
the heart of all Algenist products.
Other brands harnessing the power
of algae and seaweed: Biossance,
Mara, Osea and One Ocean Beauty.
RESTORATIVE
HYDROTHERAPY
many that revolve around hydrotherapy
– the use of water temperature, pressure
and circulation to bring on bliss. It’s
nothing new: thermae in ancient Rome
PHOTOGRAPHY: COREY MAYWALT. PROP STYLING: LAURA WOOLF.
and Greece were centres of relaxation
and played a critical role in washing
away the microbes that cause disease.
(Iceland’s Blue Lagoon is a modern
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES.
example.) Certain waters seem to have
almost mythical properties. In the
village of La Roche-Posay in France (it’s
a real place), mineral-rich springs have
given rise to a thermal treatment centre
for eczema, psoriasis and burn patients.
Similar facilities exist in Vichy and
Avène, proving that the idea of H2O as
a healer is a concept that holds water.
Why it’s tea time
in the world
of skincare

It’s been cropping up on ingredient lists for

decades. But the latest pot of brew-based skincare
is being stirred up with buzzy ingredients and
cutting-edge science. WH spills the tea

WORDS: AMELIA BELL PHOTOGRAPHY: AGATA PEC

APRIL 2023 | 77
 Spill it, sip it
or slather it
on your skin

78 | APRIL 2023
How do you take yours? With a splash of milk? A cube
of sugar? Do you wait precisely three minutes for it to
steep, swirling the spoon until the sweetness seeps in and
reaches the perfect beige hue? Or perhaps you’re a green
tea devotee, with an early wake-up call softened by the
promise of your favourite mug and that familiar, sharp
kick as the leaves ink the water. Whatever your proclivity,
tea is a ritual rooted in tradition. From its origins to the
way you sip it, it has long stood by the ‘if it ain’t broke’
adage. But not according to the skincare world.

Judging by the countless emails infiltrating
the WH beauty team’s inbox, the new frontier
in skincare is fusing tradition and technology
to supercharge this centuries-old ingredient.
Subject lines are full of groundbreaking
infusions; trend pages are awash with
tea-powered skin tech. So while we’re not
suggesting switching up your daily cuppa (we
wouldn’t dream of it), there is science to
suggest that mixing up your routine could
yield powerful results for your epidermis.  culprits for cellular skin damage (read:
Yes, tea has been gracing the back of your
skincare bottles since the
dawn of moisturising:
from soothing camomile, Tea polyphenols
to the newer, trendier
types, such as kombucha defend the skin’s
and matcha. But the most
talked-about term in
surface from the
skincare lingo is, of
course, green tea. Used
oxidative impact
as a medicinal brew and of free radicals
in topical skincare, its
skin-supporting powers
go back centuries. ‘Green tea is made from
Camellia sinensis leaves and originated in
the Zhejiang region of China, where steaming
green tea has been documented all the way
back to the 8th century,’ says Ada Ooi, founder
of 001 Skincare London and an expert in
traditional Chinese medicine. ‘It’s used for its
anti-ageing, immunity-boosting, antibacterial
and anti-inflammatory properties – all of
which make it a boon for skincare.’
Ever put tea bags on your eyes to stem an
uncomfortable stye or eradicate the evidence
of last night’s excesses? Well, that’s because
tea and skin go together like Earl Grey and
a Victoria sponge cake. ‘Tea polyphenols
(compounds found naturally in tea)
contain strong antioxidant properties,
meaning they help to protect against
pollution damage,’ says Ooi, referring to
their ability to defend the skin’s surface
from the oxidative impact of free radicals.
This is particularly useful given that
environmental aggressors, such as
UV and pollution, are two of the biggest
premature ageing and fine lines). They’re
also water-soluble
substances and, among
their many talents, can
help remove excess oil
and tighten pores while
also having antibacterial
properties that help to
prevent breakouts.
These benefits read
like a beauty wishlist and
have led brands such as
Fresh to champion tea in
their formulas. One of the first beauty
conglomerates to pioneer its power, the
brand introduced tea in its ingredient
list back in 2008. Years later, tea-based
skincare is still enjoying its turn in the
spotlight. ‘We’ve recently seen a boom
in tea-derived ingredients in skincare and
have linked this rise with the pandemic,’
says Sienna Piccioni, WGSN’s head of
beauty, who believes that demand is
being fuelled by a renewed appreciation
for ‘age-old wisdom’ paired with elevated
research; a dichotomy that has only been
amplified by the fact that searches for

APRIL 2023 | 79
‘ancient beauty remedies’ are
trending on that most modern
of social media platforms, TikTok.
Quite besides earning page
views and grid posts, tea is racking
up research interest, too. ‘The
conversation around holistic
wellbeing is growing, just as the
properties of tea are becoming
more widely researched, with
more scientific evidence pointing
to the benefits of green tea in
particular,’ adds Ooi. Indeed,
studies that evaluated the effects
of green tea as a topical solution
and dietary supplement have even
shown promising reductions of
tumours in epidermoid carcinoma
and melanoma skin cancer types.
‘This effect is due to the EGCG
(epigallocatechin gallate) – a
catechin and type of antioxidant –
element in green tea that has the
ability to repair
DNA, protect
against free
‘Fermentation
radical damage
and boost the
has led to huge
immune system,’ innovations in
Ooi explains.
The anti- tea-based
inflammatory
properties of
ingredients’
EGCG also make
it useful for skin ailments, such
as rosacea, eczema and psoriasis.
Not that green tea is the only
brew capturing the attention of
skin scientists. Lesser-known
purple tea – sourced from the
same plant as green and black
tea and native to Kenya and
China – is also backed by some
promising research. Studies
have found that it could delay
ageing by influencing a gene
called BMA1, which is thought
to show ‘circadian expression’
in the skin. It’s one of the many
reasons why skincare brand
Versed mixes the ingredient
into its Advanced Night Cream.
‘Similar to green tea, purple tea
is very high in antioxidants and
polyphenols,’ says Ooi. ‘The
leaves contain anthocyanins
– a type of antioxidant which
gives them their purple colour
and can also be found in
“superfoods”, such as
pomegranate and blueberries.’
To add to the growing body
of research, certain extracts in
80 | APRIL 2023
white tea have been found to
be ‘anti-hyaluronidase’, says
Ifeoma Ejikeme, a cosmetic doctor,
referring to an enzyme that breaks
down your body’s inert hyaluronic
acid. ‘Anti-hyaluronidase’ means
that tea will help to preserve the
hyaluronic acid, in addition to its
anti-inflammatory properties,’
Dr Ejikeme explains. Translation:
more hyaluronic acid means
a plumper-looking complexion.
And with more independent
research pointing to tea’s
dermatological potential, it’s
no wonder that beauty brands are
investing more time and money
in it. ‘Though green tea has been
used in skincare for years, we’ve
seen real tech developments in
this space recently,’ adds Piccioni.
Not only are the latest formulations
more technically advanced, they’ll
do more for your
dermis – be
that by harnessing
a spectrum of
ingredients that
boost the efficacy
of tea extracts
or by using some
novel extraction
techniques. Take
Zelens, which
fuses five different tea infusions
– green tea, matcha, white tea,
black tea and kombucha (a
fermented black tea) – in its
aptly named Tea Shot Urban
Defence Serum. ‘We decided to
combine multiple types of tea
because they contain different
potent polyphenols and in
different amounts,’ says Marko
Lens, the brand’s founder. ‘There’s
now a wealth of research around
topical use of tea, but what we’ve
done differently is use a bio-
fermentation process involving
yeast, which increased the
bioavailability [the efficiency
with which topical skincare is
absorbed] and efficacy of the
product.’ The result of which
helps neutralise all three types
of free radical damage and
protect your skin from
pollution and sun damage. 
Meanwhile, in Ooi’s own
001 Skincare Active Marine
Collagen Serum, almost all the
antioxidant ingredients beloved
by the skincare industry are
 packed into one bottle. More
interesting still? Green tea Innovation
works synergistically with station
other antioxidants due to the
Exactly our presence of EGCG, which can
cup of tea BLACK TEA
enhance the antioxidant potency
The formula: Fresh Tea
of fellow antioxidants such as Elixir Skin Resilience
vitamin C. Then there’s Tatcha, Activating Serum,
the Japanese skincare brand £68
that sources green tea from Uji, The method:
Packed with
a matcha-growing prefecture heavy hitters – the
in Japan, before extracting the Mauritius tea plant,
tea in a fermented rice filtrate pore-refining
along with other ingredients. niacinamide,
hydrating
‘Through a process of double hyaluronic acid
fermentation, we have unlocked and ceramides to
powerful actives within Uji protect the skin
green tea while making them barrier – this is
easier for the skin to absorb,’ a winning formula.
shares Rose Sparacio, global
GREEN TEA
VP of product development for
The formula: FaceGym
the brand. ‘Tatcha’s process is Youthful Active Roller, £62
unique in that we gently extract The method: The goal
the tea in our fermented rice of this microneedling
filtrate, along with other skin- device is to enhance
the delivery of powerful
loving ingredients. This allows active ingredients –
us to harness the powers of including green tea – by
green tea in combination with penetrating deeper into
other Japanese ingredients, the skin. In a FaceGym
study of 19 women,
including Akita rice and who used the device
Okinawa algae,’ she explains. twice weekly for 28
Speaking of fermentation, days, 89% said their
it’s a buzzword you’re going to be skin looked younger.
hearing a lot more about. ‘It’s led
to huge innovations in tea-based MATCHA
The formula: Dr Levy
ingredients, with brands using Switzerland The Contour
kombucha to support the skin’s Pro + The Freezing
microbiome and restore skin Anti-Fatigue
health,’ adds Piccioni. And science Face Mask, £310
suggests that it’s one ingredient The method:
The Contour Pro
worth your attention; a growing – an at-home
body of research links kombucha face sculpting
to a number of skincare benefits, tool – works
such as increased skin hydration with the mask
to render its
and reduced inflammation. Elemis ingredients,
is one of several brands unlocking including matcha,
its power; for example, in the even more potent.
brand’s Superfood Glow Priming
Moisturiser, kombucha works KOMBUCHA
alongside fermented green tea The formula: Cultured
Biomecare Fortitude
seed oil, thanks to fermentation Face Mist, £30
technology that produces enzymes The method:
in order to aid the release of lipids Vitamin-rich
and polysaccharides, which help fermented
black tea
to soften and hydrate your skin.
extract works
But it doesn’t stop there. In alongside
the past year, more and more fermented
beauty brands have been tapping micro-algae
into the power of tea extracts extract to
support
to increase the effectiveness of your skin’s
their products. To the right, we microbiome.
take a closer look at the freshly
brewed launches to bookmark.

APRIL 2023 | 81
 05

07

02
09

06

10

04

08

03

01

#SKINSHELFIE007
 Tina Craig
The skincare founder reveals her go-to line-up of beauty heroes

I wake up around Day

6.30am and meditate for
05
Mood-
CLÉ DE PEAU BEAUTÉ
10 to 15 minutes to help 01 ILLUMINATING
boosting
me centre myself. Then
U BEAUTY THE MANTLE CONCENTRATE, £120 make-up
I’ll use the FlexIt app to
exercise with my trainer SKIN CONDITIONING Infused with Japanese
virtually. Breakfast is WASH, £74 pearl and golden silk 08

Pique’s Fermented Pu’er This really helps me to extract, this three-part JONES ROAD THE FACE
THE EXPERT Green Tea, accompanied wake up and feel fresh. treatment brightens and PENCIL EVERYTHING
Tina Craig, 52, by bone broth. Next, I’ll Not only does it cleanse evens skin tone. STICK #2, £24
founder of U Beauty skin, doing the work of I use this along the
scan my emails before
double-cleanse in a single 06 waterline of my eyes and
cooking breakfast for my
son. Then I shower and step, but it conditions U BEAUTY RESURFACING find it instantly makes
start work with a conference call the skin and protects COMPOUND, £85 me look wide awake –
with my U Beauty team. I’m involved the barrier, too. This singular formula no matter how tired
in every aspect of the company, from is the epitome of my or jet-lagged I am.
product inception to clinical testing. 02 skincare mantra and
The pandemic changed the way we 111SKIN CELESTIAL totally removes the need 09
work – and as a single mum and BLACK DIAMOND EYE for an elaborate and WESTMAN ATELIER
brand founder, it’s for the better. MASKS, £14 lengthy routine. Instead, FACE TRACE CONTOUR
I pick up my son from school (even I keep these in my fridge your skin is brightened, STICK, £44
though he’s 18) and keep working and apply under my resurfaced, renewed, This is the only contour
until dinner time. We usually have eyes when they need tightened and protected stick I’ve ever used.
some form of lean protein with
de-puffing. They work every day with one Gucci Westman (the
vegetables. After we’ve eaten, I’ll film
brilliantly – and quickly. complexion-boosting founder and make-up
video content. To switch off, I’ll read
compound. artist) taught me to
my Kindle or have friends over for 03
drinks. I’m in bed by 11.30pm. use it as a cream shadow
DR. DENNIS GROSS as well as a bronzer and

Skincare philosophy
HYALURONIC MARINE Signature I love it because it
HYDRATING MODELING
Keep it simple. You don’t MASK, £49
scent blends effortlessly.

need a 13-step routine. This is my go-to mask 07 10

Instead, prioritise a during winter because FRENCH FLOWER BY CHARLOTTE TILBURY
streamlined regime that uses it helps to keep dry MATIERE PREMIERE EAU PILLOW TALK
effective products that provide
skin at bay. I live in DE PARFUM, £195 MASCARA, £25
maximum benefit. For me, this
Aspen, Colorado – and This is my new favourite This magic wand curls,
is the future of skincare.
this is a must when the perfume because – lifts and lengthens in
Skincare non-negotiable temperature plummets. quite simply – it smells a single swipe. It’s the
I never go to bed without absolutely incredible. best mascara ever.
washing my face. No matter I love the mix of ginger,
how tired I am or how many Night pear and tuberose. It’s
floral and fresh and
spicy margaritas I’ve had, I need
AS TOLD TO AMELIA BELL. PHOTOGRAPHY: PIXELEYES

04 immediately puts me
to apply U Beauty Resurfacing
Compound and Super Hydrator BOOST HYDROGEL in a good mood. I
before bed. DÉCOLLETAGE MASK, £42 discovered it in London
My nightly body-care at the Harrods fragrance
Main skincare concern? staple. This mask hall, which is an amazing
My skin became patchier supports my skin’s ability place to find new scents.
recently – a result of the to retain moisture, which
menopause. I don’t mind in turn minimises the
wrinkles but I like to have an appearance of fine lines
even skin tone. across my chest.

APRIL 2023 | 83
The latest wave of psychedelic research is focusing on conditions
that disproportionately affect women. But amid claims ranging
from poor-quality data to abuse, is the female future of
psychedelic therapy a shift we should be celebrating?
WORDS: CLAUDIA CANAVAN

rancesca raises the ceramic cup
to her lips and takes a deep gulp,
feeling the thick, mud-like liquid
hit the back of her throat. The drink
is unlike anything else she has ever
ingested; at once medicinally herbal
and as acidic as bile. The concoction
is ayahuasca, a plant-based
psychedelic tea, which has been
blended by an indigenous Peruvian
shaman for this ceremony, taking
place at a retreat a couple of hours
from the nearest city.
Twenty minutes later, the first
tingles hit. Geometric shapes etch
themselves on to the insides of her
eyelids; hours bend into one another.
She feels herself cocooning into
a stream of soft pink and bold red,
dissolving into what she can only
describe as ‘divine feminine energy’.
Reflecting later, she will assign a
profound meaning to this: that she
was shown what her life could look
like should the anorexia that has
pulled at the corners of the fabric of
her life since she was 15 be banished.
Compound interest
Using psychedelics to ease the
symptoms of an eating disorder
might sound decidedly offbeat. But
Francesca’s path – or a version of
it – is one that’s being explored by
researchers at Imperial College
London’s Centre for Psychedelic
Research. There, scientists are
investigating the role psilocybin
(the active ingredient in magic
mushrooms) could play in treating
anorexia nervosa. It will see around
20 people assigned female at birth
with an anorexia diagnosis undergo
psilocybin-assisted therapy, with
the study’s active phase scheduled
to complete in May 2023. Should
the results be promising, the
next step would be a phase-two
randomised control clinical trial.
86 | APRIL 2023
Should that prove positive, this would progress to a phase-
three trial – the stringent escalation of testing any new
medicine must go through before it can be granted a
licence by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products
Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Meanwhile, at Johns
Hopkins University in Baltimore, US, a similar pilot
study has been conducted. While analysis is pending,
one researcher told WH they’re ‘cautiously optimistic’
that the therapy could be helpful for some sufferers.
On the face of it, such developments sound
encouraging. And yet, news that the latest wave of
psychedelic research has a female focus is also being
met with caution. For while psychedelic-assisted
psychotherapy – in which professionally supervised
dosing sessions of a compound such as LSD, psilocybin
or MDMA are interwoven with drug-free therapeutic
sessions – continues to generate positive PR around
the world, some voices within the field are deeply
troubled by the quality of the data, along with abuse
that has occurred in both clinical and underground
settings. As some argue that the glowing stream of
results and news coverage masks a more insidious
reality, what does this mean for you?
State expectations
Curious to continue peering into ‘expanded states’,
Francesca, now 31, followed up her ayahuasca experience
five years ago with a high-dose psilocybin trip, during
which she felt ready to examine her eating disorder in
a more granular way. In the years since, she’s integrated
‘Ayahuasca showed
me life without
my eating disorder’
various psychedelics into her recovery process, alongside
talking therapy, dance and yoga – including during a
stint travelling. (Psychedelics’ legality varies globally;
ayahuasca is illegal in the UK, but in much of South
America – where it originated – the drink is legal).
Today, Francesca microdoses, taking minuscule
volumes of psilocybin-containing mushrooms shredded
up into capsule form. (A 2022 trial on microdosing
psilocybin, it’s worth noting, showed no difference
between taking the drug and a placebo). And since
leaving her advertising job, she’s been working as
an eating disorder recovery coach and psychedelic
integration guide (@francescaeatsroses). The
compounds themselves, she stresses, are not a cure.
Rather, her experiences have illuminated the ‘mental
maps’ that have governed her issues with extreme food
restriction and over-exercising, allowing her to disrupt
these patterns. ‘When I was deep in the grip of the eating
disorder, I felt like its behaviours were who I was.
Recovery has been about seeing these as patterns
that can be shifted, no matter how sticky they are.’
It’s important to note that experts caution against
this approach, and not just because it’s illegal. There
is no uniform psychedelic experience – people report
encounters spanning the beautiful and mystical to the
terrifying and destabilising (it’s relatively rare, but the
compounds can cause severe
distress and even psychosis in some
people who use them), as well as
those that are more banal than
world-shattering. It’s the reason
why a current or historic diagnosis
of a psychotic disorder, or having an
immediate family member with one,
is one of a handful of exclusion
criteria for the Imperial trial.
Participants must also have lived
with an anorexia diagnosis for
three years or more and have tried
conventional treatment without
sufficient success. Before arriving at
ayahuasca, Francesca spent eight
years receiving treatment, including
group and inpatient therapy, the
significance of which cannot be
overstated. ‘The inpatient facility
saved my life when I was at the
beginning of my recovery and
various other therapies helped
me gain understanding of why the
eating disorder was present,’ she
explains. ‘What [psychedelics]
did was show me life without the
eating disorder and support my
understanding of its root causes.’

Sensory check
But while traditional treatment can
pull sufferers back from a terrifying
place, data on eating disorders
highlights a need for alternative
solutions. ‘Conventional treatment,
such as CBT, is effective for around
50% of people with eating disorders,’
says Jennifer Danby, a systemic
psychotherapist who is working
on the Imperial trial. ‘About 20%
to 30% of people live chronically
with the illness, and sadly it has
the highest mortality rate of all
psychiatric illnesses. People will die,
either from the direct consequences
of the illness or through suicide,
due to the distress of living with it.’
These numbers represent a critical
situation; around 1.25 million
people in the UK live with an eating
disorder, such as bulimia, binge-
eating disorder or anorexia. What’s
more, around 75% of people dealing
with one identify as female.
So why psychedelics? Previous
research using psychedelic-assisted
therapy in people dealing with
addiction issues and depression
showed a potential to help loosen
the grip of repetitive thoughts,
says David Nutt, professor of

APRIL 2023 | 87

neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial, who
is involved in the anorexia trial. This led the
team to wonder if psychedelics could help
with similar thoughts relating to body image,
seen in anorexia. As to how any therapeutic
effects are created? ‘We’re not sure yet,’ says
Natalie Gukasyan, a psychiatrist and assistant
professor at the Johns Hopkins Psychedelic
Research Center, who worked on the pilot
study on psilocybin for anorexia. ‘We know
a fair amount about what happens acutely
under the influence of psilocybin, but less
about how those biological changes might
correlate to longer-term benefits.’
We are learning what the tripping brain
looks like. ‘When psilocybin reaches the brain,
it stimulates various serotonin receptors,’
explains Katrin Preller, a group leader at
the University of Zurich, where she studies
psychedelics. ‘The serotonin 2A receptor is
particularly important. This is expressed
across the whole brain, meaning psychedelics
work across the full organ.’ Studies also show
that the brain’s sensory processing regions
are highly connected during a psychedelic
experience. ‘The way we bring information
together is different in the psychedelic state.
That might mean making new associations,
such as seeing a problem in a new light. But it
may also mean losing some associations – and
some scientists (including two from
Johns Hopkins) to have contained
‘inconsistencies, statistical flaws,
alternative interpretations [and]
conspicuous omissions’. Imperial
addressed this in a statement to WH:
‘Like all research involving human
volunteers at Imperial College
London, this study had full national
regulatory approval and independent
ethical approval. It was also subject
to Imperial’s own stringent research
integrity processes.’ Meanwhile, an
alarming side was present in the data
from the recently published largest
randomised, controlled, double-
blind psilocybin therapy study ever
done. Twelve out of 233 patients
in the trial, all of whom lived with
treatment-resistant depression,
showed displays of suicidal ideation,
including self-harm. One of these
was in the placebo group.
‘I think there have been some
serious methodological questions
about the work being done by leaders
in the field and a lot of outrageous
and unsupported claims about what
psychedelics might do,’ says Emma
Tumilty, a bioethicist (the study of
the ethics of medical decisions) and
assistant professor at the Institute

‘Practitioner/ for Bioethics and Health Humanities

patient safety
concerns need
urgent attention’
that may be helpful for those suffering from the
rigid thinking patterns we see in conditions
such as depression and anorexia nervosa.’ But
Dr Gukasyan is hesitant to draw conclusions.
‘We’re not clear what the significance is of
this. It’s a correlational finding.’
Power trip
Such talk makes for persuasive reading for
anyone who’s been in the grip of an illness
such as anorexia. And yet, while results from
trials using psychedelic therapy for a wide
range of mental health conditions pull in
glowing headlines, some scientists and
campaigners are seeking to stem what they
see as a rush to bring psychedelic therapy
into the mainstream. Their concerns are
wide-ranging, from accusations that negative
outcomes in studies are being glossed over or
not recorded, to fears that ‘evidence’ from data
sets is being exaggerated to fit a neat narrative
around how psychedelic therapy might work.
Take a recent study on psilocybin therapy for
depression by Imperial, which was said by
at the University of Texas Medical
Branch. ‘I think this can set up
potential trial participants (and
future patients) for disappointment,
especially if they’re seeking out this
intervention because nothing else
has worked (which can be the case
for things like eating disorders or
PTSD). That kind of disappointment
can be significantly harmful.’ As
well as highlighting issues with
study protocols, many have flagged
the issue of bias on the part of both
researcher and participant, given
the hype around psychedelics, and
questioned whether studies can
truly be ‘blinded’, seeing as you’d
likely be aware you’re on a powerful
drug rather than a sugar pill.
Obstacles like this don’t
necessarily mean psychedelic-
assisted therapy can’t be effective,
but, argues Dr Tumilty, discussing
issues like this as they arise is
fundamental to the future safety
and efficacy of psychedelic therapy.
‘In my experience, people raising
methodological, safety and other
issues are characterised as being
anti-drug or naysayers. But open
discussion leads to better outcomes. Those of
us who are worried about [the research] that
has been done so far are trying to ensure
robust evidence is created and that later
clinical practice is informed and safe.’
The latter word feels particularly charged
in the context of claims of egregious harm.
Abuses have been reported in the underground
for decades; a guide from the psychedelic
research organisation The Chacruna Institute
of Psychedelic Plant Medicines states that
sexual abuse towards female participants
in ayahuasca circles is ‘quite prevalent’ and
‘common knowledge’. But, shares Dr Tumilty,
the risk extends to clinical settings, too. ‘The
psychedelic space currently has a safety
problem, in terms of practitioners/patient
interactions – and it’s a serious issue needing
urgent attention.’ She explains that while
there have always existed concerns around
coercive control in psychotherapy, ‘when
you add substances to the mix that make
people vulnerable to suggestion [and can
create] artificial bonding, it can be a situation
that causes great vulnerability for people’.
While reporting this piece, WH didn’t see

88 | APRIL 2023

any evidence of sexual abuse within clinical settings
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES. ILLUSTRATION: JANELLE BARONE. IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE NEED SUPPORT WITH AN EATING
DISORDER, VISIT BEATEATINGDISORDERS.ORG.UK OR CALL THE BEAT HELPLINE ON 0808 801 0677 IF YOU LIVE IN ENGLAND.
in the UK. But so deep are the concerns in the US
that there now exists a support group; Psychedelic
Survivors offers support to survivors of sexual abuse
and interpersonal harm in various psychedelic
THE LAST FOUR DIGITS ARE ‘0432’ FOR SCOTLAND, ‘0433’ FOR WALES AND ‘0434’ FOR NORTHERN IRELAND
sessions and ceremonies.
One of the most infamous cases of recent years is that
of a woman called Meaghan Buisson, who was among
a handful of women to speak to researchers Lily Kay
Ross and David Nickles for New York Magazine’s 2022
podcast series Cover Story: Power Trip. Footage from one
session Buisson took part in for an MDMA-assisted
psychotherapy trial for PTSD shows her therapists – one
of whom, Richard Yensen, was unlicensed – lying on
top of her, climbing into bed with her and pinning her
by her wrists as she struggles against them. Buisson
also attests that she was repeatedly sexually assaulted
by Yensen, with the other therapist’s knowledge, after
the active phase of treatment ended. Yensen denies
abuse but says he did have a consensual ‘intimate and
sexual relationship’ with her and the case was settled
out of court. (A therapist cannot have a consensual
sexual relationship with a patient, according to
professional rules). The clinical trial was sponsored
by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic
Studies (Maps), which says that such behaviour is
a violation of its code of conduct
– Maps policy strictly forbids
sexual relationships between
therapists and patients – and that
it has severed ties with the pair.
Safety first
Where we go from here is hard to
say. The transformative experiences
some women have had using
psychedelics for chronic, painful
conditions are evidently powerful.
For those like Francesca, they have
offered a glimpse into a reality free
from the mental binds that have
restricted their ability to live a good
life. But as experts such as Dr Ross,
Nickles and Dr Tumilty see it, the
evidence is not yet robust enough
– nor are safety concerns being
taken seriously enough – for the
therapy’s future to look solid.
Before psilocybin-assisted therapy
for any condition can be prescribed,
after being granted a licence by the
A safe trip?
MHRA, psilocybin will need to be
downgraded from a Schedule 1
drug (listed as having no currently
accepted medicinal use) to Schedule
2 (which can be legally prescribed,
but is illegal to possess otherwise).
Without this, the therapy can’t be
prescribed legally. It means those
who want to access psilocybin legally
can only do so as part of a trial.
In the US, Maps is planning
a clinical trial into MDMA for
anorexia and binge-eating disorder.
Since the allegations against two
of its therapists, the organisation
says it has formalised a code of
ethics and established a compliance
team. It hasn’t changed its policies
on who can act as a therapist in
clinical trials, but says ‘additional
changes may come as a result of our
review, but not until that review is
complete’. For its recent anorexia
trial, Johns Hopkins confirmed that
its safeguarding measures include
having two facilitators in the room,
video recording and preparation
sessions that cover safety issues
and contingency planning with
the participant. As for Imperial,
it told WH that all psilocybin-
assisted therapy sessions are
filmed, with participants given
the option to watch the tape
afterwards; two therapists are
present in the preparation session,
during the session and afterwards,
and only healthcare professionals
– psychiatrists or psychologists
– can act as a therapist. However,
both taping sessions and having
two therapists in the room were
measures in place in Buisson’s case.
‘I think psychedelics may offer
an exciting intervention for a range
of conditions that have been difficult
to treat, based on some of the
limited higher-quality evidence,’
says Dr Tumilty, with the caveat
that she wouldn’t recommend a
loved one do any experimentation
as it stands – either on their own or
in many of the sanctioned settings.
While psychedelics may have a
future in the therapy room, that
time hasn’t arrived yet. For now, the
best pathways to recovery for those
living with a debilitating mental
health condition are the kind
rooted in robust evidence. Such
advice may not be the stuff of
headlines, but sustainable health
interventions rarely are.
APRIL 2023 | 89
90 | APRIL 2023
APRIL 2023 | 91
o the untrained eye, the machine
looks like a next-gen Nespresso
maker – the kind you’d use to
make coffee for a giant. It’s the
size of a large office printer, with
a screen at the front and multiple
chambers on top for your
outsized coffee capsules. Only,
at Aria Fertility, your Bianco
Doppio is a developing embryo
and the strong coffee will be
needed in about nine months’
time. The machine is a time-
lapse incubator, and it’s embryo-
monitoring technology is brewing
a rebirth of the fertility industry.
Since the first IVF baby was
born in Oldham in 1978, most
fertility clinics have monitored
embryos by hand. ‘Once a day,
you’d remove an embryo from the
incubator, have one look under
a microscope and base all your
decisions [about how healthily
the embryo was developing]
on that,’ explains Robert Smith,
embryologist and clinic director
at Aria Fertility. Introducing
time-lapse incubators – smart
incubators with cameras that
record images of multiple
embryos every 10 minutes – to
his clinic around eight years ago
was like getting embryo CCTV.
Embryos never have to leave the
optimally controlled comfort of
their faux womb, and scientists
like Smith suddenly found
themselves with masses of digital
images and videos detailing
exactly which embryos had
made successful pregnancies
and which hadn’t. And so the
reproduction industry has
quickly become fertile ground for
some serious number crunching.

92 | APRIL 2023

Maybe, baby
It was smart timing, because the global
population was making fewer babies. In
1950, globally, women had an average of
4.7 children. By 2017, that had almost halved
to 2.4 and it’s predicted to drop below 1.7
by 2100, according to analysis by the
University of Washington’s Institute for
Health Metrics and Evaluation. The reasons
aren’t all bad – more women in education
and work, some choosing to be child-free
– but among those who do want to start
a family, the NHS expects one in seven
couples will have trouble conceiving.
Cruelly, but undeniably, trying for a
baby later in life is a factor. You’re born
with your lifetime stash of eggs, so as you
age, your eggs age with you. And older eggs
have glitches. Put simply, they are less adept
at following the steps needed to form a
healthy embryo: that is, making copies of
your 23 chromosomes and inserting them
into cells. ‘If there’s one small mistake –
for example, three copies of chromosome
21 accidentally get put into one cell – then
‘With ferttility
y in criisis, new
techn
nologgy will be crritic cal to
o the
sustaiinab
bilityy of the pop pulattion’
the most likely outcome is an embryo
that can’t ever form a pregnancy.’
This is where IVF comes in – to assist
in selecting embryos with the right number
of chromosomes. But while demand for
IVF has increased (births via IVF were
three times higher in 2019 than 1991),
IVF birth rates still fall short of demand.
For under-35s, the average odds of a
successful pregnancy are 32% per embryo
transferred, dropping to less than 5% per
transfer if you’re 43 or older. With the
IVF process still largely manual, analogue
and dependent on a specialist clinician at
every stage (the labour-intensive nature
of which creates fees of around £5,000 per
cycle if you fall outside the NHS criteria
in your local area), success has plateaued.
Cue: the birth of a business opportunity
for tech start-ups. ‘Historically, women’s
health has been overlooked and underfunded,
and because fertility care was regarded
as a “women’s issue”, research and
innovation did not always get the attention
it should have,’ argues Melissa Teran,
a systems engineer who develops new
Fertile ground
technology in medical, robotics
and AI spaces, including an
American fertility start-up called
Alife. She sees the recent change
of tack not only as a consequence
of a surge in big data and demand,
but a broadening of perspective.
The Society for Assisted
Reproductive Technology now
reports that 40% of infertility
cases are in fact due to male
factors; a 2022 report in Human
Reproduction Update showed
that sperm count has declined
a hefty 62% since 1973. ‘Fertility
is a human health issue, not a
women’s health issue,’ she adds.
‘With fertility in crisis, new
technology will be ever more
critical to the continued
sustainability of the population.’
Birth of an idea
It has echoes of an end-of-days
sci-fi film, but reproductive
robotics is already here. Venture
capital funding for fertility
start-ups has grown steadily since
2017, but it exploded by a whopping
89% between 2020 and 2021,
according to intel from business
insights provider Crunchbase.
Companies proposed digital
advancement in everything from
egg freezing to artificial wombs
for premature babies, but the
biggest growth area was applying
machine learning to embryo
selection in IVF; harnessing the
data that time-lapse incubators
have recorded of developing
embryos, then letting computers
– rather than embryologists –
spot patterns that could lead
to successful pregnancies.
Today, several research
groups from around the world
are analysing thousands of
anonymised videos to create
algorithms to finesse embryo
APRIL 2023 | 93
Fertile ground

and IVF unit at Hadassah Hebrew

selection for IVF patients. ‘There’s a lot
going on in an embryo that’s invisible to the
human eye but might not be to a computer,’
says Andrew Thomson, director of
embryology at the IVF Scientific Advisory
Service. While this technology is new to IVF,
he adds, AI pattern-spotting is already used
in cancer diagnosis and to predict conditions
such as heart attacks. ‘The AI will assess
each of the patient’s embryos and compare
these against embryos that it knows have
gone on to achieve pregnancy, and against
those that developed in an abnormal way.
It [the AI] will give each embryo a score
(usually out of 10) and rank them in order
[of which embryo is most likely to form
a pregnancy and which is least likely].’
The hope is that transferring the
algorithm’s top-ranked embryos first will
speed up the time to conception, as well as
helping scientists more accurately predict
how effective an implantation will be and
base decisions on a huge set of historical
data rather than human subjectivity. All
embryos will still be reviewed, selected
and implanted by a highly trained (human)
embryologist, who can override any AI
decision. Currently, this AI tech is available
in most UK clinics that offer the option
of time-lapse incubators, either included
for free as part of the time-lapse add-on,
or for a fee of around £1,000.
Labour of love
So, if you’re adding a grand on to your
fertility journey, can you expect to up your
odds of expecting? Clinical data is beginning
to trickle in – particularly from Israel, a
global med-tech hub in the fertility space.
Fairtility, one of its leading players, has an
AI product called Chloe – a cutesy acronym
for the more cyborg-sounding ‘Cultivating
Human Life through Optimal Embryos’.
Chloe’s algorithms are trained on a data
set of over 200,000 videos from time-lapse
incubators, which it can break down to
a pixel level to quantify variables such
as embryo size, shape and symmetry.
A recent study by the start-up, published
in Nature’s Scientific Reports section,
pitted Chloe’s embryo-grading system
against manual embryo grading and found
University Medical Center. Fairtility also
claims its AI automation can reduce an
IVF cycle by 30 hours, with embryologists
spending 33% less time on admin
alone (Chloe automatically annotates
embryologists’ notes on to digital
medical records, for example, instead
of the old pen-and-paper approach).
At AIVF, another Israeli start-up
automating embryo selection and IVF
workflow processes, co-founder Daniella
Gilboa’s goal is for AI to reduce the number
of IVF cycles it takes to have a child. She
hopes for one or two cycles – instead of
the current average, an emotionally and
financially gruelling five. Both AIVF and
Fairtility have the European conformity
CE mark, which means they’re being rolled
out commercially across Europe, and are
now targeting FDA clearance for the US.
The poster child
But, to put a pregnant pause on proceedings,
there are limitations. With so few studies
focusing on the real barometer of success –
live births – sceptics argue the tech is yet to
prove itself. In fact, there’s debate about the
merit of time-lapse incubators altogether.
On its traffic light system of cost-
effectiveness, industry regulator the UK
Human Fertilisation and Embryology
Authority (HFEA), places them on its
amber list – which means there’s limited
or conflicting evidence that they improve
the chances of having a baby sufficiently
to warrant the fee. For AI specifically, HFEA
director of strategy and corporate affairs
Clare Ettinghausen tells WH that the
‘The algorrithm
m caan perfform
alm
mosst 10
0% bette er th
han n an
experrt em
mbry yolo
ogiistt’
regulator’s reservations surround the same sperm,’ says Smith. The
fact that it’s not always possible to explain bigger issue is that beyond the
how machine-learning models make the known impact of age and egg
decisions they do. She’s also vigilant about count, 70% of infertility causes
the importance of obtaining informed remain a mystery. ‘You can have
consent to share patients’ personal data. a 32-year-old woman whose
Perhaps the most important limitation, fallopian tubes aren’t blocked,
however, is an emotional one – expectation. she’s got a brilliant ovarian reserve
AI is merely a selection tool; it cannot (the number of healthy eggs in the
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

that Chloe’s accuracy was 70% compared
with 63% for human judgement. ‘In other
words, the algorithm performed almost
10% better than an expert embryologist,’
says Dr Assaf Ben-Meir, Fairtility’s chief
medical officer and director of the fertility
improve the quality of your eggs or embryos.
‘AI or no AI, it’s still the same eggs and the
ovaries), her fertility hormones
are exactly where you’d want
them to be and the partner sperm
is brilliant. Why isn’t she getting
pregnant? We just don’t know,’
says Smith. ‘You’ve got more

94 | APRIL 2023

chemical messages in your body than you
could spend your life counting, so which
ones are important for this individual to
get pregnant? That is the challenge.’ If the
underlying factor preventing pregnancy
is identified, Smith believes the patient’s
fertility rate would rise to around 80%.
And that, he hopes, is where computer-
learning of the future can take us.
Theoretically, it would involve a bigger-
picture approach to fertility, and could
appeal to women as young as their twenties
– which is a better time to harvest eggs for
freezing than late thirties. A patient would
share their demographics with a doctor
to compute: blood tests, ovarian reserve,
lifestyle factors that may influence egg
quality, ultrasound scans. This data would
be compared against a huge data set of
similar patients, and the computer would
pitch an optimal treatment strategy. ‘At the
minute, all we can do as experts is look at
what we have on a bit of paper:
the medical history of a patient,
blood test and scan results.
Whereas if AI develops to a radical
extent and we were able to put all
of these factors into a computer,
it could point us to look at things
we maybe hadn’t thought about,’
Smith ponders. At the moment,
the AI technology involved in
fertility is very much in its infancy.
But no one could knock the
promise of increased visibility
– and efficiency – around your
pregnancy prospects. The
algorithm might be your nemesis
on Instagram, but for baby-making,
it’s definitely one to follow.
Conception
store
Other birth-tech names to know
For smart
swimmers: Mojo
Launched in April, Mojo – a
£150 home test – will courier a
semen sample to its lab where
a smart microscope will count
the number of sperm cells
and analyse their movement,
morphology and DNA
integrity. It’s nothing a skilled
lab technician can’t do, but
Mojo’s AI robot will do the
analysis in four minutes
instead of 30, and for at
least half the price.
For cracking eggs:
Future Fertility
This Canadian start-up is
the first company to use
AI-powered tools to measure
and evaluate egg quality.
Designed for women freezing
their eggs, its program, Violet,
will give objective analysis
about how successful future
fertilisation is likely to be.
Useful info to know when
you’re deciding how many
eggs to bank.
For storage
hacks: TMRW
Amy Schumer recently
invested in New York-based
TMRW, which automates IVF
storage. Its robotic platform
automatically tags the vials
that store eggs and embryos
with radio-frequency ID chips,
then places them in precision-
monitored cryo-storage.
Voted Fast Company’s most
innovative biotech company,
TMRW plans to enter the
UK in 2023.
APRIL 2023 | 95
 WO R D S :
L I N D S AY G E L L E R ,
N AY D E L I N E M E J I A
A N D LY D I A WA N G

P H O T O G R A P H Y:
MASSIMO
G A M M AC U R TA

96 | APRIL 2023
 The friend zone

expectations
Out of practice in the
pal-production department?
Whether you want to master
maintaining already-tight
bonds or forge brand new ones
that’ll bolster your wellbeing,
consider this your guide to
futureproofing your friendships

APRIL 2023 | 97
The friend zone

The Golden Girls were on to something when they said

(well, sang), ‘Thank you for being a friend.’ For all the
attention romantic relationships and family ties garner,
friendship is the unsung hero of a fulfilling life. In fact, as
you age, friendships become a stronger predictor of your
health and happiness than family relationships, according
to research by Michigan State University associate
professor and social psychologist William Chopik.
Friendships influence your wellbeing so much, another
of Dr Chopik’s studies found, that when friends are a
source of strain, people report more chronic illnesses.
But when a squad is supportive, you tend to be happier.
adds, dynamics change in the
‘Friendships are relationships of choice,’ says Dr Chopik. best of times – old pals drop to
‘You have a friend because you want to spend time with the outer layers of your circle
them… whereas with family, you may have less flexibility.’ as new ones rise in rank. 
Researchers theorise that this
Not only do you decide who you spend your free time tendency to prune superficial
with, but you also choose how you spend it. And unlike relationships in favour of
divvying up household chores or suffering through small meaningful connections only
increases as we age, because the
talk at a family obligation, catching up with your uni pals less time you have on earth, the
over a laugh-filled meal reduces stress, says Dr Chopik. more you want to spend with
the people who make you happy
– plain and simple. Circle of
(friendship) life. Yet despite the
positive impact of a solid network
on our long-term wellbeing,
having one often falls to the
wayside in favour of external
During the peak of the Covid obligations, such as career goals
pandemic, the oft-overlooked and caregiving duties, as well as
importance of friendship came to internal obstacles, such as self-
the forefront, as did the emphasis doubt. Even before the pandemic,
on choice. Who was worth your there was a global ‘friendship
FaceTime? ‘There’s informal crisis’, during which people
evidence to suggest that lockdown reported feeling more lonely than
made people re-evaluate their ever, says Dr Chopik. Increased

friendships,’ says Robin Dunbar,
emeritus professor of evolutionary
psychology at Oxford University.
‘People didn’t [sustain] some of
those less-close friendships and,
as a result, they were inexorably
weakened.’ The connections you
most likely cut: your 50 or so ‘party
friends’, says Professor Dunbar.
Because social gatherings were few
and far between until 2022, you
didn’t see these friends (who get
only a reasonable amount of your
time anyway) as often. But, he
.
isolation only exacerbated this
experience so that, ‘when people
came out of the more dramatic
stages of the pandemic, they
struggled to remake friends
[because] they lost two years of
The number of hours practice and experience’, says Dr
you have to spend per Chopik. Sound like you, in some
week to create a close form? It’s okay to admit – we’re
friendship with someone, a pal and a confidante. Plus, we’ve
says Professor Dunbar tapped experts for their top tips
on putting your best friendships
forward, whether you’re continuing
connections or making new ones. 

98 | APRIL 2023
 J UST
DO IT

Obstacle-proof
your existing SCHEDULE AROUND
MAKE FUN PART OF
YOUR ROUTINE: Even
ILLUSTRATION: SHUTTERSTOCK. *SOURCE: JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

PPP: When it comes to the busiest besties can

streamline hangouts

friendships platonic relationships,

split your time into
three areas: purpose,
pleasure and play, says
so you always have time
for friend day. Instead
of texting to find a time
Melanie Ross Mills, a when you’re both free,
Old friends +
N EWS F L ASH Unlike WHEN TIME therapist and author of new traditions set a recurring ritual,
cruise ships, friendships IS TIGHT… The Friendship Bond. = timeless ties such as a weekly quiz
don’t fare well on Purpose is about making night. This way, it’s built
autopilot. In fact, in Choice is inherent here. a difference, such as by into your schedule and
one study*, those who Deciding who deserves volunteering for a cause doesn’t require much
believed friendships your time is often easier you both care about; effort, says clinical
should be easy and took than figuring out how to pleasure means enjoying psychologist Andrea
a passive approach to balance the hours needed the good things in life, Bonior, author of The
maintaining them were to boost that bond with such as dinners and Friendship Fix.
lonelier than those who any other responsibilities. holidays; and play is STACK YOUR TIME:
thought they took effort. But just like you’d hate to about experiencing new ‘A lot of us say, “Oh,
Here’s how to overcome skip your morning SPF, things with one another. I just don’t have time,”
companionship-crushing you wouldn’t want to ‘All three areas create because we’re looking
obstacles and secure skimp on filling up your memories and build for additional hours,
a bond built to last. social cup, right? bonds,’ says Dr Mills. instead of layering the

APRIL 2023 | 99
The friend zone
WHEN YOU’RE
LONG DISTANCE
Your best friend just
moved abroad and now
you’re separated by
a few thousand miles.
While spur-of-the-
moment hangs are off
the table, your only form
of face time doesn’t
have to be FaceTime.
GO ON A MATE-
CATION:  You can plan
a yearly trip together
so you don’t drift apart,
says Dr Bonior. It doesn’t
need to be an expensive
time we do have,’ says
getaway – stay a few
female-friendship coach
days in a smaller city or
Danielle Bayard Jackson.
at a countryside Airbnb.
Say you only have
EMBRACE SNAIL MAIL:
three social hours this
weekend. Instead of Handwritten letters and
care packages require
wishing for more, make
a mundane chore such a bit more effort and
as laundry more fun by creativity than a casual
hopping on a 30-minute text, signalling to your
call with a friend. You friend that they’re front
get to check in with your of mind. Maybe you can
mate while checking off even plan to send each
those ‘ugh’ errands. It’s other care packages
a win-win in our book. and talk on the phone
while putting them
together. Figuring out
how to creatively spend
time together so the
relationship doesn’t
go stale or fizzle out
is key, says Jackson.  Stay tight over
long distance
BUT DON’T DITCH THE
by making
DIGITAL TOOLS:  Social
media can feel like it’s
pulling us apart rather
than bringing us
together, but it doesn’t
take away from in-
person interactions,
according to a study by
the University of Kansas.
Instead, it’s ‘used to
compensate for lost
social connections’,
says lead study author
Jeffrey Hall. To level
up your long-distance
platonic love, create
a virtual version of the
rituals you used to have
IRL, like a Zoom watch
party when a much-
loved show begins.
WHEN YOU’RE
AT DIFFERENT
LIFE STAGES
Just because you and
your pal are growing
up doesn’t mean you
have to grow apart. 
ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR
DIFFERENCES: Your
best friend recently
got married and, while
you’re happy for them,
you can’t relate and
worry your friend will
lose interest. Instead
of assuming the worst,
tell your friend you want
to remain close, despite
these differences.
Voicing this intention
is enough to ensure it
happens, says Jackson.
FIRM UP COMMON
GROUND: Maybe you
don’t know what it
means to have a
newborn, but you can
an effort
remember a time when
you were nervous about
a life change and how
much you appreciated
having someone in your
corner. We get so fixated
on the details that we
overlook how we can
relate to the other
person, says Jackson. 
TIGHTEN LOOSE
TIES: Even as you
nourish existing ones,
also invest in newish
connections, such as
a friend of a friend who
lives in the city you just
moved to. Who knows?
This link might become
a strong bond.

How to cut ties 

What if your friendship-
strengthening tools just aren’t
working? You might be better
off apart. That’s totally normal,
1
Change the
intensity 
2
Rehearse
your speech 
3
Prioritise
healing 
especially in your twenties This soft-launch strategy If you’re set on making Fill your new-found free
when you tend to ‘dump’ works when you’re the split official, practise time with hobbies you’ve
someone every two years, says unsure how to sever the what you want to say. It wanted to try. Following
Professor Dunbar. ‘If a friendship connection or don’t feel may even help to write your passions will likely
becomes too emotionally comfortable doing so. a script or outline, says lead you to kindred
draining, time-consuming or Maybe you ‘slow fade’ Levine. How you deliver spirits. But don’t make
unsatisfying, it’s time to end it,’ by taking a break or your message matters, the mistake of trying to
seeing this friend less too. Use ‘I’ statements replace this friend right
says psychologist Irene Levine, frequently, perhaps to take ownership of away; enjoy getting
author of Best Friends Forever. only in groups, and for your decision and to know new people
Here’s how to make it hurt less. smaller doses of time.  avoid blame. – and yourself.

100 | APRIL 2023

J UST
DO IT

The power
Spark new of a workout
connections buddy
IF YOU COULD USE ANOTHER PAL OR TWO,  you’re Interacting with moderately active people
not alone (even if, well, you feel as if you are). ‘Over may influence sedentary people to become
60% of us report loneliness on a regular basis,’ more active, according to researchers
says Shasta Nelson, author of Frientimacy. ‘When at Kean University. The study used a
reaching out to someone, the odds are in your
favour that they need it, want it and would be
mathematical model to simulate how social
open to it.’ So, where has your next best friend interactions would affect exercise trends
been all this time? Closer than you might think. over time. It showed that, without social
interactions, the number of active people
in a population decreased long-term, and
IN THE secrets. It can be details
sedentary behaviour began to dominate.
WORKPLACE about your hobbies,
interests and family life.’ But when the simulations included social
Any successful As for sparking positive interactions, sedentary populations
friendship contains emotions? This might became more physically active.
three components: sound obvious, but try
consistent interaction, to be a good teammate
vulnerability and and friend at once. Ask
positive emotions, yourself, ‘How do I make
says Nelson. It’s easy my co-workers feel? Am
to check off that first I helping? Do I cheer for
box with co-workers, them? Can they trust
especially if you’re in an I’ll be proud of them?’
office or in-person work Nelson says. Naturally,
environment, because empowering and
consistent interaction is supporting your co-
built in. Meeting? Arrive workers can lead to
early to ‘spend time with stronger bonds. ‘But
each other around the it can also improve
edges’ of a scheduled your performance and
interaction, she says. morale at work,’ says
Whether IRL or WFH, Professor Franco.
vulnerability is another ‘People with friends at
key to connecting with work are more engaged
colleagues. ‘Often, at and more innovative.’
work, we’re only showing Those benefits extend
this one professional beyond your nine-to-
side of ourselves,’ says five, so says a new study
psychologist Marisa G. from the University of
Franco, a professor Bath. Employees take
and the author of the support received
Platonic: How The from a caring co-worker
Science Of Attachment home with them and
Can Help You Make – transfer it to their
And Keep – Friends. partner, which can
‘But vulnerability amp up that partner’s
doesn’t have to involve creative thinking at
your deepest, darkest their workplace, too.

Plan a friend
first date with a
clear start and
end time

APRIL 2023 | 101


NEW TO
THE AREA
Moving to a new
place often means
starting from scratch:
introducing yourself to
neighbours, meeting
others at local events
and joining community
organisations. For
those who moved
during Covid, you
might not have had
people as they grow
familiar to us, science
says. So when you
become a regular at a
workout class, attend
a weekly event or even
go on daily walks, you’ll
encounter the same
people, which can tap
into the mere exposure
effect: our unconscious
tendency to like people
the more we see them,
says Franco. Then, you ‘Re-pot’
just have to strike up a budding
a conversation. Try the friendship to
insight-and-question see it bloom

Can we this opportunity until

recently, and now it
method, where you
‘comment on a detail
feels too late. It’s not about about your
just be – it just might feel
uncomfortable (and
shared circumstance
and ask the other person
friends?  that’s okay). Meeting
strangers is never not
a question about it,’
says Professor Franco.
awkward, says Nelson. ‘Like, “I always love
It’s happened to a lot
Still, she and Professor the kombucha here...
of people: you meet
Franco recommend what do you order?”’
someone great or
stopping by your
match with someone
neighbours’ homes with
on a dating app, but
baked goods or wine.
after a date or two, it’s
You can share contact
clear (to you, anyway)
details and offer to help
that there’s no spark.
in case of emergency,
Is it possible to
says Nelson. If a
salvage a friendship?
neighbour seems
Well, first you need to
friendly, don’t be afraid
have a (possibly
to ask for help, too.
awkward) chat, says
‘Doing favours bonds
Nelson. Acknowledge
people,’ says Nelson. If
that this might be
you borrow some eggs
disappointing for the
from next door, they’ll
other person, but be
feel good about helping.
honest about what
Plus, it’ll give you a
you want and what
chance to reconnect
you liked about your
and – if you have kids
time together. This
of similar ages – initiate
kind of up-front
a playdate where you
conversation can
can bond further.
actually set the tone
The easiest part about
for a meaningful
making friends in this
friendship full of
type of scenario? We’re
trust and honesty.
programmed to like
If the friendship does
continue, you’ll also
need to discuss
boundaries. For
instance, you might
need to ask how much
it’s cool to share about
your dating life, says Hot tip
Nelson. Having this
basis of openness and
Assume
respect, though, can people like you 
‘When you do, the “acceptance
actually strengthen prophecy” happens, wherein it
a friendship in its unleashes the part of you that’s
early stages. So, friendlier and warmer and
go ahead and enter kinder,’ says Professor Franco.
the friend zone. ‘And then it becomes a self-
fulfilling process. After all,
what’s not to like?’

102 | APRIL 2023

 The friend zone

IN A NEW THROUGH
RELATIONSHIP A HOBBY
Getting more serious or maybe you love their Consistency is key to AFTER A
with a partner offers tight-knit friendship burgeoning buddies. LIFE CHANGE
loads of friend-making group and want to get ‘This is why friendship
opportunities – and, to know each member experts say to volunteer Seeking out and
of course, clicking with individually. But ‘the or join a gym,’ explains spending time with new
their mates can help bigger the group, the Nelson. ‘It’s not that friends who can identify,
your relationship, too. harder it is to get to those things make better validate and empathise
When first meeting their know each person’, says friends, it’s that if you’re with your life experience
friends, whether you’re Professor Franco. Start consistent at those is a form of community
on a double date or at small and focus on one things, you’re seeing support, says Hope
a housewarming party connection at a time. the same people.’ Kelaher, relationship
as a plus-one, lean into If you feel nervous To take a friendship therapist and author of
positivity, suggests about a one-on-one outside of your regular Here To Make Friends.
Nelson. Start the hang, you can invite rock-climbing class or Think: going through
conversation with your partner, too, as it book club, you have to a divorce, a retirement
validating and affirming might help both parties ‘re-pot it’, Professor or early parenthood.
statements such as, ‘I’m feel more at ease. But Franco says. ‘When ‘People in life transitions
so excited to meet you; there are a lot of perks to you vary the settings are particularly open to
I’ve heard great things a bonding session that in which you interact, connection,’ Professor
about you,’ she says.  doesn’t include them. it tends to deepen the Franco says. ‘If you reach
Once you’ve nailed the When you’re with your friendship.’ So, go out, they’re more likely
first impression, you partner, you naturally ahead and suggest that to be open to it.’ If you’re
might find you work in tap into a certain side post-climb happy hour. worried about cold-
the same field as your of yourself, Professor messaging the other
partner’s old roommate; Franco says, but new new employee at work?
and different sides Think of it as phoning
might come out when a (new) friend.
you’re on your own.

‘Mutual
disclosure’
That’s a proven friendship-forging
tool, says Dr Chopik. When two
people exchange vulnerable
stories and respond thoughtfully,
that builds intimacy and
closeness over time.
CREDITS GO HERE

APRIL 2023 | 103

 WORDS: AMY
WILKINSON

Going
for
growth
An exploration – and slightly
sceptical examination – into
what we’ve been told about
ageing. Spoiler: the truth is
better than the fiction
 Age defying

The magic
of the great
outdoors
Need an excuse to
get some fresh air?
Exposure to nature
has been linked to
positive cognitive
benefits for middle-
aged women, says
a study published in
Jama Network Open.

Among the many congratulations and well wishes I

received upon turning 40 last summer came this stark
declaration from my dad: ‘It’s all downhill from here.’
Embrace any transition
The message was undeniably rubbish (why don’t you snuff How you fare in midlife calls a positive narrative.
out my birthday candles while you’re at it?), but it’s not like we can be affected by the ‘Don’t get tunnel vision
haven’t heard some version of it before. Forty has long been the mindset with which on what you didn’t do,
bogeyman of birthdays – a rubicon that, once crossed, spells grey you approach it. Treat but honour what you
hair, wrinkles and the end of youthful vitality as we know it. this milestone like any achieved,’ she says. So,
In reality, women’s concerns as they enter their forties, fifties other transition (think: ‘I failed at being an artist’
and beyond are more nuanced. Sure, there’s the prospect of landing your first job or might become, ‘I supported
growing older and the existential biggie of mortality, but there’s graduating from uni) myself through tough
also a host of practical issues many of us face – be it divorce, suggests Ann Kearney- times’. Acknowledging
caring for an elderly parent or raising a child. The convergence Cooke, a psychologist your achievements makes
of stressors can lead to depression, anxiety and general unease.  specialising in women’s moving forwards easier.
Sounds like a midlife crisis, right? Well, Canadian psychoanalyst issues. ‘There are losses ‘Then let it go to create a
Elliott Jaques coined the term in 1965 for the period of discontent and gains,’ she says, of new narrative of, “Where
that he said occurs between the ages of 35 and 65. But, his theory entering a new life stage, am I going next?”’
was inspired by the ‘great men’, who experienced a change in adding that if we can Setting fresh goals
PHOTOGRAPHY: STOCKSY; GALLERY STOCK. ILLUSTRATION: RAYMOND HO

their creativity in their mid-to-late thirties. As for women, he reframe the ‘midlife crisis’ (signing up for a drawing
wrote that this transition is obscured by changes related to into a ‘transition’ we’ll be class, perhaps?), is a
menopause – giving rather short shrift to our complex internal better able to devise a plan.  powerful way to create a
lives and giving us a reason to ditch the concept altogether. ‘Awareness is the first new path. And, all of your
Research estimates that only about 10% to 20% of all people step in transformation,’ life experience is only
experience any sort of midlife crisis. Those who feel off at this she says. So, for instance, going to help. ‘There’s a
time are often triggered by dissatisfaction at not achieving what if you always wanted to confidence that happens
they wanted. ‘Many women feel lied to,’ says clinical psychologist pursue the arts, but were when you’ve cleared the
Chloe Carmichael. ‘The lie is that you can have it all, without saddled with student loan basics, such as graduating
compromising.’ But life is a moving target. The goals you set at 25 debt and needed a more and starting a career,’
probably aren’t the goals you have at 50. So, reflect and reassess. practical career, make sure adds Dr Carmichael. Her
What do you want? Most opportunities don’t expire at midlife. you recognise (rather than advice? Work out what
If we reframe ageing into an opportunity rather than a reckoning ignore) your feelings.  happiness looks like for
of past shortcomings, there’s no limit to what we can achieve. Get The next step is to write you, then look for ways
started with science-heavy strategies and motivating stories… what Dr Kearney-Cooke to access more of it.

APRIL 2023 | 105


Lean into the load
The forties and beyond are not only a great time to pursue personal
challenges, but physical ones, too, whether that means taking exercise
seriously for the first time or amping up your routine to meet some
heavy goals (hello, 20kg kettlebell). Once again, you’ll probably need to
muscle your way through flawed thinking about what’s possible, as there’s
no shortage of misconceptions about pushing physical boundaries.  my life. For the first time since the age of 16,
PT Lauren Kanski has heard them all. ‘The biggest thing I see among
middle-aged women is that they come in with a mindset that they’re
getting older and they’re less capable,’ she says. ‘If they don’t have a
training background, they think they’re going to hurt themselves.’
More often than not, says Kanski, these women are selling themselves
short before ever setting foot in a gym. ‘Women are really strong, but
think they can only lift a 4kg dumbbell.’
Now is not the time to be trifling with those little pink weights. On
the contrary, if you’re looking to maintain or even increase muscle mass
(it naturally declines due to falling oestrogen levels, but you can turn it
around) you should be lifting heavy, says Dr Stacy T Sims, an exercise
physiologist and nutrition scientist.
‘It’s important to do heavy-load resistance training, especially as
you get into late perimenopause,’ she says, referring to the years
proceeding your final period. ‘Oestrogen is responsible for lean mass
development, as well as strength and power; it stimulates the cell for
muscle protein development and it’s critical in the central nervous
system for creating a muscle contraction.’ Essentially, you can counteract
the negative effects of oestrogen loss by lifting heavy, which lights up the
central nervous system to produce other chemicals that can take over
where oestrogen left off.
Of course, you’re not going to start deadlifting 90kg or enter your first
marathon tomorrow. Much like charting new courses in your personal
life, physical goals are smashed one at a time. ‘I always tell people to find
one challenge that they’re not good at, and that’s what we’re going to work
on,’ says Dr Sims. If one of her clients wants to venture on a challenging
hike, she’ll focus on the building blocks, such as jump movements for
leaping off rocks, one by one. ‘For three weeks, we work on that one aspect,’
she says. ‘Then we take a bit of a break and focus on another one. Then
we’ll come back to the first one.’ Small steps eventually lead to big climbs.  to accept my reality.
Also key is letting your body recuperate in between sessions with
a rest day, as your muscles tend to heal more slowly as you age.
(Triathletes in their fifties had slower muscle recovery than triathletes
in their twenties, found a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports
& Exercise.) Listen to your body and integrate restorative walks, yoga
sessions or whatever rest sessions you need, so you can keep pushing
yourself, but avoid injury. 
Ultimately, your more mature mentality is going to be one of your
biggest assets when it comes to pursuing new physical challenges. ‘I think
there’s a new sense of strength in women at this age,’ says Kanski. ‘They
know what it’s like to work hard and a lot of them have had kids. They’ve
been through a lot and, often, can withstand more than younger women.’
Age defying
‘HAVE A CONSTANT
DIALOGUE WITH YOURSELF
TO SQUASH COMPARISON’
Becoming a mother at 48 opened up a new world
for Tamron Hall, now 52, creator and executive
producer of her self-titled show. It also helped her
realise that you have to be diligent about carving
out your own path (and not listening to the noise).
Motherhood came at an unexpected period in
I wasn’t working. I was 48 and unemployed.
I’d just left my dream job on a primetime TV
show to pursue other goals and bet on myself.
At the same time, I’d connected with an
acquaintance who would soon become more
than a friend. We took a leap of faith and
decided to pursue love and parenthood. 
Being a parent at this point in my career gives
me room to create the show that I dreamed
of and the environment to be the parent I want
to be. I make it a point to show my team the real
me: the ‘workaholic’ who’ll now say that I have
a hard out to pick up my son from school. I hope
to lead by example and grace, and to empower
other parents to feel supported to do the same. 
I started with an early foundation of seeing
all things as possible. My mother was a single
parent at 19 and my first father figure was my
grandfather. Whether it was allowing me to run
outside in the sun as long as I wanted or giving
me a diary and saying ‘write!’, they instilled in
me a life without limits. That doesn’t mean
adversities didn’t exist. They’re real. But I was
the kid who didn’t see an end to my curiosity.
My nickname was ‘Not Necessarily’, because
I questioned absolutely everything.
Fast-forward to starting the show and
walking into meetings with people who would
tell me every person whose show didn’t work
out. I had to look past that. Just because
something didn’t work out for someone else
doesn’t mean it won’t for you. 
When I announced that I was pregnant,
people told me their horror stories. I nodded
out of respect, but didn’t allow them to infiltrate
because I needed to have my own journey and
Recently, I bought a washing machine online
and it offered three options to compare. Too
often we treat our lives as if we’re comparison
shopping. We line up ours against others. I’m
glad that I’ve refused the limitations others
placed on me. I see my choices as perfect for
me and I’m grateful for every one of them.
TAMRON’S BEST ADVICE Talk to yourself. Take a
deep breath and recognise that something doesn’t
deserve your attention. When you measure yourself
against others, you’re using energy that could be
applied to creating the life you want, at any age.
APRIL 2023 | 107
Age defying

‘WE ARE CAPABLE

OF MORE THAN WE
CAN EVER IMAGINE’
When Keira D’Amato took an eight-year hiatus from running,
she thought her competitive days were over. Little did she
know, the best was yet to come. The mother and military wife
smashed the American marathon record at the age of 37. Her
secrets? Life experience, removing the pressure and exercising...

I joined my school track and intentional.’ Even then,

cross-country team just to
get in shape for sport. But
in my first race, I was like,
‘Oh, this is for me’. The sport
taught me confidence, goal
setting and how to be proud
of who I am and what I can
accomplish. I ran while I was
at [university], then with a
group for a couple of years.
Then I got injured and I quit.
I took eight years off and
thought that part of me was
gone. I said goodbye to
goals. I never thought I’d be
a competitive athlete again.  I am now and I’m a really
But in 2016, with a toddler
son and an infant daughter,
I started using an elliptical
machine at home. Then
I began running outside,
loving each sliver of time
that I was able to get out.
When my youngest turned
two, my husband had been
deployed for over a year.
That was the toughest time.
I was lonely – yet I found
happiness through moving
my body. I started to love
recreational sports. I found
community. I wasn’t trying
to win anything. My ‘whys’
changed. This time, it was
about feeling good.  second chance that I don’t
Soon, I was doing races
with friends and, in March
2017, I ran my first marathon
post-kids. My only goal was
to not walk. I kept racing,
realising that I was getting
faster. For the first two
years, I’d run as much as
I wanted. Then in 2018, I
qualified for the Olympic
trials and thought, ‘I need
to get a coach and be
I just wanted to improve. 
Four years later, in 2022,
I ran the Houston Marathon
and broke the women’s
American record with
a time of 2:19:12. I think
part of why I was able to
break that record is that
I removed the pressure.
I stood on the starting line
and thought, ‘I’m going to
hit my goal today or I’m
not. If I get it, that’d be
really cool. And if I don’t?
I’m in the same spot that
happy person, so that’s
okay, too.’ That freedom
allows me to take big risks
and to not be afraid of
the outcome. Ultimately,
what’s important is my
family. When I go to a
race, no matter the results,
I come back to them. 
My training looks different
now than in my twenties.
In general, I cross-train and
leave more time between
workouts. I’m currently
not an Olympian and would
like to be, so 2024 is the
big goal on the horizon. 
I’ve had this beautiful
want to waste. I’m going
to do everything to be my
best. To me, not even trying
is a bigger failure than
going for a goal and failing.
Some people say you should
slow down in your thirties,
but I’m proving them
wrong. In fact, I’m getting
faster. Showing yourself
how powerful you are
is life-changing.

KEIRA’S BEST ADVICE Ask for help. It’s awesome to have people
show up for you. When my husband was deployed, I’d ask a family
member to watch my kids or I’d hire a babysitter for an hour so I
could go for a run. At first, I felt like a bad mum – then I realised I’m
a better mum if I go. Now, when others ask me for help, I feel wanted.

108 | APRIL 2023

FINANCIAL
INCENTIVE
It’s not just your body
and mindset that can
get better with age. It
may cross over into
innovation and successful
entrepreneurship, too.
Older entrepreneurs
actually outperform
younger ones, according
to research published in
the Insights 2020 study.
Yes, that vision of a
wunderkind founder
making millions while
sitting around in a hoodie?
Erase it from your brain.
Here are some of the
study’s findings that
paint a very different
picture (and may give
you the motivation to
pursue a dream that
involves starting a
company or brand)...

A 50-year-old founder
is 1.8 times more likely to
achieve growth than
a 30-year-old one. 
 After age 34, there
are ‘increased success
probabilities’ that outpace
the 25-year-olds.
Another large surge in
performance comes at
age 46 and is sustained
until the age of 60.
 Embrace grit
If you’ve read this far and you’re considering
a new goal but aren’t sure you have what it
takes, know that you have one more big
positive working in your favour, and that’s
grit. As we age, we tend to experience
decreases in both our passion and growth
mindset, but increases in our grit – or the
ability to persevere – according to a recent
study published in the International
110 | APRIL 2023
Journal Of Environmental Research And Public
Health. ‘It’s very important that grit seems to not
decrease with increasing age,’ says study co-author
Monika Haga, professor in physical education and
sports at Norwegian University of Science and
Technology. ‘This could indicate that the ability
to keep on being active and have endurance and
stamina is still there (both cognitively and
physically) if the person finds meaningful activities
to engage and participate in. Our research indicates

that strong interest is the key for achievement.’ So
what does that mean for you?
ADDITIONAL REPORTING: ABBY CUFFEY 
If you start working towards a dream, you’re more
likely to stay the course in midlife than you were in
your youth. To tap into that can-do attitude, think back
to a time when you displayed true grit – whether it
was giving birth or finishing that half marathon – and
harness those feelings of confidence and achievement.
With positive thinking and a willingness to succeed,
you can make good on your goals – at any age.
Age defying
‘LIFE HAS NO REAL
EDGES – YOU CAN
MOVE WHICHEVER
WAY YOU WANT’
After a career in fashion, Gym Tan, 62, took her knowledge
to a new platform: TikTok. She now has over 100K followers
and is passionate about her page (@californiaistoocasual)
being a place of positivity. A social media star is born…
I had a long career in fashion. I was a fashion apparel
executive for years, working internationally but based
in Asia. I worked for some of the world’s top high-end
luxury brands. We moved to the US (my husband’s
family is located here) seven years ago, when my
daughter was looking at colleges in California.
My career didn’t really translate into working for
local brands because they had more of a domestic
focus. So I started consulting and had to learn new
things, such as selling myself and using various forms
of technology. But it was tough to start a new life
in my fifties. Then, Covid changed everything. My
now-23-year-old daughter started building up her
social media journey during that time. And when she
came home for Thanksgiving in 2021, she said, ‘Why
don’t you just start posting an outfit a day? I love your
style. My friends all love your style. Do it for fun and
see where it goes.’ She helped me film my first video,
then deleted it so I had to figure it out for myself. 
I approached TikTok as a way of exercising my
passion. I used the experience I had in the fashion
world in such a personal way – I loved assembling
outfits and adding accessories. I didn’t know if it
would go anywhere, I just told myself to have fun.
Within three weeks, I had about 10,000 followers.
At first, I focused just on style. Then, little by little,
I realised I could show more about myself.
I started sharing what I eat and how I exercise. I’ve
been a runner for a long time, and I want to show
people that you can maintain a regular routine and do
it without pain into your sixties. Now, followers tell
me that they never thought about starting to run, but
based on my videos and the fact that I’m older than
them, they went for it. That’s the beauty and joy of
social media; we can connect and inspire each other. 
Someone recently wrote to me to say that they
threw out their high-heeled shoes because she loved
the way I look in trainers. (FYI: everything looks more
young and vibrant in crisp white trainers versus heels,
which can make you look a little fuddy-duddy.)
Life has no real edges. You can keep moving
whichever way you want. A lot of older women don’t
see their value any more. So what I’m doing is a
pleasant surprise. As you get older, you can push
boundaries. I’m 62 and thinking, ‘How many new
things have I done in this one year?’
GYM’S BEST ADVICE Understand that age doesn’t need
to be a limit. You are never too old. It’s never too late to
start something new. It’s never too late to learn something
new. You can have a new career any time. If you’re thinking
about starting a social media presence, just do it. Be true
to yourself and keep at it.
APRIL 2023 | 111
 h il e they’re
. W
m e et health bedfellows,
ism, us of lowing
Hedon most obvio bo fo r b
to
not th
e
in g th e com y o u return
back webs s
o ed
we’re nte r co b
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w i fee
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APRIL 2023 | 113


01
Ibiza
What: Luxe party vibes
Where: TRS Ibiza Hotel
Who: Roisín Dervish-O’Kane,
WH senior editor
How much: Rooms from
£268pn, full board;
Signature Level from £607pn
(palladiumhotelgroup.com)
Ibiza? Groundbreaking…
If you wish to sacrifice enjoyment
on the altar of originality, be my
guest. But if you’re strung out
from a long winter and craving a
fun-facilitating base from which
to dip your toe into the white
isle’s wild side (and recover in
luxurious surroundings that will
make you want to redecorate),
I’d heartily endorse being a guest
here, instead. The buzziest
114 | APRIL 2023
Laps of
luxury
launch of the 2022 season, Privacy is at
TRS Ibiza Hotel is a five-star a premium
all-inclusive, across the water
from the port of San Antonio
on the island’s western side.
Its location gifts you a front-row
seat to sunsets that steal your
breath, best witnessed from a
high stool at the bar next to the
eighth-floor infinity pool. Maybe
it was the cava; maybe it was
the neat scattering of clouds
mirrored in the pool’s glassy
surface; or maybe it was the
fizzing, unpretentious vibe,
but from the first ‘Salud!’ of
the evening, you know you’re
in for a good time.
So, it’s a party hotel?
A grown-up one. You’ve got the
DJ and the saxophonist by the
pool; bartenders who can shake
up anything your thirsty heart
desires; and proximity to some

of the best nights out, but none
of the cons. The guests were
millennials on mini-moons,
pals on girls’ weekends and
couples in their forties and fifties
– no lads’ holidays to see here.
The abundant food and libations
on offer remind you this isn’t
the ‘San An’ experience of your
youth (note: a ‘Signature Level’
booking affords you the really
luxe stuff, plus a WhatsApp-
enabled butler service).
Capricho restaurant offers an
abundant buffet, but the real
magic unfolds at Helios, an à la
carte restaurant festooned with
tiles that are a nod to the island’s
hippie heritage. I ordered a
burrata with basil oil filling and
the sweetest, zingiest tomatoes
I’ve ever eaten, chased by black
rice with fried squid and
Travel Well
cuttlefish, and washed down with
Sunsets to
a blush-toned Spanish rosato. take your
breath away
I’m getting lots of hedonism,
less ‘health’…
Well, if you’re after a more
restorative day, head through the
Zentropia Palladium spa to kick
back in the serene hidden pool
– it’s also a dreamy location for
the daily yoga and Pilates classes.
Or curl under a cabana with your
holiday read and while away
an hour before your treatment.
I opted for a facial tailor-made
to rehydrate and plump my skin.
There’s a spacious gym stocked
with Technogym equipment, but
I got my cardio by swimming in
the clear waters that lap the sandy
cove, Cala Gracio, a public beach
you can access from the hotel. And,
er, on the dance floor at Pikes.
APRIL 2023 | 115
 02
Madeira
What: Spa in the city
Where: Savoy Palace
Hotel, Funchal
Who: Sophie Leen,
WH bookings editor
How much: Rooms from £180pn
(savoysignature.com/
savoypalacehotel)
Madeira doesn’t sound like
a party place…
Granted, there was a time when
the average age of holidaymakers
here was north of 65. But the island
has seen an influx of younger
travellers since the launch of
Madeira’s digital nomad village
in 2021 – a communal workspace
in Ponta do Sol, offering carrots
such as free beachside yoga – and
the night-time economy in the
capital, Funchal, has responded in
kind. Record numbers of visitors
flocked to the island last summer
and while the beach bars and clubs
have nothing on those found on
Madeira’s neighbours The Canary
Islands, the place is awash with
opportunities to be active (hiking,
ultrarunning and canyoning are
all on the menu), making it the
epitome of #balance.  
I’m intrigued – tell me more…
Funchal is dripping with charm.
Giant trees line the wide mosaic
streets – made of volcanic rock
from the island (talk about town-
planning goals). Hand-painted
murals decorate quaint cafe doors
and women sit outside shops,
hand-embroidering the linens
Sophie
acclimatising
to the spa
116 | APRIL 2023
for which this island is rightly
famous. The Savoy Palace
hotel emulates the city’s lush
landscape, with mossy green
foliage hanging from balconies
and tall palm trees everywhere
you look. The hotel’s fine-dining
restaurant, Galaxia, takes full
culinary advantage of the fare
from the mountains and sea that
surround it, while the light-filled
rooms look out on to endless blue.
Oh, a word on the pools – there are
four, in addition to the Laurea
spa. A dip in the rooftop infinity
pool at sunrise left me feeling
the most zen I had been all year.
You had me at spa…
Through an exotic garden into
the entrance, the spa’s interior
runs with the nature theme.
Low-lit corridors lead to
therapy rooms and a
green- tiled pool,
sauna and steam
room, while a well-
equipped gym and a
champagne nail bar
cater to every cortisol-
curbing mood. But it’s
Relax by one
of the hotel’s
four pools
the massage menu that elevates
this spa from nice to must-do for
your average burned-out nine-
to-fiver. The Forest therapy
body treatment is designed
for stressed urbanites and the
method of massage was unlike
anything I’ve ever experienced.
Using essential oils from
Aromatherapy Associates, the
therapist placed hot stones on
my chest and mud on my palms,
as well as the soles of my feet –
focusing on the left side of my
body before moving on to my
right. The cherry on the cake: at
the end, she handed me a tissue
infused with eucalyptus oil to
help clear my congested nose.
And when I’m not having my
worries pummelled away?
You’ll be perusing the produce
at the bustling farmers market,
hiking or biking along one of the
island’s many trails, or riding
the cable car up to the botanical
garden before tobogganing back
down – a bonkers experience
that embodies Madeira’s energy
like nothing else.

03
Greece
What: R&R with a side of fitness
Where: Lesante Cape Resort
and Villas, Zakynthos
Who: Amelia Bell,
WH contributor
How much: Rooms from £240pn
(lesantecape.gr)
Zante? I’m not celebrating
my A-Level results…
The post-exam teens might
have got here first, but make no
mistake, Zakynthos is as much
for resting as it is for revelry.
COMPILED BY AMANDA STATHAM. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
And that’s thanks, in part, to new
outpost Lesante Cape Resort and
Villas, a member of The Leading
Hotels of the World, which
opened its doors in 2022. What
sets it apart, you ask? Aside from
the sun-soaked panoramas, feta
on tap and textbook Greek island
energy, expect a super-stylish
aesthetic – whitewashed buildings
paired with exposed stone walls
and mingled with honey-hued
thatched furniture. It’s set up
like a traditional Greek village
– complete with a cobbled piazza,
taverna, church, four restaurants,
two bars and an impressive spa.
I’m listening…
The spa is home to hammam
experiences, sauna sessions,
a hot tub, indoor pool and a list
of Med-inspired treatments to
soothe even the most seasoned of
spa-goers. The philosophy fuses
traditional Greek ingredients and
cutting-edge science, with every
treatment designed to calm your
cortisol. And after an hour-long
muscle pummelling, followed by a
dunk in the IG-friendly pool, your
shoulders are bound to relax.
And what about when I want
to get my sweat on?
You could meet your step count
by flitting between the infinity
pools, but there’s plenty to raise
your heart rate besides. The hike
from Marathias to Keri Village
is steeper than your winter
energy bill, but well worth it for
the unrivalled view of beautiful
Turtle Island. And a boat trip to
Travel Well
Get me to
the Greek
Talk about
a room
with a view
the famous Shipwreck Beach
offers a sight that has to be
seen to be believed (the rusting
hulk after which the beach
is named has been there for
more than 40 years). Oh, and
don’t leave without stopping
off at nearby restaurant
Nobelos, in Agios Nikolaos
Cove, which serves up
supersized Greek salads
jewelled with olives,
tzatziki and the catch
of the day, alongside
10/10 vibes.
APRIL 2023 | 117
WH PROMOTION

RECOVERY IS NOT AN INDULGENCE.

IT POWERS YOUR PROGRESS.
You deserve to recover well. To feel fresh.
To have reserves of energy for the busiest days.
Your fitness goals can be hijacked by injury. Aches, pains,
and niggles can intrude on the things you love doing.
Riixo know the power of good recovery. What you can
achieve when you’re fresh. The impact you have when
you’re at your best. But life is busy. And recovery after
exercise takes time, doesn’t it?

It doesn’t have to. There are impactful things you can do

immediately. Their recovery boffins will help to identify
exactly how you can boost your recovery after exercise.
They’ll show you the 2 ways to recover faster. Where small
changes can have a big impact. And the convenient, quick
wins, that make all the difference.

Plus, they’ll give your motivation a helpful little nudge.

Best of all, it takes just a few minutes to do. You give
everything to your training. Invest 3 minutes to Score
Your Recovery for the insights you deserve and a
recovery without compromise.
Riixo Recovery. Effective. Proven. Convenient.
Score Your Recovery now: riixo.com/SYR

THE HEALTH &

CREATE SPACE TO EXERCISE… IN YOUR GARAGE!
Looking for a place to exercise in comfort? Your garage could be
transformed into a beautifully organised gym, with Dura.
These custom-made cabinets, wall-mounted storage system and
interlocking floor tiles can create a room you’ll be proud of.
For a brochure, or to arrange a FREE home design consultation,
visit www.duragarages.com/health.html or call 01280 700563.
Instagram @duragarages
ONE SHOT! THE NEW-SCHOOL BOXING GLOVE CO.
Built to break away from the basic fight gear in the industry through
kickass apparel and funky boxing gloves. Our holy grail was to
encourage women in fitness to give boxing training a try and knockout
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gear with 100% Cowhide Leather Gloves, Italian Silk Shorts & British
Garments. Check us out on: oneshoteu.com and follow us on
@oneshot_eu on Instagram.

FITNESS EDIT
MENOLIGNA – SUPPORTING YOUR WELLBEING THROUGH MENOPAUSE
Based in Armagh, Northern Ireland, and established in 1965, Linwoods
is a third generation family owned business that produces a range
of healthy plant based foods. Their purpose is to enhance people’s
health and wellbeing, helping them to feel great everyday by providing
sustainable healthy food.
Linwoods ingredients are sourced globally and are carefully selected
from the best suppliers and growers to ensure the highest quality
and standards. The seeds, nuts and berries are then cold milled
and blended by our expert team to deliver accessible, easy-to-use
nutrition to health-conscious consumers around the world. Linwoods
cold milling process breaks down the seed for easy digestion whilst
retaining all the fibre and nutritional benefits contained within the
whole seed.
Linwoods most recent product to the market is Menoligna. Menoligna
is a plant-based blend of sprouted milled flaxseed and milled chia
seeds, containing important vitamins, minerals and added Lignans.
It has been specifically developed for women during the menopause
stage of life. Lignans are naturally occurring phytoestrogens found in
flaxseed which mimic the role of oestrogen. Flaxseed is particularly
abundant in the lignan, secoisolariciresinol diglycoside (SDG). Lignans
are found in the inner layer of the flaxseed hull. Each 30g serving of
Linwoods Menoligna offers 300mg of SDG lignans.
This blend also contains 96% of the daily recommended intake of
Vitamin B6, which contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity,
and vitamin B12 which can reduce tiredness and fatigue.
WH PROMOTION
Additionally, Menoligna contains Calcium, Vitamin D and K2 which
contributes to the maintenance of normal bones. It is high in fibre
and in Omega 3 ALA which contributes to the maintenance of normal
blood cholesterol levels.
Patrick Woods, Director for Linwoods, said:
“We are delighted to bring Menoligna to UK consumers. At Linwoods,
we believe passionately that nutrition is the key to good health and
plays a vital role in managing health and wellbeing. Our expert team
has been busy crafting this nutritionally dense blend to ensure it is
designed to maintain healthy body functionality.
There are over 15million menopausal women in the UK, which is
over 1/3 of the female population who are directly impacted by the
menopause. We want to play a part in naturally supporting women
experiencing menopause through our products and education.
Communication and education can help to challenge perceptions
and misunderstandings of the menopause and prompt more open
discussion about it.”
We recommend adding a 30g daily serving of Menoligna to your
favourite dish daily, such as porridge, overnight oats, soups or salads.
The Menoligna blend is available in a 210g pack at Holland &
Barrett and Independent Health Food stores. The packaging in
Linwoods Functional Range has been designed to be 100 per
cent recyclable. You can use code WH20 on Linwoods website:
www.linwoodshealthfoods.com for 20% off and free shipping
(expires 30.04.23).
WH PROMOTION
NATURAL
LIBIDO BOOST
FOR WOMEN
Normally £80
NOW JUST
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£49.99
I'm a 44-year-old female who
bought this in the hopes it would help
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wanting to have sex more often (which the
hubby loves) and more arousal during the act
itself” - Sophia
THE HEALTH &
HAPPY ME CBD’S ORGANIC OILS, BALMS & GUMMIES
aim to restore calm and balance to daily life by alleviating symptoms
associated with stress, PMS, and perimenopause. Happy Me’s easy-to-
use products help improve sleep quality, ease anxiety, soothe joints
and muscles, and boost post-workout recovery ensuring optimal
physical and mental performance for every training session. Follow
@balancemecbd and visit www.happymecbd.co.uk. Use code WH20
for 20% discount (min. £25 spend, bundles excluded, expires 01/05/23).
HERE’S WHAT WOMEN ARE SAYING ABOUT
OUR NATURAL LIBIDO BOOST BUNDLE
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day. I recently turned 50 and have been a little terrified of “the
change,” so I’m embracing every tool I can get to physically stay
younger. These supplements gave me my Libido back!” – Sue
“I have been delighted to learn in recent years that women also
benefit from the use of Tongkat Ali. I take it for libido and it is
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well. I am a 62-year-old female with a 30-something libido. – Sarah
GET YOUR LIBIDO
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FINDHORN FLOWER ESSENCES
The essence of Eros contains the flowers of Balsam, Elder, Gorse, Grass
of Parnassus, Holy Thorn, Rose Alba, Sea Pink and Sycamore, which
raises our energetic body into a more loving state. Eros essence helps
us to love and value ourselves in a deeper and more authentic way by
encouraging subtle, inner vibrational shifts. Findhorn Flower Essences
is a family business based in Scotland; making flower essences for the
last 30 years. For more info please visit: www.findhornessences.com

‘COOL JOINTS+ HAS GIVEN ME THE CONFIDENCE
TO WALK FURTHER’
Juliet Laurie, 63, a retired science teacher from Dorset, loves hillwalking with
her husband and walking holidays with friends – it’s her favourite way to stay
active and healthy while having fun.
She’s been doing it for years, but it hasn’t
always been easy. In her forties, Juliet started
to find it increasingly difficult to walk the
distances she used to do comfortably.
Juliet had heard about various supplements
and given them a try. ‘But they had
done nothing for me,’ she says. Then an
advertisement for Cool Joints+ caught her eye.
‘With my science background, I really
appreciated the science credentials behind the
company and the fact that Cool Joints+ was
backed by published studies – so thought I’d
give it a try,’ says Julie.
‘I’m so glad I did... I found that I enjoyed my
walks so much more and could walk the
distances I used to much more comfortably.
‘I have added Cool Joints+ to my daily routine
and haven’t looked back. In fact, I recently
climbed Ben Nevis – something I would never
have contemplated before!’
FITNESS EDIT
FREE JOINT SUPPLEMENTS
Leading Cambridge company offering
scientifically proven joint supplements
for free.
Just pay £1.50 postage
FutureYou Cambridge, the nutraceutical
company known for its highly-researched
nutritional supplements, is giving away packs
of its joint health supplement, Cool Joints+,
to new customers.
Happy customers have been taking
to Trustpilot, the independent online
review platform, to confirm the products
effectiveness.
‘I take this everyday in the morning...
Absolutely so delighted. I can actually do
10,000 steps now where I couldn’t even walk
around the block.’ said one five star reviewer.
‘Very good product. Does what it says on the
packet.’ says another.
Adam Cleevely, FutureYou Cambridge’s Chair,
*Cool Joints+ contains Boswellia serrata RESIN which helps to keep joints cool and comfortable [on hold claim ID:4000] and manganese, which contributes to
the normal formation of connective tissue. Introductory offer valid for new UK customers only. Offer expires 28th April 2023. Cancel any time, without obligation. See
FutureYouHealth.com/CJF449 for full terms and conditions.
WH PROMOTION
Cool Joints+ contains a highly
absorbable combination of
sunflower lecithin and Boswellia
serrata, a natural extract from
the Indian frankincense tree
that can help to keep joints cool
and comfortable.
Dr Miriam Ferrer PhD, head
of product development at
FutureYou Cambridge, the
company that created Cool
Joints+, explains:
‘Boswellic acids are poorly
absorbed by the body, so we “I have added Cool Joints+ to my daily
have combined them with routine and haven’t looked back.”
lecithin phospholipids which
increases absorption by up to
four times compared with other to walk further, going from one mile a day
standard extracts.’ to five miles and then eight or nine or more,
which is really fantastic.’
It’s certainly made all the difference to Juliet:
‘I love to walk on a daily basis and I’ve found * Boswellia serrata RESIN helps to keep joints cool
that Cool Joints+ has given me the confidence and comfortable [on hold claim ID:4000]
HOW TO CLAIM
YOUR FREE PACK
To claim your free 28 day
Cool Joints+ subscription
trial pack worth £19, visit
FutureYouOffers.co.uk
or freephone
0800 808 5740 quoting
code CJF449
Your first box is free
(just pay £1.50 postage) and
you will be enrolled into a
flexible subscription costing
£19 every 28 days, which
you can cancel at any time,
without obligation.
explains the thinking behind the offer: and effectiveness
‘We’ve focused much of our time, energy of our Cool Joints+ formulation that we’re
and expertise on developing support for happy to let you try it for four weeks, for free.
people’s joint health, and it’s great to see more All you have to pay is the £1.50 postage.’
people now becoming aware of the untapped
potential of boswellia.’ ‘I take this everyday in the morning...
Absolutely so delighted. I can actually do
Too many people suffer in silence with hot 10,000 steps now where I couldn’t even walk
joints. We’re confident enough in the quality around the block.’

Lisa Snowdon
The broadcaster and campaigner on menopausal
self-care, finding joy in nature and why there’s
Strengthen
Resistance training is
my new favourite thing.
I never thought I’d enjoy
pumping weights, but
feeling strong, learning
something new and
increasing my muscle mass
feels great. I also love doing
reformer Pilates at my
local studio, Zero Gravity.
Inform
I’m part of the Menopause
Mandate campaign calling
for HRT to be free on
the NHS in England,
like it is in Scotland and
Wales. Since I went into
perimenopause at 44,
HRT has really helped
me, but there’s still some
stigma around taking it –
much like talking about
the menopause in general.
Walk
Don’t underestimate the
power of a brisk walk or
a hike. I make sure I get a
walk in every day and I’m
always aiming to complete
my 10,000 steps. My
partner George and I
live really close to Epping
Forest, so we’re lucky to
have the opportunity to
get plenty of fresh air in
our lungs and see the
122 | APRIL 2023
MY LIFE IN WELLNESS
a place for the alternative in holistic health
seasons changing. We
don’t have a dog at the
moment, but once we’re
working from home a bit
more, we’d like to get two.
Pamper
I love going for salon or
spa treatments, but since
the lockdowns, I’ve honed
in on my self-care regime
at home. I cleanse my face
twice a day and [treat] my
skin before bed. Right now,
I switch between a Balance
Me Cleansing Balm, which
melts off any make-up,
and Votary Super Seed
Cleansing Oil. It leaves my
skin glowing. I finish with
a Dr Hauschka toner and
Bioeffect EGF Essence.
STATS
AGE: 51
JOB: TV presenter and model
FITNESS MO:
Pilates and weights
WIND-DOWN SECRET:
Forest walking
Protect
I’ve been making a real
effort to look after my
neck recently. It’s only
as [the skin around your
neck] starts to age that you
notice it and you realise
you should’ve started
treating it years ago.
I’m an ambassador for
Prai Beauty – its Ageless
Throat & Decolletage
Serum followed by the
cream is fantastic.
Balance
As we get into the
perimenopause and
menopause, processing
stress can be hard. Working
out your triggers can help.
If it’s certain people, try to
avoid them. If it’s caffeine,
stop at one coffee. And if
you say yes to everything,
be mindful of that. We may
not be able to do all the
things that we used to do,
but we can go a bit slower
and look after ourselves.
Simmer
I love cooking. I get
an organic fruit and Reflect
veg box delivered I’m a holistic, hippy-dippy
every week person. I love mindfulness,
and then I meditation, acupuncture,
get creative journalling and reflexology.
with whatever I’ve got crystals and I love
ingredients are burning sage. I sometimes
inside. I always have one-on-one sessions
WORDS: EMMA GRITT. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES; ROWAN FEE
have garlic, ginger, with a PT called Paul. He’s
onions, shallots and a life coach and, like me,
chilli in my cupboard, he’s quite spiritual. We
and I use a lot of Indian have some great chats
spices as well. I love between sets.
making a sweet potato
dish with chickpeas Lisa is working with Tena
and kale, and I make to break taboos around
a great hummus- menopause symptoms,
style butter bean encourage conversation
dip with lots of and help women get
lemon, garlic, comfortable with
oil and salt. the uncomfortable