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Mani-cure
It’s official: getting your nails done counts as healthcare. In a recent study by Frontiers In Psychology, researchers measured the psychological effects of nail care on 500 women in their twenties and thirties. Participants showed improved relaxation and vitalisation post-mani. Those who visited a salon reported more significant positive emotions than those who self-applied, but this could be linked to chat with their nail techs, say the study authors.
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Is fibre the new protein?
As a leading epidemiologist estimates that 91% of us aren’t hitting our fibre intake, dietitian Laura Tilt makes an easy-to-digest case for nutrition’s unsung MVP
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Squat and snatch
The single-arm dumbbell snatch ignites nearly every major muscle group from head to toe – need we go on?
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Adult ballet for mindfulness
While not the most obvious source of accessing the mind-body benefits of mindfulness, ballet and other forms of dance could help to focus your mind on the present, as one former dancer discovers
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…I’m hypnotised?
Groundless superstition saturated in snake oil or trance-formative experiences? We stare directly into this mesmerising practice
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Fit Squad
Want to run further, lift heavier or nail a pull-up? Each month, we put your questions to the Women’s Health Collective panel – eight of the finest fitness brains here to help you make good on your goals
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Meet the squad
The team share their go-to breakfast
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MARY EARPS
The Best Fifa Women’s Goalkeeper in the world. Sports Personality of the Year. Mar y, Queen of Stops. After another winning year, the Lionesses’ not-so-secret weapon opens up about her decision to speak out about that Nike football shirt, walking the tightrope between success and burnout, and learning the power of being herself
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Has coffee become the new alcohol?
As health-conscious types increasingly talk about being in their post-caffeine era, we take a closer look at what some experts are calling the most socially acceptable addiction
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On the sauce
Few ingredients wield the power to make or break a meal quite like the ones you drizzle over the top of it. So put down the condiments while we make the case for creating your own sauce
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In Your dreams
Lucid dreaming – the art of becoming aware that you’re dreaming, enabling you to determine what happens next – may once have been the preserve of your eccentric uncle’s dinner table rhapsodies. But the esoteric practice is being increasingly examined as a potential intervention for trauma. So, it’s with mental wellbeing in mind that we take a closer look
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TRAIN YOURSELF TO LUCID DREAM IN THREE STEPS
If you’re keen to break new emotional ground by playing puppet master within your own dreams, try lucid dream facilitator Morley’s get-started strategies
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how to turn rejection into resilience
Whether you’ve been turned down for a job or left off the invite list for a wedding, rejection has a special kind of sting. But it’s an experience you can grow from. Let the experts show you how
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‘I experienced domestic abuse at the hands of my housemate’
For most people, ‘domestic abuse’ conjures a disturbing picture of intimate partner violence. But many of those trapped by an aggressive or controlling partner aren’t in a romantic or sexual relationship with them. Here, one woman – who’s campaigning to change the law around non-romantic domestic abuse – shares her story
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Housemate abuse: the expert view
Jayne Booth is a psychotherapeutic counsellor who specialises in domestic and sexual abuse
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Going hybrid
After years of debate about the best way to exercise, a growing body of research is pointing to the benefits of doing a combination of cardio and strength training in tandem. Is it time you adopted a hybrid approach?
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Striking a balance
Kick-start your new training programme with these four helpful tips
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‘I swam the English Channel – with a stoma’
When Gill Castle was fitted with a stoma bag after a severe childbirth injury, she was too afraid to exercise. In a remarkable turn of events, the 44-year-old went on to become the first person to swim the English Channel with a stoma, solo
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Girl math
Reboot your spring wardrobe by adding investment pieces to affordable athleisure for an outfit that always equals style
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Rosacea, social media and me…
It’s an increasingly common condition, so why has it taken so long for rosacea to become part of the skin positivity movement? One beauty writer – and long-time sufferer – reports
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The just-been-diagnosed guide to rosacea
While the condition can’t be cured, it can be managed. Here, our experts offer advice on living with it
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Sarah Murrell
She started a plant-based tonics and oils line in response to her sister’s skin struggles during her cancer treatment. Here, Sarah Murrell reveals her go-to skin saviours
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Facial toning devices
They promise to lift and tone from home, but can we take their claims at face value? We submitted a range of microcurrent devices to the WH Lab to find out which products warrant the buzz
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When your hair disappears on you
Whether your parting has recently become more noticeable, your ponytail is feeling lighter or you’re suddenly seeing clumps in the shower drain, there’s no need to panic. We talk to dermatologists to break down what could be behind it all – and offer solutions
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The four phases of hair growth
Each strand undergoes a years-long process of growth and rest before it ends up down the drain
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Do-today tools to manage hair loss
You can’t do much to change your genetics, age or hormones, but things aren’t entirely out of your control
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What causes hair loss?
The list is lengthy and complicated, but these are four of the most common culprits, according to experts
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Products to try at home
Pick up one (or several) of these to keep your locks lush
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Treatments that truly work
While it’s always best to see a GP in the first instance if you’re worried about hair loss, there are steps you can take to manage it on your own
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The promises and pitfalls of other people’s health habits
Whether yours is a ‘Huberman Husband’ or an ‘Almond Mom’, it’s become commonplace to eye-roll at archetypal adherents to rigid, rules-based health routines. But what is the enduring appeal of painstakingly prescriptive protocols? And how can you protect your own health values when loved ones push theirs?
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How to swap rules for values
Lynsey Romo, associate professor in the Department of Communication at North Carolina State University, researches communication strategies behind health stigmas and healthy habits. Here, she explains how to tune into your health values – then use them to guide your choices
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Does your period tracking app pose a threat to your reproductive rights?
Feeding blush-coloured apps reams of your menstrual health data, enabling you to keep tabs on your cycle or pregnancy plan, is something many of us do without thinking. But as UK police are revealed to be requesting data to investigate women suspected of illegal abortions, WH investigates if inviting Big Data into your menstrual cycle management is really worth the risk
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The new rules of intimate data protection
Experts share best practice for keeping your very personal information as safe as possible
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So, you’re ready to change your life?
We talked to three experts who work with women who want to alter something in their life. Here are the most effective (and doable) methods that truly work for the long haul
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‘MY LATER-LIFE FITNESS JOURNEY IS TESTAMENT TO THE POWER OF PERSEVERANCE’
Marlene Flowers first set foot in a gym when she was 62. At 65, she began competing in bodybuilding contests
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‘TRIATHLON TRAINING HELPS ME AMID THE STRESS OF LIVING – AND PARENTING – IN UKRAINE’
From exhausted mother of two to triathlete who trains in a war zone and competes around the world, Juliya Azzopardi Mazur credits sport with helping her find positivity
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‘I TAPPED INTO MY UNIQUE POTENTIAL ONCE I DECIDED TO BE A ROLE MODEL FOR DISABLED CHILDREN’
Andraéa LaVant is a disability consultant and advocate, and was the first Black disabled woman to go down the Oscars’ red carpet. As she worked to transform the world around her, she also went through her own (major) mindset shift
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‘IN EXPLORING WHO I WAS, BEYOND THE ROLE OF A MOTHER, I DISCOVERED UNTAPPED POTENTIAL’
Soon after Jenn Drummond, a former stay-at-home mum and author of BreakProof, survived a near-fatal accident, she decided it was time to live in a bigger, more epic way for herself – and for her family
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Spa, spa away…
Like a good fairy tale, a great spa has the power to transport you to another land. Check in to one of these spa hotels – and check out from the world for a while
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Gemma A tkinson
The broadcaster and host of the podcast The Overshare, on adjusting to life as a mum of two and the government policy that could transform postpartum recovery for UK mothers