Collagen has quickly become one of the most talked-about and sought-after supplements for women, along with creatine. Brands that sell it promise everything from improved skin and hair to muscle mass.

While collagen is an essential protein in the body, acting like glue for the skin, muscles, tendons, bones, and ligaments, giving them elasticity and resilience, up until recently, the evidence on taking collagen supplements has been limited.

A new umbrella review, published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum, has brought together evidence from 16 systematic reviews, 113 randomised controlled trials and almost 8,000 people to try and change this.

What are the benefits of collagen?

The team from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge examined how collagen intake affects all of our major health areas, taking into account dose and duration of supplementation among participants. The two areas they found the greatest improvements in were skin health and osteoarthritis outcomes, with few reliable results in other areas.

Skin health

Many women take collagen to help improve their skin health as they age. The good news is that the ARU team found that those who took collagen for longer periods experienced greater improvements in skin hydration and elasticity.

However, it didn’t find collagen to be beneficial for improving skin roughness or texture.

Osteoarthritis symptoms

The other area where the most benefits were observed was in the joint health of people with osteoarthritis.

The review found that longer supplementation was associated with reduced pain and stiffness, and the authors say collagen offers a strong alternative to more medicalised joint disease treatments.

There were also improvements in the muscle mass, muscle structure, and tendon structure of participants who took collagen, although these were not dramatic.

Healthy ageing

While the benefits of collagen for skin health and osteoarthritis were most obvious, together, they make a case for collagen as a good supplement for boosting longevity.

Lee Smith, Professor of Public Health at ARU and co-author of the study, says: "This study brings together the strongest evidence to date on collagen supplementation.

"Collagen is not a cure-all, but it does have credible benefits when used consistently over time, particularly for skin and osteoarthritis. Our findings show clear benefits in key areas of healthy ageing, while also dispelling some of the myths surrounding its use," he said.

"This study marks an important step towards more informed public guidance and better-designed future research. We need more high-quality clinical trials, including research examining long-term health outcomes, optimal dosing and differences between collagen sources."

What doesn't collagen help with?

Oral health

Some people believe taking collagen is beneficial for oral health as it acts as structural support for the jawbone, gums, and ligaments in the mouth. However, the team did not find any convincing evidence that collagen lowers the risk of gum disease or boosts the chance of a positive outcome after cosmetic dentistry.

Metabolic health

Collagen is a source of protein, so some people point to supplementation as a way to manage blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity and improve satiety. However, the team also looked at markers for this, such as cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, and found very mixed results.

Exercise performance

Sports nutrition brands have added collagen into their supplement line-up in recent years. It makes sense, given the reported benefits for musculoskeletal health. However, “despite widespread marketing claims aimed at athletes and fitness enthusiasts”, the study found “little evidence that collagen improves exercise performance or recovery”.

The researchers found “no meaningful benefits for post-exercise muscle recovery, muscle soreness, or the mechanical properties of tendons”.

Collagen production starts to slow down in our mid-20s. We can start to see the impact from our 30s onwards, as the decrease in oestrogen during perimenopause contributes to further collagen loss in our late 40s and 50s. This is why collagen supplements are popular.

Signs of collagen loss include brittle hair and nails, fine lines on your face and sagging skin. It can also impact your flexibility and cause pain in your joints and tendons.

The review didn’t go into detail on the specifics of bovine, vegan, or marine collagen supplements, but it’s one of the most comprehensive studies of collagen so far.

The internet was abuzz with a new study last week. A maximum of two hours of strength training every week was linked to better longevity, with a 19% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 27% lower risk of death related to a neurological disease, such as dementia.

Experts used data from three studies to see how weekly resistance training and aerobic exercise impacted the health of 147,374 people over 30 years. The participants, with an average age of 54, were asked to record how much of each exercise they did per week.

The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that effects were even more significant when aerobic exercise was added, and there was no observed benefit among people who did more than 120 minutes of strength training a week.

It sounds simple enough, but if you're new to strength training, where do you start to fill this prescription for a potentially longer life? "I think one of the biggest barriers is the idea that strength training only counts if it means a full workout, several times a week, with lots of equipment or a gym membership," says Kate Rowe-Ham, a personal trainer specialising in women's fitness and the founder of Owning Your Menopause. "For many women, that thought alone is enough to make it feel unmanageable. But actually, it doesn’t have to look like that at all."

What counts as strength training?

In the study, the researchers valued workouts that included press-ups, squats, and lunges, completed with weights or as bodyweight exercises. But, essentially, any form of exercise where the muscles work against a resistance counts as strength training.

Resistance can "come from weights, machines, resistance bands, bodyweight, water resistance, or loaded daily tasks such as carrying shopping or climbing stairs," says Matt Molloy, a chartered physiotherapist and sports scientist working with Les Mills.

"The key point is the stimulus, not the equipment," he explains. "Are the muscles being challenged? Are the major muscle groups involved? Can the exercise be progressed over time? If yes, then it can count as strength training."

The two hours don't have to be in dedicated sessions, adds Kate. You can divide your time up into 10-minute workouts if needed. "It might mean doing a few simple movements while dinner is cooking, before you get in the shower, or in a spare pocket of time at the weekend," she says.

As for aerobic exercise for extra benefits, the study recorded this as brisk walking, running, jogging, swimming, cycling, tennis, squash, strenuous outdoor work and stair climbing.

2-hour strength training routines to try

3 x 40-minute sessions

Ideally, strength training should be divided into three workouts per week, lasting for 40 minutes, says Kate. "I would break this down into an upper-body workout, a lower-body workout (with quadriceps and glute exercises) and a full-body workout so you can factor in rest days, in case you have any soreness."

If you want to structure your own session, PT Kate recommends "including all seven functional patterns of movement" in your workouts.

Here's what that includes:

• Squat: Any type of squat will be a good compound exercise, targeting muscles like the quadriceps and glutes.
• Lunge: A walking lunge is good if you've got the space, but otherwise, a regular lunge is a great single-leg exercise for boosting balance along with strength.
• Hinge: This will typically be a deadlift, a Romanian deadlift, or a hip thrust, which can be done in the gym or at home with weights.
• Push: Think press-ups, chest press, or overhead shoulder press for the upper body, and a leg press exercise on the machine for the lower body.
• Pull: This could be pull-ups with a resistance band, lat pull-downs on the machine, or a bent-over row.
• Rotate: Think core exercises like Russian twists and variations of the plank.
• Carry: This could be a farmer's carry, for example, which uses kettlebells or dumbbells.

These are what's known as compound exercises, says Matt. "They give you more benefit for the time you invest. They train several muscle groups at once and build strength in movements we use every day, such as standing, lifting, carrying, climbing stairs and controlling posture."

Exercise snacking

If three dedicated sessions aren't possible for you, try four lots of 30 minutes, six lots of 20 minutes, or "12 lots of 10 minutes on an extra-busy week", says Kate.

I've done this before by setting my fitness tracker to ping every few hours (three times a day) when I'm at home in the evening on two working days and over the weekend. That's 12 sessions of 10 minutes across four days.

When my Garmin watch pings, I know it's time to pull out my weights and do a 10-minute weighted workout. It may not seem like a lot, but by the end of the week, I can truly feel the benefit.

"The encouraging thing is that the research suggests that even relatively modest amounts of muscle-strengthening activity seem to matter. So the message is not that women need to hit some perfect target straight away. It’s that doing something is far better than doing nothing, and small amounts still count," says Kate.

Wear a weighted vest

A weighted vest, as the name suggests, is a pull-on weight that is worn like a jacket. While you'll still need to do some work, simply wearing one of these "increases the load and makes movements more demanding," explains Kate. It's a hands-free approach to strength training if you walk with a weighted vest.

"I wouldn’t want women to think they can wear one while doing chores and tick off strength training," says Kate. "But if you're wearing a weighted vest while doing squats, lunges, step-ups, push-ups, or walking, then it can be a useful addition."

As a huge Spice Girl fan, when I got an email inviting me to meet the one and only Mel B I couldn’t say no.

While I was a little dubious upon reading the details and discovering it included partaking in a Zumba class - I have absolutely no rhythm and Mel is a trained dancer - all my worries were brushed aside when the music started. “That’s why Zumba is so great,” the singer tells me when I explained my initial anticipation.

Here, the star, who made an appearance at SXSW’s Zumba House, reveals all about her wellness routine, including having a menopause group chat with the other Spice Girls…

Get moving

“I love it so much, because it’s not so strict. When I was training as a dancer, it was very conformed. If you did a ballet step wrong, it was very constricted to how you move. Whereas Zumba, to me, as long as you know the basic sidestep, you can just do your own thing all over it, which is very, very freeing.”

She adds, “You can add in your own spice to Zumba and there’s something really fun about dancing with a group of other people. It’s infectious!”

As someone who has been open about her mental health struggles - particularly following her divorce from ex Stephen Belafonte, who she says was “abusive” but is something he strongly denies - Mel says that is “really important to move.” The star, 51, explains, “Moving makes you feel so much better. And I don't think we put enough emphasis on that.”

She adds, “Also, because what do we do? We sit down for work, we sit down and eat. We sit down and watch TV. Who wants to be a couch potato?”

But, Zumba isn’t the only way she keeps fit. In recent years the mum-of-three has focused on strength training. “I turned 51 this year and from the age of about 35, you start losing all your collagen and your bone density.”

“So I've been trying to do my version of weights. I walk around my farm with a weighted vest,” she shares, adding, “To go into a gym and weight lift is daunting, but I can lift one of my Rottweilers up and I can find ways that are doable.”

Mel adds that she’s also “constantly moving,” walking her beloved three dogs, two of which join us during our chat, and tending to her farm.

She makes it clear that getting your body moving “doesn’t have to cost much,” either. “If you’re going to the park or meeting for coffee, instead of taking the car, you take your bike or you speed walk there. I love speed walking. It looks hilarious but I love it.”

Healthy habits

And her wellness habits extend beyond exercise. “Me and my husband just put a little spa in our house. I have a LED red SunShower, a Himalayan salt sauna and an ice bath outside, which I love doing.”

Explaining the benefits, Mel, who tied the knot to hairdresser Rory McPhee last year, shares, “It’s what it does to your nervous system, which is really good for women that have suffered from trauma. It's really good just to reset your body.”

She adds, “The maximum you're meant to stay in over a week is 12 minutes, so I do three minutes every other day.”

The star also starts every day with “one hour of self raki” before Rory brings her a coffee. “The morning that he doesn't get me a coffee, I'm gonna have a breakdown because he’s set the standard now,” she laughs.

Crazy for collagen

Collagen is also a non-negotiable for Mel. So much so that she’s an ambassador for Revive Collagen. “It came at such a magical time because I was just figuring out if I wanted to try HRT.”

“I’m in a group chat with all the other Spice Girls and we're all hormonal, talking about symptoms, saying ‘I don't know if it's peri, I don't know if it's full menopause.’ So I wanted to try and see if something would help.”

Mel continues, “I take the Menopause Max in the morning and then I'd take a Menopause Beauty Sleep one at nighttime. Between the hot sweats and the brain fog and the insomnia, that just kind of levelled me out.”

“The good thing about Revive is you can take it alongside HRT too and it's just a little sachet so it’s easy to take. Not only does it taste good, it’s the highest, most potent one on the market so it really gets into your system.”

Beauty staples

When it comes to beauty, Mel admits, “I'm a gadget girl.”

Her go-tos? “I've got an LED mask, my own Dermabrasion [device]. I'm like, ‘let me just see if the wave is real,’ when somebody goes, ‘oh, this is the must-have thing,’ I let it fade and then if people are still talking about it I’ll try it.”

And, of course, she’s a huge fan of fellow Spice Girl Victoria Beckham’s eponymous beauty brand. “Victoria always sends me stuff [her products]. I always say to her, ‘make sure you make shades for my colour people,’” she reveals.

Sharing her parting beauty and wellness advice, Mel concludes, “Look after your skin and drink water. It all starts with the basics… It really is that simple. Drink water, move, eat vegetables and wash make-up off your face every night.”

Mel spoke to woman&home at SXSW’s Zumba House

If you spend days at a desk or most of your time sitting down, you might be familiar with the niggle that starts to emerge at the top of the spine at the end of the day. While a quick walking workout or a desk exercise fires up the brain cells and gets the blood pumping, it does little to shake out this point of tension.

Research by Slouch found that almost two in five of those aged 45-54 report neck pain and tightness (38%) compared to younger generations.

Osteopath Nadia Alibhai, founder and director at Back 2 Wellbeing, says that an “accumulation” of habits affecting the muscles and ligaments in our bodies is the cause of the issue for women at this age. Some people might “notice a persistent tightness in the neck, a heaviness in the shoulders or a stiffness in the body that lingers even after movement and exercise”, she explains.

We’ve all woken up with a stiff neck after sleeping at an odd angle, but persistent or regular neck pain might cause other problems. “More obvious signs of strain include feeling restricted when moving, such as struggling to raise your arms freely or being less able to look over your shoulders,” explains Nadia. “These are all the body's cues telling you that it’s been adapting to positions for a little too long.”

Nadia has an easy exercise we can all do to help reduce neck pain. Here's how to do it:

• Place one hand behind your head, push your head back and tuck your chin in to form a double chin.
• You should feel the muscles at the back of your neck. Those are the trapezius.
• By doing this simple exercise regularly, you will start to strengthen and correct these muscles.
• Remember not to lead with your head in everyday movement too. Always keep your chin tucked.

As with all aches and pains in the body, the key is finding out the cause to avoid exacerbating it. Our daily habits can strain our bodies, and if we repeatedly create tension and don't release it through stretching or mobility exercise, it will only get worse.

Nadia says: “Your head weighs around four to five kilos, so every time it is put forward, there’s more strain going through your neck. When your head is stacked over your spine, however, it isn’t straining as much. To reverse this, it depends on how long you’ve been holding this strain for and when the symptoms started. If it is a postural habit, stretching and keeping your chin tucked can help. Focusing on a dynamic posture, where you’re moving regularly, is key.”

Other ways to reduce neck pain

• Check your pillow: Make sure your pillow is low and firm and that your neck is in line with your spine when sleeping. Sleeping on your back or side can also prevent neck pain.
• Adjust your screen: If you’re spending a lot of time looking down at a computer screen, you could try switching to a sit-stand desk. Here, your eyes can be level with the screen. If this isn’t possible, make sure your screen is at a suitable height to avoid looking down.
• Take regular breaks: Movement breaks are great for your body and brain. Stretching your upper body muscles away from your desk can help.
• Hot and cold therapy: Alternating between an ice pack and a heating pad on your neck can release tense muscles, but always check in with a professional if you haven't done this before.

At 53 Gabby Logan feels and looks amazing - and she isn’t letting the menopause slow her down. Ahead of a busy Summer of sport presenting the BBC’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup, the presenter chatted exclusively to woman&home, revealing her daily wellness habits and “non-negotiables” that help her stay balanced during hectic schedules, travel and everyday life.

Thankfully Gabby tells us that her menopause experience hasn’t been too challenging and while she’s had “some symptoms,” luckily there was nothing that was “too debilitating” or impacted her ability to work.

This is partly down to the measures she’s put in place. “I feel that I’ve learned a lot about my body and what makes it work well and better in this period of life,” she says, explaining, “So, the way I exercise, the way I eat and the supplements that I use.”

Gabby Logan on Keeping active

As a former international gymnast, sport has always played a “huge part” in Gabby’s life and even amidst her busy schedule, the mum-of-two maintains that it’s “Important to keep your body moving.”

So, what exercise does she focus on? “I like to do Pilates to keep me flexible and strong,” she shares.

“Weightlifting or weight bearing exercises are so important for women in midlife,” the Match of the Day star adds. And she notes that you don’t need to fork out on equipment or dumbbells. “ You can use your own body weight as well, so it doesn't have to be expensive.”

She adds that looking after your cardiac health should also be prioritised. “Cardiac diseases are still the biggest killer for women in this country of a certain age, so we do need to look after our hearts as well as thinking about muscular health.”Gabby adds that aerobic and cardio exercises help with this and are “really important,” reassuring fans “it’s never too late to start.’

Relatably she admits, “Some days I’ll have time for a proper workout, other days I won’t,” but says “I’ve learned that doing something always feels better than doing nothing, even if it’s only ten minutes.”

Therefore, the star “always keeps a resistance band on me”, explaining, “It’s a useful reminder that no matter where I am, I can, and must, get it done.”

Taking super supplements

The broadcaster, who is an ambassador for Vitabiotic’s Menopace range, reveals that supplements “in particular” have been good for helping her “get in some of the things that I’ve noticed I need a bit more of in midlife.”

And her “non-negotiable” that she takes every day is the brand’s Menopace Max, which includes Vitamin B6 to support the regulation of hormonal activity alongside Vitamin B12 and Iron help with normal energy release.

It also contains Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin D for the maintenance of normal bones - something that is especially important during the menopause due to the declining levels of Oestrogen.

As if that wasn’t enough, it also includes Zinc to support normal skin and hair in addition to Vitamin C to aid the normal function of the immune system.

"Taking supplements are small but meaningful changes that make a difference on how you feel both inside and out," Gabby tells fans.

Thoughts on eating well

When it comes to her diet, Gabby says “It's really important to eat the rainbow and have a good balance of nutrition,” revealing, “I eat quite plant-based during the week.”

And, while fibre can “tend to be forgotten about,” she notes its benefits - it aids gut health and can lower the risk of heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes to note just a few.

“You can get it from all kinds of sources. It's not a matter of just eating whole grain bread,” the presenter shares, adding, “So I try to get things like quinoa, barley, all of the legumes, pulses and things like lentils into my diet.”

Because of her career, which sees her work long hours and travel regularly, Gabby admits, “eating isn’t as structured as I’d like. To combat this and to avoid energy dips, she keeps simple, practical options with her that she can easily reach for between commitments.

“Having simple things with me like nutritious snacks, water and supplements helps me feel a bit more in control of the day,” she tells fans. And one of her favourite snacks is her homemade protein balls (see recipe below). “By carrying things like them and supplements, it means I can stay more balanced and not feel like I’m constantly running on empty.”

Balancing act

While Gabby admits the busyness of her day-to-day life is somewhat of a “balancing act,” she maintains, “I know I can do everything - being a mum, wife, and in my career - better if I'm looking after myself.”

Her concluding message to midlife women is, “It’s about taking that little bit of time to do the exercise, plan your meals, make sure you're getting as much nutrition in as you can, enough sleep and try to destress. It’s important to make those things a priority, I think it’s a holistic kind of view.”

Gabby’s go-to snack: Homemade Protein Balls

• Ingredients:
  • 1 cup ground almonds
  • 3 tbsp Sunflower seeds – a good source of vitamin B6
  • 2 tbsp Chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp grounded flaxseeds
  • 2 large tbsp Almond butter
  • 6 pitted dates chopped – a good source of potassium
  • Optional: Pinch of salt and a couple of drops of vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients until the mixture forms a sticky dough. Roll into balls and store in the fridge for up to 10 days or freeze for up to three months.

Gabby Logan is an ambassador for Vitabiotics Menopace range. For more information or to purchase any products, visit: menopace.com

We've gone beyond the multi-vitamin - now there's a supplement to improve every element of your health, reportedly. The humble gummy hasn't gone anywhere, though, and now you can get everything from vitamins to creatine in this sweet-like form that feels like more of a treat than a chore to take.

One expert who's wary of gummies is woman&home’s resident doctor, NHS GP Dr Amir Khan. Speaking to Lorraine Kelly on her ITV show, Dr Khan says many supplements now come in gummy form, including “vitamin D, vitamin K, magnesium, creatine”, and while it's always better to take your vitamins in a form you'll enjoy, gummies aren't ideal.

"The danger with gummies is that they can contain sugars and sweeteners, which is a bad thing if you have too much," he says.

He explains that their appealing flavours and colours can encourage people to eat more than they need to, putting them at risk of overdosing on the nutrient or vitamin they’re taking.

“The problem with the supplement industry as a whole is that it’s not regulated in the same way medicines are, so we don’t know exactly how much of everything is in these things. Some studies have shown that they contain 10-12 times more than the recommended dose, while some contain very little.”

Dr Khan says it's for this reason he avoids gummies, but he does take three supplements every day. While what works for one person may not work for another, and you should always consult a doctor before taking new supplements, he says these are the ones with the most science behind them.

1. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is the one supplement that experts say all adults and children in the UK should take every day, with one in six of us deficient. It’s hard to get the recommended amount through food or sunlight alone, especially in the darker months of the year.

The National Institute of Health recommends that adult women under 70 need 600IU of vitamin D daily, rising to 800IU after 70 years of age. The NHS suggests 10mg or 400IU.

However, to get the most from any source, many doctors recommend combining it with magnesium. Dr Khan has previously told woman&home that we "need magnesium as it activates the vitamin D".

"It turns it from its inactive form to an active form so it can do all of its jobs", he said last year.

Too much vitamin D can have the opposite effect, with nasty side effects like fatigue, constipation, and issues with calcium absorption.

Always check labels and seek advice from your doctor before adding any new supplement to your routine.

2. Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3s are essential fatty acids that our bodies can’t make themselves. We need to get them from our diet or via supplements. Dr Khan is such a fan as they have been shown to lower our risk of heart disease and stroke.

Foods rich in omega 3 include mackerel, salmon and sardines, but if you’re vegan or vegetarian, you can get them from flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts, rapeseed and soya beans.

If you want to take omega-3 supplements, the British Heart Foundation recommends choosing ones which contain DHA and EPA omega-3s. “Aim for roughly 450mg per day, which is the equivalent you’d get from eating the recommended amounts of fish,” the charity says.

Not everyone needs an omega-3 supplement, so always speak to your doctor before taking one.

3. Creatine

Dr Khan has previously said creatine is “a powerful ally for staying strong, independent, and sharp”, thanks to the benefits for brain health.

It's the most widely researched supplement in the world, especially for those who do regular resistance training. “The evidence shows that when you combine it with strength training, you can improve muscle strength, power, and even muscle mass, and that's not just in athletes. That's in older adults, too,” he says.

There’s also evidence that it’s good for our brains too: "It might support memory, reduce mental fatigue, and even help conditions like mild cognitive impairment," the GP says. "The evidence isn’t as strong as it is for muscles, but it's promising."

When buying creatine, look for creatine monohydrate powder. You can add this to whatever drink you choose, and it doesn’t matter when you take it. Consistency is most important.

With the rising use of GLP-1 medication, it can seem like losing weight has never been easier for those who want to. But for those who want to do it naturally, the same difficulty of keeping lost weight off remains.

There are many reasons why weight loss may plateau or stop after a while, like old lifestyle habits re-emerging and busier days not allowing time for home cooking. However, new findings have found that the simplest goals - like a quick walking workout to boost your step count - can make all the difference.

A systematic review and meta-analysis by researchers in Italy and Lebanon, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, looked at the relationship between walking and weight management. The scientists examined 18 previous trials involving overweight or obese participants who were either dieting and exercising on their own, or as part of a lifestyle modification (LSM) programme. This involved nutrition and exercise advice, including walking and reaching a certain number of daily steps.

Both groups walked around 7,200 steps at the start of the trials. A control group didn’t increase their step count or lose weight.

Researchers found that the group who followed an LSM programme and increased their daily steps to around 8,454 by the end of their weight loss journey lost an average of 4.39% of their starting weight - around 4kg.

After losing the weight, the LSM group entered the maintenance phase, with the sole aim of keeping the weight off. They kept up their step count, walking an average of 8,241 steps, keeping off most of the weight they lost, with an average weight loss of 3kg.

One of the authors of the study, Professor Marwan El Ghoch, from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy, says: "The most important - and greatest - challenge when treating obesity is preventing weight regain. Around 80% of people with overweight or obesity who initially lose weight tend to put some or all of it back on again within three to five years. The identification of a strategy that would solve this problem and help people maintain their new weight would be of huge clinical value."

There are other factors that play a role in sustainable weight loss and gain, such as a person’s diet, mental health, and lifestyle. But these results are further evidence that the simplest lifestyle habits can make all the difference.

While a 10,000-step figure is a great goal to aim for, it's largely debunked, with other studies finding that at least 7,000 steps is enough to see long-term health benefits. This study also shows that many people can do less than this and lose weight, and keep it off.

You can record your steps using a fitness tracker like an Apple Watch or Fitbit. These record your step count for the day as well as other health metrics, like your live heart rate, workout achievements, sleep quality and duration, and stress levels.

Prof Ghoch adds: "Participants should be always encouraged to increase their step count to approximately 8,500 a day during the weight loss phase and sustain this level of physical activity during the maintenance phase to help prevent them from regaining weight. Increasing the number of steps walked to 8,500 each day is a simple and affordable strategy to prevent weight regain."

How to increase your step count

• Walk from home: Walking around your home can make a huge difference to your step count. Try an indoor walking workout, pick yourself up a walking pad, and you'll find you get 10,000 steps in at home easily.
• Reduce sitting time: Need to take a phone call or a virtual meeting? Can you do it on the move? Simply walking around your local park or even your garden while distracted helps notch those steps up.
• Change your commute: If you can skip the bus to the train station and add in a short walk instead, that'll increase your step count. The same goes for taking the stairs in the office instead of the lift, and picking a lunch spot further away from your desk.
• Go for an after-dinner walk: Get your step count up and aid your digestion by going for an evening stroll now that it's lighter later in the day.
• Walk with a friend: If you find walking boring, making exercise a social activity will be a distraction, so organise a regular time for an on-the-go catch-up with a friend.

Nuts are perhaps one of the most underrated foods in our diets overall. Not only are they delicious and versatile, going just as well in a smoothie as a salad, but they are rich in fibre and protein, with plenty of additional health benefits.

It's no surprise that NHS GP and woman&home's resident doctor, Dr Amir Khan, is a fan of including all types in your diet, if you can. However, he says there is one nut that stands "heads and shoulders above the rest when it comes to health benefits," and that's the "humble walnut".

These wrinkled brown shells are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a type of fatty omega-3 acid, which is why the doctor is such a fan. He says ALAs are like "little health gems", explaining that "with each gram of ALA you eat every day, you lower your risk of dying from heart disease by 10%".

A 1oz (28g) serving of walnuts contains about 2.5g of ALA, which is a healthy amount to consume daily.

Benefits of walnuts

1. May help improve brain health

Research has shown that eating walnuts regularly can help us take care of our brains by reducing our risk, delaying the onset, and slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

A study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that mice that ate the equivalent of 1-1.5oz of walnuts per day showed significant improvements in memory, learning ability, anxiety, and motor development compared to those without walnuts in their diet.

2. Great for gut health

Walnuts are also a food to prioritise if you want to improve your gut health. A study in Nutrients examined the impact of eating walnuts daily for eight weeks. It found that an intake of 43g of walnuts every day “significantly affects the gut microbiome by enhancing probiotic- and butyric acid-producing species in healthy individuals”.

Butyric acid, or butanoic acid, is created through the fermentation of dietary fibre by gut bacteria, and it plays a significant role in our gut health.

3. May help prevent certain diseases

There isn't a food that can prevent anyone from getting cancer. However, some foods - such as walnuts - contain nutrients that have an overall positive effect on the body, which may help lower the risk very fractionally.

There is evidence that compounds found in the nut, such as ellagitannins, melatonin and gamma-tocopherol, may each work in different ways to reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, and gene expression, which are risk factors for cancer.

The flora in our gut turns ellagitannins into urolithins, which can improve our mitochondrial function and provide anti-tumour effects. Other foods high in these compounds include berries like strawberries and raspberries, and pomegranates.

4. May aid weight loss

Walnuts are very filling as they are rich in protein and fibre - two macronutrients that are slower to digest than others (like carbohydrates).

Some people may worry that their fat content and calories could lead to weight gain, but in fact, studies have shown they are positively associated with weight loss, if eaten in moderation. Almonds, Brazil nuts and cashews all have similar benefits, too.

How many walnuts should you eat?

Dr Khan recommends eating 10 to 12 walnut halves a day. You can eat them as a snack, add them to your yoghurt or porridge at breakfast, put them in a salad at lunch, or bake them into bread or muffins.

He also suggests eating them alongside blueberries, which are rich in polyphenols. These compounds help reduce stress and inflammation in the body, and have similar brain and heart benefits to walnuts. “Eating them together matters because fat improves the absorption of many beneficial plant compounds,” says Dr Khan. He says walnuts also slow digestion, so when they’re eaten with blueberries, it causes a smaller blood sugar spike than if you just ate the fruit on its own.

“There’s also a brilliant brain angle,” he adds. “Blueberries help protect brain cells from oxidative damage, while walnuts support cell membranes and communication between neurones.” Pairing these foods is a “small habit that can make a meaningful difference over time" and help improve your brain health.

This advice from Dr Amir Khan first appeared in print editions of woman&home magazine. Buy your copy here.

When Susanna Reid is presenting ITV’s Good Morning Britain, her alarm clock goes off at the brutal time of 3.35 am. For most of us, that would feel like waking up in the middle of the night. But after years of early starts, the star says it’s something she embraces as an “essential part of the job”.

Catching up on sleep is understandably a priority, but that’s not where her wellbeing focus ends. Speaking to The Sun's Fabulous magazine, the 55-year-old says she uses an Oura Ring to track her exercise and sleep habits.

"I have three alarms - 3.35 am, 3.40 am and 3.45 am - then I switch them off and get out of bed, and I’m in the car by 4 am.” This routine has been part of her working life for years now, and Susanna says there’s “something really wonderful about it - you aren’t distracted by anything else. You are completely focused”.

But of course, it’s easy to become obsessed with sleep when you don’t get enough of it. The presenter says naps are key to her getting through the rest of the day once her TV duties are over. “I nap during the day when I come home from work - I don’t sit on the sofa watching TV,” she explains. “I go to bed between 12 pm and 2 pm, and then I get up and have lunch.”

The mum-of-three says she checks her fitness tracker to make sure she’s getting a “decent chunk of sleep” at night and that her nap is added too. “I get about seven hours (in total),” she says.

When it comes to exercise, Susanna says a walk after work is essential to avoid feeling sluggish after her early starts. “I walk for two miles every day, and I do a short 10-minute workout every day too. I just go on YouTube and do it in my room before I get in the shower,” she says. “The good thing about the new [ITV Studios] building is that it gives me 2,500 extra steps every day, because there’s a longer walk between parts of the building.”

But the journalist admits that she has to motivate herself to exercise. “If you’re not that way inclined, like me, you need to reduce the obstacles," she says. "I used to go to the gym and run a lot. I would run marathons, 10ks and Park Runs, but I don’t do that anymore, so I have to keep my body moving. I am quite disciplined about that, but it is not three gym sessions a week."

She adds: “I should do that, but I don’t have the energy for it. I don’t want to criticise myself, I don’t want to beat myself up – I don’t think women should.”

Last year, in an interview with us, Susanna said she also doesn't drink alcohol very much anymore. "I have a Buck’s Fizz on Christmas Day, I had half a glass of champagne on my mum’s birthday, and I have a drink once every couple of months – including a couple in Ibiza – but I don’t have pints at the pub as I did in my 20s."

Together, it's an approach to wellness we can get behind! The star hopes it'll see her through to her 80s, the age her parents are now, and beyond.

"I love ageing. Some people see age as a significant totemic number. To me, my 50th was the day after I was 49. When you turn 50, you don’t suddenly leap forward in time. Cliff-edge numbers mean zero to me," continues Susanna. "I just think, ‘I’m here still’. Ageing is a blessing because just consider alternatives."

There are few things better than the first sip of coffee in the morning. While we might drink it to try to wake up faster and shift sluggishness, a new study has revealed that this daily breakfast habit may positively impact us well beyond lunchtime.

Scientists in America have found that drinking two to three cups of coffee a day can significantly lower your risk of developing dementia. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, followed 131,831 nurses and health professionals for over 40 years, starting from when they were in their early 40s.

Over the years, 8% of the participants developed dementia. However, those who drank moderate amounts of caffeinated coffee and tea were less likely to get the serious health condition. Those who drank more than two to three cups a day didn't have any extra protection.

The results showed a 35% drop in dementia risk among the participants who were 75 or younger and drank 250 to 300mg of caffeine a day. Researchers found that people who drank more decaffeinated coffee showed a faster memory decline, even though decaf coffee has other benefits.

They stated that this could be because people with sleep issues, high blood pressure or heart rhythm problems - all health issues linked to cognitive decline and dementia - tend to avoid caffeine.

Two to three cups a day is optimal. As many of us will have experienced before, too much caffeine can lead to poor sleep and anxiety, counteracting the benefits.

While this study was limited to American healthcare workers, a meta-analysis from 2024 of other coffee and tea studies supported its findings and the strong link between caffeine and a lower risk of dementia. While many of these studies were observational and cannot prove cause and effect, it's positive news for coffee drinkers.

How much coffee should you drink?

Caffeine content differs depending on how the coffee is brewed. The average espresso shot contains about 100mg of caffeine, so it would make sense that drinking two to three cups of coffee per day (with most barista-style coffee containing two shots) offers enough to reap the benefits.

But the benefits of coffee for improving brain health go beyond its caffeine content. Coffee contains compounds called antioxidants. These can help us take care of our brains and keep cells and blood vessels healthy by helping to lower inflammation.

It can also stimulate our nervous system by promoting the release of neurotransmitters such as noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin. This can benefit some of the brain’s functions, such as cognitive function, mood, focus and reaction time.

Studies like this one in Translational Psychiatry found that higher lifetime coffee consumption led to lower levels of toxic cerebral amyloid depositions, which are found in people who have Alzheimer’s disease or related cognitive decline. Coffee is also linked to lower heart attack and stroke risk because of the anti-inflammatory compounds it contains.

This is all good news when it comes to a habit most of us would be reluctant to give up.

It's easy to think that if you haven't started doing something in your 30s, you can't see the benefits at 50. What good does lifting weights do at 55 if you haven't already been doing it for 10 years? Plenty, says Liz Earle, entrepreneur, bestselling author, and broadcaster.

The founder of the famous beauty brand took to Instagram recently to say there were "a few things" she'd tell her 30 or 40-year-old self if she could wind the clock back, but importantly, she still feels the benefits of starting them in her 50s.

"I wish I had started strength training earlier. I didn't start until I was in my 50s, and it's made just such a difference. It's time-efficient, I can do it really quickly, I don't need any equipment, like push-ups, squats, all of that. Yes, you can add weights.

"I've just found that my shape has changed. I've got physically stronger, but I'm actually more compact, more toned," she says.

Sleep is another habit she would have prioritised. "Protect your sleep like it matters, because it does. I used to think that sleep was passive. We just flop into bed, and nothing would happen, but actually, it's a really active process," she says.

"It's crucial. It's when our immune cells are supported. Our digestion, metabolism, and weight regulation improve. And of course, the brain is clearing out stuff as well, so you wake up feeling more energised and clearer headed."

Liz says she wishes she had just moved sleep up her priority list and learned how to sleep better when she was younger.

The final point she makes is about ageing. "Stop fearing ageing," she says. "Trust me, your best years can still be ahead. I feel fitter, stronger, more sorted, wiser, happier than ever before."

In the caption of the post, she writes: "Not about career or success, but about health, energy and how to actually feel good in your body. Because the truth is, so many of the habits that support us later in life start decades earlier. The good news? It’s never too late to start."

It's true. Research in BMC Women's Health reveals that resistance training, even if you start only in your 50s, has lifelong benefits. It can help reverse the impact of menopause on the body by improving muscle mass (reducing age-related muscle loss) and bone density, warding off osteoporosis in later life.

It's also been shown to have mental benefits, with research published in Life (Basel) suggesting that lifting weights may "significantly" improve anxiety and depression symptoms in older adults, as well as improve memory retention and decision-making capabilities later in life, and overall brain health.

While many experts suggest lifting weights at least three times a week to see these benefits, studies have also found that short sessions (as little as 15 minutes, one to two times per week) can improve strength. Even five minutes has been shown to boost brain health and ward off dementia.

So, there's no such thing as too little strength training, and it's never too late to pick up healthier habits.

Actress Joanna Page has four children and a busy television career. She isn't the only star to admit that wellbeing habits, like proper sleep, diet, and exercise, have fallen by the wayside in recent years.

The 49-year-old, who presents Shift The Thift, told woman&home she wasn’t looking after herself as well as she should be, but was stretched so thin that she didn’t have time to change that. “As women, I don't think we really think about ourselves. We're trying to keep the house going, work at the same time, and look after the kids. The most we basically do is go and have a smear every three years. I think basically that is it,” she says.

It was when Joanna discovered that her insulin resistance wasn't "very good" - which can be a precursor to diabetes if left unchecked - that she knew she needed to make a change.

"I'm very much comfortable with the way that I look. I've never thought, 'oh God, I want to lose weight, or I want to be skinny'. I love the way I look, I'm really happy. I love my body, it's done me so well, I've grown and delivered 4 children, I’ve breastfed all of them," she says.

"But I wanted to get myself in shape before I became pre-diabetic. I've got to think that I've got four children, and I want to be here for as long as possible to look after them," she says.

Two of the main things she has been doing are drinking lots of water and getting better sleep. “I don't always abide by these, but I have now been trying religiously to get into bed by 9 pm and have a really good bit of sleep,” she says.

Joanna Page's wellbeing habits

1. Find moderation

Joanna says she found she struggled to enjoy food after cooking for her children. “I was basically surviving on chocolate, crisps, cake, alcohol, fizzy drinks and loads and loads of bread. Now there's nothing wrong with any of those, but in moderation,” she explains.

“You can't wake up and skip breakfast to get the kids ready for school, then come home and have a Mars bar, a can of Coke and a packet of crisps. Then have a whole massive big fry up, and then for tea a massive big spaghetti bolognese, a couple of glasses of wine and some more chocolate. And do that every single day.”

Now, she says she has three healthy meals and three healthy snacks a day. “Sometimes I'll wake up, and I'll have a full proper fry-up, and I'll really enjoy it. Other days I'll have All Bran and a bit of Greek yoghurt and fruit,” she says. "I've actually ended up eating more because I'm eating three meals and three snacks, but it’s different food."

She swapped crisps for an apple and eats salmon for lunch, chicken and broccoli, and smaller pasta portions for dinner.

2. Eat more fruit and vegetables

Along with more consistent meals and more high-protein foods, Joanna says she's eating more fruit and vegetables. It might sound simple, but she has "more energy" than before.

"I can run up and down the stairs better without being out of breath, I've got more energy to roll around on the floor with the kids and not feel like I'm gonna have a heart attack, and I just do generally feel fitter and healthier," she says.

3. Have a full-body MOT

After realising that she wasn't looking after herself, Joanna decided to have "a full-body MOT". "I thought, 'you've got to lose weight, you've got to start thinking about yourself and getting fitter'," she tells us.

"I was finding it difficult to sit down and enjoy food after I've been making stuff for the kids, and so I'd always end up grabbing something else - a bag of crisps or some chocolate. Life is so manic and hectic."

But as well as changing her sleep and eating routines, she's started making time for the important appointments as well - beyond the smear tests.

‘I was bitten on the finger by a goat the other day, and my finger went numb, and my dad was saying 'when did you have a tetanus, you need to go to the doctor,' and I said, 'I haven't got time. If I end up getting a frozen finger from a goat, I'm just gonna have to live with it cos I don't have time to deal with stuff'."

4. Find something just for yourself

It's so easy to get caught up in what your family is doing that you forget about yourself. That's why it's so important to carve out time for yourself, "even if it's an hour where you're not doing anything for anybody else", says Joanna.

"There's nothing I like better than getting into a good book and I've neglected doing that because I fall into the trap of scrolling all the time on Instagram. But I've started now getting back to reading, and I would say just getting off your phone [makes a difference]."

5. Have more sex

It's not all about cutting back. "I have now been trying religiously to get into bed by 9 pm and have a really good bit of sleep, but I would say definitely have sex," she says.

"I've got 4 kids, I should be having more sex in my life, but I'm too knackered! But I would definitely say you should have a load of sex because the older you get, if you're tense and whatever, half the time it's because you just need to go out, get pissed, have a dance, and have a really good shag. That really makes you glow."

Watch Shift The Thrift on BBC iPlayer now.

We've broken a lot of taboos in the last decade, from menopause to gut health issues. Yet something as basic as sweating, even in summer, is still seen as an embarrassing topic and something to avoid at all costs, says Katie Piper, activist, writer, and television presenter.

"There's such a temptation to have a laugh about this, but every time I get nervous or anxious, even after 16 or 17 years of public speaking, my lower back will be sweaty," she tells woman&home.

It's just "nerves and adrenaline", she says, so why is it so embarrassing?

The same goes for sweat from a workout - and Katie's gone to great lengths to stop it from getting in the way of her day in the past. "If I have to go to the gym between events, I'll get sweat patches on my workout leggings, in the groin, that gorgeous sweat patch on the back of the bum. You have to tie your jumper around your waist! And sometimes I don't have time to have a shower. I was born in the 80s, I’m a 90s baby, we used to call it a strip wash with a flannel. Before you know it, you’re in the disabled loo at John Lewis, with baby wipes, soaking wet [trying to get rid of sweat]," she says.

We spoke to Katie at an event for Dove's new product: a whole-body deodorant range of sticks, sprays, and creams in scents like raspberry and rose, and lavender and chamomile, stocked in Boots. The presenter said it was something "that could fit into my life in the way that dry shampoo does, or the way my powder does to touch up in the day".

Unlike an anti-perspirant, the deodorant doesn't stop the body from sweating. It gets rid of the sweaty odour that comes from bacteria living on the skin.

"It's not shameful, it's not embarrassing. I think people of my age will remember that Dove talked to us about real women. This is very much about confidence," says Katie.

"Sometimes in life, there are things that we can’t change about ourselves. So this isn’t about not smelling or sweating, being perfect all the time. This is a tool to feel confident. And the way I feel confident in all areas of my life is by showing up as the best version of me," she says.

"If I’m going from here to a meeting and a talk and I’m all damp and clammy - even if people don’t know that about me - I don’t feel good. It’s like wearing matching underwear! For me, this product is about showing up and bringing our best selves."

Finally! A new Fitbit. The Google Fitbit Air will be released at the end of the month. With its faceless design, textile straps, and AI integration, it's looking like a serious upgrade for those wanting a new fitness tracker. But you'll be pleased to hear, it's not a price upgrade, with the new watch sitting at under £100.

The last Fitbit model (the Charge 6) was released a couple of years ago, shortly after Google bought the brand and integrated many of its tracking features into the line of Google Pixel watches.

The Fitbit Air promises to become one of the best Fitbits by combining Google's AI know-how with the fitness-tracking legacy of Fitbit, creating a device to rival the likes of Whoop and other faceless fitness trackers for a fraction of the price.

What is the Fitbit Air?

The Fitbit Air is a screenless fitness tracker without any buttons. It records workouts, sleep, stress, and overall health markers, with all your information available in the new Google Health app.

It uses Gemini to upgrade many of the health features Fitbit users will be used to. For example, in addition to telling you how many hours you slept, you'll get an in-app Sleep Health Coach that can help improve your sleep and optimise your routine for your individual lifestyle.

Unlike similar screenless trackers (including the Whoop 5.0), the Fitbit Air does not come with a subscription to use the device. Once the six-month free trial of Google Health Premium, which comes standard for every buyer and includes advanced insights and features, is over, you will have to pay a fee to continue using it. However, you would still be able to use the tracker without this, making it a one-time payment for many people.

The Fitbit Air comes with a textile band in black, pink, blue or grey as standard. You can also buy additional bands in various other colours and materials to swap them out depending on the occasion.

What does it do?

Like any other Fitbit, you'll be able to record your workouts on the Fitbit Air by choosing certain workout modes before you get going on the app. The tracker will also automatically record a limited number of activities, including walking, running, swimming, and cycling workouts.

You'll also be able to track your sleep on the tracker, with essential insights, such as sleep stages, total sleep time, Sleep Score, and signs of restlessness. It will also automatically detect any naps (as brief as 20 minutes) to add to this sleep overview.

While the watch is low-key in design, Google has integrated Gemini into the Google Health app. Along with personalised insights into your fitness, sleep, and overall health, the AI can create adaptable plans to help you achieve your goals in these areas.

Basic sensors, such as the heart rate sensor and an accelerometer (which records speed), are on the device as usual. But, you'll also have access to a SpO2 and skin temperature sensor on the tracker, which are useful for detecting issues like early signs of sleep apnea and tracking your cycle. These are two advanced features that I'd expect to see on more premium Google watches, like the Google Pixel Watch 4, so already it's looking like value for money.

The Google Inspire 3 is the same price (at RRP) and offers these two features as well, but comes with a screen to view your stats live on your wrist at any time. However, it doesn't have any AI integration, which is a key part of the Fitbit Air.

As the tracker monitors heart rate variability and atrial fibrillation (AFib), it can also help detect various heart conditions. This should not be used as a diagnostic tool, however.

How much is the Google Fitbit Air?

The Google Fitbit Air is available direct from the Google website for £84.99 in the UK, bringing it in line with the cheapest model from the brand, the Fitbit Inspire 3.

Comparatively, the Fitbit Air is going to offer a lot more for your money. If you are considering the two or want a cheap fitness tracker, I'd recommend holding on until the end of the month when the new tracker is released.

You can also pre-order it from Amazon.

When is the Google Fitbit Air released?

The Google Fitbit Air is on sale from May 26, 2026, with earliest deliveries expected from June 8 in the UK.

The various accessories, including alternative bands, are also available from this date.

Pamela Anderson has been embracing a simpler life in recent years. She’s spoken a lot about choosing bare-faced beauty over make-up and has shown fans her rural lifestyle in Canada in a recent TV series about vegan cooking. The 58-year-old is happy to share the secrets to her healthy lifestyle that have kept her career going from strength to strength.

The star follows a healthy diet and exercise regimen, but she recently revealed that walking is one habit she has to get her through whatever life throws at her. In an interview with the website New Beauty, Pamela says: "I wake up early, write or read, wash my face, go through my Sonsie (her skincare brand) routine. I walk every morning; I have to get fresh air – no matter the weather.

She says that being out in nature "has reset me time and again - even in my hardest of times" as she finds happiness outside in the forest or on the beach.

"I put my toes in the ocean, and all is well," she says.

The actress’s Instagram account is definitely a wonderful advert for the benefits of being outside and appreciating the world around us. Photos show Pamela sniffing roses in her garden, tasting homegrown produce, and gardening.

In 2022, she told Vogue: “I’m a big self-care person, especially when you’re going through any kind of emotional time. I get a lot of massages. I’ve got a great doctor in LA who has given me this great vitamin regimen. I’m taking them and eating healthy as I’m vegan. I only eat between 10 am and 6 pm. It just makes me feel so great and energised.”

Pamela was recently spotted enjoying the great outdoors in England at an event at Soho Farmhouse in the Cotswolds. An Instagram post features photos of her cycling, frosty fields filled with horses, daisies, and the actress climbing over fences and walking through fields.

While Pamela favours nature and fresh air over gym workouts, she has also revealed that she loves Pilates, but there’s nowhere to do it near her ranch on Vancouver Island. She told Martha Stewart in a conversation for Elle USA in January 2025: “I have a little basement in my boathouse…I could put a Pilates [reformer] in there, but I’d probably get tangled up in it.”

The star has been a vegan for decades and is a vocal activist for animal rights. In 2024, Pamela released a plant-based cookbook called I Love You, based on recipes she developed at her beautiful rural home for her two sons when they left home. The book led to Pamela’s Cooking With Love, a series in which she cooked vegan meals with well-known chefs.

There are so many benefits of going outside, even for just a few minutes. Exposing our eyes to sunlight first thing in the morning can help regulate our circadian rhythm (the body's internal clock) and suppress the release of melatonin (the sleep hormone), which helps us feel energised and focused.

Nature is fuel for the soul, and getting outside regularly can help lift our mood, combat fatigue, improve digestion and boost our immune system. Studies have shown that even 15 minutes can improve our cardiovascular health by reducing our blood pressure and resting heart rate.

You don't have to go for long - even a 10-minute walking workout could make a difference, so try taking short breaks when you can or start the day with a morning walk.

While some run the London Marathon chasing personal bests and podium finishes, journalist Bryony Gordon’s eyes are on a bigger prize: raising awareness for causes close to her heart, including celebrating women’s bodies in all shapes and sizes.

This year, Bryony once again completed the 26.2-mile run wearing just her underwear. It was the third time she had done so, and her reason for doing it again feels more prescient than ever.

Appearing on Woman’s Hour, she admitted that the rise and prevalence of weight loss jabs has her feeling like "it has given us permission to analyse people's bodies again…we have forgotten what real bodies look like."

She said: "I first ran the London Marathon in just my underwear as a size 18 to 20 woman… Every time I do it, because I am known for going out there as a 15 stone woman in my bra and pants, I wobble around, and my boobs wobble around, and I get all these messages telling me, 'Your bra isn't supportive enough, that's disgusting'.

"This is what bodies look like when they move, and we've forgotten about it."

Bryony’s story is an unusual one. It was a combination of ongoing mental health troubles and a surprising royal encounter that inspired her to take those first steps into what has become an inspirational chapter.

Back in May 2016, after having written about her struggles with OCD, she was invited to the launch of Heads Together, a mental health initiative founded by Prince William, Prince Harry and Kate Middleton.

Their charity was to sponsor the London Marathon in 2017 and, when asked if she was going to take part, a spur-of-the-moment answer changed everything. She told Women's Running, "I have no idea why I said it - I couldn’t even eat a Marathon, never mind run one - but somehow I ended up saying that I’d run it. And the thing is, once you’re involved at that level, you can’t really back out!"

So she started running as a total beginner. It began slowly, with Couch to 5Ks leading to 10Ks and then, indeed, she completed the 2017 Marathon. Having found a love for it, the next year she ran it again, only this time in her underwear.

While training for the 2018 run, she realised, “All the running gear on the market is about sucking bits in, controlling, compressing, power pants or whatever.

“I wanted to let people know that anyone can do it, so when my friend Jada Sezer, who is a plus-size model, and I were training for the London Marathon 2018, we decided to do it in our underwear.”

Now, running in her underwear is second nature. “I do think there’s something very freeing about it, and I would encourage everyone to run a distance in their underwear and experience true liberation.

"You get to a certain distance, and you’re not really thinking about it anymore, I promise!”

There are still, of course, detractors. She told the outlet, “Every day, I get dozens of men putting vomit emojis on my posts.”

This doesn’t discourage her, though, and now she uses her spotlight to bring awareness to other causes. This year, she ran alongside celebrity DJ Adele Roberts, both in their underwear, in honour of the Bowel Babe Fund.

Posting a snap from the pair at the finish line, Bryony shared another inspirational message this year. “Your body isn’t embarrassing, it’s amazing. And as our queen @bowelbabe would want us to say right now: always remember to CHECK YOUR POO!”

The Bowel Babe Fund was established by the late journalist and podcaster Dame Deborah James. Deborah was diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2016 and went on to host the You, Me and the Big C podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Throughout the last years of her life, Deborah - who passed in 2022 - became a champion for raising awareness, urging people to rid themselves of embarrassment around the topic and become more aware of symptoms.

If you notice any of the following symptoms for three weeks or more, you are advised to see your GP. Per the NHS, symptoms of bowel cancer may include:

• changes in your poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
• needing to poo more or less often than usual for you
• blood in your poo, which may look red or black
• bleeding from your bottom
• often feeling like you need to poo, even if you've just been to the toilet
• tummy pain
• a lump in your tummy
• bloating
• losing weight without trying
• feeling very tired or short of breath – these are signs of anaemia, which can be caused by bowel cancer.

Every year I watch the London Marathon and feel so inspired by the thousands of people taking on such a monumental physical challenge. And think how I too would love to, one day, experience crossing the finish line. But always talk myself out of it - too old, not enough time, not fit enough etc. Until now.

Today I entered in the 2027 London Marathon ballot to be in with a chance to give it a go. And you can - and should - too! Inspired by running legend Paula Radcliffe, two-time Olympian Chris Thompson and Apple Fitness+ trainer Cory Wharton-Malcolm at an event held at Apple Brompton yesterday, I realised running can give you so much, and everyone can do it - no matter what your age or current ability.

Paula said: 'It is the loudest and the best marathon. You will make friends and you will get to that finish line a stronger person than when you started out. London adds that extra dimension - it has to be the best finish, running past Buckingham Palace and up The Mall. It doesn’t matter what the weather is doing that day, it is a phenomenal thing to visualise and work towards.'

Paula's podcast co-host Chris Thompson shared in Paula's sentiment about how special the London Marathon is. Posting on Instagram he said: 'Has everyone seen Love Actually? And they talk about the airport when you see what love is at the end - when people come through the airport and meet their loved ones. There's something I think that is equally special about the finish line of a marathon, to see everyone's faces and how happy they are, and the emotions they go through and the loved ones they get to meet after that experience.'

The ballot for the 2027 TCS London Marathon is open now until 16:00 on Friday 1 May, so you only have a few more days to get your name in and be in with a chance. It is a completely random draw, just like the National Lottery, which you will find out the outcome of by early July.

What happens if you get a place?

For UK runners, if you are offered a place you will then need to pay the £79.99 entry fee. For international runners, the fee is £225, which which includes a carbon offset fee for international travel.

What happens if you don't get a place

Dont be disheartened if you don't get a place. Last year over 1.5million people put their names into the ballot, and so the chances of you getting in are small. However, you can apply to run for a charity and fundraise for a cause close to your heart via the Run For Charity page.

Jenni Falconer made her on-screen debut over three decades ago on Blind Date. Since then, she's worked on some of TV and radio's biggest shows. The radio and television presenter turned 50 recently, and with several marathons under her belt, has pulled on her running shoes once again for today's London Marathon.

This time, she's running it to fundraise for Marie Curie. "I’m focusing fully on running the London Marathon," Jenni tells me. "I have run marathons before, and I've worked on many doing TV coverage, so I know how important the fundraising element is. Marie Curie is the headline charity, and while I can’t say that I have ever benefited personally from the incredible work they do, it doesn't mean I can't appreciate it. It’s an absolutely amazing cause, and what they do, both for palliative care and support for families, really makes a difference."

Anyone who follows Jenni on social media knows that running is a key part of the star's life, and she frequently shares her strength workouts and training insights with followers online.

"Running is incredible. You can do it in your own time, at your own pace. It also doesn't cost anything. It’s a way of life for me - to be active, get fresh air, but also de-stress. It helps me think positively. It sounds unbelievable, but it has really helped with confidence," she says.

For those looking to get into running, Jenni's advice is worth hearing:

• Focus on yourself: "Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, just give it a go. Take it one step at a time and be proud that you’ve risen to the challenge of beginning," she says.
• Try not to feel self-conscious: "I remember my first run. I wore the biggest oversized tracksuit. I was worried about being seen sweaty and looking like a tomato, but people don’t care. Focus on the run, and you’ll soon forget what you look like," she says.
• Sort out your kit: "Once you've got your trainers and your sports bra, you're good to go," she says. If you don't have either of these, a gait analysis test can help you choose a pair of running shoes, and a high-impact sports bra is best for this kind of exercise.
• Prioritise full-body health: "I really try to look after my body, drinking lots of water. I also have a good, balanced diet and take creatine."
• Get enough sleep: Though Jenni says she finds sleep "tricky" thanks to her 4 am wake-up call, she prioritises rest in her weekly routine for running and daily life.

While there are millions of runners over 50, and women are breaking records in this age group more than ever before, there's certainly scepticism about running as a beginner at this age.

But Jenni says this is what's inspired her and given her confidence in recent years. "One of the greatest things for me is the fact that you start to not care about things like comparing yourself to others. You learn to focus on yourself, your own challenges and your own goals," she says.

"Obviously, you get more aches and pains, and now, while I used to work out mainly for vanity, it is about longevity. I want to be as active and fit as possible so I can spend time with my family and friends, enjoy work and just keep doing what I do."

Support Marie Curie's 2026 TCS London Marathon runners by donating today and help give thousands of families the expert end of life care they deserve; mariecurie.org.uk

Inspired by watching her father run the London Marathon in 1985, aged 12, Paula Radcliffe went on to become the most celebrated British female runner. Having won the London Marathon three times and held the women’s world marathon record for 16 years, there is little she doesn’t know about this race.

Set to be a record-breaker for the number of participants, the London Marathon is expected to see almost 60,000 people take part.

Here Paula has some expert insider tips, which she shared during a live recording of her Paula's Run Club at Apple Brompton Road, where she was joined by her co-host two-time Olympian Chris Thompson and Apple Fitness+ trainer and London running community figure Cory Wharton-Malcolm - if you're running, you're going to want to read them...

Nothing new

'Please don't anyone do anything new for the marathon. Nothing. You want to have done at least a half hour run in what you are wearing tomorrow - if it’s good, you’re fine with that. You have to have done that. That is the best advice going into the marathon tomorrow.'

Look for the red telephone box

'What I really love on this course is the red telephone box, which means a mile to go. It’s really hard to see now because the crowds are so big. In 2015, when I ran it there was someone sitting on top of it, which really helped to pick it out. When you go past that, you know it’s a mile to go, so I was desperately looking for that the first time I ran the London Marathon and have every time since.'

Trust your body

‘Trust your body is the key. We’ve all done those long runs in training, we kind of know what it felt like to half way in those runs, try to tap into that and just keep a lid on it. The nerves and the excitement is there and everything wants to go off really quickly. Just keep that bottled up, and that energy will come out and you can really use that in the closing stages. Really feed off the crowd and pour it into the last 10K or so, and you can really finish and make it enjoyable over that last final bit.'

Don't look for niggles

'How many people have had a niggle going into a marathon, and after 5 miles you’ve forgotten about it? The marathon is the best pain killer in the world, it’s the best pain causer by the end too, but the endorphins that will be released just by being a part of that will help you get through.

'Gerard Hartman, my physio, said ‘when I was worrying about my knee injury and I was coming into the race in 2002, I was thinking ‘what if it bothers me’? And he said ‘do not go looking for it - it will come and tell you if it’s really bad’. So you don’t need to go checking in with it every mile to see if it’s alright, if it’s really bad, it’s going to be loud enough to let you know it’s there. Otherwise, forget about it.'

Paula's podcast co-host Chris Thomas added: "Adrenaline is a big thing, but it’s that distraction of the environment that you’re in and the runners next to you.'

Break the race up

'Breaking this course down into sections really helps. I break it down into eighths ,and then quarters and then thirds, and just try and get a little bit closer to halfway. And from halfway it definitely gets easier. The key is remembering that halfway is a good way past 13 miles. You can say ‘I’m looking forward to getting to Cutty Sark’.

'When you come over Tower Bridge, that’s a really big psychological marker - it’s ticked off that half way point.'

Put your name on your bib

During the podcast, Thomas suggested an easy way to get a bit more support.

'Write your name on your bib so that people can cheer your name - it does mean a lot. As elite athletes we get our names as well as numbers, which is something we take for granted, but it’s something special about someone shouting your name who you have not met before. And people cheering want to be able to make it personal, they want to be able to stamp that personalisation on that cheer squad. So give them that so they can make that connection stronger.'

Enjoy the party

'Please remember that nerves and excitement are very close together, and you need both. If you are nervous, it's totally normal - try to keep it on the excited more than scared side. But it’s a sign it’s important, you’ve put a lot of work into it. I repeat this a lot, but have a party.

'You’ve done all the hard work, you’ve done all the prep - this is the party and this is the fun bit and it is a privilege. And for those of you doing it for the first time, you have a big treat waiting for you out there. And all of those difficult spots will be made so much easier by the London crowd. It is something very unique and very special from the crowd around you and the race.

'Whatever you do, really bottle and remember that last 500 metres because it is an experience to remember. Huge good luck to everybody out there - make it your own, own it, back yourself!'

Those who want to pull on their running shoes and start after a certain age are often met with scepticism, in the form of an assumption and a question: running is bad for your knees - are you sure you don't want to do something else?

As well-meaning as it might be, it put a damper on even the most dedicated new runner's ambitions.

Sophie Raworth, 57, has completed several marathons (including all World Major Marathons) and ultra-marathons (including the infamous Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert) in the last few years, since she took up running at 42. Even she hasn't managed to avoid this concern.

“So many people have said to me, ‘What about your knees?’” Sophie tells me in an exclusive interview with woman&home, where we spoke about her running journey as a whole and how she regained her confidence after an injury.

The topic of running and knee health is one Sophie addresses head-on in her book, Running on Air: From BBC Headlines to Life-Changing Finish Lines, as she draws on research done by Professor Alister Hart, an orthopaedic surgeon she met in 2020. As a hip replacement specialist, Dr Hart has been carrying out research in this area for six years. He is also especially interested in the impact of running on middle-aged runners and how exercise can help prevent osteoporosis.

In the book, Sophie flags a study using the MRI scans of 81 first-time marathon runners in their forties, six months before the 2017 London Marathon and again two weeks after the event. Half of the runners were scanned again six months later.

There was no deterioration in joints, and the bones of some runners had improved, with positive changes in the bone marrow and cartilage seen for at least six months after the marathon.

“Changes in the bone marrow that had been seen on the first scans, often a sign of pre-arthritis, had completely vanished,” Sophie tells me of the study results.

“There are people who can't run, especially if they have existing injuries, but generally speaking, impact sports are good for your bones. Motion is lotion, [Dr Hart] keeps telling me, use it or lose it," she says.

"The more a joint is used, the stronger it makes the bone and muscle around it. I hope that keeps me going for the next couple of decades because I want to keep running in my seventies like Jacquie Millet, whom I write about in the book. She began running when she was 57 and has completed so many marathons. She is extraordinary," she says.

Sophie Raworth puts her injury, a "rare kind of stress fracture", down to overtraining while wearing carbon-plated running shoes, a particularly rigid type of trainer designed for speed.

“I had experienced minor injuries with tendons or muscles before, but I could cycle while I recovered. With this bone injury, a stress fracture, I couldn’t do anything. Using crutches and getting the tube to work every day became my daily challenge.”

Her experience was mentally taxing but ultimately temporary. “You have to believe it will be all right at the end, which thankfully it was,” says Sophie, who returned to race running last year and completed the Sydney Marathon in under four hours.

“I am more relaxed about my running since the injury. I'm not trying to break any records. I just love being out there and being able to do it. That matters to me more than anything.”

When it comes to losing weight, it's often the simplest advice that sticks and has the most noticeable benefits for our long-term health. For example, switching to the Mediterranean diet or the Nordic diet, or eating fewer ultra-processed foods.

While there's nothing new about intermittent fasting, a study has examined how meal timing affects body mass index (BMI). Researchers, led by a team from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Spain, analysed diet and weight data from 7,074 people aged 40 to 65 from 2018 to 2023.

They found that people (especially pre-menopausal women) who ate breakfast earlier in the day and had an early dinner showed lower BMI scores after five years.

Extending the time between the last meal of the day and the first of the next day helps people maintain a healthy weight. The experts say this is because eating earlier in the day follows our circadian rhythm (the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle), which allows for more efficient calorie burning and appetite regulation.

The study, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, also found that skipping breakfast or having a later breakfast, certain sleep patterns, and whether participants ate between these two meals were linked to a higher BMI in both men and women.

Sleep is often flagged as a key contributor to weight loss. Without enough good core sleep, ghrelin (a hunger hormone) rises and leptin (a hormone that tells us we're full) lowers, which can make us feel hungrier. Eating between meals (snacking) is also a key contributor to weight gain for some people, per another study by Leeds Beckett University.

​​"Our results, in line with other recent studies, suggest that extending the overnight fast could help maintain a healthy weight if accompanied by an early dinner and an early breakfast," says epidemiologist Luciana Pons-Muzzo of ISGlobal. They found that meal timing patterns could be related to obesity in women.

Previous studies, such as this one from the University of Catania, found that people who ate their meals within eight to 10 hours of each other were less likely to be obese, overweight and have high blood pressure.

Further research may see how a long overnight fast and an early breakfast affect the way our body stores fat, but the study from Spain shows how eating patterns affect our overall health.

"Our research is part of an emerging field of research known as chrononutrition, which focuses not only on analysing what we eat, but also the times of day and the number of times we eat," says epidemiologist Anna Palomar-Cros of ISGlobal.

"At the basis of this research is the knowledge that unusual food intake patterns can conflict with the circadian system, the set of internal clocks that regulate the cycles of night and day and the physiological processes that must accompany them."

How to plan your mealtimes

• Eat earlier in the day: Aim to have breakfast first thing in the morning if you're trying to lose weight healthily, as later meal times were associated with higher BMI.
• Have an earlier dinner: Eating earlier in the day can extend the overnight fast without leaving you feeling like you've not eaten in hours.
• Limit snacks: Eating between meals contributed to weight gain for some participants.
• Get better sleep: Having an earlier dinner may also help boost your sleep quality as you won't be trying to digest your meal while you're drifting off.

What works for one person won't work for another. If your financial situation allows, it’s worth speaking to a dietitian or nutritionist who will help you create an individualised meal plan. You should also speak to your doctor before starting a new way of eating.

“When I started running marathons at 42, I thought I was too old and that it would be a one-off. I never imagined 15 years later I would be running even further,” Sophie Raworth, now 57, tells me over video call.

Since her early 40s, Sophie has pulled on her running shoes for over 20 marathons and ultra-marathons. Her achievements include the 250km Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert, an ultramarathon from Orsières in Switzerland to Chamonix in France, and 55km through the rocky hills in Mallorca. She has also completed all six World Marathon Majors, from London to Tokyo.

For all the triumph, Sophie begins her new autobiography Running On Air: From BBC Headlines to Life-Changing Finish Lines by reliving the moment she collapsed from heat exhaustion towards the end of the 2011 London Marathon. Through sheer determination, she went on to complete the race, but it wasn't the finish she'd hoped for. “I knew I wanted to write that experience down as it is a bit of drama, but I didn’t know what chapter two was, so I didn’t write anything more for a long time,” she says.

Then, in 2024, she was diagnosed with a fracture, forcing her to quit running for a while. “I thought, I can't write a book about my love of running if I can never run again, so I only really knuckled down to write it once I knew I could,” she tells me.

The book is more than a record of races and medals. Running On Air is a personal reflection on resilience and the quiet transformation that comes from putting one foot in front of the other, on the road and in life. Like any endurance challenge, Sophie is thrilled to have completed it.

“I hadn’t seen it as a whole story before. I was just going from race to race, but I can see now how running has grounded me and given me physical and mental confidence.”

The first run is always the hardest

Sophie was not especially sporty as a child growing up in Twickenham, southwest London. At 16, she briefly took up competitive diving after being spotted in the pool, but academic pressures took over. “A-levels got in the way of training, and then I didn’t do any sport for 20 years,” she says.

Instead, Sophie focused on her career, joining the BBC in 1992. She worked behind the scenes in Manchester and then in Brussels before presenting Look North in Leeds in 1995. Two years later, she moved to national news, first on Breakfast News, and then the Six O’Clock News.

In 2006, Sophie started running as a beginner. She was 38 and had just had her second child when Brendan Foster, the former long-distance runner and founder of the Great North Run, invited her to take part in the famous half-marathon.

“I can vividly remember heading out with my husband, Richard, for a three-mile run and needing to stop at mile two to have some water,” says Sophie.

She subsequently started following a three-month training plan and running three times a week. “It is so hard when you start, but I loved the structure. You build up gradually, about 10% more every week, stay consistent and then it's race day, and the work pays off. I find it really fulfilling.”

The importance of community

After her collapse in 2011, Sophie returned to the London Marathon the following year and completed it in under 4 hours. A year later, she finished it in under 3 hours 45 minutes, which qualified her for the 2014 Boston Marathon. She has not looked back, and by her own admission, running has become something of an obsession.

It is not only the races she finds so rewarding, but the camaraderie and sense of community. “It's so welcoming and such a wonderful leveller, especially Parkrun, which you can walk, jog or run. Nobody judges you,” says Sophie.

The day before we chat, she completed a 32km training run with 12 others ahead of this year’s London Marathon. “You are chatting as you go, which is good for controlling your breath," she says.

Running's mental benefits

Long runs also offer space for reflection. "A lot of the time I run on alone. It is an escape. I’ve got a busy job with people talking in my ear while I am on air. When I’m running, it’s quiet, and I really value that," she says.

In Running On Air, Sophie writes movingly about her former BBC colleague and great friend George Alagiah and the profound impact of his death from cancer in 2023, as well as her father, who passed away last year.

As she recently revealed to her Instagram followers, he actually took the book’s cover photo.

“Running has made me more resilient, like I can cope with anything,” she says. And this mental discipline carries into her broadcasting. “When I do the news, it's always very last-minute. You might not know the top story until a minute before you go on air, but I can zone in and focus and trust it will be alright.”

It is the same skill she adopts on the race trail. “Don't look at the top of the mountain, you’ll slip on the pebbles. Just take small steps, and you'll be all right. You'll get there in the end,” she says.

Running teaches resilience

Whether you are running an ultramarathon or jogging around the park for the first time, you will ultimately tackle the self-doubt (something Sophie refers to as the ‘demons’), the voice on your shoulder telling you to take it easy, that you can’t do it.

“It is always a mental battle,” says Sophie, recalling her experience of the Marathon des Sables. “I was really scared beforehand and didn’t think I could do it, but a friend who had completed it said, ‘Just take it one day at a time. So, I did. I broke it down, and I got through it. That is a more extreme example, but the same approach applies at any level. You'll be amazed at what you can do if you just try,” says Sophie.

“We often tell ourselves we can't do something, it's easier that way, but when you do try and discover you can, it is incredibly empowering.”

Sophie mentions a friend of hers she has known for over 30 years. Inspired by Sophie’s running, she began with short runs and progressed to becoming a first-time marathon runner. “When I spoke to her a while ago, she was learning the violin and Russian. She said, 'You taught me that just by putting one foot in front of the other, I could do things I never thought possible.’ And I love that notion. Who knows where that mindset can take you.”

The importance of a well-rounded routine

For the past two years, Sophie has been incorporating resistance training into her routine, which she says has been transformative. “We can lose muscle mass as we age (around four to six pounds every decade), but we don't have to. I go to a small class where we do deadlifts and squats, things I have never done before and I really enjoy it. I wish I had started sooner,” she says.

“I feel stronger and fitter than at any other time in my life. And I think that translates to your headspace as well. You feel very grounded. It gives you resilience and infiltrates your whole life,” she says.

“Whether it is running or strength training, don’t write yourself off. Your body is so much stronger than your mind lets you believe. Just give it a go and chip away. Those small steps will take you a long way.”

Actress and Loose Women star Denise Welch is celebrating 14 years since she last had an alcoholic drink, and says there's "nothing at all" she misses about her drinking days. The 67-year-old has seen her TV and stage career go from strength to strength in the last few years, and is happily married to artist husband Lincoln Townley.

The pair met in a nightclub when they were both struggling with alcoholism. Denise says they soon realised that their relationship would be doomed if they didn’t both give up drinking alcohol. Speaking to Lorraine Kelly in 2018, she explained that Lincoln was first to go sober, but she knew that she’d “lose him” if she didn’t follow.

“Nothing is worth it [coming off the wagon] because what we have is so incredible. My marriage is the bedrock of my life. If my marriage is good, everything else works for me. Giving up alcohol didn’t cure my depression, but it stopped compounding it," she said.

On The Wright Stuff, she said that "giving up alcohol has changed my life in so many ways. Not only for me, but the ripple effect for my family”, as she admitted that relying on using alcohol to manage her mental health issues meant family life was chaotic and stressful as her sons were growing up.

Being sober "is the best thing I ever did for me and the people who love me," she said.

In an Instagram post to mark the anniversary, Denise says: “We miss absolutely nothing about our old drinking days, but we are now at a place where we can reminisce and find humour in some of our stories rather than just shame. Believe me, guilt is something we all live with, shame is something else and takes a lot of work, family support and forgiveness to come to terms with.

“At nearly 68, I'm having somewhat of a renaissance and loving every minute. I have several acting projects coming out this year, which I'm very proud of.”

The Institute of Alcohol Studies states that around one in seven women in England drink more than the weekly recommended guideline of 14 units a week, and government data shows that it's women aged between 45 and 64 who are most likely to exceed the recommendation.

“As a nation, we are drinking too much,” she says. Speaking to Elizabeth Day on her How To Fail podcast, Denise gave a few tips for people looking to cut back on drinking or quit altogether.

Have an anchor

“What you need to maintain sobriety is an anchor,” says Denise. While AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) is very popular for many people, Denise says she and Lincoln chose each other to keep them on the road to recovery.

“We were lucky that we could be each other’s anchor and go on this difficult journey together,” she writes on Instagram.

If you have someone, or an organisation, to keep you accountable and to support you, you’re more likely to be able to keep going. In the UK, Drinkline is the national helpline (0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9 am to 8 pm, weekends 11 am to 4 pm)), and you can find further support on the NHS.

Speak to your GP to get advice on alcohol dependency, as giving up immediately can be dangerous for some people.

Remember negative drinking experiences

The star says that seeing photos of herself drunk on the front pages of newspapers was a real impetus to quit drinking. She wanted her children to live "free of the worry and embarrassment that our continued lifestyle would have brought".

Last year, celebrating 13 years, Denise shared the moment she realised she had to stop drinking. "I had woken up, as often happened, with no memory of the night before.
I was in the middle of a huge theatre tour and was faced with the thought of a long car journey to Richmond and 2 shows!! Then I looked around and realised that my husband, then boyfriend, was watching me and he threw a newspaper on the bed. It was me. Papped. Leaning over the bonnet of a car shouting at someone and pointing. No recollection. The bathroom door of his flat had been pulled off its hinges and a lamp lay on the floor."

From here, she says she knew she needed to make a change. “No higher power stopped me drinking, willpower stopped me drinking,” she says.

Get to the root cause of the problem

Denise first suffered from depression after the birth of her first son, Matthew, 35 years ago. Since then, she's been open about her ongoing mental health issues and has revealed that alcohol was an unhealthy coping mechanism for her.

"With alcohol and drug addiction comes a lot of shame, because, the person I am now, I cannot believe some of the things that I did and some of the decisions I made," Denise told the BBC.

"Or did I make those decisions, or were they just the result of what was happening to me at the time?

"But I've learned to forgive myself. I was medicating a terrible, terrible illness [depression], in a way, for a short-term solution, which unfortunately then got a hold of me."

Look at your social life

Denise used to love going to nightclubs, and Lincoln used to work in one, which is why their lives were so intertwined with alcohol. Now she says their social lives are completely different. “I used to have FOMO (fear of missing out),” she tells Lorraine, “and now Lincoln and I have JOMO, which is the joy of missing out. You don’t have to have a drink to have a good time.”

Equally, she says that when the two do go to events, they have a set time to leave - and that's when "someone's told you the same story 14 times".

She told The Guardian earlier this year: “I have no desire to join in at any event on the drinking front. We can’t be around drunk people because they are the most boring people in the entire universe, and I want to smash their faces in. And I was one of them. And when you become sober, you realise how little other people have to drink before that ‘I’m going to punch you’ phase starts. And these are people that you love.”

A new study has looked at how the right combination of sleep, exercise, and nutrition can have a significant impact on our risk of serious health problems, such as heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.

The research, conducted by experts from Australia, Chile and Brazil and published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, followed more than 53,000 adults from the UK Biobank study over eight years. It found that even small changes can cause real improvements in health outcomes. These include sleeping just 11 minutes longer each night, eating 50g more vegetables every day, and adding 4.5 minutes of exercise to your daily routine. The team found that this combination of daily habits can lead to a 10% reduction in major cardiovascular events.

The experts looked at sleep and exercise data from wearable devices, and participants self-reported what they ate. Over the eight years, 2,034 major cardiovascular events were recorded among participants. However, the researchers found that even “modest differences” in the three combined habits “were associated with meaningful reductions” in risk of these events.

The researchers found that sleeping for eight to nine hours a night, doing a minimum of 42 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per day, and eating a balanced diet were associated with a 57% lower risk of major cardiovascular events, compared to people who led less healthy lifestyles.

NHS guidelines suggest you should do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity a week. Moderate exercise includes cycling, brisk walking, swimming, dancing or gardening. Vigorous exercise includes running and racket sports.

“Making even modest shifts in our daily routines is likely to have cardiovascular benefits as well as create opportunities for further changes in the long run. I would encourage people not to overlook the importance of making a small change or two to your daily routine, no matter how small they may seem,” says Dr Nicholas Koemel, the lead author and research fellow at the University of Sydney.

The paper notes that this was an observational study, so cause and effect can’t be definitely established, but it’s further proof that tiny tweaks can go a long way to protecting our health, for longer.

The reason this combination is so effective at improving our health is that the three behaviours are all so closely linked. For example, if we don’t get enough core sleep, we might make poor food decisions the next day or feel too tired to exercise. If we eat badly, it affects our energy levels, so we don’t want to move our bodies and may not sleep well. This study is unique as it looks at the bidirectional impacts they all have on each other.

How to make small changes to your health

• Diet: Putting 50g more vegetables on your plate each day isn’t hard. It could be adding a carrot, spinach or avocado to a morning smoothie or eating some raw vegetables as a mid-morning snack. Loading up your lunch and dinner plate with extra vegetables will help boost your fibre and nutrient intake, improve your gut health, and give you energy for the day.
• Exercise: If you’re busy and don’t have time in your day to do more exercise, you could focus on increasing your step count instead. This could involve walking to the station instead of taking a bus, going for a lunchtime stroll around the block or walking on a walking pad at home. The minutes will easily start to add up, and this is great for your cardiovascular and mental health.
• Sleep: Going to bed and waking up at the same time every time is a key way to ensure you improve your sleep habits and don’t feel overtired the next day. Try to avoid using your phone in bed, and wind down with a book or do some breathing exercises.

The world of supplements is a confusing one - which ones do we really need to take? Vitamin D is the first that springs to mind for many, with winter just behind us. Vitamin C, with seasonal sniffles still lingering, and zinc to shorten a cold, are the other two.

Dr Amir Khan is an NHS GP who first appeared on TV on GPs: Behind Closed Doors. He's also the resident doctor on ITV's Lorraine and Good Morning Britain, and woman&home's in-house expert. He told us in an exclusive interview that there's another supplement worth considering if you're struggling to sleep, dealing with menopause symptoms, or experiencing high levels of stress.

"If there's one supplement I have recently begun recommending (after checking it's safe for the patient), it's magnesium. And honestly, it's wildly underrated," he told us.

"Magnesium is involved in over 300 processes in the body, but many women don't get enough through diet alone. Low magnesium can show up as poor sleep, anxiety, twitchy muscles, headaches, constipation, period cramps, and even sugar cravings."

What are the benefits of magnesium?

"For stressed, busy, sleep-deprived women, magnesium can be a game-changer. It supports a huge number of things," says the doctor.

These are the main benefits:

1. Improved sleep quality

Magnesium helps the brain wind down, improving sleep quality, especially in those with existing sleep problems and magnesium deficiencies.

Research published in Nature and Science of Sleep found that magnesium can reduce the time it takes to fall asleep (by 17 minutes), increase sleep duration, and improve sleep efficiency by increasing melatonin production, the hormone needed to drift off.

Another study showed it's particularly beneficial for older adults. Taking 500mg of magnesium daily for eight weeks significantly reduced the time to fall asleep.

2. Lowers stress levels

The supplement can also help calm the nervous system, says the doctor, helping to regulate our stress levels.

Cortisol is the body's main stress hormone. We need it for vital bodily processes, but too much of it (caused by stress) can cause headaches, heart palpitations, and fatigue in the short term.

A study by the University of Groningen over 24 weeks found that participants who took magnesium saw a decrease in cortisol levels, as the mineral works on the HPA axis, the body's stress management system.

3. Eases muscle discomfort

"It's great for restless legs and cramps," he notes, as magnesium helps regulate calcium in the body. Calcium helps muscles relax, reducing spasms and tightness.

If you exercise regularly, you could really benefit, as magnesium helps get rid of lactic acid buildup and reduce inflammation, helping you recover faster post-workout.

4. Menopause symptoms

If you experience hormone symptoms from PMS or menopause, and particularly menopausal anxiety, magnesium can be very helpful, he says.

It helps lower cortisol levels, improve sleep, and increase levels of a brain chemical called GABA, which helps with relaxation.

What is the best type of magnesium?

The best forms are magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate (for those prone to constipation), he says, but "avoid the cheap 'oxide' form as it doesn't absorb well".

What foods contain magnesium?

Not keen on supplements? The doctor says you can add more magnesium-rich foods to your diet, such as:

• Dark leafy greens
• Pumpkin seeds
• Almonds
• Beans
• Dark chocolate
• Wholegrains

"It's not a miracle cure but it's something almost every woman benefits from, and it's gentle, safe for most, and effective when taken consistently," he says.

"Do always check with your GP or pharmacist if you're on medication, but for many women, it's the missing piece of the puzzle."

Whether it's taking up running for the first time or going to the gym, we're often told that you have to start early in life to reap the benefits. It can feel like you've missed the boat if you only take up strength training or walking workouts in your 40s.

Exercising in your 20s and 30s does naturally offer benefits that can follow you throughout life, from improved muscle mass to cardiovascular health, but research suggests it's never too late to start exercising to take care of your brain.

Researchers from Boston University found that participants who were most active in 'midlife' (45 to 64) had a lower risk of developing dementia by as much as 41%. Those who were most active after 65 had a 45% lower risk of dementia, compared to those who were least active. There was no association between exercise in early adult life (26 to 44) and a lower risk of dementia.

The researchers looked at 1526 early adult–life, 1943 midlife, and 855 late-life participants who had taken part in the Framingham Heart Study, research spanning over 70 years.

Exercise intensity mattered, however. Those doing moderate and vigorous-intensity exercise in their 40s, 50s, and 60s saw the most benefits for brain health, while any intensity of exercise improved outcomes for those over 65.

Participants with the APOE4 gene, the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, were also included in the study. The results showed that exercise did not protect these participants in midlife, but after 65, exercise reduced their risk by 66%.

If you've ever thought it's 'too late' to start, this is your sign to find an activity you enjoy and get going. The exercise that protects your brain is the one you do today, this month, and this year, not the one you should have started doing 10 years ago.

What is moderate and vigorous intensity exercise?

To take care of your brain in so-called 'midlife', the study found that moderate and vigorous (heavy) exercise was most effective. According to the NHS, which recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, this includes activities such as cycling, brisk walking, and gardening. Your heart rate will rise to the point where you can still maintain a conversation, but wouldn't be able to sing.

Vigorous or heavy-intensity exercise includes activities like hiking or running, where you'll noticeably be out of breath, and it'll feel like more of a struggle. The NHS recommends doing this for 75 minutes a week to reap the benefits.

Across both intensities, it's a good idea to spread this out over the week, with three or more sessions and rest days in between. While these are minutes of cardio activity, resistance training is also recommended - especially for women over 35 to improve bone density, muscle mass, and counter the effects of menopause.

A new study from the University of Sydney in PLOS Medicine has further highlighted these benefits, after the research found that women who meet these physical activity guidelines have around half the risk of dying from any cause compared to those who are inactive.

Tips for improving brain health

• Disconnect from stress: Chronic stress (burnout) is one of the "most damaging yet underestimated threats" for brain health, Dr Inmaculada Rodríguez Ulecia previously told woman&home. "Over time, it can impair memory and affect emotional regulation."
• Focus on your diet: "Eating a wide variety of colourful plant foods is one of the best ways to feed your brain,"  Dr Caitlin Hall, a neuroscientist and registered dietitian, told us. Prebiotic fibres and omega-30-rich foods are also worth including in plenty.
• Drink lots of water: "Even a little dehydration can affect memory, mood, and energy levels," says Dr Hall. Most health bodies recommend at least two litres every day.
• Give yourself a break: “Laughter, dancing, creativity. These are not luxuries. They are vital for a healthy, resilient brain," says the doctor.

She turned 55 in February but Amanda Holden is possibly the busiest she’s ever been. As well as her breakfast radio show on Heart, she’s a judge on Britain’s Got Talent and she’s also got her BBC holiday home renovation programme with Alan Carr.

But there is one job she doesn’t want: the presenting gig on Strictly Come Dancing. “You see, I am already part of a big show, and I’ll happily carry on watching from the comfort of my lounge, but it takes up too many weekends. I’ve got to remember that I have children and a husband.

I just hope that they still have two females doing it, that’s my big thing. They need someone super funny, and somebody that you wouldn’t expect”, she said.

And as for the names that have been suggested in the press - including Holly Willoughby, Alison Hammond and Angela Scanlon - Amanda wants the BBC to be more creative.

"There are so many people and women in our industry, without getting too political, who have put all the work in, all the hours in, who deserve a bloody break. So often when I see lots of names attached to it, I think, boring, boring, boring, they’re all brilliant people but you go 'Oh come on, think outside the box.'"

Known for her racy outfits on her TV shows that even led to Ofcom complaints, Amanda - who has daughters Lexi, 20, and Hollie, 14, with husband of 17 years Chris Hughes - has never been afraid of showing some skin. But as for how she looks so good in her sixth decade, she’s refreshingly easy-going about it.

"I think life’s too short, and I think as long as you sort of do exercise and everything in moderation, you should just do what you want," she shared.

“I take the dogs out regularly, and all those things make me feel happy. And I think, well, as long as I’ve got on the Peloton for half an hour, it means I can have a glass of rosé in the evening.”

Indeed, wine - or a tipple in general - is one of Amanda’s favourite treats, as anyone who has watched her shows with best friend Alan will know. They regularly take a break from work to hit up a local taverna or restaurant. “I basically have an Aperol spritz a day”, she joked.

“I am a vegetarian, so I feel I am accidentally healthy, but I love a massive glass of wine. I’m trying to do a detox which just involves not eating cheese every day like I do in the summer, and I just don’t drink every day like I do in the summer.

“I promise you it’s as human as that. Unless you need to for health reasons, I’m not a big advocate for cutting out sugars and fats.”

But all in all, Amanda is an advocate of living her best life. Holidays in the sun, parties with her friends and spending time with her family - it seems she’s got it all wrapped up.

Amanda’s fitness and beauty tips

Looking better than ever at 55, Amanda surprisingly is no gym bunny. So how does she do it? She reveals all.

• Exercise for your fun times - "I am not a slave to any beauty or fitness regime because I love food too much. I eat cheese and butter and I love a drink. But the deal I struck with myself was I have to run for my rosé wine in the summer and run for my red wine in winter."
• No gyms - "I’m not actually a fan of this sort of organised fitness. I like a Peloton because I can choose when I do it and I can choose my instructor. But I’m not a gym bunny. I wouldn’t go to something where someone’s telling me what to do. I’m not into that."
• Drink more water - "I drink loads of water - a lot of coconut water - but I think my skin is genetic because my nan looks amazing at 97."
• Take your collagen - "Since taking it I’ve definitely noticed an extra glow to my complexion. Plus, it’s easy to take on the go or at home as it comes in a ready-to-drink tropical flavour that I love, without any added sugars."

For more insight on collagen supplements, check out what our experts had to say, including choosing the right one for you and how long results can take.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

Unless you happen to be a medical professional, you'll likely associate insulin (a vital hormone produced by the pancreas to help regulate our blood sugar levels) with discussions about diabetes. The chronic disease emerges when there's a lack of this all-important hormone (Type 1) or the body can't use it effectively (Type 2).

Having high insulin levels is often a response to high blood sugar, as the body struggles to lower the levels on its own. Dr Amir Khan, woman&home's own resident doctor, warns that insulin can be high "for years" before insulin resistance and diabetes develop.

Speaking on Instagram, the GP and diabetes specialist, says: "You don't have to have diabetes to have high insulin. In fact, insulin can be high for years before insulin resistance and diabetes develop."

From feeling tired all the time to skin issues, high insulin "can quietly drive loads of common health problems," he says. "It isn't just about diabetes, it's about your skin, your liver, your weight, and even your joints and your heart."

Signs of high insulin

1. Acne

"When your blood sugar spikes, your body releases insulin and that increases something called insulin-like growth factor," says Dr Khan. "That hormone tells your oil glands to go into overdrive and also speeds up how quickly your skin cells turn over, so you end up with more oil and more dead skin cells, and they can clog pores more easily."

Typically, this is when people find they develop acne. "That's why high-sugar diets are sometimes (not always) linked to worse acne," he says.

2. Fatty liver disease

"When you consume excess sugar, the liver converts it into fat. Insulin tells your body to store that fat and prevents it from being broken down," the doctor days.

"Over time, that fat builds inside your liver cells, leading to non-alcoholic liver disease, which is sometimes known as metabolic liver disease."

3. Weight gain

If you're experiencing unexpected weight gain, especially around your middle, then it could be a sign that your insulin levels are high.

"Insulin is basically your body's storage hormone. When it's high, your body is being told to store energy, particularly as fat, and to stop burning it (even when you're not eating huge amounts," he says.

"If your insulin levels are constantly high, your body is stuck in storage mode, which makes weight loss much harder, especially around that tummy."

4. Skin tags

The idea that skin tags could be related to high insulin levels "always surprises people", says Dr Khan, but they are "strongly linked".

"High insulin stimulates growth pathways in the skin, which can lead to these small, benign growths, especially around the neck, armpits, and groin," he says. "So, they can actually be a visible sign that insulin levels are running high."

How to lower high insulin levels

The key to lowering high insulin levels is to "keep your blood sugar steady", the doctor says. This means eating balanced meals with lots of high-fibre and high-protein foods, getting plenty of sleep (at least seven to eight hours), and doing regular exercise.

"It can make a huge difference," says the doctor.

At 57, BBC journalist Sophie Raworth has achieved some incredible things, including running over 20 marathons and 10 ultra-marathons.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, she’s not slowing down any time soon, keeping fast and firm thanks to her attitude (and her favourite New Balance running trainers).

In fact, several of these athletic milestones she’s achieved after the age of 40, proving that you don’t have to have done it all by a certain time in your life.

A recent achievement included completing the mind-blowing 34-mile Mallorca ultra-marathon in her mid 50s - but there was a time she was close to packing it all in, fearing she was "too old" to keep running marathons (never mind ultra marathons).

As she reflects on the glory of her post-Mallorca ultra marathon - completed in November 2025 - Sophie spoke with Runners World, where she opened up about the time she nearly wrote herself off.

During an interview she said, "So I did a half marathon, not very fast… couple of hours, I think it took us. And then I had another child and gave up. Then when I was 41, I thought, I'm too old to be doing marathon running.

"I could never do it. I was quite frightened of the distance."

Sharing what inspired her to consider the impossible, she added, "Then a girlfriend of mine suddenly announced she was doing the London Marathon."

This inspired Sophie to, correctly, think "maybe I can" get back into running, after all.

She said, "So I watched her and she did it. And I thought, okay, I better give it a go, which I did. And then I collapsed. So that wasn't a very successful first one."

"But I then picked myself up again the next year. I did finish it… And I haven't looked back since," Sophie said.

Sophie shared a first-person account of her challenge with Runner's World, writing about the physical challenge and the mental challenge of questioning if she still had it in her in her 50s.

She was, as she wrote for the outlet, one of "only nine women in the 55-59 age category taking part" and out of the 651 people who would start the race, only 133 women would cross the finish line, with most nearly "20 years younger".

But writing of the victory she felt completing the run, she shared, "10 hours and 41 minutes it took me to finish one of the toughest races that I’ve ever run. But it was also one of the most rewarding - and not just because of the breath-taking views.

It turned out that I wasn’t too old. I could do it."

The Hollywood actress looks strong and healthy as she heads towards her 60th year, and she’s been sharing some insights into how she looks and feels, so good right now. The star has previously talked about how perimenopause and its symptoms blindsided her somewhat in her early 50s, as she knew little about it or where to go for support.

This has changed over the last few years, and Halle has adapted her whole lifestyle to help her live healthily for as long as possible. Speaking recently on the Run Through with Vogue podcast, she says: “I’ve upped my meditation, I’ve changed the way I eat. I used to be very keto. I didn’t have carbs, no pasta, no rice. I’ve realised that down this path of life, I need some carbs."

Halle has previously spoken about how she’s ditched cardio in favour of strength training, and she told hosts Chloe Malle and Chioma Nnadi that she can “lift heavier than I ever used to lift”. “I never used to lift heavy weights. I always did cardio or running or something very physical, now I’m in the gym lifting weights.”

And she added that she takes a “whole new set of vitamins and supplements,” including magnesium and one supplement that she hadn’t considered before. “I thought I would never take creatine – (I thought) that’s going to blow me up – but no… girl needs that,” she says. She says it helps improve her brain fog, which is another common menopausal symptom.

Creatine is one of the most researched and popular supplements around. It can be very effective for women in perimenopause. While it’s found naturally in foods such as meat and fish, it’s hard to get the recommended daily amount through diet alone, so creatine monohydrate is often supplemented in powder or tablet form.

Taking creatine can help prevent muscle mass loss and bone density loss - both of which are common as our hormone levels fall in menopause. If you do regular strength training, creatine will also improve your strength and stamina.

Research has also linked it to improved cognitive function, memory and mood. A review by Seoul National University College of Medicine and College of Natural Sciences found that women who took a daily antidepressant with 5g of creatine responded twice as fast as those who took the antidepressant alone.

Other studies have also shown that it can help with tiredness and reduce mental fatigue. The recommended dose is 3 to 5g a day, but if you’re not sure if it's suitable for you, you should speak to a doctor first.

Halle Berry's wellbeing must-haves

Halle says “everything has changed” in her life when it comes to her longevity and that she has learned a lot from working with her menopause platform and community, Respin. “There are so many new things I’ve been learning”, she says, including taking peptides, which are nutrients found in eggs, dairy and marine products. They reportedly can help with our skin, muscle growth, weight management and immune system support.

She says she’s also working on improving her sleep by wearing an Oura ring and using an Eight Sleep. This is a mattress that aims to ease menopause symptoms such as snoring, insomnia or night sweats by adapting elevation, temperature, and sound for the user. Halle says she used to get around three hours of sleep a night, but now she’s up to seven or eight.

“What it does is in the middle of the night, it senses your body temperature, and when you need it to cool down because you’re overheating, it cools the mattress down and helps you regulate your temperature,” she explains. “I love it.”

An outbreak of meningitis in Kent has renewed concerns about the disease in the last few days, sparking questions around symptoms and vaccination eligibility.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told the BBC that officials are "proactively managing" the situation and advised that "general risk is low, even if the disease itself is extremely serious".

Two people have died in the outbreak - a university student and Juliette, a sixth-form pupil. Five new cases have been confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency today.

Meningitis is an "inflammation of the meninges, the protective layer around the brain and spinal cord", says our resident doctor, GP Dr Amir Khan. He told woman&home: "It can be caused by viruses or bacteria, but bacterial meningitis is the form doctors worry about most because it can become life-threatening very quickly", as it gets into the bloodstream or spinal fluid. Authorities have confirmed that Meningitis B (or MenB) is the bacterial strain responsible for some cases in the recent outbreak.

What are the early signs of meningitis?

Early symptoms can look deceptively like flu, a bad viral illness, or even a hangover, the doctor warns, and include the following:

• Fever
• Headache
• Vomiting
• Stiff neck
• Dislike of bright lights
• Drowsiness
• Confusion
• Rapid breathing
• Cold hands and feet
• Muscle or limb pain
• A rash that does not fade when pressed

The typical rash that many people associate with meningitis may be harder to spot on darker skin tones, the doctor warns, so "look for pale, mottled, or blotchy skin, and check lighter areas, such as the palms, soles, inside the eyelids, and the roof of the mouth."

It's important to look for all the symptoms on this list and seek medical help immediately if you have them, rather than waiting for the rash to appear. "It can be a late sign or may not appear at all," he says.

"If someone becomes suddenly very unwell with possible meningitis or septicaemia symptoms, get urgent medical help immediately. NHS advice is to seek emergency help, and in the Kent incident, UKHSA has specifically said anyone with symptoms should seek urgent care at the nearest A&E or call 999, because early treatment can be lifesaving."

How is meningitis spread?

Bacterial meningitis, which has caused the outbreak in Kent, can spread easily from person to person through droplets from coughing, sneezing, kissing, or sharing drinks or vapes.

A university setting, where young people study and live close together, can increase the risk of a disease like this spreading fast. “In this outbreak, the concern is invasive meningococcal disease, caused by meningococcal bacteria, which can lead to meningitis and/or meningococcal septicaemia,” says Dr Khan.

"The illness itself can progress over hours rather than days, which is why public health teams act fast with contact tracing and preventative antibiotics. That also means outbreaks are containable, because meningococcal disease does not spread as easily as the flu or measles. It usually requires close contact, not casual contact in the street," he says.

Though meningitis is very serious and can be life-threatening, much like avoiding norovirus or flu, the key to minimising spread is wearing a mask, keeping rooms ventilated, and washing hands regularly.

Who can have the meningitis vaccine?

MenACWY is a single-dose injection offered to teenagers (usually in year 9) as older children are more likely to carry and spread meningococcal strains A, C, W and Y, especially in schools, colleges and universities, the doctor says.

"Young people who missed MenACWY can still get it free up to their 25th birthday, including first-time university entrants under 25," he notes.

For babies and younger children, MenB is a routine vaccination at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and one year. "Meningococcal B is an important cause of disease in young children and infants are at highest risk."

"MenB is not routinely offered as a catch-up for healthy older children. Missed routine doses can generally be caught up only up to age 2, while people in certain clinical risk groups may also be eligible," he says.

Do I need to be concerned about meningitis?

Antibiotics are being offered to anyone who may have been in close contact with those infected. At present, Health Secretary Wes Streeting says there is "no" concern that the disease will spread geographically, that it's "OK" some students in Kent have decided to leave the area and return home, and that the situation is "not a national incident as we saw in the Covid pandemic".

If you have teenage children or children in their early 20s, and you don’t know if they’ve been vaccinated against Meningitis B, you should check with their doctor’s surgery.

Meningitis doesn’t spread as easily as flu or measles, so Dr Khan is hopeful that this outbreak will be contained with swift action from the health authorities.

Are older adults susceptible to meningitis?

Meningitis is often thought of as a disease that affects children and very young adults almost exclusively, but those over 60 are at an increased risk compared to younger adults.

Weakened immune systems and chronic conditions such as diabetes, chronic nose and/or ear infections, kidney failure, and sickle cell disease increase risk.

All age groups need to follow guidance around meningitis, look out for symptoms, and seek immediate help when needed.

Finding walking shoes that offers the right amount of support and comfort can be tricky, particularly if you have wide feet. But 71-year-old Chris Rawlinson, a member of the woman&home tester network, has years of experience when it comes to finding the right pair – and Keen's Targhee 3 waterproof hiking shoes have come up trumps.

"I tried on dozens of walking shoes in outdoor shops, but none were wide enough in the toe box," Chris says. "At one point I was trying on up to two sizes bigger to get the width I needed, but the shoes were still too tight (not to mention long). Keen's Targhee 3 shoes, however, slipped on easily with loads of room in the toe box and felt comfortable from the start."

With features sure to secure a place on our round up of the best women's walking shoes, Chris continued: "I like the reflective strips as a safety feature, the practical loops at the heels for pulling them on, and the way the laces pull easily through their loops to tighten them before tying. Because the uppers are partly leather, they were slightly stiff to begin with, but have softened with wear."

"They are waterproof and breathable, and keep my feet warm and dry. I like the way the rubber sole comes up over the toe as it keeps my toes dry when walking in wet grass. I’ve worn them on pavement, in woods, through field and they are good in all terrain - they are strong and sturdy, and the thick soles have good grip.

"They can’t be machine washed as they are part-leather uppers - traditional cleaning methods only for these boots. This is probably the only negative aspect, but for me it is outweighed by all the positives already mentioned. They also have an odour-control treatment inside.

"They are certainly not fashion trainers, and I wouldn’t wear them to social gatherings, they are practical walking shoes designed to do a specific job, and in my opinion they do it well."

And it's not just Chris who rates these Keen walking shoes. They have thousands on positive reviews online, scoring a solid average of 4.2 out of 5 stars on Amazon alone.

One reviewer wrote: "Very comfy walking shoes, wide fitting with plenty of toe room. It did take some time to wear in as a little stiff to start with, but fine with thicker socks. Have had for some time and are waterproof so far. I do spray with Nikwax waterproofer occasionally."

"Wide toe plate has removed all question of blisters. They do feel stiff at first, but after a few outings not a problem, and I can say they are the most comfortable pair of walking shoes I’ve ever owned," said another.

Muscle mass and strength will naturally decline as we age and many of us in midlife are working hard to mitigate against this by doing regular strength training. However, it's not how much weight you can squat that longevity experts are interested in. Grip strength is the easy-to-measure indicator of our long-term health and function that experts have been looking at recently.

The term ‘grip’ might make you think this measurement is purely a reflection of our ability to grasp things and the strength of our hands. However, your grip strength can be an indicator of how good your overall health is and your risk of serious illness.

"It offers a quick snapshot of overall muscle quality and neuromuscular function across the body, and individuals who maintain it are better able to resist injury, move efficiently, and preserve independence as they age," says Mo Agoro, a personal trainer with a Master's degree in strength and conditioning, working with PureGym Leeds.

Why is grip strength important?

"Grip strength is about more than the hands - it reflects forearm muscle mass, nervous system efficiency and the body’s ability to generate and control force. It often mirrors overall muscle quality and total body strength capacity," says Melissa Drake, personal trainer at PureGym Chiswick, says.

If you have low grip strength, it can affect your ability to do functional activities like carrying shopping, lifting and getting up from the floor. It could also be an indicator of age-related muscle loss, or sarcopenia, which can cause weakness, an increased risk of falls and loss of mobility. A study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that grip strength scores of less than 25.5kg for men and 18kg for women indicated a greater risk of sarcopenia.

Another study, published in The Lancet, looked at nearly 140,000 adults from 17 countries and found that grip strength is linked to increased mortality risk and cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and heart disease. The team found that it was a stronger predictor of death than looking at our systolic blood pressure, proving that doctors could use it to screen high-risk patients for serious health problems.

A few years ago, research in the BMC Geriatrics journal found evidence that “maximum grip strength may have value in predicting brain health” and cognitive decline, while research published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism last year found that higher grip strength is significantly linked to lower mortality risk in people with obesity.

How to build grip strength

There’s no need to panic if your grip strength isn’t as strong as it should be. You can start exercising to improve it at any age. Both Melissa and Mo agree that adding some specific weighted exercises with a dumbbell, barbell, kettlebell, or resistance band, to your workout routine will make a difference to your grip strength.

They suggest doing these exercises below two to three times a week:

• Dead Hangs: Hold onto a bar for as long as you can with your feet off the floor. This exercise improves passive grip endurance, shoulder stability, and connective tissue resilience. If you've never done one before, you can use a resistance band to support yourself.
• Barbell Deadlift: This move develops full-body strength while forcing the hands and forearms to stabilise a heavy load.
• Dumbbell Rows: This weighted exercise challenges grip dynamically while building upper back strength and postural control.
• Farmer’s Carry Finisher: Carrying a heavy weight while doing this exercise will reinforce your grip endurance under fatigue and build your everyday carrying capacity, core stability and total-body resilience.
• Improve your general physical strength: Training all muscles can also lead to improvements in your grip strength as your muscle mass and bone mass density increase with strain, adding to your overall body strength, which is key.

If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to focus on bigger tasks, you’re not alone. Many people’s attention spans and motivation might feel shorter or more stretched – and this is because we’ve been 'trained to chase easy dopamine'.

On an episode of her popular podcast, Mel Robbins - who has previously shared such incredible tips as her backwards bedtime habit for better sleep - speaks with Dr Anna Lembke, the medical director of Stanford Addiction Medicine and bestselling author of Dopamine Nation.

Together, they explore how the way many of us live our lives today has tricked our brain into seeking out 'easy dopamine' - planning our days around quick wins and rewards, like scrolling on our phones, caffeine boosts, video games, streaming shows and listening to music.

Delving into it in detail in the episode, the general principle they offer up is that, the more we allow ourselves these quick, easy wins, the less rewarding they feel. Which, in turn, means we rely on it more and more to activate the pleasure principle in our brains.

Because a lot of it stems from the immediate gratification available from digital devices, Mel and Anna explore simple, daily habits everybody can do to start a gradual dopamine detox.

These tips are as simple as focusing on our diet - swapping out ultra-processed snacks for more whole foods and more high-fibre foods - or changing the settings on our devices.

1. Deleting apps

A self-explanatory one, but limiting the apps on your devices to only the essentials will help you control how long you scroll.

This is especially helpful when it comes to things like getting up in the morning. Mel and Dr Anna talk about ignoring the desire to "just check this" or send a quick text in bed in the morning. Instead, get up right away and try to start your day, get out in nature, or move around.

2. Turning off notifications

Another simple one here. Do you need everything on your phone to notify you right away, or can you keep it to the important stuff?

Turn on 'greyscale' on your devices

Dr Anna mentions "going greyscale" on your devices, which refers to a setting that swaps out vibrant colours into a dull grey. It’s a proven method to reduce screentime and is said to break the behaviours that have us obsessively checking our apps and screens.

To activate greyscale, on an iPhone/iOS, go to Settings - Accessibility - Display & Text Size - Colour Filters. Click the toggle to turn on Colour Filters and then select Greyscale.

On an Android, it’s found via Settings - Accessibility - Colour and Motion (or Vision Enhancements) - Colour Correction - turn on greyscale.

Keep digital mediums to a fixed spot

A uniquely modern-day problem, the rise in flexibility across all our devices means we’re always plugged in to something.

Dr Anna told Mel a simple habit to adopt is keeping as many of your digital apps or platforms to a fixed location. Instead of being able to walk around checking your phone for example, have them fixed to your laptop or desk area.

5. Avoid ultra-processed foods

Trying to keep our diet based around whole foods can help us avoid the dopamine rush of an ultra-processed snack.

Dr Anna explained how it’s important we focus more on "getting the calories we need [without] getting this incredible spike of dopamine that we get from ultra-processed food, which is what has us continuing to consume it even after we’re full".

6. Limit the stress related to work

Arguably a trickier one for many, but Dr Anna explained this is more about the ways in which the satisfaction of getting a job done is becoming harder to achieve.

She said, "Not all work gives us that sense of natural reward or satisfaction at the end of the day, either because there's too much of it, we pressed too hard on the pain side of the balance, or it's the kind of work that's really been divorced from the meaning of work".

7. Be mindful about rewards after a hard day

Connected to point six, if we’re not feeling a sense of pride and joy at having completed a hard day’s work, many will turn to a quick fix.

From a glass of wine to some chocolates or an episode of our box-sets, it’s a natural response to stress. And while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing - Dr Anna isn’t saying you can’t ever give yourself a treat - it’s more about being mindful of how we do it, and how much.

She explained, "If we've had a really rough day… we will not have the ability in that context to moderate our consumption."

Jo Whiley caused quite a stir on a recent episode of her Dig It podcast, which she hosts alongside friend Zoe Ball, pulling out a little device that she proclaimed 'gives [her] a lot of pleasure'.

'It looks like a tiny vibrator', she said, laughing, before explaining the device is, in actual fact, a soothing eye wand. Praising the 'really great' device from Peep Club, Jo explained she’d been using it on her blocked ducts and dry eyes.

But it’s not just dry eyes that appear to benefit from the handy device. People in the comments were quick to offer their reviews of the product, too, saying it helped with everything from dark circles under the eyes to puffiness.

Shop Eye Wands

Describing her wand of choice - the Peep Club Heated Eye Wand LED+ - Jo said: "It pulsates light and heat and you put it where your ducts are. If you get blocked ducts or… you get dry eyes, then it just softens and… unblocks the ducts around your eyes.

"You can do it when you're cooking, when you're walking around, when you're on the phone, whatever it is… it's really great."

The Peep Club website goes into more detail, explaining the vibrations of the wand help by boosting circulation around the eye area and decreasing fluid retention. It says: 'designed with 5 innovative modes to enhance eye hydration, comfort, and all major aesthetic concerns of the eye area', the wand was developed in collaboration with leading UK optometrists.'

With different modes available, including a hot compress mode to naturally restore hydration and comfort to dry and tired eyes, 'gentle massage improves the effectiveness of the hot compress while also helping de-puff upper and lower eyelids.'

LED light therapy has become hugely popular, with LED masks and other LED devices boosting home skincare habits and wellness routines, and this wand introduces the benefits of LED for the eyes.

The wand uses red LED to potentially boost collagen and elastin to help improve the appearance of fine lines over time. It also offers green LED, which could be beneficial in calming redness, while amber LED can help with the appearance of dark circles.

If Jo’s recommendation wasn’t enough, comments on social media were quick to back up her praise.

One wrote, 'I’ve suffered with dry eyes all my life and this has given me so much soothing relief. My eyes have never felt less puffy and aren’t sore for once. Thank you so much for recommending it.'

Another stated, 'I've been using the wand for a couple of years, would thoroughly recommend it.'

It’s inevitable we’ll all feel some aches, pains and discomfort from time-to-time. But waking up each day with a sore neck or a stiff back is something you might be able to control better with the right know-how.

Joining Mel Robbins on her podcast, Dr Betsy Grunch, a world-leading neurosurgeon, offers the healthiest sleep positions for a better back, and the important things to avoid if you want a healthier back in the long term.

Offering the statistic that we spend a third of our lives in bed, Dr Grunch highlights "learning how to really sleep better and sleep with higher quality and more protection of your spine will help ease the pain that you may have in the future".

What is the healthiest sleep position for the spine?

The first bit of advice offered by Dr Grunch is to avoid sleeping on your stomach. On your side or back is fine, but there are still ways you can sleep better for your back depending on your preference.

Dr Grunch explained: "You want to just put your spine in a neutral alignment. Our spine has natural curves, you want to support those while you sleep in a position in which we'll kind of maintain that natural shape of the spine."

If you're a back sleeper, put a pillow underneath your knees and keep your knees a little flexed, support the back of the head, and keep the spine neutral

If you’re a side sleeper, place a pillow between your knees. This helps your hips and your back.

Dr Grunch adds, "It doesn't matter if your legs are straight, legs are bent, one leg's bent, one leg straight, whatever is the most comfortable". It’s just important to make sure you have good support under your neck.

What are the best pillows for a healthy back?

While there’s not one brand of pillow that Dr Grunch recommended over another, the thing to focus on is how it helps your neck align.

The best pillows should allow your neck to be "perfectly straight with your body, so your spine is straight".

Tried and tested pillows

What to avoid for a stronger back

With years of experience under her belt, Dr Grunch argues that "it's not about that moment that injured your back, it's about everything that you did that led to that moment."

As well as correcting how you sleep, she offered three other important things to consider for a healthy spine.

The first is avoid nicotine. She explained, "Nicotine is one of the biggest accelerators of degenerative disc disease in our spine" because "it decreases the amount of blood flow to your spine."

Anything from traditional cigarettes to nicotine vapes, gums and sprays can all contribute to this deterioration of the spine.

The second thing to avoid is a sedentary lifestyle. Even if you’re not into strength training or full workout routines, getting out and walking and moving is essential for back health.

The final thing is learning to lift properly. It’s a well-known bit of advice, but many forget that, when lifting anything heavy, lift with your legs.

Jennifer Aniston says she takes a balanced approach to health and wellness, known as the 80/20 method, to make sure she's not "restricting" herself.

Many people think that living a healthy lifestyle means swapping late nights for treadmill workouts (or Pvolve workouts in Jen's case!) and giving up alcohol, sugary foods, and other indulgences. Yet, the star relies on this balanced approach.

"You've got to live your life. No restrictions - except hard drugs. It’s the 80/20 approach. 80% healthy living and then 20% is: go have a martini, go have your pizza and burgers and stay up late with your friends. There's a balance," she said in an interview with Allure magazine.

It's a refreshing approach to wellness and a much more realistic way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Especially if you're looking to stay motivated, Jennifer's 80/20 approach is good to keep in mind - if you know that keeping up with your exercise and healthy eating means you can then blow off some steam later, you're much more likely to keep at it.

It's an approach that Grace Walsh, our digital health editor here at woman&home, says is 'perfect' no matter where your wellness journey. "Balance is key, as the saying goes, and Jennifer Aniston's approach is perfect," she says. "If you're looking to make changes to your life, the 80% will get you there - but the 20% is just as important. Food and drink are about more than just sustenance. They have a huge connection to our social lives and help us maintain relationships with friends and family, which are just as important as nutrition for enjoying life."

Don't just take Jennifer's word for how effective this balanced approach is, either. There's plenty of research backing it up, Grace explains. "Research shows that the more you restrict yourself, the more likely you are to overindulge and have more than you otherwise would, so it's better to just have what you want in the first place."

When she's focusing on her healthy 80%, Jennifer's routine is about more than just exercise and healthy eating. It's also about having good sleep hygiene and looking after her mental health by welcoming in 'positivity and gratitude' too.

She told Allure, "All you can do is the best you can. I meditate in the morning. I stretch before bed. I've been really trying to work on my sleep hygiene."

But, she admits, while she loves doing full-body Pilates workouts and eating right, it's not always easy for her to stick to other elements of her wellness routine; mostly when it comes to sleep. "Sleep and I have a real hard relationship," she said. "I really want to love it and I am sure it wants to love me, but we have had a hard time, especially the last 10, 15 years. It’s just hard to shut the brain down."

One way she's trying to combat this is by avoiding the news and setting boundaries with tech and screen time to lower her cortisol levels and relax her brain. But she still has bad days. "Some days you're great, and on point, and some days you're just not," she said. "I’m a big believer in trying not to be hard on yourself because the world is so mean right now and so aggressive and negative. So why would we do it to ourselves?"

This seems to have become her mantra, with her saying elsewhere in the interview, "We’ve got to love our bodies. It's doing the best it can. It's been with us since the day we started, so we can't be too hard on it."

Her 80/20 approach is certainly a perfect way to find that balance between pushing your body and also loving it - we're sold.

Mariella Frostrup is used to juggling different projects, and her career shows no sign of slowing down as she heads into her mid 60s. While the broadcaster knew she had always been an “active” person, it was only when her son was being assessed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that she started to consider whether she might have it too.

“I’m one of those most vilified of groups, which is the middle-aged woman suddenly discovering she’s got ADHD,” she tells woman&home in an interview from her home in Somerset. The 62-year-old says it was when her then-teenage son Dan brought home the list of symptoms from school that she “looked at them and ticked every box”.

“My son’s school asked me to test him for it, and I was quite dismissive of it because he’d just been diagnosed with dyslexia, and I was like ‘how many conditions do you need’... then he brought home the list of symptoms, and it was extraordinary,” she recalls.

Mariella was in her late 50s at the time and says while she had “clearly developed coping mechanisms over the years”, she still wanted to pursue a formal ADHD diagnosis. “I had to go down the private path, and I was in a lucky position that I was able to afford it, but I think it’s disgraceful that it’s not taken more seriously, particularly when it’s in the case of a kid,” she says.

She adds that “most women” she knows who think they need a diagnosis are “struggling to get one for three or four years, which is just outrageous”. And she doesn’t believe its prevalence among middle-aged people, or impact on their wellbeing, is being taken seriously by the professionals.

Later-in-life diagnoses are often seen to be “cluttering up the health system”, she says. “I think the way that it’s treated as a sort of ‘accessory illness or accessory condition’ is really, really disingenuous and bad.” In the last decade, there’s been a substantial increase in adult ADHD diagnoses, thought to be due to several factors, including increased awareness of symptoms, reduced stigma and a rise in self-referrals.

Knowing she has ADHD has been “hugely helpful” for Mariella. “It’s the same as the menopause thing. Understanding why you operate the way you do, I think, is a really, really good path to living with all of the different aspects of your personality,” she explains.

Mariella says the minute Dan was diagnosed and started taking medication, “it was like watching a miracle happen” because, for the first time, he was able to study for his exams for hours at a time without getting distracted.

“For me, it’s slightly different, and there are certain things I need help with,” she says. “I know that if I need to sit down and write something and really concentrate, that’s when I struggle. But at the weekends or on days when I don’t have to sit down and write something, I actually think it’s a superpower in a way, because my head’s full of different ideas. As long as I manage it and try to stop the anxiety that can come with that, then it’s not as debilitating as it could be. But you need to know about it and to have the tools and the medication for when you do need it.”

Common symptoms of ADHD

• Difficulty concentrating and focusing on tasks
• Not being able to organise or complete time-consuming tasks
• Making careless mistakes
• Being easily distracted
• Hyperactivity
• Impulsiveness

The Autism Service says: “Some studies suggest that women with ADHD are more likely to present with predominantly inattentive symptoms and less hyperactive/impulsive or conduct problems than men. It means that women are perceived to be less problematic and have fewer disruptive behaviours when displaying ADHD symptoms. Therefore, women who have ADHD are more easily missed in the diagnostic process and less likely to receive a diagnosis.”

Charities such as the ADHD Foundation and ADHDadultUK are great websites to visit for support and information.

Five years after her breast cancer diagnosis and mastectomy, Julia Bradbury reflects on how the experience reshaped her outlook on life.

“Cancer saved my life in so many ways. We tend to carry on because we’re too busy to stop. And we do - until we don’t,” she tells Woman magazine. “When your health, mobility, movement, and capacity to operate on a daily basis is under threat, you’re forced to look at what’s important. I had to think, ‘How do I want to live my life from now on?’”

In the exclusive chat, the mum to son Zephyr, 14, and 10-year-old twin girls Xanthe and Zena also talks about being forced to look at what’s important, the exercises that make her kids think she’s “crazy” and how she copes with the fear of her cancer returning.

This new way of being and thinking involves more time in nature - something she describes as “fundamental to human health”. She says, “A walk in a forest is good for your respiratory system, great for your digestion, your eyesight, and your sleep patterns. It’s beneficial in so many ways. Watching nature, engaging with nature, caring about nature, and walking in it is fundamental to human health.”

And she’s making sure her children are joining her outdoors to combat endless screen time. When it comes to her more ‘unconventional’ activities in nature - including walking backwards and dance parties - she admits, “They think I’m a crazy mum”.

“But I force them in terms of, ‘Right, have you been outside today? No? Then we’re going to get some daylight into your eyes - and therefore your brain!’”

Especially as kids get older, you’ve got to work harder to get them outside and away from screens. It seems as if screen patrol is an endless loop!”

It’s not just impromptu dance parties that Julia swears by for a healthy life. There’s one thing every woman should be doing to live longer - lifting weights.

If a woman has the “willpower to consistently resistance train” then “their true superpower would be to live a longer, stronger and healthier life.”

It’s clear Julia is in a great place physically - but is she equally as strong mentally? Does she have fears about the cancer returning?

“No,” she answers, “Because I won’t let myself. That’s where meditation and emotional work have been crucial. I’m starting a new type of therapy soon, which is about overcoming trauma. I want to make sure that I have [emotionally] handled [the cancer] well and I’m not holding onto something.”

Julia might be a beacon of wellness and inspiration, but it’s encouraging to hear she still has a vice or two. While, once upon a time, it might have been “too many glasses of wine”, her new thing is “staying up too late to watch a boxset back-to-back”. Recent viewings for Julia include Mafia! and the Kim Kardashian-fronted All’s Fair.

Now 55, following a television career that includes fronting Countryfile and Watchdog, Julia is also a wellness advocate, drawing on nature, nutrition and science-backed health hacks to live well and educate others.

“I’ve been on telly for almost 30 years, and I still go, ‘Wow, I feel lucky,’” she tells Woman.

And, given her zest for life, it’s not too surprising to hear that last year she embarked on a 24-day expedition to Antarctica, which was filmed for a new TV series. It was her first major journey since being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021.

Of her adventure, she says, “Antarctica is the largest ice sheet on Earth and contains about 90% of the planet’s fresh water. One day, we were moving through the icebergs, and one caved into the ocean next to our boat.”

“It cemented the feelings of awe and wonder I have about the power of nature.”

It was the “longest time [she’s] ever been away from home since cancer,” but Julia explains the trade-off for missing some things with her kids was getting to share some of the “epic Antarctic vistas with them” on video calls.

And it’s given her the taste for more. “I’ve never been to the Amazon, and I hope one day to get there.”

Watch Julia Bradbury’s Wonders of the Frozen South on ITV1 and STV at 12.45pm on Sunday 22 February and 1 March. Also available on ITVX and STV Player.

Wondering when to take your supplement line-up? With doctors encouraging everyone to at least take vitamin D every day until April and the brain health benefits of creatine hard to ignore, it's creating quite the queue in the medicine cabinet.

Dr Amir Khan, a GP and woman&home's own resident doctor, as well as being a frequent guest on This Morning and Lorraine, took to Instagram to share with his followers the exact order we should take our vitamins, minerals, and other supplements, as well as the foods to avoid having them with.

"When it comes to your supplements, timing is everything," says Dr Khan. "It can make a massive difference to how well your body absorbs and responds to it."

If you take an iron supplement, this is the first one you should take in the morning, before you have breakfast.

"You first wake up, and you might be taking an iron supplement, particularly women who are low in iron. With iron, you want to take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and with vitamin C for better absorption," he says.

"Don't take that with tea or coffee or magnesium, because that can reduce the absorption. Just a splash of water, some vitamin C. That's how you take your iron."

Next up, and after breakfast, the doctor says to take fat-soluble supplements. "These are supplements that are absorbed in the fat that you eat. Vitamin D is fat-soluble, so you want to take it with food, so breakfast or lunch. Your omega-3 fatty acid - that is also fat soluble, so you want that with food," he says.

If you are taking an omega-3 fatty acid supplement or a multivitamin, these should also be taken with food. That includes vitamin A, D, E, and K.

Magnesium is a supplement you should take in the evening, says Dr Khan, thanks to its sleep-inducing benefits. "It's probably best taken in the evening as it can have a relaxing effect on you, so it can help you sleep. That one, an hour or two before bed."

Finally, one of the doctor's "favourites" - creatine. This is one of the most extensively researched supplements in the world, created originally to help gym-goers gain more muscle. It's since been recognised as one of the best for women over 50 to gain and maintain muscle mass and cognitive wellbeing. We naturally make creatine in the body, so supplementing it helps boost these stores.

"That's an easy one," the doctor says. "Take it whenever, wherever."

When to take supplements

• Morning, before breakfast: Iron + vitamin C, never with tea or coffee
• After breakfast: Vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids and other fat-soluble supplements
• In the evening: Magnesium
• Any time: Creatine

Why shouldn't you drink coffee or tea with iron?

Drinking tea or coffee alongside your iron supplement could render it useless, research shows. The plant compounds (polyphenols and tannins) in these morning beverages make it harder for the body to absorb the iron supplement by binding to the iron in the stomach. In some cases, it can make it up to 90% ineffective.

If you have any concerns or questions about when to take your supplements or the foods/drinks to avoid taking them with, speak to your doctor.

Our bodies experience many physical and mental changes during menopause, and our brain is just one of the organs affected. Last week, headlines flew up about new research that revealed some of the changes in women's brains in menopause are similar to those in people with dementia.

A team from Cambridge University looked at the impact of menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on women’s mental health, cognitive function, and brain structure. In the study, published in Psychological Medicine, they used data from almost 125,000 women in the UK Biobank to examine whether menopause is associated with grey matter loss.

Along with common perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms of anxiety, depression and sleep problems, scans showed that parts of the brain were smaller in post-menopausal women compared to pre-menopausal women. The lowest volumes were recorded in the HRT group.

Researchers saw changes in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) - all areas important for memory, emotional regulation, and focus. They are also areas affected by Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia.

The authors say: “Our findings suggest that menopause is linked to adverse mental health outcomes and reductions in grey matter volume in key brain regions. The use of HRT does not appear to mitigate these effects and may be associated with more pronounced mental health challenges, potentially due to underlying baseline differences.

“These results have important implications for understanding the neurobiological effects of HRT and highlighting the unmet need for addressing mental health problems during menopause,” they add.

They say that the results could help explain why many more women suffer from dementia than men, and help women ask for help when it comes to experiencing mental health, memory or mood problems later in life.

What's the link between menopause and dementia?

If you take the headlines at face value, it may look like the research suggests that taking HRT increases the risk of mental health issues after menopause and increases the risk of grey matter loss, which is linked to dementia. However, experts warn this isn't the case at all.

The research didn’t take into account the types of HRT the women were taking, and many of the women using HRT reported having mental health issues before starting the medication.

Dr Charis Chambers is a board-certified OB/GYN and the chief medical officer at Clue. She told woman&home: "This study doesn't have enough evidence to show that HRT affected anything, really.

"It showed that women using HRT reported greater mental health challenges than post-menopausal women not using HRT. It also showed that grey matter volumes are smaller in postmenopausal women compared to premenopausal women, with the lowest volumes observed in the HRT group.

"This is an association and may be explained in part by analyses which showed higher levels of pre-existing mental health symptoms in women who are prescribed HRT.

"Women with pre-existing mental health symptoms may be at greater risk of greater mental health challenges in menopause, which would make them more likely to seek treatment and ultimately be prescribed HRT. It’s also possible that grey matter generally decreases in menopause, and those with more pronounced mental health challenges have more brain differences due to their underlying baseline difference."

If you are already taking HRT or feel it could help with your symptoms, and have spoken to a doctor who is happy to prescribe it to you, there's no reason to stop based on this study.

"The benefits of HRT are well established," says Dr Chambers. "It provides effective relief of vasomotor symptoms, reduces osteoporotic fractures, and treats genitourinary syndrome [vaginal dryness, burning, itching] of menopause. The evidence in this study isn’t enough to support the need to 'balance' symptom management with any worsening of mental health status or grey matter volume.

"The general approach to HRT, however, is a very customised balance of risks and benefits with conservative dosing practices and frequent reassessment. This should be the standard, which is why it’s so important to see a provider who is well-versed in the risks, benefits, and management guidelines of HRT."

What about HRT?

"Menopause and low hormones are key risk factors for dementia, and the results of this study may confuse people if they are not interpreted properly," agrees Dr Louise Newson, a menopause specialist.

"There is good evidence that women taking body-identical hormones can reduce their dementia risk, and this should not be ignored," she told us. "Many women, especially in the past, have been taking synthetic types of both oestrogen and progesterone, which can have negative effects on brain function. These synthetic hormones have very different biological effects on the brain compared to our natural hormones - progesterone, estradiol and testosterone - which are actually made in our brains and have many important functions, including improving cognition and memory."

It’s thought that oestrogen can protect the brain from the harmful effects of the amyloid-β protein, which builds up when you have dementia and causes brain cells to die or become damaged.

The Alzheimer’s Society says women account for an estimated 65% of people who currently have dementia in the UK. While the reasons for this aren’t clear, research is looking at whether the fall in oestrogen during menopause is a contributing factor, especially as Alzheimer’s is more common in women after menopause.

Some key ways to lower your dementia risk include staying physically active, not smoking, limiting alcohol and eating well to maintain healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

When it comes to HRT, it’s worth remembering that for many women, the benefits of taking it outweigh the risks. The medication can help with symptoms such as insomnia, hot flashes, mood swings and vaginal dryness. It can also lower your risk of osteoporosis by increasing oestrogen levels, which will protect your bones and muscles for longer.

As always, speak to your GP if you have any questions or concerns.

When building strength, compound movements should be at the base of any workout routine. These are movements that involve multiple muscles simultaneously. Not only is it more time-efficient (who wants to spend hours working the micro-muscles in their legs?), but it also closely mirrors everyday movement.

"It's something that's really going to help you build strength over time, and it's something you can do with no equipment, so you can be doing it while the kettle boils, while the bath runs," says personal trainer Caroline Idiens, who regularly shares her workouts with her two million Instagram followers, and spoke exclusively to woman&home.

"I think a squat is possibly the best exercise because you're using so many muscle groups," she says. "You're using your legs, you're using your core, you're using your back, so it's going to be a brilliant exercise," she explains.

How to do a squat

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, turning your feet slightly out.
• When you're ready, sit down into a squat - as if you are sitting down on a chair behind you.
• Make sure your knees run parallel to your toes, without going over the top of them.
• At the bottom of the movement, your tights should be parallel to the floor, or as close as possible.
• From here, push up through your feet to return to standing.

If you find a bodyweight squat very easy (you'll know it's easy if you can do 12 repetitions of the squat for three sets without much trouble), then add weights. You can use dumbbells, a barbell if you're in the gym, or kettlebells. You can also use resistance bands.

Adding resistance will make the exercise harder, forcing your muscles to work harder and grow over time to meet the new challenge. This is known as progressive overload.

How to use weights in a squat

What exercises should you do with a squat?

"Start with body weight, compound, functional movement," says Caroline. Squats are perhaps the first exercise that comes to mind when we think of functional exercise. We use the same position to sit down and stand from a chair, climb stairs, and even to pick something up off the floor.

When it comes to the best exercises for longevity, it doesn't get much better than this. But to add more to your routine, the PT suggests:

• Press up: You can do a full press-up or from your knees and graduate as you get stronger.
• Plank: While the plank is famously a core exercise, it also recruits muscles in the shoulders and upper back.
• Lunge: Another excellent lower-body movement, the lunge targets the glutes and the legs and hips.

Together, these work most of the major muscle groups in the body, and it's all you need to get stronger - especially if you're new to strength training.

"It's not about reinventing yourself. It's about finding very small but achievable, relatable habits you can stick to," she told us.

Whether it's swimming, jogging, tennis or yoga, we all have a favourite exercise - and we'd rather stick to what we know. However, new research suggests that (along with eating a healthy diet), variety is the spice of life when it comes to the best exercises for longevity.

Researchers tracked the physical activity of more than 111,000 men and women in the US over 30+ years. They found that the participants who did a mixture of different activities had a 19% lower risk of dying early from any cause and a 13 to 41% lower mortality risk from cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and other causes.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal Medicine, asked the participants to answer a questionnaire every two years from 1986 to 2018 about how often and for how long they did nine exercises: walking, cycling, jogging, running, tennis, squash, rowing or callisthenics, stair climbing and resistance or weight training.

Those more active overall had a lower mortality risk, as you would expect, but the key finding was the impact of mixing up the types of exercise. The team writes in the journal that “these data support the notion that long-term engagement in multiple types of physical activity may help extend the lifespan”. The data showed that health benefits for individuals who only did one type of exercise “plateaued at certain levels”. Those who participated in a diverse range saw “additional health benefits independent of total physical activity levels”.

“It’s important to keep a high level of total physical activity, and on top of that, diversifying the types of activities may be more beneficial,” Dr Yang Hu, from Harvard School of Public Health and lead author of the study, tells the BBC.

Vigorous walking was linked to the largest reduction in risk of early death (17%), followed by running (13%), climbing stairs (10%) and resistance training (9%). The team says that swimming was the only sport not associated with lower all-cause mortality, but this is because “individuals may report similar swimming durations regardless of whether they swim vigorously or casually”.

The team couldn’t point to a specific combination of exercises which might be most effective at improving longevity, but suggested this could be examined in future studies. The team also recommends further research into how optimal combinations of exercise change over our lifespans.

How to mix it up

So, what does this look like? The NHS recommends adults in England aim for 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.

A mixture of cardio, such as brisk walking or a run, with some resistance training or Pilates over four or five days a week is a good place to start. Here's what that could look like:

• Monday: Brisk walk for 30 minutes (total) + 30-minute weights workout at home
• Wednesday: Rowing workout, jog, or bodyweight workout at home for 30 minutes
• Friday: Brisk walk for 30 minutes (total)
• Saturday: 30-minute weights workout

These types of exercise benefit the muscles, bones, joints, and cardiovascular system. They do wonders for your mental health, too.

This is just a guide for general interest and not intended to suggest a course of action that's suitable for you. The study also doesn't include a complete analysis of all activities with physical and mental benefits. For example, data is missing on Pilates and stretching workouts.

If you’re new to exercise or have any health problems, you should always speak to a doctor or personal trainer before you start.

We’ve all been in an office or on a train where someone is coughing all over the place and obviously contagious with a cold. We’ve probably done it ourselves, too, because staying at home isn’t always an option when you have a cold or the flu.

However, at a time of year when we’re all susceptible to catching and spreading germs and viruses, woman&home’s resident GP, Dr Amir Khan, has been advising against complacency. Speaking to co-host Cherry Healey on their No Appointment Necessary podcast, Dr Khan says staying at home when you first notice symptoms of a cold or the flu isn’t dramatic - it's actually the most responsible thing to do.

“We’re usually more infectious in the two or three days leading up to your first symptoms, so before you even know you’ve got it. So when you’re thinking ‘I’ve got a sore throat, but I can do this, I can go into work’ - that is when you’re going to pass it on," he says.

When Cherry suggests many of us don’t want to be seen as a “big faker” by colleagues or friends if we cancel plans and stay at home, Dr Khan answers that “no one will thank you for giving them a cold or the flu”. It’s true. “Pushing through a cold doesn’t make you a hero… it makes everyone else sick,” says the caption for the podcast’s Instagram post.

“I would rather see more patients and my colleagues stay at home because I don’t want to be ill,” the doctor says.

In an ideal world, we should stay at home from the moment we start to feel unwell or notice a slight symptom, he says. “Don’t come into work, stay at home, rest until you’re feeling better.”

However, the doctor also notes that not everyone has the option to take a duvet day. If you're self-employed, not entitled to sick pay, or have caring responsibilities, it's much harder. If this is you, the best option is try to stay as healthy as possible, and we’ve outlined some ways below.

What else can I do to avoid catching a cold?

Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation, says Dr Khan. "These viral particles linger in the air. If you open a window, if you open a door, and if you can afford to, get an air filter with a HEPA filter in there. That will filter out these viral particles, and you're much less likely to breathe them in," he says in another episode.

Other tips from the experts

• Ask people to let you know if they’re ill: The best way to stay healthy is to keep away from ill people. If you’re due to meet a friend who’s contagious with a cold or you are, postpone it to a day when they’re better. Neither of you will thank the other one if a coffee date turns into a few days on the sofa.
• Stay away from crowded places: Public transport, gyms, and shops can all be places where you might catch an illness, as well as your workplace. Choose a quieter time of day to use or visit these places to limit your contact with other people.
• Use hand sanitiser and disinfectant spray: If you’ve been somewhere busy, wash your hands and use hand sanitiser afterwards to get rid of any germs you’ve touched.
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet: Eating plenty of immunity-boosting foods rich in vitamins and nutrients will help keep your immune system healthy and help you fight off germs.
• Consider taking supplements: Dr Amir Khan has previously told us the best way to shorten a cold is to take zinc. Vitamins C and D help support our immune systems and keep viruses at bay as well.
• Have the flu jab: This vaccine is one of the key ways we can lower our risk of catching flu and spreading it. Check if you're eligible for a free one on the NHS website.

A new year often brings a time of reflection, especially when it comes to how a marriage is working out.

Unsurprisingly, January is a peak time for people seeking a divorce, with midlife women making up big numbers of those being named 'walkaway wives.'

Similar to way some women choose 'quiet divorce,' others are finding themselves taking a good look at their relationship, but staying in marriages deemed 'subpar.'

This term was discussed in detail during a recent Woman's Hour discussion. Host Nuala McGovern was joined by journalist Eve Simmons to discuss what happens if the person you're with doesn't meet the qualities you look for in a partner - yet you stay with them.

They look at why women might settle for these 'subpar' relationships - a term describing a partnership that is essentially below standard.

Writing about the subpar relationship in her book, What She Did Next, Eve Simmons explains why she wanted to shine a light on the topic.

"Three years ago, I was shocked when my husband of just six months and partner of nine years, told me out of nowhere that he didn't want to be married anymore," she explains.

Eve adds that in her devastation, she would've done "anything to make it work." She then decided to investigate whether anyone else had a similar experience of their partner making a similar proclamation seemingly out of nowhere.

In turn, the journalist was contacted by many women whose husbands and partners had indeed "ended things totally out of nowhere." However, what she found "the most fascinating," was that all of these women said it was "the best thing that ever happened to them."

The women realised they'd been "settling for somebody who was a complete mis-match" and their lives improved dramatically when the relationship that wasn't actually meeting their standards on reflection, ended.

Nuala McGovern wondered if calling men and relationships subpar was a little "harsh." Eve acknowledges it as a controversial term, but explains, "It highlights what I'm trying to say, and means a mis-match or somebody that doesn't make you happy."

To find a description of a subpar man, Eve interviewed women to find out some common themes in men who suddenly ended their relationships. She found that often, men would be "quite directionless, not very emotionally mature or emotionally intelligent, and lack self-reflection."

She also found further recurring themes to be that men were "racked by insecurity which becomes a monster when they're with a woman who is perhaps professionally successful."

While not all men fit this pattern it has to be said, it appeared to be the case that those whom women later realised they'd "settled" for, mainly exhibited these behaviours.

Psychotherapist Lucy Beresford joined the conversation to look at why women would've "settled" for these men, often without realising it.

She explains that a lot of people in their 20s and 30s see people getting married, and women have their "finite" biological clocks to consider.

Because of this societal structure, Lucy says people "end up marrying the person they are with in their late 20s or early 30s, which is not quite the same as marrying the person you love."

She continues, "It is very much about marrying the person you are with at the time, in order for other things to evolve" such as having families and getting on the property ladder.

She suggests that in later years, there can be "a realisation that in fact you're not very similar, and you can't grow together," and this brings friction.

The relationship therefore becomes deemed subpar as it's not meeting the original needs it came about for.

However, the question of why women choose to "settle" for these relationships remains, especially when there's more options available to women to leave their marriage in the modern age - it is a certainly a complex and multi-layered topic.

Vascular dementia is the second most common type after Alzheimer's, affecting almost 200,000 people in the UK and making up as many as 20% of all cases. While age and genetics play a role in risk, making it challenging to prevent it completely, experts say our lifestyle choices can influence our chances of developing the disease.

Our brain health - and deterioration - can be affected by habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and living a sedentary life. That's not to say that if you do walking workouts, eat healthily, and stay engaged socially, you won't develop the condition. However, doing so will improve brain health and limit the potential of these habits being a cause.

For vascular dementia, Professor Catherine Mummery says the key thing is cutting out lifestyle habits that negatively impact heart health. Habits that “are bad for your heart are also bad for your brain”, she told the hosts of Good Morning Britain. “All of the things that you can manage better will reduce your risk, especially in vascular dementia,” she said.

How to lower dementia risk

1. Keep an eye on your blood pressure

High blood pressure can increase your risk of vascular dementia as it can damage the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients around the body, and damage the vessels in your brain.

Causes of high blood pressure include lack of exercise, being overweight, smoking and eating an unhealthy diet high in salt. You can find ways to lower blood pressure naturally, but many people are prescribed beta-blockers to help manage it.

2. Watch your cholesterol

High blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes are all linked, says the professor. High levels of 'bad' cholesterol can clog up our arteries, increasing the risk of stroke and causing damage to the brain.

While statins are the medical answer to high cholesterol levels, you can also implement some lifestyle habits to lower it naturally, including eating more high-fibre foods and more plant foods.

3. Keep an eye on other risk factors

Professor Mummery says diabetes can be a risk factor for dementia. Again, this is because a person with Type 2 diabetes may be overweight and have high cholesterol and blood pressure. People with Type 1 diabetes and who might have severe blood sugar highs and lows are also at increased risk.

Alzheimer’s UK says: “Dementia risk also increases with the length of time someone has diabetes and how severe it is.”

The best way to avoid getting Type 2 diabetes is to eat healthily and stay physically active. It’s important to remember that just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean you’re going to get dementia, and that having diabetes isn't necessarily a guarantee of dementia. It's just a risk factor to consider.

4. Stop smoking

It'll come as no surprise that smoking is a risk factor for dementia, given the negative impact it has on the heart and lungs.

Smoking increases your risk of vascular (heart and blood vessels) problems, which increases your risk of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, the professor says.

The good news is that quitting smoking can reduce your risk to the same level as that of non-smokers. The earlier you can quit, the better.

5. Improve your eating habits

Eating lots of vegetables and fresh food and avoiding sugar and processed foods “really help in terms of trying to reduce the risk”, says Professor Mummery.

It’s not the foods themselves which will prevent dementia, she notes, but eating a balanced diet will help you maintain a healthy diet and keep your blood flowing efficiently.

6. Do plenty of exercise

Staying physically active helps you maintain a healthy weight and avoid diseases like Type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that doing more steps and exercising for as little as five minutes per day can lower your dementia risk, provided it's at a good intensity.

The NHS recommends that adults aged 19 to 64 do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity every week to help prevent serious health conditions.

Exercise increases blood flow and supports the health of our brain cells, improving cognitive health. Try a weekly Pilates, yoga or strength training class to improve your brain health.

7. Engage in something mentally challenging

Prof Mummery says this “can be anything that you really enjoy that stretches you, that makes you feel like you’re doing something new”. You could learn a musical instrument, a new language, or a new hobby. These are considered brain health exercises.

While there’s little medical evidence that so-called ‘brain training’ (games and puzzles, for example) can reduce the risk of dementia, Alzheimer's UK says it may help you manage your daily tasks better and help memory in some people. “Most studies have been too small or too short to effectively test the effect of brain training on the development of dementia,” the charity says.

If you’re worried about your dementia risk or have support questions, the Dementia UK website has a plethora of resources.

What is vascular dementia?

Vascular dementia is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. The NHS estimates that it affects around 180,000 people in the UK. It’s the second most common type of dementia, after Alzheimer’s disease. You might be more likely to get it if you’ve previously had a stroke or lots of “mini strokes” which have affected the blood supply to your brain.

This type of dementia is uncommon in people under 65, but it’s important to be aware of some of the symptoms, which include:

• Problems with concentration.
• Changes to your mood and personality.
• Feeling disorientated or confused.
• Feeling foggy mentally.
• Difficulty walking or balancing.

It's dark, gloomy, and the weather app is saying to expect rain for the next week. Even if you've been working out for years and are a dedicated 10,000 stepper, runner, or gym goer, it can be hard to find the exercise motivation in January.

Someone who knows this all too well is Jo Whiley. The 60-year-old presenter and DJ is no stranger to a challenge, having taken on three triathlons last year in aid of Sport Relief. She's also no stranger to running, either, as one of the voices on the NHS Couch to 5km app. So, if she's having a tough time, you know it's bleak out there.

Jo took to Instagram to share that she was finding it difficult to get up and go this month, revealing that today's workout was the first run she'd done in a "really long time".

"Oh my god, that was really hard," she told followers on Instagram this morning. Later on in the video, she says: "I didn't check the weather yesterday when I promised I'd go for a run this morning. It's rained the whole way round. It's really bleak. Grey skies, it's awful."

Her trick to finding the motivation to head out the door? A commitment.

"The reason I'm doing it is that I'm signed up to the London Landmarks Half Marathon. I've discovered the only way I ever run is if I sign up for an event. I have to have the motivation. I have to have the commitment. Otherwise, I just won't do it. I make excuses all the time," she says.

"The run is in April, I'm doing it with Cass, my son, and a couple of other people, and today was the first run," she says.

Jo's plan for the half-marathon distance will help her build up from her current level of fitness to confidently run 21.1 km (13.1 miles) in a few months. She may run three to four times a week, and these runs will be made up of easy workouts, interval sessions, and longer runs. She may also do some strength training for runners alongside this.

Given recent data, Jo will likely be one of thousands of women over 50 crossing the start line. The number of women in this age group finishing the London Marathon has increased by 65% since 2018. There's been a 91% increase in the number of female runners over 60 entering the race as well.

That's not to say that anyone just gets off the sofa one day and finds running easy. Even those who've been running for years find it difficult.

In this workout, Jo reveals that she walked and ran some of her 5km route, a technique that's sometimes known as Jeffing. It's designed to build fitness and make running feel easier. "I've walked, just so you know. I've walked quite a few times on the run. It's 5km, I've done it. I've run some, I've walked some. The first one is done, so onwards."

If you're new to running and looking to stay motivated, signing up for a race can be a good incentive. Even more so if you do it with a friend or family member. You can download one of the best running apps to find a plan that suits your lifestyle, and organisations like RunThrough have events most weekends around the country, ranging from 5km to a marathon in distance.

Everyone knows that exercise is good. Working out and getting fit has a positive effect on our muscles, bones, and brain, but a new study can now reveal the impact of exercise on how quickly we age - and when that process really starts to happen.

The 47-year study, published recently in the ​​Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, followed 427 Swedish people (48% women) from age 16 to 63 to see how their muscles and fitness changed with age. The authors found that our bodies start to age from as young as 35, but that the rate of decline can be slowed down if we stay physically active.

The researchers examined the participants’ aerobic capacity, muscular endurance, muscle power and performance in strength training exercises, such as bench press and vertical jump, as part of the Swedish Physical Activity and Fitness study (SPAF). The study’s main finding was that peak ability was reached before 36 years old, and that after 40, there was a decrease for both sexes.

It's not all doom and gloom, though. Becoming active in adulthood and doing exercise as a teenager were associated with better performance.

The team from the Karolinska Institutet says the data is also consistent with results from studies which have looked at the peak physical fitness of elite athletes.

Even if you didn’t exercise regularly as a teenager or young adult, the authors say taking it up when you’re older “leads to measurable improvements in performance, even in later decades in life”. The researchers found that adults who became physically active improved their performance in the tests by 5 to 10%.

The functional exercises in the study mirrored movements we do in everyday life. For example, the vertical jump forces power through the legs, which you need for walking and climbing stairs. It also challenges balance, which typically declines with age. While a 5 to 10% improvement may not sound like a lot, it suggests that many signs of ageing (such as losing balance easily or decreased strength) can be prevented somewhat by exercise.

“It is never too late to start moving," said Maria Westerståhl, lecturer at the Department of Laboratory Medicine and lead author of the study. "Our study shows that physical activity can slow the decline in performance, even if it cannot completely stop it. Now we will look for the mechanisms behind why everyone reaches their peak performance at age 35 and why physical activity can slow performance loss but not completely halt it.”

The study is ongoing, and when the participants turn 68 this year, they’ll be examined again. This time, the researchers will be looking for links between physical capacity and lifestyle, health, and biological mechanisms.

Exercising over 35

Age really is just a number for a lot of women, who actually find that they become stronger and fitter athletes after the age of 35. You’ll have seen the stories of women who have children and then go on to become ultra-marathon runners, and others who are lifting heavier weights in their 40s and 50s than when they were younger.

For many, learning how to run as a beginner or picking up a new hobby, like weighted Pilates workouts, and going to the gym becomes easier.

There are several reasons for this, including potentially increased mental capacity to take on challenges, a more balanced lifestyle, and physiological adaptations.

Many of us are also more in tune with our bodies by the time we reach middle age, so we’re more aware of good nutrition, smart training, our hormones and sleep optimisation. These can all lead to us becoming stronger, both physically and mentally, than when we were in our 20s and 30s.

By the end of the second week of January, it's normal to feel a little fatigued with the 'New Year, New You' energy, especially if you've set yourself some wellness goals that feel like a challenge, whether that's walking 10,000 steps at home every day, getting better sleep, or doing a new activity like strength training.

It's exactly why expert personal trainer Caroline Idiens, founder of Caroline's Circuits, advises against this kind of attitude. "It's not about the new year, new you. It's not about reinventing yourself. It's about finding very small but achievable, relatable habits you can stick to," she told us in an exclusive interview this week.

Whether you plan to start running, lifting weights, swimming regularly, or just pulling on your best workout leggings for a walk every day, Caroline's advice can help you stick to your goals through the year.

1. Get moving early

"This is obviously the hardest time of the year. It's cold, it's dark in the morning when you get up. For me, it would be to get it done early before the day takes over," she told us. "I'm an early bird, so I like to just get up."

To make this easier, set an alarm so you wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day, and if waking up in the dark is demotivating for you, try to get some natural light as soon as you wake up. If the sun isn't an option, one of the best sunrise alarm clocks may do the trick.

2. Prepare ahead of time

To give yourself the motivation to get out of bed, Caroline recommends laying your kit out the night before. "If you've got your kit out and you know what you're doing, so either you've arranged to meet a friend for a walk or a run, you've got your class downloaded if you're doing something online, or you're planning to meet someone at the gym, it makes you accountable," she says.

"It's just making sure you haven't got those barriers to exercise in there, so you are ready to go. Set your alarm half an hour early and get it done," she adds.

If you're going outside, make sure you know what to wear running in the cold and wrap up warm. There's nothing that'll keep you in bed for longer than the prospect of being cold when you leave it.

3. Don't set your goal too high

"Don't say you're going to run a 10km if you've never run before," she suggests. Instead, "build up gradually with your weights if you're strength training, and just don't overestimate what you're gonna do, so then it comes more motivating when you do actually achieve it."

4. Start small

"It's about finding things in your everyday life that can be just five or 10 minutes, but you're going to stick with for the rest of the year," she says.

"It's not just about January, so make sure it's not too overwhelming. For me, it's all about a stronger you, rather than a new you."

5. Find something you like

Don't enjoy Pilates workout at home? Don't do them. Caroline says that the goal of setting new year's resolutions should be something that "motivates and inspires", but mainly, it's something that will "keep you going".

"Even if that's just 10 minutes of movement a day, that's absolutely brilliant!"

W&H editors' NY picks

Getting divorced is a complicated and sensitive time in a person's life. Even with amicable divorce methods available, difficult emotions are likely to arise during a time of such upheaval.

Recently, the process of getting divorced has been given varied labels, and this vocabulary can add confusion to those going through the process. On top of grey divorce and quiet divorce, a new term has entered the mix.

It's been found that "walkaway wives" are on the rise, and this is the latest term given to women who are initiating divorce. Interestingly, midlife women make up the largest number of those opting to start divorce proceedings this way.

Perhaps less surprisingly, their husbands are being left shocked by the wives who choose to separate in this way.

If you aren't familiar with the term, we've spoken to some relationship experts, who break down just what a walkaway wife is. They also give insight into why midlife women are leading the way with this method of divorce and why it's taking husbands by surprise.

What is a walkaway wife?

LJ Jones is a BACP-registered therapist and author, specialising in family dynamics. LJ succinctly sums up what it is to be a walkaway wife, and it's not as harsh or unemotional as the name might imply.

She tells us, "A ‘walkaway wife’ is not someone who leaves impulsively or without warning, but rather a woman who has emotionally disengaged over a period of time before physically leaving the marriage."

The therapist adds, "These women often spend years attempting to communicate unmet needs while seeking connection and support, yet frequently carry the emotional labour of the relationship alone.

"When they eventually leave, it is usually after deep and prolonged resignation, and a sense of helplessness in restoring mutual respect and harmony - rather than anger or irrationality.

"The decision usually comes only once they no longer believe change is possible and that all avenues have been exhausted."

According to BACP-accredited counsellor, Georgina Sturmer, who also specialises in relationship therapy, a walkaway wife has had enough of "Years of waiting or hoping or trying" their marriage will improve.

The decision to leave is not easy, but there's little choice when women are left feeling so "unappreciated, unfulfilled or unsatisfied."

Why are midlife women more likely to be walkaway wives?

A lot of research has been carried out on the matter, breaking down the demographics of walkaway wives. A report has proven that midlife women make up a large majority of the numbers.

According to The Independent, the report compiled by the law firm Mishcon de Reya, wealth management company Julius Baer, and the midlife community platform NOON, shows that nearly half of divorces are now being instigated by midlife women.

Within this, 56 per cent of the female respondents taking part in the survey contributing to the report said they would end a marriage because they were unhappy.

Many reported a rise in happiness after leaving their marriage, with 76 per cent of women who had already divorced saying they wouldn't hesitate to make the same decision again.

Once again, LJ Jones and Georgina Sturmer offer valuable insight into the question of why women in midlife are more likely to leave their marriages this way, and their answers might have you nodding in recognition.

LJ says, "Midlife is often a period of profound self-reflection for women. Many have spent decades prioritising children, partners, and family responsibilities, frequently at the expense of their own needs and identity.

"As children grow older and life naturally prompts a desire for growth and fulfilment, women often begin to question whether their marriage truly reflects who they are now, and whether they are experiencing a genuine sense of quality of life within their partner."

The therapist also tells us that women in their fifties and older are more likely to present with "depression rooted in profound regret about not having lived a fulfilled life."

This can be related to staying in unhealthy and unhappy marriages for too long. Perhaps feeling their time to enjoy themselves and feel fulfilled could be running out, these women are waking away in a world where "labels, such as 'spinster' are fading out, and midlife female autonomy is being celebrated and respected," LJ says.

Georgina Sturmer explains the decision for a woman to "walk away" in terms of how she has formed attachments.

"From an attachment perspective, we might expect to find that women with an ‘avoidant’ attachment style are more likely to take this approach than women with an ‘anxious’ attachment style," she says.

Georgina adds, "This is because an ‘avoidant’ woman is likely to seek comfort in distance. Emotional disengagement comes more naturally to them, and independence is prized. They are likely to feel comfortable stepping away from a relationship, and may enjoy the idea of becoming self-reliant."

Why do husbands feel shocked when their wives walk away?

We've established that a walkaway wife has been unhappy with her marriage for a long period of time, taking time to communicate this to her husband.

So why would it come as a shock to these men when their wives leave? LJ Jones sums this up perfectly.

"For many husbands, the separation can feel sudden because emotional withdrawal often goes unnoticed or unacknowledged. Women may stop voicing concerns once they feel unheard, misunderstood, or exhausted by repeated, fruitless attempts to create positive change.

"From the outside, this can look like a state of calm or acceptance, when in reality it reflects emotional detachment. By the time the decision to leave is shared, the internal process has usually been unfolding quietly for years, which can explain the sense of shock.

"This shock often stems from the husbands’ own complacency or denial - they simply did not expect their wives to leave. Many women in therapy also report that their ex-husbands may not have recognised the strength it took for them to make such a profound leap."