Woman's Weekly Living Series April 2021

As we start t o travel t he road map out of loc kdown there ma y be some potholes along t he way. But we’ve got plenty here t o make sure you’re fighting fit f or the journe y back to normality. There ’s expert help t o improve your sleep and gut healt h, and recover strong from COVID. There’s advice f or planning an active city break (remember t hose?!) t o Copenhagen f or when we can travel again. But while we ’re still at home, we bring you gardening tips f or growing delicious soft fr uit. So, hang in there – brighter times are ahead.…

Bird brain Keep your garden a little messy if you want to boost your mental wellbeing. It can encourage more of our best-loved garden birds, such as blue tits, chaffinches, starlings and blackbirds. Last year’s annual review of British gardens by BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine found that numbers were down last year, blaming fewer hedges and overly tidy and preened gardens. 3 great… BITS OF WALKING KIT 1 COLOURFUL LEGGINGS Flamenco Leggings, £55, famaraonline.com Make a statement with these bold-print lightweight leggings. Their flattering high waist helps keep them in place as you walk. 2 COMPRESSION SOCKS Light Merino Low Cut Socks, £19.95, cepsports.co.uk The compression effect supports muscles on longer walks and the merino wool keeps your feet warm. 3 DOWN JACKET Forclaz Woman’s Mountain Trek 100, £39.99,…

1 Sudden pain It’s your body’s way of telling you something’s wrong. If it’s sudden, severe and unusually persistent, see a doctor. ‘If a sudden, intense headache doesn’t respond to painkillers, seek help as soon as possible,’ says London GP Dr Jack Edmonds. ‘It could be a brain aneurysm or even a haemorrhage.’ A piercing pain from the middle to right of your abdomen could indicate appendicitis. Either side of your lower abdomen could be a ruptured cyst. Kidney stones cause pain in the back, side or groin, and gallstones the centre or upper right abdomen. If you have calf pain, redness and swelling, get checked out for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) immediately. 2 Insomnia Studies show that a lack of sleep weakens the immune system and can lead to…

Tonight around a third of us will get a poor night’s sleep. And experts estimate that figure has increased during Covid restrictions when anxiety and changes to our lifestyles and timetables have impacted our sleep patterns much more severely. Missing out on a decent night’s rest leaves us feeling tired and irritable, but can also have long-term effects on our health. Lower immunity and a raised risk of chronic conditions, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes are just two associated problems. ‘Almost every ailment known to man (and woman!) is linked in some way to poor sleep,’ says Woman’s Weekly GP Gill Jenkins. ‘Sleep deprivation increases our risk of developing health issues and it reduces our body’s ability to cope with them.’ Understanding more about what may be keeping…

There’s no way around it: as we get older, our looks change. But while many still fear the inevitable ageing process, Dame Helen Mirren embraces it. The inspiration we all need, Helen says she’s learnt to love her lines – as it shows she’s lived a life. ‘I’m old! And I look it. And that’s just fine,’ the 75-year-old acting icon declares. Getting older has only made Helen all the more aware of how precious life is and not to take it for granted, something we can all relate to given the uncertain year we’ve had. ‘I take great issue with the term [anti-ageing], actually,’ the star explains. ‘You can’t avoid ageing. The way I see it, you have two choices in life: you can either get older, or die.…

Losing weight should be simple. But why is it so hard to maintain? Only 20% of dieters keep the weight off, with 80% gaining most, all or more of it back again. ‘The trouble with diets is they have a start and an end point,’ says celebrity trainer James Duigan, who works with models Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Elle Macpherson. ‘Once you’ve lost the weight it’s tempting to go back to old habits, which will pile it back on.’ James recommends following his lean way of eating for life to retrain your taste buds and metabolism. Try his 7-da y plan t o get you into the habit of eating well wit hout dieting DAY 1 BREAKFAST: Scrambled egg, smoked salmon and a cup of spinach LUNCH A grilled chicken breast…