Woman's Weekly Living Series November 2024

Autumn? Bring it on! These darker, colder days really can be the time where you get fitter, healthier and happier. Because it’s all about little tweaks to your life to set you on the right path, and we’ve got all the advice you need about how to do that from the people in the know – the health experts. We’ve pulled it all together in this issue, covering everything from your joints and gut to your weight and resilience. Plus how to get better sleep, ease a headache, eat healthier and build a stronger immune system. It’s all here – and more. Come in, be informed and live a life you love. You’re welcome……

Soak away stress If you head for the tub when you want to relax, you could be onto something. ‘For the Japanese, bathing represents much more than getting clean,’ says Jo Peters, author of The Art of Japanese Living (£12.99, Summersdale). ‘For thousands of years people have visited onsens – natural hot springs – to find tranquillity and respite.’ So run yourself a warm bath and soak in silence to wash away tension. Eat your greens Eating 30 plants a week reduces menopause symptoms by a third. A high-fibre diet with plenty of leafy greens helps ease midlife hormonal changes such as hot flushes and mood swings, says a study by King’s College London and Zoe, the science and nutrition company. Researchers found that the severity of symptoms, including depression,…

GET ACTIVE Regular activity, intense enough to leave you slightly breathless, is great for joints. ‘Exercise builds a tolerance to the force of your body weight,’ says Jack March, physio and rheumatology lead at Chews Health. ‘Also, while the body won’t make more cartilage to replace what it’s lost, exercise makes the cartilage you have denser.’ Aim for aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking or swimming, five days a week. CUT BACK ON SUGAR It can increase inflammation, which leads to joint pain. HYDRATE! Drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep joints lubricated and stop the build-up of uric acid, which can cause painful joints and gout. It’s particularly important just before and during menopause. ‘This is due to oestrogen levels starting to decline,’ says consultant rheumatologist Dr…

Away from the glittering sequins of Strictly Come Dancing, head judge Shirley Ballas has had a difficult time of late. Earlier this year the star, 64, had a cancer scare, admitting at the time, ‘I’m worried I’ve worked myself to death.’ ‘I push myself seven days a week’ Thankfully the results of her biopsy came back all-clear and now Shirley vows to be ‘vigilant’ when it comes to her health, and urges others to do the same by getting regular checks. ‘We go about our daily lives always busy and sometimes ignoring our body. If something changes externally or you have any discomfort at all it’s your body telling you, “Take care of me”,’ she says, adding, ‘We have one beautiful body – we need to keep it well taken…

6 tiny tweaks Cut even more calories with these bonus adjustments 1 Try a dollop of mustard to liven up salads and sandwiches instead of using lashings of mayo. 2 Swap Cheddar cheese for Edam or mozzarella, as they’re both lower-fat options. 3 Switch 2tsp of cooking oil to a spritz of light spray oil. 4 Better still, steam or boil veg and potatoes, instead of frying. 5 Use turkey mince instead of beef mince in dishes like Bolognese and save 300 cals per meal. 6 Like a dip selection? Dunk vegetable crudités rather than crisps or pitta bread. BREAKFAST ✱ SWAP Blueberry muffin and full-fat latte (560 cals) ✱ FOR Slice of toasted fruit bread and skinny cappuccino (190 cals) ✱ SWAP A full English fry-up (850 cals) ✱…

It’s more important than ever to keep ourselves fit and healthy during winter and that also means ensuring that our immune systems are as strong as possible. ‘To have a healthy immune system and to launch an immune response to bacteria or a virus, our bodies need to make new immune cells made from nutrients in our food,’ explains dietitian Sophie Medlin (citydietitians.co.uk). ‘When we eat good-quality foods, our immune system has everything it needs to work and fight infections.’ Here’s the experts’ guide to eating to avoid winter bugs. Eat the rainbow Your immune system needs dietary balance, so eating the rainbow is the ideal way to get all the nutrients you need. ‘Orange and yellow are usually covered by citrus fruits and carrots,’ says Sophie. ‘We also eat…