Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2025 i Women's Health

So congratulations on your first step: opening this Winter 2025 issue. We love this season at WH because we get to hug our beginners tightly as they begin their journey to their healthiest, happiest lives—and then equip them with the best experts, tips, ideas, and tools to achieve their biggest dreams. For many, that means embarking on a fitness program that delivers results. Stronger muscles, yes, but also a sense of confidence and calm that can power you in many other areas of your life. If travel is on your yesss list in 2025? Please read the essay by WH managing editor Laura McLaughlin on page 42, which will not only make you want to book a cruise to Antarctica immediately but also help you see trips in the wholly…

1 Lock In Hydration Dryness can decrease cellular turnover, leading to a lackluster look, says Dr. Rabach. Combat this by using a serum or moisturizer with ingredients like glycerin, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid. Pro tip: Serums have smaller molecules that can penetrate deeper, says Dr. Hartman. 2 Opt for a “Less Is More” Approach Mixing too many skincare products may not give you extra benefit and can even be detrimental, says Dr. Hartman. (More ingredients touching your skin can up the risk of irritation.) Start with one serum and pair it with SPF for two weeks before adding anything new. 3 Incorporate Slough Love Face scrubs can damage the skin barrier, leading to irritation and discoloration, says Dr. Hartman. Try leaveon exfoliating products with glycolic, salicylic, lactic, or kojic acids. “They remove the…

With so many biohackers out there suggesting that women do all kinds of expensive and, often, questionable things in the name of longevity, it’s refreshing to hear about a health span–lengthening practice that’s free—and achievable by pretty much anyone. Enter: stretches. “Stretching can help you maintain your mobility, and it’s an important piece of aging healthfully and promoting longevity,” says Rachel Tavel, DPT, CSCS. While totalbody stretching is key, the shoulders in particular deserve your attention: Too much—or too little—activity causes tension in this area, but that can also result from stress, which makes you tense up your muscles, especially the traps, those muscles at the back of the neck and shoulders. (Ever feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?) Counteracting this ache becomes even…

START HERE 1 LEVEL UP THE START Introduce flavor from the get-go by cooking grains in broth instead of plain ol’ H2 O. Stir in lentils to increase the protein or incorporate vegetable- or legume-based rice for extra nutrients. (Fwiw: Cooked farro, quinoa, and brown rice can be kept in the fridge for up to five days.) BOOSTED BASE* ⅔ cup cooked long-grain brown rice⅓ cup no-salt canned brown lentils, rinsed1½ cups baby arugula or other greens (½ oz) 1. Place brown rice in microwave-safe bowl, cover with damp towel, and microwave on high until heated through, 30 to 90 sec. Fluff with fork, then fold in lentils. 2. Toss with baby arugula. *With this base, your bowl starts with over 9 grams of protein. 2 Do the Veg Work A…

1 Don’t Try to Fake It Writing things down can be your salvation. If you have an important presentation at work, put your thoughts on index cards or in your phone, even if you used to be able to wing it. 2 Stop Multitasking While it is tempting to catch up on texts while watching TV or talking on the phone, multitasking impairs focus and memory. 3 Get Organized If you are having trouble remembering where you put your keys or your glasses, clutter isn’t going to help. Create “safe spots” for your everyday objects: a hook by the door, a jewelry tray, a bin for shoes. Virtual clutter doesn’t help either. Be sure to file emails into folders and flag those you absolutely must remember. 4 Use Imagery and Tricks to Remember Names…

AS THE SHY ONLY CHILD of two actors, the Texas native has always felt most comfortable expressing her creativity at home. She imagined her own worlds, staged plays using her mom’s theater models, and set up a camera on a tripod to capture them. Decades later, Adriene is still making videos in her living room—except now, nearly 13 million YouTube subscribers are watching. She’s a hatha yoga teacher with more than 500 hours of training, and her channel, Yoga With Adriene, has been an accessible welcome mat to an at-home yoga practice for more than 12 years. So much has changed for Adriene during that time, but so much has also stayed the same. “Anyone who’s putting themselves in a position where they’re guiding other people has to evolve,” Adriene says.…

JUGGLING A 9-TO-5 marketing career and teaching group fitness on the side, Danyele returned to her Chicago high school at 6 a.m. one weekday morning in 2018 to lead a conditioning session for her former varsity cheerleading squad. When she walked into her corporate office afterward, she ran into the CEO. “You’re in a good mood today,” he said. “What did you do this morning?” She told him about the workout and how fulfilling it was. “Well, you should do that every morning,” he replied. It did not feel like a coincidence. “You’re right, I should,” Danyele told him. “Watch me.” Not long after, she quit her job. “I had to choose, and I ended up choosing myself,” she says. “It was the best decision I ever made.” It’s no…

Peruse Amazon or your local Sephora and it’s very likely (almost guaranteed) that you’ll come across one of the dozens of at-home light devices now available for purchase. Many are making a splash on social—the Solawave wand, for example—and even brands that once focused on technology to address muscle recovery and overall wellness, like Therabody, have gotten in on the game. They can be pricey—even basic models can run several hundred dollars. And while medical devices are monitored and approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for safety, Dr. Shamban points out that individual devices sold for home use are not evaluated by the FDA for efficacy. If you’re in the market for one, you’ll want to consider a few things. First, different lights are used for different skin…

In this age of urgent-care facilities, concierge medicine, ERs, and telehealth, some people wonder if they even need a PCP. You do! And finding one remains oddly similar to finding an auto mechanic or house painter: Ask around. “Ask someone you trust for a referral to someone they trust,” says Kisha Davis, MD, MPH, a family physician and the health officer for Montgomery County, Maryland. Ask multiple people and gather multiple names—because some doctors won’t accept your insurance (not the end of the world; see “Why Do So Many Doctors No Longer Take Insurance?” on page 90) or take on new patients. Once you have a list of names, do some digging. Facebook stalking is not necessary or helpful, but a good physician will write a bio on their website…

60 PERCENTThe increase in patient visits to urgent care centers from 2019 to 2020Source: Urgent Care Association I’ve been told by both my PCP and urgent care to use the ER for various maladies. Why has this become so common? Many primary care offices lack the equipment to perform advanced diagnostic testing—MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds—so the next logical step is usually a hospital. And if that testing needs to happen pronto (for instance, if a patient has unexplained abdominal pain), it’s the emergency room, says Leslie Kees, RN, senior director of emergency services at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington. Long wait times affict specialty medicine too, according to Vicki Norton, MD, president-elect of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. “You can’t get in to see a specialist; you…

CARDIOLOGY Jennifer H. Mieres, MD Professor of cardiology, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell; senior vice president, Center for Equity of Care, Northwell Health DERMATOLOGY Mona Gohara, MD Associate clinical professor, department of dermatology, Yale School of Medicine Ellen Marmur, MD Founder, Marmur Medical Joshua Zeichner, MD Director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City FAMILY MEDICINE Navya Mysore, MD Primary care physician; sexual and reproductive health expert FERTILITY Sheeva Talebian, MD Fertility specialist and reproductive endocrinologist, CCRM New York FITNESS Ariel Belgrave, CPT Board-certified health and fitness coach; Under Armour athlete; creator of the L.E.A.N. Method; DEI wellness expert Ben Bruno, CFSC Certified functional strength coach and private trainer Sohee Carpenter, MS, CSCS Evidence-based fitness coach and certified sports nutritionist; author of…

Taco-Spiced Chicken and Roasted Vegetables TOTAL: 30 MIN. SERVES: 4 1 ¼ lbs sweet potatoes (about 4 large), halved crosswise, then cut into wedges3 Tbsp olive oil, divided Kosher salt and pepper2 peppers (1 red,1 yellow; about1 lb total), cut into 2-in. pieces1 Tbsp taco seasoning (we used Siete)1 Tbsp lime juice plus grated lime zest, for serving1 tsp tomato paste4 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmedChopped parsley, for serving 1. Arrange oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and heat oven to 450°F. On large rimmed baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes with 1 Tbsp oil and ¼ tsp each salt and pepper. Roast on lower rack 10 min. 2. On second rimmed baking sheet, toss peppers with 1 Tbsp oil. In large bowl, whisk together taco seasoning,…

WITH GYMS CLOSED, the former professional bodybuilder found herself out of work as a personal trainer and crashing with friends. She did her best to adapt her rigorous workout routine to social-distancing demands. But on social media, the women who followed her for motivation had lost theirs. “They’re on the sofa waiting for time to pass,” Jenna says. “And I’m like, ‘Damn, I should come up with a program.’ ” She shared a free 15-day program of 15-minute, no-equipment workouts online. Almost 30,000 people downloaded the PDF. Jenna saw a path to a new career that lit her up. But even when she put a price tag on her next program, she placed purpose over profits, investing what she made into building an app called Reset to help women of…

THE ONLY BLACK GIRL on the soccer team, the only Black girl on the gymnastics team, the only Black girl on the cheerleading squad, the only curvy, muscular Black girl in competitive all-star cheer. “That played a huge part in my body image,” Ajahzi says. But none of that stopped her from being the most athletic one out there, doing round-off back handsprings down the basketball court at timeouts. Knowing she looked different was more a self-awareness thing than a cause of self-loathing. “It was an elephant-in-the-room kind of feeling,” she says. A knee injury in high school and subsequent physical therapy sparked Ajahzi’s desire for a kinesiology degree. In college at the University of Nevada at Reno, her interest in fitness grew, though mostly in order to look good…

Soon after graduating from college, in 2012, Molly Moran started losing her hair. It fell out in clumps every time she showered. “I Googled it and read that it’s normal, apparently, to lose some hair in your 20s, but it was alarming how much was coming out,” Moran, now 35, says. “It was really upsetting to me, and it was kind of scary. I was like, ‘What is happening?’” At the time, she didn’t make the connection between her hair loss and the fact that she had recently gone off the birth control pill for the first time in five years. Instead, she went searching for answers. After bouncing around from a primary care doc to a dermatologist to a gynecologist—none of whom ordered any blood work or tests—Moran was…

If I choose not to have a PCP, how can I get specialist referrals? And will I know which specialists I need? Short answer: It depends on your plan! In the days when the HMO was king, you needed a PCP to get a referral. But with a PPO, you can see specialists without one. But just because the Internet brought us the ability to find, say, a gastroen-terologist or orthopedist doesn’t mean it can tell you when you need one. Caveat: Some specialists operate storefront offces because you know when you need one and can call yourself. For example, if you require an optometrist (because the stop signs are getting fuzzy), find one in your town. Also, getting an annual skin check is a smart idea, and you generally…

1/Time your alarm goes off in the morning? My son, Alexander, wakes me up around 6:15 a.m. every day. 2/First person who ever inspired you? Olympic gold medal swimmer Janet Evans. 3/Fave post-workout food? Scrambled eggs—I usually have them with a green, like arugula, and kimchi. I love spicy. 4/Proudest career moment? Launching my podcast, The Right Room With Hilary Phelps, in August. I postponed the launch by five months because I was worried it wouldn’t be perfect and get a billion downloads. 5/First job? Teaching swimming to 3- and 4-year-olds. I loved it. 6/Fave hype-up song? “Unstoppable” by Sia. 7/Fave relaxing song? “Faith’s Hymn” by Beautiful Chorus. 8/Go-to mantra? “I’m safe. I’m loved. I’m supported.” 9/Last time you cried? During this interview! I cry every day. I’m super emotional,…

As aromatherapists, perfumers, and the specter of Cleopatra will tell you, perfume is so much more than a personal accessory. Throughout history, certain fragrances have been harnessed for their mystical properties. The Egyptians reportedly used thyme, cedar, and myrrh in burial ceremonies, believing they could aid in the journey to the afterlife. The Romans spritzed scents to ward off evil spirits, and in the Middle Ages, fragrant oils were believed to have healing powers. Flash forward to today, and we’re once again turning to scent for more than simply smelling good. “In the midst of significant turmoil and anxiety, fragrance can serve as a comforting force,” says Walter Johnsen, vice president of product development at Interparfums. And there may be no better example of this than palo santo, a name…

When gymnast Sunisa “Suni” Lee began her floor routine in the all-around final at the Paris Olympics last summer, nothing was certain. It was her last rotation of the day, and Lee, the reigning gold medalist, was tied for fourth place with mere fractions of a point separating her from the competition. As she stepped onto the floor, NBC captured Lee reciting affirmations to herself. “I was telling myself that I got this, and this is going to be the last one, so I wanted to make it the best one,” Lee says. “Telling myself that I was ‘that girl,’ just going to go out there and do my thing, because that’s what I came here to do.” In 2023, a series of health struggles—including two kidney diseases—had Lee doubting…

It’s a genius concept: everything you want to eat, in one container. “Grain bowls offer a creative way to add a variety of nutrients to your meals. With the right combo, you’ll get a mixture of protein, carbs, heart-healthy fats, and fiber,” says Yasi Ansari, RDN, CSSD. Plus, the throw-itall-together format allows for endless possibilities, so you can eat one every day without getting bored (in theory). Think of your base—grains, or a mix of grains and greens—as the blank canvas for flavorful foods. But not all bowls are created equal, and some of these health heroes often lack a little…nutritional oomph. The WH Test Kitchen experts teamed up with Ansari on a revamp so you can make your next bowl your best one. Let’s go. POWER UP This combo…

Clean-Out Challenge DREAMY DIP Found a half-carton of yogurt in the fridge? Stir in lemon zest and a spoonful of lemon curd; serve with graham crackers for a sweet-tart treat. GINGER BOOST Combine grated ginger, lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne, and water; divide into ice cube trays and freeze. Pop a cube into hot water or tea whenever you want a li’l extra oomph.…

This year I was offered the opportunity to go to Antarctica, a journey of almost 7,000 miles through the air, on land, and finally on water, to a part of the world that far less than 1 percent of the global population will visit. I marveled at the idea, then immediately started to think of who might be able to go in my place, until my then-girlfriend (now wife) put her hand over my phone to get my attention, looked me in the eye, and said, “You go. Take your sister, and you go.” Mind, blown. Me? Resistance thoughts ran wildly through my head and my heart, imagining my family without me, asking my sister to make the same impossible choice: to choose ourselves this time. If you were to…

AS A COMPETITIVE GYM-NAST who trained 30-plus hours a week, she understood its meaning by age 8. By 10, she was an “obsessed” level 10, Hannah says. “I learned discipline and obedience.” But at 14, when she wanted to explore new activities, her coach gave her an ultimatum: “You’re either in or you’re not.” Hannah found her way to the less-intense high school team, where she became the first in Colorado history to win a state championship three years in a row. She then went on to compete for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, redshirting as a freshman due to stress fractures in her ankles and a sudden case of the twisties. She began to develop various eating disorders and unhealthy workout habits as well. Two weeks before her sophomore season,…

How do I use health tech smartly—without going down terrifying Internet rabbit holes that all end with me dying tomorrow? There’s no denying we have more info at our fingertips than ever before—whether it’s a wearable that monitors your sleep cycle, periodtracking apps, even good ol’ WebMD. Unfortunately, superfluous data is making us more stressed about our health rather than less, says Girish Nadkarni, MD, system chief of the Division of Data-Driven and Digital Medicine (D3M) and a member of the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The big reason: lack of context. Say you received a wearable for Christmas, and out of the box, it says you have a heart rate variability (HRV) of 140. You Google that number and…

Why do so many doctors no longer take insurance? “Doctors take action based on a patient’s best interests, of course, but often their actions are also based on economic interests and in response to the increasing administrative burden of practicing,” says Harry J. Heiman, MD, a clinical professor in the department of health policy and behavioral sciences at Georgia State University School of Public Health. “Insurance companies can’t force a physician to see more patients—but we have a system that incentivizes volume. It’s primarily a fee-for-service system: You [the doctor] provide a service, you get a fee. So if I have a practice and I want to increase my income, I can see more patients or I can intensify the level of care I give to each—or I can do…