Innholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2025 i Women's Health

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…

Several years ago, at age 60, Mona Weiger decided to give her son Kyle’s online fitness program a go. His video tutorials focused on mastering handstands—a move Mona “never dreamed I’d be able to do,” she says. But she joined to support her son. Just two months later, the formerly sedentary court reporter was able to kick up and hold without wall support. “Eventually, I could hold for five seconds, which actually felt like five minutes,” she says. Today? Mona can remain in a handstand for 30 seconds at a time—and she’s not done yet. “The thing about doing handstands is that you’re always reaching for the next goal,” she says, adding that she’s now focused on improving her alignment. Beyond the physical perks, she’s gained self-assurance. Holding back tears,…

INSTRUCTIONS: Do each of the following moves for 30 seconds, one after another, and complete 2 to 3 sets total. Do the circuit as a warmup before your regular strength session, or on its own, up to four times per week. 1 Plate Overhead Shrug HOW TO: Starting on both knees, grip a weight plate with both hands and press it overhead with arms fully extended. Keep core engaged and shoulders relaxed. With plate overhead, lift shoulders as high as possible toward ears (as if you’re shrugging), squeezing traps at the top. Hold briefly, then slowly lower shoulders back down to starting position. Repeat. 2 Plate Kneeling Windmill HOW TO: From a stable halfkneeling position, hold a plate flat on one hand and, using your other hand for support, extend the arm…

Top trainers do more than design workouts and count reps—they listen and lead with empathy. They’re also experimenters, pushing the boundaries of what fitness can look and feel like. That’s the spirit of the 2025 Strength in Diversity (SID) class: 10 coaches who are redefining fitness with their unique POVs and their mission of creating inclusive spaces. Women’s Health and Men’s Health have teamed up to help provide these culture shifters with mentorship and certifications to make the fitness world a richer, brighter place. Their commitment: Make fitness belong to everyone. Stephanie Pantoja @stephsblessedd Pantoja, 30, a former competitive wrestler, transitioned into full-time fitness after sharing her transformative weight-loss journey and building a supportive online community. As the founder of Thick & Fit, she empowers women (particularly women of color)…

Our obsession with skin care has become part ritual, part entertainment. With every scroll on social comes a new ingredient, hot take, or multifangled routine. We’re tracking the rise of snail mucin and salmon sperm, debating whether three serums are necessary, and ultimately wondering what truly works. Enter: The Women’s Health Skincare Awards, curated by our beauty team and a panel of dermatologists, aestheticians, content creators, makeup artists, and product formulators. We sifted through hundreds of options to find these 33 smart, effective formulas that are more help than hype—and will have you covered from scalp to soles. face To glow or not to glow—with these trophy winners, it’s not even a question. Best Cleanser “The creamy formula lathers nicely, hydrates, and removes dirt and oil without overstripping.” —Corey L.…

Once reserved for military drills and CrossFit, weighted vests have found a new identity as the effortless way to add a hint of resistance to everyday movement. Their shift from hardcore gear to a staple for power walkers, pilates enthusiasts, and casual exercisers happened fast. But now, as vests become a fixture on treadmills and hiking trails, the question is: How far beyond the daily walk can this tool really take you—and does it deserve a spot in your holistic training regimen? While the hype is evident, there’s still a lot that fitness experts are not sure about. And the Internet might be a few steps ahead of the current science. “Consumer excitement is outpacing what research can confirm through well-designed studies,” says Rachelle Reed, PhD, an exercise physiologist based…

Breanna Stewart, WNBA, New York Liberty, cofounder of the three-on-three basketball league Unrivaled ‘‘Control what you can control. You can’t predict hardships or outcomes, but your preparation, your mindset, how you show up for your team—that’s always in your hands.” Anna Weis, pro sailing, Team SailGP “My rowing coach in college said, ‘Just show up.’ Not every day will be a 100 percent day, but if you give your maximum effort for where you’re at, it’s always better than not doing it at all. It’s simple advice, but I still think about it to this day—especially on those days when training feels like a challenge.” Aari McDonald, WNBA, Indiana Fever “Always know your worth, and any person that can’t see your worth, it’s their loss. Keep staying sharp and trust that what’s meant…

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST. WNBA trailblazer. Expert commentator. The list of achievements on basketball great Rebecca Lobo’s résumé is long. Yet there’s another (arguably just as important) role that’s received little fanfare over the years: youth basketball coach in Connecticut. Far from a vanity project, founding and leading the CT Force has given Rebecca the opportunity to normalize women coaches to a whole new generation of players. “Coaching wasn’t something that I ever thought about,” Rebecca says. “But once I had kids and they were old enough to play sports, I knew I wanted to coach them.” All four of her kids—three daughters and one son—played under her watchful eye from grades two through eight. During her daughters’ junior high years, Rebecca observed some of the notso-great-behavior being modeled on the…

NATIONAL SENIOR GAMES For: The Lifelong Competitor This Olympic-style multisport event occurs at the local, state, and national levels in the U.S. for those ages 50 and up. While you have to qualify for some events at the state level, others don’t require qualifying first, like the powerlifting, tai chi, triathlon relay, disc golf, and billiards events. BEGINNER HALF-AND FULL MARATHONS For: The I-Wanna-Go-the-Distance Runner The Rock ’n’ Roll Las Vegas half-marathon and the Chicago and Philadelphia marathons are excellent starting points because they are not hilly and have great energy and crowd support, says Erica Coviello, CPT, a level 2 certified RRCA running coach and owner of Run Fit Stoked. RUCKING CHALLENGES For: The Outdoor Athlete GoRuck has a ton of rucking (which is carrying a weighted pack while…

Pro Tips Provide enough. “A serving size of cheese on a cheese board per person is three ounces,” Mullen says. That’s 3 oz, total, per person. Buy and serve accordingly. Simplify. Funky-cut fruit looks cool, but make sure it’s easy enough to eat. The same goes for anything else you put on your board. “I like to pre-cut my hard cheese and leave my soft cheese as whole,” Mullen says. “That way, if you have a huge hunk of Cheddar on your board, you don’t have to make your guests feel pressured to cut into it first.” Avoid cracker clutter. You can put a few crackers on the board, but serve the rest separately. We're fans of high-fiber, lowsugar (but still good!) options—like the kinds from Simple Mills or Mary’s…

Aim to train at least three times a week. If you wanted to be a better runner but ran only once a week for two miles, you’d see slow progress, Kyle explains. The same goes for handstands. You don’t need hours each session; just 15 minutes of drills (like the workout here) at the end of your regular strength workouts can make a difference. Don’t skip the warmup. Kyle makes sure his wrists, shoulders, hips, and hamstrings are warmed up, and he spends time in a seated straddle position, he says. “I’m getting loose. I’m getting mobile. I never ever handstand cold.” This one is easy if you’re incorporating handstands into a regularly scheduled strength program that already includes a solid warmup. Hit the wall. After warming up, spend a…

RAY MUSKEYVALLEY @learn2move4life Known as “Munchie,” the 40-year-old former basketball player (turned biomedical engineer) founded the Move 4 Life MVMT School after career-ending injuries. His goal: to make joint-health and injuryprevention education accessible. LAMÁN BEN-TRAHORET  @livelaman The 31-year-old is a personal trainer and wellness coach specializing in assisted stretch therapy. As a Black wellness professional and member of the queer community, he aims to make fitness accessible, honest, and inclusive. TRUE BEY @true_bey Drawing from his own journey through fatherhood, divorce, and rebuilding his career, the 46-year-old integrative health and nutrition coach helps professional men achieve sustainable weight loss, prevent disease, and build strength. TONY CASTILLO @coach_tonycastillo Castillo, 37, is a bilingual sports and performance dietitian who provides sustainable, personalized nutrition strategies. Having overcome obesity, he helps people achieve peak…

SAUNA BLANKETS Personal and Collapsible Infrared lamps provide the heat in sauna blankets—which look like sleeping bags and tend to run $400 to $700. They’re useful if you want to sauna on your own time, indoors. They're cooler than traditional saunas, so it’s not clear if you'll get all the health benefits. But you’ll still sweat plenty, so you’ll need to be good with cleaning them. SAUNA PODS Rigid but Portable You can pop up these tentlike structures where you like, but they still take up space while they're up—and when you put them away. They range from a couple hundred dollars for a fabric pod to thousands for a hard shell. You get to sit up rather than lie down as in a blanket, but don’t invite friends if…

Researchers found something funny about umami, that deeply savory flavor that makes everything from miso soup to ketchup taste great. When you add umami to, say, a pile of fries, people eat more of them. But when you umami-fy a nutrientdense slaw, people also eat more. Which means: If you add a little of the good stuff to nutritious meals and snacks, you’ll eat more of what you need to stay healthy. BETTER BREAKFAST “Cheesy” Spinach Broccoli Quinoa Eggs MAKES 4 SERVINGS THE UMAMI MAGIC: Nutritional yeast, affectionately referred to as nooch, consists of Parmesanesque flakes that taste equally amazing in a quiche, on mashed potatoes, or over popcorn. 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp olive oil1 large shallot, finely chopped2 cloves garlic, finely chopped1 cup tricolor quinoa2 cups low-sodium vegetable…

EMMA HAYES WAS AT HOME IN THE FALL of 2023 when the text came from her agent, telling her that her dream job—head coach of soccer’s U.S. Women’s National Team—was hers if she wanted it. She’d been dreaming about this moment since 1999, when her career as a soccer coach was just starting at Liverpool Hope University in England. That year, her father, Sid Hayes, returned from the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final, where the U.S. delivered a breathtaking win after a penalty shootout against China. Emma was awed by his reports on the respect for—and treatment of—the women’s team. They were Emma’s first “football role models.” But her coaching aspiration was one she kept close to her chest. “I didn’t scream too loud about wanting the job, because I…

AT THE 2025 BIG TEN MEDIA DAYS in July, which unoffcially marks the beginning of the season, the head coach of Penn State’s Nittany Lions women’s volleyball team, the reigning NCAA champions, sat calmly on the dais alongside players Gillian Grimes and Izzy Starck. A proud alum of the program—and the first female head coach to win a Division I NCAA women’s volleyball title—Katie Schumacher-Cawley kept the attention firmly on her team. When asked how she’s changed as a coach, she responded with a smile. “I have a new hairdo this year,” she said, before shifting the focus back to her players. But in 2024, Katie found herself thrust into a different kind of spotlight. As her team fought for a national title, she was fighting her own battle: undergoing…

AMRAP challenge: Complete as many rounds of the workout as possible in 45 minutes. Short on time…or just starting out? Reduce the number of reps and/or the length of the workout to meet yourself where you’re at. EMOM challenge: Every minute on the minute, complete the maximum reps of the exercise. On even minutes, jump rope, and on odd minutes, do the next move in the circuit, continuing until all exercises are done. Repeat for your desired workout time frame (say, 30 to 45 minutes). Completion challenge: Do 100 jump rope reps and 25 reps of each exercise for three total rounds. Intensity, load, and repetition volume are all changeable variables that are up to you and your fitness level. 1 Jump Rope HOW TO: Hold a jump rope handle in…

BEST MOZZARELLA-STYLE Trader Joe’s Dairy-Free Mozzarella Style Shreds Made mainly of cashews and coconut oil, these have a slight nuttiness that’s great for pizza and pasta—including lasagna. BEST FETA-STYLE Follow Your Heart Dairy-Free Feta Style Crumbles Need a sprinkle of salty, tangy, feta-like goodness? These crumbles are great in Mediterranean salads, grain bowls, and vegetable wraps. BEST SLICES Field Roast Creamy Original Chao Slices They’re smooth and rich, they melt well, and they're way less oily than their competitors. Put them in everything from grilled cheese to cold sandwiches. BEST GOAT CHEESE–STYLE Treeline Cheese Original Vegan Goat-Style Cashew Cheese The texture is a bit crumbly and a touch creamy, just like real goat cheese, and it has that tangy-sour flavor. Try some stuffed into olives or mini peppers, or add…

1 / First thing you do when you wake up? I eat breakfast—I’m a munchie girl. I usually have Trader Joe’s whole-grain waffles with a little bit of vegan butter and either maple syrup or date syrup. 2 / Early inspiration? Seeing my brother onstage made me want to act. 3 / Go-to post-workout food? Lately I’ve been making watermelon pops. I blend watermelon, lemon juice, a little bit of mint, maple syrup or date syrup, and just a pinch of Tajín, and then I freeze it in my Popsicle molds. They’re really nice and very cooling. 4 / Proudest career moment? Seeing myself on-screen for the first time in the full cut of Wicked. It was surreal, and it almost didn’t register in my brain that it was me.…

1. Total-Body Strength “You’re concentrating so much on doing the drills that you don’t really realize you’re getting a workout in,” Mona says. She noticed the results during daily tasks like shoveling snow and loading 40-pound bags of birdseed into her car. “I used to have to ask the store employees to load the bags into my car, but now I can do that myself, as my upper body and back muscles are much stronger.” 2. Fat Loss When she turned 40, she started seeing additional belly fat accumulating, and menopause seemed to make it worse. But after working on handstands, she noticed that her clothes fit better and she was losing weight in her midsection. “The more consistent I stayed with handstand practice, the more my appetite increased, but…

1. Set reasonable goals. Specifically, determine an achievable number of days and times to work out. “It’s really difficult for a beginner to go from zero days to five,” McParland says. “Start small.” Add more days and time as you go. 2. Pick the time of day that’s best for you. Some people love exercising in the morning, while others prefer the evening. The so-called “best time to work out” depends on what’s best for you and your body, McParland says. Play with your schedule to see what suits you. 3. Put workouts on your cal. Really, as if they were meetings. “It helps you get into a routine,” McParland says. You wouldn’t cancel a meeting with the boss or lunch with a friend at the last minute, so don’t…

THE LEGEND Dawn Staley THE FIGHTER Katie Schumacher-Cawley THE ENERGIZER Emma Hayes THE WUNDERKIND Erin Matson THE INFLUENCER Rebecca Lobo…

ERIN MATSON HAS A TATTOO etched across her right hand that reads simplicity. It’s an ethos her dad instilled from an early age and one that Erin has embraced as the head coach of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels field hockey team. Though her goals are ambitious, simplicity dictates that she and the women she leads tackle them step by step, day by day. This approach has already garnered her an NCAA title—as a 23-year-old first-time coach, no less. (One of the youngest ever in Division I athletics.) Raised in suburban Pennsylvania, Erin had a field hockey stick in her hands from the age of 6, when her mom—a former collegiate field hockey and softball player—enrolled her and her best friend in a field hockey…

FOOTBALL AND CHANGE are two constants in Autumn Lockwood’s life. With a dad coaching football at the collegiate level, her family moved all over the place: Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Minnesota, Wyoming…the list goes on and on. While some might struggle with so many shifts, Autumn was the opposite: “I learned early on that change was good.” Her mom framed every new location or new college coaching job as an adventure rather than a stressor. In the midst of all that moving, Autumn still played sports. She went on to play soccer at the University of Arizona, graduating with a degree in criminal justice with the intention of being a special agent. But a gut feeling before the exam shook her world. “I had a freak-out, wondering, What do…

Wait, why is WH doing something on cheese? Hunks of cheese, to be exact? There is, after all, lots of guilt by association. Cheese covers our nachos, blankets our delivery pizza, dusts our puffs. This kind of cheese isn’t great for you—even if it is delicious—and it’s not even really cheese. Shelfstable queso, industrial mozzarella, powderized poof sprinkle—you should probably avoid these ultra-processed cheese poseurs or only enjoy them every once in a while. But then there’s real cheese, which is actually great for you. One-chunk-is-all-you-need caveaged Gruyère. Fresh and tangy chèvre. A wedge of gloriously stinky bleu. This stuff—this real cheese—has tons of muscle-building protein, bone-strengthening calcium, gut-healthy probiotics, and stomach-satiating fats. And unlike with ultra-processed cheese (or “fake” cheese), you usually only ever need a little of it to…

Cheese is bad for your heart. Well, it’s complicated. Yes, most cheeses are rich in LDLraising saturated fats, says Brian St. Pierre, RD, CSCS, director of nutrition at Precision Nutrition. But certain cheeses contain "milk fat globule membrane," or MFGM. This lipid-protein structure may limit the harmful effects of saturated fats in cheese. Aged cheese has the most MFGM, fresh cheese has less, processed cheese has little. It’s addictive. Nope! “The theory comes from the fact that casein, a protein found in all dairy, releases opioid casomorphins as a digestive by-product,” says Kelsey Kunik, RDN, of Graciously Nourished. “But the amount of opioid peptides you get from eating a piece of cheese is nowhere near what medication provides.” (This is why cheese also won’t get you high, unfortunately/fortunately.) Eating cheese…