The first oral contraceptive pill that effectively prevents heavy menstrual bleeding is now available in Australia. Heavy menstrual bleeding affects more than 30 percent of woman and a drug that works as a contraceptive, as well as a treatment for prolonged menstrual bleeding, has not previously been available. The new drug, Qlaira, contains oestradiol, a […]

More than 800 British women have volunteered to hypnotise themselves during childbirth to see if they can go without painkillers for a new medical trial. Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) has launched an 18-month study into “hypnobirthing” to assess whether women can give birth without the use of epidurals and other drugs, the UK’s Daily […]

You already know that too many soft drinks are bad for your teeth and your waistline, but now a study published in the Journal of Hepatology has also linked them to liver damage, specifically non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which may in turn lead to insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease, and even liver cancer. In […]

You pay out your weight in gym fees, but still can’t drop those kilos. Sydney trainer Rebecca Rule tells why. A heart-rate monitor eliminates guesswork. “It links the body and the mind and indicates whether you can work harder or need to pull in the reins,” Rebecca says. “The flip side is working out for […]

We all need someone to talk to about life’s ups and downs, and most of the time friends and family are there to listen and help. But sometimes it pays to seek professional advice. “A psychologist is objective – someone who has no vested interest,” says Amanda Gordon, a Sydney-based practicing clinical psychologist and President […]

Obesity, alcohol and putting off becoming a mother have been blamed for an increase in the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer. Figures released by Cancer Research UK last week showed that one in eight British women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. In 2008, 47,700 women were diagnosed with the disease, which […]

The temperature is up in the high 30s and Sydneysiders have been warned to keep up their fluids. This extreme heat alone would be enough of an excuse for most of us to skip our exercise routine and stay in the cool indoors, but for Magda Szubanski, it’s training as usual. The 49-year-old comedian knows […]

Fiona Falkiner and sisters Melanie and Holly Scouler are turning heads on the beach. Strolling along the beach in revealing swimsuits, their heads held high, these beauties prove how much they love their bodies. But it wasn’t long ago that wearing a bikini in public was something Fiona Falkiner and sisters Melanie and Holly Scouler […]

Whether it's going for your brisk morning walk, rushing off to a dance class or even doing your strength/resistance training, remember that every time you exercise you need to include a warm up and a cool down. Your warm up may be a 2-3 minute jog to raise a light sweat or even walking on the treadmill in your local gym. When you start to get a light sweat up, your body is preparing itself for more activity. It's important to warm up to increase heat throughout your body and to reduce tearing or straining your muscles. Our body "warms up" because our blood is moving more freely around our body.