February: goodly goods, bad buts …

… and the ABCs of Ozempic

1. Working Well

Goodly good goods

There’s a lot of good. There is a lot of good. We say that twice ‘cos lordy loo there’s bad bad too. Inappropriate whimsy aside the procession of good this month begins with UEFA’s mission to put menstrual cycle research, training and education at the centre of the beautiful game. Good. Very good.

Dr Emma was in Geneva to hear UEFA’s announcements in person after spending time in Paris leading Train the Trainer sessions as part of the adidas Breaking Barriers Academy. By training trainers we arm them with tools and messages to take to their clubs and communities. Now available in 11 languages? It’s real good.

Still good, a big high street player is embarking on a major strategic pivot with TWHQ set to play a significant role in its reimagining. Let’s just say they offer The coolest things for everyBody who wants to Shop them. It’s good. It’s real good.

The penultimate good is that Baz attended a gala Sky Sports dinner alongside Serena Wiegman and other sporting A-listers, influencers and trailblazers. The event wasn’t for any other reason, really, than to acknowledge, appreciate and celebrate women’s sport and the trajectory we’re on. Plus Sporty Spice was good.

Good. The final good. We’ve just kicked off three coaching programmes at three gym chains: The Gym Group, David Lloyd and Everyone Active. If you read our last newsletter you’ll know the manifold good that these goodly projects deliver. Good.

2. The World at Well

Bad bads and buts

Here goes. Politics isn’t our domain. Politics in other countries isn’t our domain.

But.

We can’t pretend what’s going on across the pond isn’t. The new US administration’s early moves and motions around women’s health are alarming. Removal of the Reproductive Rights portal, to give one example, is deeply concerning.

We’re dejected, angry and perplexed.

But.

It is incumbent upon all of us, at times like these, to continue pushing for change, pushing for good, pushing for women. Pushing harder.

That is our duty. We will be vocal. We will be present. We will be here.

“Never forget that it only takes a political, economic or religious crisis for women’s rights to be called into question. You must remain vigilant throughout your life”.

~ Simone de Beauvoir

3. She Plays Football y’know

Four-module education partnership kicks off

Just like Take That, we’re back to (for) good, and happy to have launched a brand new partnership with She Plays Football, a grassroots organisation helping young girls to turn up, skill-up and shine in sport and life.

Over 2025 we’ll deliver four training modules on female health to ensure coaches, parents and players have the right information on-side.

Module one on nutrition, fuelling and RED-s has just dropped, and modules on injury prevention, menstrual cycle and belonging in sport will land at regular intervals for the remainder of the year.

4. Here Comes the Science Bit

Weight loss = muscle loss comparable to a decade of ageing

In the first of a weight-loss drug double header, we thought we’d flag this 2024 study written by a team at the University of Western Australia.

It starts by noting that obesity drains circa 8% out of the average OECD country’s healthcare budget. For that reason, and many hundreds of others, weight-loss drugs are being pushed more and more as part of the solution; for their apparent ease and efficiency as much as anything else.

That said, this paper posits that the benefits of incretin therapies on fat loss may be offset by significant decreases in skeletal muscle mass. In layman’s terms all this means that people lose fat – sure – but they can also lose a lot of muscle. A lot.

To quote the paper: These agents also cause rapid and significant loss of lean mass, comparable to a decade or more of ageing.

Maintaining muscle mass and function is probably the number one defence humans have against musculoskeletal disease, which in turn is strongly linked to morbidity and mortality as people get older.

The paper ends on a call for patients on incretin-based weight loss regimes to be moved into resistance training programmes “without delay”.

5. Medical BS

Ozempic – would you recommend it?

Dr Bella says: Yes if you need it.

Use of weight loss drug Ozempic has mushroomed in the UK, yet the NHS prescribes it only to diabetics with BMIs above a high threshold. I have seen Ozempic deliver some wonderful results but those successes have been in patients where the drug’s use was risk-assessed, prescribed and monitored. This is key.

Many Ozempic users do it DIY and it’s concerning. The drug is intended for diabetics with poorly-controlled blood sugar so if that’s not you it can all work a bit too well and push your blood sugar to dangerous levels. But there’s more …

I now hear of people cancelling gym memberships; partly to recoup the costs of OTC Ozempic (which can hit three figures per month) and partly as they reckon Ozempic-driven weight loss negates the need for the gym. Head in hands.

As you’ve just read, drugs like Ozempic probably erode muscle mass and bone density, so if you do go this route it’s more important than ever to keep bodies, bones and muscles active in order to preserve and safeguard lean mass.

And for two, the primary way(s) to maintain a healthy weight haven’t changed since the dawn of humankind. Ozempic is like many other unprescribed quick-fix pills and potions in that it’s largely unproven and it tackles branches not roots.

So if you’re considering Ozempic please a) speak to a professional, b) ask yourself (several times) whether you really need it and c) Read Dr Emma on LinkedIn.