March: 15’s the magic number

Fast friends, familiar wellies, fertility and fit fifteen

1. Working Well

March madness a syndrome not a noun

Last newsletter we referred to TWHQ March Madness and can now share that our final tally of major talks and speeches was 15 for the month. We think.

As well as some International Women’s Day slots, Baz and Emma found themselves addressing World Athletics, the House of Commons again (read on) and top brass at several UK sporting institutions.

A special shoutout goes to Bella for delivering an amazing RED-S keynote at the Primary Care Women’s Health Forum conference, while Baz and Emma spent a whole weekend swapping insights with sport leaders from all across the continent at The European Olympic Committee conference in Brussels.

The diary has become so full we’ve made a game of it …

Where’s Welly, or Where’s Wel-do if you hail from over there.

Yes, it was hectic and March Madness now feels more like a syndrome than a noun, but you’ll see more Where’s Welly on social … copyright issues aside.

2. The World at Well

HoC talking about talking about it … it’s a start

In its newly published Health barriers for girls and women in sport report, the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee have made a series of recommendations for ensuring better access, knowledge and care for girls and women in sport.

The report is admirably real and direct in its assessment of the landscape and presents a series of policy recommendations deemed necessary to start bridging these multiple gaps. Recommendations include educating girls earlier about their bodies beyond biology, educating the workforce, and new policies. 

On policies. As you know we’re in partnership with The FA, which recently became the first UK NGB to mandate female health education. Such directives are needed broadly in sport if change is to ring out and bed in.

As said, the number 15 is this month’s magic number and The Well HQ were mentioned 15 times in the report as the go-to solution in this space. Yes, that’s flattering, but it’s more important that Baz went, yesterday in fact, to the House of Commons to deliver a speech to the Board of Women’s Sport, advocating for a female health education mandate.

All in, the government has two months to respond – we’ll keep you posted.

3. Can you hack it?

A top three of your IWD health hacks

1. Caught Short Young
(Insta: @long.game.fitness)

Stash a Caught Short Kit in your girl’s backpack from an early age: fill it with hair ties, lip balm, tissues and when she’s older add tampons and pads.

2. Double gear
(Insta: @emma_bossom)

Buy more than one version of your favourite training / activity wear so you never have the it’s in the wash excuse to dodge a session.

3. Adjust both breasts
(Insta: @posture.fitting)

Most women have one bigger breast so set straps looser on the bigger side for better fit and support for both.

4. Here Comes the Science Bit

Menopause, Alzheimer’s, the brain and more

Something a little different this week, we’d encourage anyone with an interest in menopause or Alzheimer’s or both (which is probably all of us, right?) to listen to this fascinating edition of The Rich Roll podcast.

Host Rich is joined by Dr Lisa Mosconi, a leading neuroscientist and an expert in women’s health – specifically menopause.

Hence this podcast offers some really accessible technical notes on what happens to the female brain before, during and after the stages of menopause.

What Dr Mosconi does best is share her understanding of how the three Ps (puberty, pregnancy and perimenopause) can majorly change how women think – and how other forces (diet, exercise and even genetics) can spur change in how women perceive themselves and the world.

As Dr Mosconi explains, movement is emphasised in menopause as an antidote to symptoms but, really, movement in any form at any age is medicine for our mental and physical health – and the neuroscience is clear.

We could go on but best you hear it from the horse’s mouth. Have a listen and pass it on. The whole TWHQ team can vouch for this pod.

5. Medical BS

Is there more fertility pressure on women than men?

Dr Bella says: I’d say there is, yes.

If a couple’s struggling to conceive, it’s usually the woman who makes changes to diet and lifestyle. If problems persist it’s usually the woman who goes for scans and invasive exams and takes folic acid.

Women often assume they’re the problem, but a man who smokes or drinks excessively, or is inactive or overweight has work to do.

Sometimes it’s just luck. A woman can simply be allergic to a partner’s sperm – it can be as cruel as that. 

The woman may feel most pressure but as we know – it takes two.