International Women’s Day seems more necessary than ever after a year where 300,000 women took to the streets across the globe in protest against President Donald Trump’s treatment of women as well as general anti-Trump feeling against his inherent sexism (and racism). This is all in stark contrast to 2011 when former US President Barack Obama proclaimed March to be ‘Women’s History Month.’

International Women’s Day resonates following a time when allegations against Harvey Weinstein and the wider Hollywood film industry have quickly snowballed into an international-scale revelation of seemingly infinite abuses against women (and yes, men too) in all industries followed by reports of abuses of women by leading charities and BBC reporters resigning over the disparity in pay… the list goes on.

Yet the year we celebrate International Women’s Day 2018 also celebrates 100 years since the Representation of the People Act passed in 1918, the official start of female suffrage in Great Britain. Seven year’s earlier, on March 19, 1911, Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland celebrated International Women’s Day and rallied for the right to vote, hold public office and women’s rights at work. International Women’s Day was recognised by the UN in 1975, and each year it chooses a theme. This year’s theme is “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives.” Listen to UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka speak about it in this video.

Late last year, the BBC created a list of 100 inspirational and innovative women for 2017 challenging them to tackle four of the biggest problems facing women today – the glass ceiling, female illiteracy, harassment in public spaces and sexism in sport. All topics International Women’s Day exists to support.

Now International Women’s Day is marked on March 8 every year and is a worldwide celebration. Whether you’re saying #MeToo or #YoTambien in Mexico, Spain, South American or #Ana_kaman in the Arab States be inspired to join in and celebrate International Women’s Day 2018! Find more about it on social media using: #IWD2018 #Timeisnow #TimesUp

The official International Women’s Day website even gives details on how to plan your own International Women’s Day through championing your own #PressforProgress campaign within your own community, network, organisation or group.

Or you can join in with the multiple events going on in London and the UK, check the IWD website for your local events. At the Southbank Centre in London there’s the WOW – Women of the World festival from 7-9 March which includes a night of comedy hosted by Sandi Toksvig.
You may also like to read our previous blog on international women’s day with more background on rather surprising findings of ancient history and matriarchal societies today.

So go on, #PressForProgress!

Jo Fernandez is a leading UK travel journalist, with much of her career spent working for the London Evening Standard where she was Travel Editor until 2015. Now a freelance travel journalist and copywriter, she lives in Essex and has one daughter. As a travel expert, she still enjoys jetting off to write travel pieces, with favourite destinations including Mexico, Croatia and, of course, Essex.

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Some of our cherished Neal’s Yard Holidays devotees recently told us they’d like to browse our new wellbeing holidays without too much fuss.

And why not? If you’ve been on a few of our retreats already, or if you’re simply pushed for time and want to know the latest destinations on offer, being able to see our new wellbeing holidays at a glance sounds like a pretty good idea. Of course, we couldn’t help but listen.

So, here are our latest worldwide retreats. Could one of these new wellbeing holidays be your next getaway?

From sunny Croatia to the jungle in Costa Rica, and from sub-tropical gardens in south Spain to a peaceful country retreat in Surrey – what appeals to you?

Costa Rica

Yoga and Soul Wellness Retreat near Montezuma
Stay at a peaceful jungle lodge set in beautiful flowering gardens within a private reserve next to Cabo Blanco National Park on the pacific coast with its wonderful beaches. This oasis has a swimming pool, jacuzzi, and hammocks to relax in.
Selected dates between 1 March and 6 December
From £890 per person for 6 nights. Single rooms available

Spain

Yoga Retreats in Almeria
“It’s location to the airport, beaches and walking distance to the local village all add to the sense of ease and let go.” Week-long yoga retreats for all levels organised by Huzur Vadisi.
Year round – in Almeria in South Spain
From £775 pp pwk in twin/double shared room. Single rooms available

Sri Lanka

Seaside Ayurveda Yoga retreat, Bentota
Newly built, nestled between the river and the Indian ocean, with lush green surrounds. Stay in individual cabanas, swim in the sea or pool. Personalised Ayurveda treatments, yoga, river cruises and Sri Lankan hospitality at its best.
Open year round – near Bentota at Sri Lanka’s west coast, 100km from airport.
From EUR1190, approx £1067 pp pwk in single room.

England, UK

Wellbeing Retreats in Surrey
Come for Yoga, mindfulness and meditation, Tai Chi and/or creative arts, weekends or midweek. Their massage therapist is offering a variety of treatments onsite. Find rest and renewal at Claridge House.
Year round – near Lingfield in Surrey
From £189pp for 2 nights, or £365 for 4 nights hb single ensuite room

Detox Yoga Weekends in the Cotswolds
Rest and rejuvenate on this idyllic English countryside retreat. Learn to prepare both raw and cooked food. Rina Golan teaches powerful yoga and breathing techniques, and offers nutritional and lifestyle advice to rediscover your wellbeing.
Selected dates throughout the year at idyllic country house near Stratford-upon-Avon.
From £295pp for 2-night weekend, shared room. Single rooms available

Remember – these are just some of our new wellbeing holidays. For more activities, retreat destinations, offers and old favourites, take a look at our website.

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Do I need to detox from alcohol?

As I sit here and write this, off the back of three independent Christmas parties in a row, all influenced by alcohol, I wonder how bad this is for my liver, and we haven’t even met the main event yet! I often think back to my youth, when drinking large volumes of drink was “normal”. In those good old days we would quote “the liver regenerates”, which is in part true, but like anything, it can only take so much. So, since Christmas, New Year and anything in the same vicinity generally involves a tipple or two, could January be the booze detox month?

The revised number of units of alcohol is now 14 for both men and women. A unit is 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol, so it varies from drink to drink. Half a pint of beer and a single 25ml shot counts as 1 unit, while a small 125ml glass of standard strength wine and a standard pub shot (35ml) already counts as 1.5 units. Binge drinking, where you consume more than 4 units in one sitting, is bad for your health. You shouldn’t save all your units to consume on one night.

Drinking too much can lead to long-term health conditions, such as cancers, stroke, brain damage, high blood pressure as well as obesity and liver disease, while the short term effects can lead to loss of sleep as alcohol can disrupt your sleep cycle. According to the NHS, most people who have alcohol-related health problems aren’t alcoholics. They’re simply people who have regularly drunk more than the recommended levels for some years. Regularly drinking above recommended daily limits risks damaging your health. If you have drunk too much you should detox from alcohol for 48 hours to give your body a chance to recover.

Alcohol is high in calories. 1 gram of alcohol is equivalent to 7kcal (fat is 9kcal and carbohydrate is 4kcal). A unit of alcohol contains 56kcal, but add that to the other ingredients in the drink, or the juice or cream you mix it with and it’s easy to consume your day’s calorie requirements in just drinks. Added to the fact that alcohol is an appetite stimulant, we may find ourselves eating more at the dinner table, eating late into the night, or even over eating the following day.

Alcohol is also a diuretic, meaning you can become dehydrated if you only drink alcoholic beverages. Try to alternate alcoholic drinks with water or a (unsweetened) soft drink to avoid dehydration, and reduce the risk of a severe hangover.

If you are looking to reduce your intake of alcohol, have a go at a few of the following tips:

• Set a limit of how many drinks you are going to have before the night out
• Make sure you eat before you go out. Aim for something healthy and filling, such a soup, a sandwich or a vegetable smoothie
• Don’t drink an alcoholic drink if you are thirsty – drink water
• Try to avoid salty snacks – these will only make you thirstier and those drinks go down faster
• Look for drinks with less %ABV (alcohol by volume) in them, or make drinks lower by turning them into a spritzer with soda water
• Drink slowly and enjoy it
• Don’t top up your glass before it’s empty – you can easily loose track of how much you have drunk
• Choose a smaller measurement, such as a half pint, a small glass of wine or a single measure of spirit

If you have drunk too much over the festive season, how about signing up as a Dryathlete for Cancer Research UK and join the 1 in 6 people taking on the challenge of ‘one month of no alcohol’ and see what you can achieve.

For more information about alcohol, units and health visit drinkaware.co.uk or speak with a health professional.

Cheers (with my glass of water and lemon) and wishing you Happy Festivities!

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We are regularly bombarded with health messages regarding being physically active, and while the magic 10,000 step guideline seems rather basic. Could there be other benefits from the two main type of physical activity groups; aerobic and strength training?

Physical activity is an excellent way to lose or maintain weight and should form part of a healthy lifestyle. Speaking about long term health, the different types of physical activity, resistance or aerobic exercise, can have many health benefits for your body. Getting the balance right could be key to healthy aging. While hitting the 10,000 step guideline is a good target, it is important to know that different types of exercise are important for a healthy lifestyle. In 2011 the UK recommendations were set at a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise with some strength training for all adults.

Aerobic Physical Activity

Moderate aerobic exercise is characterised by an increased heart rate and perspiration, whereas in high intensity exercise you may find it hard to say more than a few words in a sentence. This type of exercise is good for weight loss through burning calories when doing the exercise, as well as improving heart muscle strength.

Aerobic activities include:

• Jogging or running
• Dancing
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Aerobics
• Tennis

Dancing can count as moderate or vigorous exercise depending on the style, and is also sociable and fun. Find local dance classes. Fast cycling can count as vigorous exercise.

Resistance Physical Activity

Resistance exercise is commonly thought of as strength conditioning. This is where you use either your own body weight, or training with weights to work your muscles through repeated (reps) lifting exercises. Doing this type of physical activity can increase muscle strength. This includes major muscle groups such as your core (important for balance), arms and legs, and can benefit in everyday life.

Strength training activities include:

• Yoga
• Tai Chi and Qigong
• Weight lifting
• Using resistance bands
• Exercises using your own body weight e.g. press-ups and sit-ups

Yoga and Tai Chi are both good for building and maintaining flexibility as well as core strength.

Physical activity is important for many other conditions, such as reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. In addition exercise can help improve self esteem and also everyday tasks such as grocery shopping. Therefore in terms of healthy aging, physical activity is important for building and maintaining strong and healthy bones. Both aerobic and resistance physical activity can help build bone density and muscle mass in conjunction with a healthy diet including adequate intakes of calcium and vitamin D, preventing osteoporosis (weakening of the bones) in later life.

Why not try the Couch to 5k plan, aimed at those who need a little help to get physically active along with tips to stay healthy when exercising.

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Iron is a mineral which is required for the production of haemoglobin in the body, essential for carrying oxygen to the cells in our body. Without adequate levels, you may feel tired, look pale and be irritable. Severe deficiency can lead to iron deficient anaemia, but this can be resolved with a good diet or in extreme cases, iron supplementation.

The reference nutrient intake for woman aged 11-50, including pregnant women, is 14.8mg iron per day, while men, and women over 50 years, need around 8.7mg per day. Making sure you get enough from your diet will help prevent iron-deficiency anaemia, however, too much (over 20mg) can cause side effects such as constipation, nausea, vomiting or stomach pain.

You should be able to get enough iron from your diet. The source however, is important in terms of bioavailability, or how much of the mineral can be absorbed by your body.

There are two types or dietary iron, haem and non-haem. This is reference to haemoglobin, or red blood cells. Haem iron found in animal products is easily absorbed by our body. Non-haem iron is found in plant foods, but the body finds it harder to absorb in comparison to the haem version; taking vitamin C with plant sources of iron can increase our body’s ability to absorb it. Vegetable and fruits are naturally high in vitamin C, and can also contain iron, e.g. watercress. Additionally, watch out for food and drinks that contain high levels of tannins e.g. tea and coffee, or phytates and oxylates e.g. spinach (sorry Popeye) and milk chocolate, which can inhibit the absorption of the mineral. Dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt can also interfere with absorption as the casein and certain forms of calcium can inhibit iron absorption. A varied and balanced diet should provide enough nutrition to balance any loss of absorption.

Sources of haem iron include:

• Liver
• Meat e.g. beef and lamb
• Seafood e.g. mussels and oysters

Non-heam sources

Sources of non-haem iron include:

• Beans and lentils
• Nuts and seeds e.g. sunflower and pumpkin seeds
• Dried fruit e.g apricots and figs
• Wholegrains e.g. brown rice and wholemeal bread
• Most dark green leafy vegetables e.g. watercress (raw), kale and beet greens (lightly cooked)

The month of October see the likes of kale, mussels, oysters and cabbage come into season, so why not take inspiration of these delicious nutrient rich vegetable and seafood available on the BBC Food website.

So while the debatable story goes that Popeye was popping cans of spinach for strength based on a misplaced decimal, there are certainly many other, and better ways to get iron in your diet.

If you do take supplements that contain iron, don’t take too much as it could be harmful – anything less than 17mg a day is unlikely to cause harm. However, speak to your GP or dietitian for more advice.

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What’s required for our body to absorb Calcium? And what’s the link with Vitamin D?

Getting enough calcium in the diet is important for healthy bones and teeth, as well as helping regulate blood pressure, nerve function and muscle contraction. Too little calcium in the diet can lead to osteoporosis in later life, a chronic disease leading to weakening of the bones, resulting in bone fracture. Worldwide it is estimated that 1 in 3 women aged over 50 will experience osteoporotic fractures, while 1 in 5 men will be affected.

Adults need an estimated 700mg of calcium per day to help maintain the skeleton. This translates to one glass of milk (250mg), two sardines (91mg) and 100g of calcium set tofu (350mg) per day. The most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey, which looks at dietary intakes of the UK population, showed that most adults were hitting the 700mg nutrient target. If you have coeliac disease, osteoporosis, are breastfeeding, or post-menopause you may need up to 1000mg or 1500mg. The British Dietetic Association have a useful tool for assessing how much calcium you get in your diet as well as tips and tricks to improve dietary intakes.

Dairy products are the most common food sources for dietary calcium requirements. The bioavailability in milk is 30-35%, which appears to be low. Relatively speaking, that is much higher in comparison to spinach, where only around 5% of calcium can be absorbed. This is due to some plants like spinach containing inhibitory substances such as oxalates and phytates, which compete with uptake, meaning you would need to consume eight times the amount of spinach compared to milk to achieve that same uptake of calcium.

Fish like sardines, pilchard, white bait are highest on the list with up to 400mg of calcium per 100g of fish, if you eat the bones, providing a higher content than milk. For people with lactose intolerance or dietary restrictions there are other good sources of calcium, for example green leafy vegetables (e.g kale, spring green, parsley), almonds, sesame seeds, and soya protein (firm tofu). It is always advised to have a wide variety of sources for our dietary intake. Further sources of this vital mineral can be found at the National Osteoporosis Society.

Dietary sources of calcium

It is also important to point out that Vitamin D is required for the absorption of calcium, as well as aiding maintenance of bone health. See our recent blog on Vitamin D and the new government regulations due to latest research.

Combining dietary intakes of calcium with weight bearing exercise can also improve bone density, helping keep osteoporosis at bay. Weight bearing exercises include walking, running, boxing and high impact aerobics, and all help prevent bone loss by stimulating bone-strengthening processes.

If you are concerned about not achieving the right intake, speak to your GP or local pharmacist about supplementation.

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By Jane Feinmann

If menopausal symptoms strongly interfere with your daily life and your sleep then you may be considering HRT (hormone replacement therapy).

Most women apply a skin cream before bedtime. My daily regime is a blob of oestrogen gel, a hormone replacement therapy that my GP has prescribed on the NHS ever since I went through the menopause. Yoga and a healthy diet has kept me healthy enough in my sixties.

But it’s the HRT that stopped hot flushes, mental fog and other menopausal problems – and given me strong bones postmenopausally. That’s not just my view. There’s evidence that it works.

But surely, you ask, there are huge health risks in taking HRT?

Well not really. Certainly reports of two large-scale studies published in 2002 and 2003, persuaded many thousands of women to bin their HRT. And I’ve interviewed some who suffered barely manageable menopausal symptoms thereafter. [1]

Yet from the word go, menopause experts – gynaecologists and hormone specialists (endocrinologists) – have insisted that these trials were flawed – and the findings inaccurate. [2]

And this message continues today. On websites like www.menopausematters.co.uk, menopause experts make it clear that while HRT is neither necessary nor appropriate for every woman, it can safely relieve unpleasant symptoms and, in the long term, prevent osteoporosis and possibly heart disease.

What’s more, HRT involves ‘natural’ oestrogens – derived from soya bean or yam extract – and so-called because they are virtually identical to the female hormones oestradiol, oestrone and oestriol. Another type of HRT, known as conjugated equine oestrogen is made from horse urine. Both can be taken as a daily tablet, a twice weekly or weekly patch, an implant or, my favourite, a daily gel. Importantly, it can be taken in different strengths to suit the individual’s needs.

Be aware: any woman who has not had a hysterectomy needs to take progestogen alongside oestrogen.  This too can be taken in a number of different ways. I have a Mirena intrauterine system, delivering tiny daily doses of progestogen directly into the womb – once again available on the NHS, provided you ask.

3 steps to successful HRT:

1. See a doctor who will tailor HRT to your individual symptoms, past history and family history.
2. Try not to give up too quickly on HRT. If symptoms persist beyond three months ask your doctor if you can try a different version.
3. You can stay on HRT if it suits. Gynaecologists say there is no evidence that women need to stop HRT at an arbitrary point.

The next blog in this health series will be on ‘Fat or sugar, which is bad for your health?’.

As a freelance medical journalist for more than 20 years, Jane Feinmann has contributed to severalnational newspapers and magazines (www.janefeinmann.com), written books and produced radio programmes. She has covered the hot issues about anti-ageing and women’s health from the perspective of both mainstream and complementary medicine. Her aim is to provide the evidence base for and against, provided by authoritative research.
This is the first of a short series of blogs on health covering some of the investigations she has found most helpful.
_________________
Footnotes:
[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8376768/How-do-professional-women-cope-with-the-menopause.html
[2]  Managing the menopause. British Menopause Society Council consensus statement on hormone replacement therapy. Journal of the British Menopause Society 2003; Vol.9, No.3: 129-131
_________________

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On the 8^th of March we are celebrating international Women’s Day. And yes, it’s time to be celebrating women again – past and present.

Are you going to do something a little different to treat yourself and your girl friends, or indeed your mum for Mother’s Day? I had a new experience the other day, leading me to celebrate women – prehistoric and modern.

Having recently become a member of the British Museum, I’ve made use of the free access to visit the exhibition ‘Ice Age Art – arrival of the modern mind’. Amongst the awe-inspiring 33,000 to 10,000 year old exhibits is a series of figurines of women in various stages of pregnancy. If I put myself in their ‘shoes’ (did they have any?) I imagine that the act of giving birth, creating life, must have been highly important for the survival of their group and highly revered. These figurines celebrated fertility by sculpting voluptuous bodies.

I also learnt while viewing ‘The Culture Show’ special broadcast on this exhibition that the earliest cave art discovered is of human hand imprints made with a type of red ochre onto the cave ceiling. Latest scientific research discovered that these were hands of women – they were responsible for the first act of creative expression around 33,000 years ago.

Looked at in this context, it makes me think of women’s hands turning red with blood when they give birth and embrace their newborn. So is it surprising that the act of creation of the earliest art is of red hand imprints by women?

It reminds me that for many years now, thanks to extensive research and science, there is so much more information available about ‘pre-history’ than is brought into the public domain. If you fancy dipping in there is some fascinating reading material on the topic by Marija Gimbutas, Merlin Stone, ‪Heide Goettner-Abendroth‬‪‬ (https://www.goettner-abendroth.de/en/biography.html) amongst others – good cause for celebrating women writers who published books on matrilineal and matriarchal societies in prehistory.

Today, there are still such societies alive, for example the Mosuo people in Southwest China (they call themselves the ‘Na’). Those societies have very different family structures from today’s Western society. They never have an issue with child care, no issue with divorce, nor inheritance. The land and homes belong to the beehive-like tribe of sisters with their children, and brothers/uncles, and with their oldest female as the respected matriarch. This cuts out a whole lot of stresses and pressures on our two-parent or single-parent families. See 24-minute documentary video (by Broadly) about their lives:

The matriarchal societies tend to have one thing in common, the worship of The Mother Goddess. She is a widely recognized archetype in psychoanalysis today.

Isn’t it about time we owned our history and reclaimed it, especially in our understanding as women? It’s time to take ownership and to celebrate our femininity on women’s day – in all our wonderful shapes and sizes.

The history lives on in our genes and in our names… Diana, Anna, Isis, Iris, Irene, Freya…

The history lives on in our genes and in our names. Let’s celebrate the goddess within, whether we call her Diana, Anna, Isis, Iris, Irene or Freya – just a few of the still very alive names by which she was known in different parts across the globe in ancient times. Beyond being the fertile one, the life giving force, the creator, she was revered as the wise being and the one universal source.

Celebrate your goddess – do something a little different, how about going to an exhibition or checking out the exclusive discounts on yoga retreats and wellness spa holidays that we have in store for our Neal’s Yard Holidays’ readers.

Wishing you a happy women’s day!

Photo: figurines from left to right –
Dolni Vestonice, from Czechia, clay; Willendorf, Austria, chalk; Lespugue, France, ivory.

Further reading material:
Societies of Peace. Matriarchies Past, Present and Future, edited by Heide Goettner-Abendroth.

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