2021-06-01 Prevention Australia

MASTERCHEF'S
SUPERCHARGE
YOUR HEALTH Melissa
& turn back Leong
the clock HER HEALTH
Your guide to SECRETS
great skin
after 40
6 body
How to benefits of
laughter
crush DIABETES
from HIGH RISK
cravings
TO NO RISK
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52 34
52
9
IN THIS ISSUE
Features 90 Mind tricks One woman’s amazing
68 58
story of how she overcame a devastating
78 48 Break all your bad habits If brain injury by retraining her brain.
you can’t shake off smoking, coffee or social
15 media, our simple plan will set you free! 96 A breath of fresh air Escape the
48 84 city (and all its emissions) and take in the
52 Your custom flat-belly guide beauty of these natural spots.
Tummy trouble? Th is tailored solution
will help keep your middle trim and firm.
58 Melissa Leong’s taste for life
Pulse
The MasterChef judge dishes out her 13 Words of wisdom from… Oprah.
secrets to staying happy and in shape. 15 That ha-ha moment Is the
64 Beat stress eating Waistline paying ‘laughter is the best medicine’ belief all
for your emotional eating? Here’s how to it’s cracked up to be? Find out here.
keep your hand out of the cookie jar.
68 Outsmart your genes How to Nutrition
take the wheel and steer your genetic 18 Happy meals The key to better
make-up towards better health. moods could be sitting in your fruit bowl.
74 The art of being alone Why Plus, why your heart wants you to stick to
you should embrace your own company. just one serve of fries.
78 78 How menopause changes

your skin Understanding what hormones
do can help you take control now.
19 The need for seed They might
look tiny, but seeds are full of goodness.
Add these to your next meal.
84 Guard duty Could you have type 2 20 Last drinks Want to improve your
diabetes without even knowing it? Look mood, sleep and energy? Take a break
out for these sneaky (and surprising) signs from drinking for a month and watch
so you can manage it early. those fabulous benefits pour out!
4 PREVENTIONAUS.COM.AU
84 112
June/July 2021
Health 34 5 myths about muscles How to Food
get them, keep them and not look like a 108 Slow dance Really savour your
24 Take it to heart How broccoli bodybuilder? The confusion ends here.
and Brussels sprouts keep your heart weekend with one of these hearty
running smoothly. slow-cooked vegie dishes.
25 In good form Tick off these

Beauty 112 Warm reception Welcome in the
cooler months with some comfort meals.
wellness moves (and save the important 38 Over-the-counter beauty
dates) for an overall health boost. products not working for you? 118 Season ticket From Italian to
Welcome to expert-prescribed skincare! Mexican, give meals a hit of international
26 Sneaky ways germs invade flavour with these spice boosters.
your body Your handbag, phone and 40 How long can you actually 120 Completely bowled over
even your thumbs can leave you open keep your make-up? Follow these
Turn your spice boosters into masterful
to attack. But these simple bug shields guidelines to keep your beauty tools
spice bowls in just 10 minutes!
will keep the critters out. fresh, clean and usable.
28 The truth about blue light
We bust a few myths about the light
41 Rising spa Go from bath time to
spa time with these skin-loving products.
Pets
that’s emitted from your screens. 127 Manage their separation
42 Your winter-proof guide to silky anxiety. Plus, boost your dog’s mood.
hands Simple and effective tips that’ll
Fitness turn your cold-ravaged hands into pillows.
Every issue
30 A strong link Fighting chronic
inflammation could be as easy as
Mind 8 From the editor Subscribe to
flexing your muscles. 46 Smoke and mirrors How to 12 Over to you
spot a liar by their body language. 124 Prevention profiled
32 Move of the month… with Plus, why you can blame the moon Smart ideas and products for your chance to win
Tiff Hall Firm your butt fast with these for your sleepless nights. for your healthy lifestyle.
easy-as frog glute bridges. a getaway at Jamala
47 A change of heart Negativity 130 Life lessons Television Wildlife Lodge!
33 Snug fits Cosy up to these can be damaging to your heart, but these personality Toni Pearen shares
See page 104.
warm-and-fuzzy pieces this winter. four steps can turn things around. what she’s learnt along the way.
JUNE/JULY 2021 PREVENTION 5

Meet the team
EDITOR Andrea Duvall
ART DIRECTOR Karen Berge
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Penny Carroll
SUBEDITOR Anthony Di Carlo
BEAUTY EDITOR Cecily-Anna Bennett
DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER Alana House
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES [email protected]
CONTRIBUTORS Sara Bower, Ute Junker,

Stephanie Osfield, Jessica Pettway, Ron Robinson,
Kate Rockwood, Mini Smith, Lauren Smith
McDonough, Aviva Patz, Meghan Rabbitt,
Francesca Specter, Betsy Stephens, Dan Winter
PHOTOGRAPHERS Altinadrinks.com, Wilson Archer,

Bree Bain Photography, Peter Brew-Bevan, Richard
Field, Getty Images, Cameron Grayson, iStock, ON THE COVER
Randy Larcombe, Andrew Macintosh, Josh McKible, Photography Cameron Grayson
Rob Palmer, Christian Pearson, Don Shawyer, Hair & Make-up Justin Henry
Simon Shiff, South Australian Tourism Commission,
Melissa wears The Upside jacket
Tourism and Events Queensland, Michelle Tran,
James Vodicka, Mark Watson/visitvictoria.com, and P.E Nation top and pants
Jeffrey Westbrook/Studio D, Women’s Health UK
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Editor’s letter
celebrating
100
ISSUES!
Still going strong

Welcome to the 100th issue of Prevention! This is
such an exciting milestone for us and, wow, has a lot
happened since we launched the magazine in 2009.
“
Back then the Fitbit wasn’t even a watch. There
were no health and fitness apps for your phone.
We had yet to learn the overwhelming benefits of
the Mediterranean diet. Plant-based eating hadn’t
yet become bywords for healthy food choices. And
High blood pressure is a major
no one really knew about the power of your gut and often silent killer. It’s also
microbiome (let alone what it was!). very preventable. My dream
Just as Prevention has been proud to share these innovation would be a reliable
times with you, we’ve also been at the forefront of
reporting on the latest health science, from new
way of measuring blood
cancer-fighting treatments, such as immunotherapy, pressure on a smartphone.
to the buzz around medicinal cannabis, which was Dr Michael Mosley, TV science presenter
legalised here in Australia earlier this year. What’s and author of The Fast 800.
”
next? On the right, we asked experts and readers to
tell us what health or fitness innovation they’d like
to see in the next 10 years. Let’s hope they come true!
Meanwhile, thank you, our all-important readers,
for joining us on this journey. It’s been a privilege to “Running
bring you every issue of this good-health toolkit. or walking shoes
We have exciting plans for the rest of 2021, so that massage your
stay tuned for a new series of our popular podcast feet, boosting circulation
Thriving in Menopause, and we’ll be doing another
Virtual Walk, where you can stride out with us from
while you walk. My feet
wherever you live. Here’s to staying strong, active wouldn’t hurt so much
and living your best life for 100 more issues! and I’d be more
PHOTOGRAPHY: JEREMY GRIEVES; GETTY IMAGES
inclined to exercise!”
Rebecca Juliett
ANDREA DUVALL
EDITOR
“ A hub for personalised
nutrition and lifestyle.
Your genes and lifestyle
get analysed and
then your microbiome
“Food or drinks
that are infused
with nano devices to
painlessly conduct
“ My dream
innovation would
be a bedside or
desk-side genetic
screening test
and blood would be that would allow
regularly monitored to internal repairs while doctors to tailor
allow for adjustment you go about your your treatment
of your diet. Imagine
if a home-testing kit
everyday life.” to you. (Most
showed you almost
Penny Carroll antidepressants
instantly any nutrient only work for
deficiencies and you about 75 per cent
were immediately of people and anti-
directed to the foods inflammatories
you needed more of. can be even less
Dr Joanna McMillan, effective.) It would
nutrition scientist be great to deploy
” “ Stationary bikes
that provide electricity
this in everything
from eczema to
irritable bowel
syndrome, major
”
when you pedal.
“I’d like to see a quick test developed Fong Truong depressive disorders
for early detection of ovarian cancer. to back pain.
It’d mean a far better outcome.” Dr Ginni Mansberg, GP
Tracy Robinson and author of The M Word
“ A device that can

freshen you up
on the go without
a shower and
“I’d like to see a one-
therapist app that w
include bio-feedback
stop
ould
exercise, nutritional,
, ”
”
her
shampooing. sleep, alcohol and ot
’d be
Corrie Bakker drug information. It
nt
accessible to the clie
ing
and therapist, allow
al
people to obtain visu
e
and audio help at th
touch of a button.
ce
With my aim to redu
stigma surrounding
e
mental health, I’d lik
l-
this app to be as wel
known as Tinder.
Wouldn’t it be nice!”
ray,
Dr Emmanuella Mur
holo gi st
clinical psyc

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Over
to you
Here’s what you told
us inspired you in
our last issue.
MIND CONTROL
The article ‘Force of Nature’
(April/May) about Amanda
Thebe’s emotional struggles with
perimenopause was fabulous. Last issue’s cover star,
A few years back, I really thought TV journalist Georgie
I was losing my mind, but my Gardner, was a hit
doctor had no clue what my with many readers for
problem was. He kept telling me her wise observations.
it was depression, but it was so
much more. It was an older friend
who said I was experiencing
perimenopause and suggested
hormone treatment. I couldn’t
believe how much better I felt
after six months. Now I feel great!
Amanda Davis, NSW I REST MY CASE
All your articles were fantastic PINTEREST FIND
GRATEFUL FOR GEORGIE last issue, but one that really This pumpkin quinoa
I just loved the story on Georgie struck a chord with me was salad looks so delicious
Gardner (April/May). She’s ‘Spring break’ about the benefits we’re not surprised our
such an uplifting take on of intermittent resting (April/ big-batch quinoa recipes
balancing work and home life and May). Yes, I could do with were such a success.
“finding the upsides” in a busy slowing down and taking daily
schedule. Her motto of “never die breaks to recharge, especially
wondering” also really stayed being a working mum with two MOST POPULAR
with me. We should all take a boys! Thank you for sharing. INSTAGRAM PIC
chance on the things we want Eve Balfour, Vic You really loved this tip
and, at the same time, be grateful Congratulations, Amanda, Donna for the best exercise
for what we already have. Thank and Eve! You have each won to keep your legs
you for such an inspiring story. a copy of The Scandinavian toned after 40.
Donna McIlwaine, NSW Skincare Bible, valued at $35.
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published will win this great prize!
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The Panasonic Hydrating Hair Straightener has advanced heat
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Send your feedback to prevention.com.au/win. Or, write to Comps at Prevention magazine,
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Pulse
MORE JOY, LESS STRESS – FOR A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER YOU
Doing the
best at
this moment
puts you
in the
best place
for the next
moment.
Oprah Winfrey
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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Cracking result
Psychologists measured
41 people’s laughter over two
weeks, along with their ratings of
physical and mental stress, and
found that the more giggling
they experienced, the lower
their reported stress.
That ha-ha
moment
Is it true that laughter is the best medicine? Here’s what
happens to your body when you chuckle, snort or giggle.
YOUR FACE YOUR HEART

Fifteen muscles in your face Laughter boosts your heart rate
contract during laughter, including by 10 to 20 per cent, while, at the
the stimulation of the zygomatic same time, it lowers your blood
major muscle (that’s the one pressure and can reduce your risk
that lifts your upper lip), which is of heart attack. It’s a simple way
why you can spot a real laugh to live longer and actually enjoy
from an insincere one. the time you have.
YOUR BREATHING YOUR IQ

It enhances your intake of Studies have shown that people
oxygen-rich air, stimulating score better on memory and
your heart, lungs, muscles and cognition tests after a good
brain. In a fit of giggling, your belly laugh. This is possibly
respiratory system responds by because of the extra
the epiglottis half-closing the oxygen stimulating blood
larynx, causing air intake to occur flow (and essential nutrients)
irregularly. The struggle for oxygen through the brain.
is the same reason your face goes
red and why that friend of yours YOUR HAPPINESS
always snorts like a pig. A serious bout of the giggles not
only significantly decreases the
YOUR METABOLISM stress hormone cortisol (another
A hearty chuckle boosts your reason why your blood pressure
metabolism… a bit. “It’s sadly not goes down), it also releases
WORDS: ANDREA DUVALL. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
true, however, that laughter burns a surge of the happy hormones

more kilojoules than going for a endorphins and dopamine
run,” says neuroscientist Professor and could help stabilise your
Sophie Scott. In reality, it torches moods. “Laughing may help
an extra 40–165kJ (10–40 cals) for control brain levels of the
every 10–15 minutes of laughing. neurotransmitter serotonin, similar
“You would have to laugh solidly to what antidepressants do,”
for up to three hours to burn off a says cognitive psychologist
packet of salted crisps,” she says. Janet Gibson.

Nutrition
BETTER HEALTH, MORE ENERGY AND USEFUL, EXPERT-APPROVED ADVICE ON A PLATE
Grain of truth
As a refined grain, white rice tends to be dismissed by
nutritionists alongside other processed foods such as white
WORDS: PENNY CARROLL. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
bread, pastries and pasta. But new research published in the

medical journal BMJ shows that white rice might not be as
unhealthy as once thought. The international study of more
than 137,000 people from 21 countries found that a high intake
of refined grains – up to 350 grams per day – is linked to an
increased risk of heart disease, early death and high blood
pressure, with one exception: white rice. It scored similarly
to wholegrains – neither were associated with poor health
outcomes. So, don’t feel guilty about that classic rice pilaf!

Nutrition now
Happy meals
The key to better moods could be sitting in your fruit bowl.
According to new research, dietary fibre may help reduce
depression in perimenopausal women. The study of more than
5800 pre- and post-menopausal women found that fibre intake
was higher in the non-depressed group of perimenopausal
women, compared with the depressed group. It’s thought that
fibre’s gut-loving impact has flow-on effects for mental health,
and its positive influence begins to kick in with as little as one
extra gram of fibre per 4100kJ (1000 cals) you eat. So, if you have
an average daily intake of 8300kJ (2000 cals), an extra 2g of
fibre a day could make a real difference to your smile rate.
20
Each additional serve
It’s easy to get a feel-good fibre fix: one kiwifruit offers about
of this many fries per
2.5g of fibre, a pear has 5.5g and an orange gives you 4.4g.
week is linked with
a 22 per cent greater
risk of heart disease
and 37 per cent
increased risk
of heart failure.
SOURCE: THE BMJ
SWEET SPOT
Not all sugars are
created equal, say US
researchers, who’ve
found that the type of
sweet stuff you eat
might be the key to
switching on – or off
– your body’s hunger
signals. In the study,
healthy young adults
sipped a drink made
with sucrose (table
sugar), then, at a later
date, the same drink
made with glucose
(found in dried fruit
and honey). The
scientists found that
when the participants WORDS: PENNY CARROLL. ADDITIONAL WORDS: DAN WINTER. PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCK
consumed the
sucrose-laden drink,
they produced lower
levels of appetite-
suppressing hormones
Peanut butter on toast: delicious breakfast for than when they drank
some, allergy nightmare for others. Thankfully, the glucose version.
It’s hoped more
US scientists are working on making peanuts
research in this area
Go and wheat less allergenic. Using the new gene-
could help experts
editing tool CRISPR to remove problematic
nuts! proteins, as well as selective plant breeding, the
unlock answers about
how different sugars
researchers hope to put these nutritious foods back affect body weight and
on the menu – or, at least, make them less reactive health in the long run.
– for all in the near future. We’ll toast to that!
The need for
seed
They might be tiny and look like
they don’t do much, but seeds are
high in fibre and protein and filling,
too. Add these to your next meal.
PEPITA
These green pumpkin seeds are rich
in protein and immunity-boosting zinc.
Sprinkle over salads, blend up into
pesto or add to homemade muesli.
Did you
know?
CHIA
The fibre and mucilage
(which causes the gluey
texture of moistened
Seeds are up
chia seeds) can help to 50 per cent
lower LDL cholesterol fat – but the
as well as prevent
blood sugar spikes. For good kind that
LINSEED a healthy and filling helps lower
Also known as flaxseeds, brekkie, mix ¼ cup of
these are full of the plant chia seeds with 1 cup of
cholesterol.
compound phytoestrogen, milk, put in the fridge for So sprinkle
which can help reduce 15 minutes and enjoy! them on!
the nasty side effects
of menopause
and help protect
against cancer,
too. Scatter SUNFLOWER
over cereals, These seeds can
or add to help reduce
smoothies or inflammation and
baked goods, cholesterol levels.
PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCK
such as bread Add to muesli or

or muffins. trail mix, or sprinkle
over salads.

Nutrition
Last drinks
What happens to your body when you stop drinking for
a month? You might be surprised at the benefits in store.
BY PENNY CARROLL
Want to give
it a go?
Visit dryjuly.com to
register for the 2021
challenge and raise
money for people
affected by cancer.
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF ALTINADRINKS.COM
I
magine if you could improve your Giving alcohol a rest equals more rest says Professor Chikritzhs. “And we know
mood, sleep and energy with one for you. In a VicHealth survey of FebFast the gut is central for immunity, so giving
little lifestyle tweak. Well, you can. participants, 40 per cent said their sleep your gut a break is going to improve your
The catch? You’ll have to forgo wine improved during their teetotal month. immune system as well.”
time. Abstaining for a month can seem
daunting, but it’s a great chance to Happier moods A slimmer waist
reassess your relationship with alcohol, In the long term, drinking can dampen In the FebFast study, 38 per cent of people
notice how it affects your body and put levels of the brain’s happy chemicals, such said they lost weight in their month off
some healthier habits in place. And if you as serotonin, and exacerbate depression alcohol. The slimming effect may relate
take part in a fundraising challenge, such and anxiety. Cut back on booze and you not only to the lack of kJ-heavy bevvies
as Dry July, you’ll have real motivation to may find you’re less irritable and nicer (one small glass of wine has 460kJ), but
stick to your goal. Here are some of the to be around, says Professor Chikritzhs. also to steering clear of habits that go
benefits you’ll get if you give it a go. “When you function better, you feel more alongside drinking, such as snacking.
energetic and so you’re more likely to
Better sleep exercise, and that’s going to have a flow- Sharper memory
You might think a nightcap helps you on effect on your mood,” she explains. Here’s a sobering thought: moderate
sleep soundly, but that’s fake news. While drinking can shrink your brain and also
drinking before bed can help you nod off Smoother digestion damage the hippocampus, which plays
faster, “it disrupts your sleep physiology Tummy trouble? Abstaining could help. a major role in learning and memory.
through the night so you’re more likely to “The gastrointestinal tract is one of the So, can an alcohol-free month make you
wake up [during the night] and not have main systems affected by alcohol – it sharper? Anecdotal reports suggest an
as much good-quality sleep,” explains affects your ability to absorb nutrients, all uptick in memory, focus and productivity,
Professor Tanya Chikritzhs from the the way up to increasing your likelihood and Professor Chikritzhs agrees it’s likely,
National Drug Research Institute. of cancers across the digestive tract,” but adds that more research is needed.
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Heat shield
Here’s a good excuse to draw yourself a
bubble bath tonight – it could reduce several
risk factors for type 2 diabetes, according to
Japanese researchers. A study of almost 1300
people with the condition found that regular
hot baths were linked to lower body weight,
waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure
(when your heart is between beats) and glycated
haemoglobin (a measure of blood sugar control).
The scientists believe that the heat from steamy
soaks may be the cause of these therapeutic
effects. The sweet spot? Four or more
baths a week gave the best results.
WORDS: PENNY CARROLL. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

Health now
21.5%
That’s how many
Aussie women said
they didn’t have
time for routine
health checks last
year. Consider this
a nudge to book in
with your GP.
SOURCE: JEAN HAILES WOMEN’S
HEALTH SURVEY
Weigh it up!
New evidence suggests
that being slim
doesn’t necessarily
make you healthier.
According to Swedish
researchers, what’s
TAKE IT TO HEART on your plate is more
important than the
You might not love sprouts and broccoli, but your heart definitely
number on the scales.
does. That’s the conclusion of a Western Australian study that found
After studying the
that consuming more cruciferous veg, such as broccoli, cabbage
eating habits,
and Brussels sprouts, is linked with lower levels of blood vessel disease
mortality risk and
in older women. Scientists say it could be down to its high levels of
BMI of almost 80,000
vitamin K, which might help inhibit calcification (accumulation of
adults over 21 years,
mineral deposits) in blood vessels. Those eating more than 45 grams
they found that
of the green goodness daily were 46 per cent less likely to have
overweight and obese
a build-up of calcium in their aorta. That’s just a quarter of a cup
people with a high
of steamed broccoli or half a cup of raw cabbage. Too easy.
intake of fruit, vegies
and wholegrains had
a lower risk of dying
WORDS: PENNY CARROLL & MINI SMITH. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
from cardiovascular
Aussie researchers developing a treatment for COVID-19 disease than those
have discovered it also delivers a knockout punch to the with a normal BMI
and an unhealthy diet.
rhinovirus – aka the common cold. The nasal
Researchers believe
Spray spray, known as INNA-X, primes the immune that focusing on
system in the airways, making it harder
tuned! for viruses to take hold, spread and cause
eating a five-star diet
rather than fi xating
serious respiratory symptoms. While on weight loss may
more trials are currently in the works, it’s be the way to go for
a promising step in the annual cold war. all-round health.
In good form
Five little wellness moves to tick off right now.
1BOOST YOUR FIBRE INTAKE

Eating the recommended five serves
of vegies and two of fruit each day is
Now tighten your pelvic muscles as if
you’re lifting the marble, and maintain
your focus. Make a diary reminder
the most protective thing you can do to start practising this during World
to nourish a healthy gut microbiome, Continence Week, from June 21 to 27.
and you’ll also lower your risk of bowel
cancer. (About 7000 Australian women To do: Practise Kegel exercises
are diagnosed each year.) Take note three times a day – in the car, at your
during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, desk, on the loo.
4
from June 1 to 30. Over 50? Make
sure you do the free bowel cancer RELAX WITH A MASSAGE
screening test, as part of the National Here’s a new reason you might,
Bowel Cancer Screening Program, er, knead a massage. Sure, it feels
that’s mailed to you every two years. great, but also a recent study proves
that a 10-minute neck-and-shoulder
To do: Fill half your dinner rub can lower stress levels dramatically.
plate with colourful vegies each Go on, treat yourself during National
night this week. Pain Week, from July 22 to 28.
2 PROTECT YOUR EYES

Keep your vision sharp by
To do:Add lavender oil for
a sleepy pre-bed massage.
5
exercising, eating well, not
smoking, and controlling your BECOME A YOGI
cholesterol, blood pressure and Roll out your yoga mat, because
blood sugar. Why so? You’ll lower this ancient practice comes with so
your risk of age-related macular many mental and physical benefits.
degeneration, diabetic retinopathy As well as keeping you flexible and
and cataracts, says new research. your bones strong, studies
have shown that
To do: Get a free eye test at regular yoga sessions
your local optometrist this JulEYE. lower levels of stress,
3
anxiety, fatigue and
PRACTISE YOUR depression, and may
KEGEL EXERCISES also reduce internal
If you ever pee a little when you inflammation. It’s
sneeze, cough or laugh, it’s no wonder even the
time to strengthen those pelvic United Nations proclaims
floor muscles by doing Kegels. June 21 the International Day of Yoga.
These exercises not only help prevent
your urine from leaking, but may also To do: Find free online classes
help to improve your orgasms. Try this: from Yoga with Adriene on YouTube
Imagine you’re sitting on a marble. or at yogawithadriene.com.

Health
WASH YOUR
THUMBS
You’re already scouring your
hands for 20 seconds, but a lot
of people somehow skip their
thumbs. As these digits touch
some pretty germy surfaces (such
as your mobile and remote control
a y s buttons), make sure they get

scrubbed, too.
k y w
n e a germs
S
INVADE
your body
From handbags to phones to even your thumbs,
many things can leave you open to attack. But you
can lower your chances of getting sick by making
these small changes to your daily habits.
SHED YOUR
SHOES
Many cultures are
wise to kick off
SEPARATE YOUR footwear before
going indoors.
TOOTHBRUSHES Here’s why: When
Most families have a bouquet of you wear shoes
brushes in the rinsing cup. But the inside, you track
flu virus, strep bacteria, staph and what’s on them
E. coli can all live on toothbrushes, onto floors and
so you don’t want them touching, carpets. (This
especially if someone at home is sick. includes dog poo,
bacteria and whatever
else is hanging out on
the footpath.)
Change sheets more often
Sheets harbour germs, which means whoever is
sharing your bed is going to be susceptible to any
virus you may have and vice versa. The longest you
should wait to change your sheets is two weeks,
but doing it weekly is better. Launder bedsheets,
pillowcases and towels in hot water and dry them
using the hottest temperature your dryer offers.
WORDS: LAUREN SMITH McDONOUGH. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
ELEVATE YOUR
HANDBAG
When you set your handbag on the
AVOID PHONES IN
floor at a cafe or public toilet and
then later plonk it on your desk or
kitchen bench, germs that were THE BATHROOM
in these high-traffic areas are now Your mobile can get contaminated
where you work or prepare food. If with germs found in faecal matter
your bag’s already gone there, mix (16 per cent of phones have them,
a few pumps of a mild liquid facial according to one study). Read this
too late? Kill germs by cleaning
cleanser (such as Cetaphil) with two
your phone with an alcohol wipe.
cups of warm water and wipe it
with a soft cloth. While you’re at it,
disinfect your desk or counter!
DISINFECT ALL HANDLES

People tend to clean tap handles but forget
kitchen cupboard handles and car door
handles. Wipe them down with
antibacterial wipes at least
every other day, and daily if
a family member is ill.

Health
The truth about

blue light
Just how harmful is the light emitted
from screens? We display the facts.
FACT VIEWING SCREENS AT MYTH YOU NEED SPECIAL

NIGHT CAN DISRUPT SLEEP GLASSES FOR BLUE LIGHT
“Light from computer screens suppresses
melatonin, the sleep hormone that helps you
nod off faster,” says Professor Siobhan Banks,
Not so. “There’s no strong evidence to
suggest that blue light from screens damages
the retina or macula of the eye,” says Koh.
myth
co-director of the Behaviour-Brain-Body BLUE LIGHT
Research Centre at the University of South FACT TV SCREENS ARE OKAY CAUSES
Australia. More than 90 minutes of screen light “Research shows that TV screens don’t reduce
at night is all it takes to drop your melatonin melatonin levels or interfere with sleep,” says
WRINKLES
levels. So set a screen curfew – no computer sleep expert Professor Michael Gradisar, from
Actually, it’s not
or phone use two hours before bedtime. the College of Education, Psychology and the blue light – it’s
Social Work at Flinders University in Adelaide. squinting at your
MYTH BLUE LIGHT CAN “This is most likely because the light is fairly dim screen that does
DAMAGE YOUR EYES and not as close to your face.” the damage, says
Not true. “But sitting at a computer for hours Melbourne-based
can make your eyes sore, tired or red,” says MYTH DIMMING THE SCREEN dermatologist
Sophie Koh, national professional services WILL FIX THE PROBLEM Dr Adam Sheridan.
WORDS: STEPHANIE OSFIELD. PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCK
advisor at Optometry Australia. Even on a low-brightness setting, computer

His tip: “Ensure
and phone screens still give off some blue light.
your screen is
FACT BLUE LIGHT CAN BE The solution? Many new gadgets have a
not located in
GOOD FOR YOU ‘night light’ feature that filters out blue light.
bright light and
Despite its bad rap, blue light actually has Or try the free app f.lux. “It reduces brightness
a swag of health benefits. Studies show it can and blue light, shifting your screen to more increase the size
help shrink fat cells, reduce skin problems, such amber tones in the evening,” Professor Banks of the font to ease
as acne and rosacea, and boost alertness to says. f.lux is available for Windows and Mac, eye strain.”
power you through work or exercise. as well as iPhone and Android.
Fitness
FEELING STRONGER, FITTER AND FIRMER AFTER 40 STARTS HERE
Floor manager
Migraine coming on? Hit the mat. A few downward dogs
may help ease the pain, according to a study published in
the journal Neurology. In the trial, migraine sufferers who did
a one-hour yoga class three times a week for a month, and
then five at-home sessions a week for another two months,
while also taking their prescribed migraine medicine, had

fewer headaches than a group who just took meds. How
does yoga help? Previous studies have shown that it activates
the parasympathetic nervous system and also helps relax
muscles that, when tense, may trigger migraine attacks.

Fitness now
A STRONG LINK
15%
The increase in
cognitive function
Exercising isn’t just making your muscles for women after
stronger, it’s also helping you fight chronic doing moderate and
inflammation. A new study by US scientists vigorous exercise at
has discovered that when your muscle fibres least once a week.
are flexing, they almost completely block One brisk walk +
the damage caused by interferon gamma, one circuit workout
a pro-inflammatory molecule linked with = smart idea!
SOURCE: THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND
conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. The
researchers put lab-grown human muscle
through a simulated exercise routine and
found that the muscle cells did the same
anti-inflammatory job as two common
IT’S PERSONAL
When it comes to
arthritis medications. The next step?
fitness motivation,
Finding out how much exercise is the
one size doesn’t fit
right dose to beat disease.
all. US scientists
recently found that
competitive challenges
are more effective for
extroverts, while
social support does
the trick for quiet folk.
For neurotic types,
neither approach had
any impact. How can
you tap into your
personality to make
workouts stick?
Psychologist Scott
Whiteway, from
Sydney’s Body &
Mind Health, has
the answers.
If you’re outgoing:
“Look for group
activities, such as a
social sports team.”
If you’re an
introvert: “An online
community with
Could an anti-ageing exercise pill be on the support from a
way? Scientists have pinpointed a powerful coach offers social
WORDS: PENNY CARROLL. PHOTOGRAPHY: iSTOCK
hormone that humans release during interaction in bite-

sized chunks.”
Bottling workouts that has the potential to reboot
If you’re a worrier:
fitness and extend lifespan. They gave the
up youth hormone to mice and found that it doubled
“Know that
engaging in physical
their running capacity and improved activity can be a
performance – even in middle-aged and old powerful tool in
mice. So, who’s up for another session? managing anxiety.”
PROTECT YOUR BONES
“Check your
bone health
now!”
Michelle Bridges
Know Your Bones Ambassador
Move of the month…
with Tiff Hall
Firm your butt

Want fast, effective results? This targeted 1. Lie on your back with your
exercise is so easy you can do it lying down. arms straight by your side
and your knees bent so that
FROG GLUTE BRIDGES

your heels are about a foot
length from your sit bones
Glute bridges are all the rage right now and it’s no wonder why. As (lower part of pelvis).
the name suggests, they’re a killer booty burner targeting all three 2. Place the soles of your
glutes (gluteus maximus, medius and minimus) to build strong, feet together and let your
toned muscle. They also work the abs and are a great alternative to knees splay outward.
squats if you experience knee, hip or back pain. Frog glute bridges 3. From here, tuck your pelvis
are my favourite variation of the exercise, as they further isolate under to engage your core
the glutes for a more targeted movement that takes the guesswork and raise your hips to the
out of muscle activation. The best bit? You can do them lying down! sky, activating your glutes
as you do so. Hold for
2 seconds and squeeze, and
then lower back to the floor,
one vertebrae at a time. Do
two sets of 10 to 15 reps.
PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHELLE TRAN
For more workouts, visit Tiff Hall’s online health and fitness program at TIFFXO.com
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FITS
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$34.95, au.brixton.com

Fitness
5muscles myths about
It’s the strong, stretchy tissue that helps your body move,
but confusion abounds about how to get it, how to keep it
and how to avoid looking like a female version of Thor.
Here, we muscle in on some of the falsities.
BY KATE ROCKWOOD
1 2
CARDIO IS THE BEST MUSCLE TURNS TO FAT IF YOU
WAY TO BURN FAT STOP WORKING OUT
MYTHBUSTER MYTHBUSTER
While cardio expends You can’t turn a cat into a dog, and you can’t
more kilojoules than turn muscle into fat, says exercise physiologist
weightlifting, adding Dr John Porcari. “They’re two completely different
strength training really ups tissues,” he explains. Muscle is a protein and stays
the fat burn. Plus, building a protein. The reason you feel less jiggly when
muscle makes it easier to you’ve been doing strength work is that muscles
keep fat off. Muscle burns “pull the fat layer a bit tighter, so it can look and
somewhat more kilojoules feel like you have less fat,” Dr Porcari says. You
than fat kilo for kilo, says can lose muscle, though. If you quit exercising for
sports scientist Dr Michele a while, your muscles can start to wither and the
Scharff Olson. For best fat layer can relax, too, leaving things looser.
results, mix cardio with
at least two weekly
strength workouts.
4
HEAVY WEIGHTS WILL MAKE YOU
LOOK LIKE A BODYBUILDER
MYTHBUSTER
Lifting heavy weights alone will not give you
3
massive pecs and thighs. In fact, studies show
that it’s not how heavy the weight is that helps
you build muscle, but how many times you
lift the weights. Bodybuilders get bulky partly
because they do way more sets using heavier
weights, Dr Porcari says, and also because
they follow a strict diet regimen. A good rule:
IT’S HARD TO Use weights heavy enough that your muscles
REGAIN MUSCLE feel very tired after eight to 12 reps (typical
ONCE IT’S GONE for one set), Dr Scharff Olson says. You’ll gain
muscle, but unless you start working out like
MYTHBUSTER a bodybuilder, it won’t be bulky-looking.
You naturally lose muscle
mass as you get older, but
you can regain muscle
at any time. US studies
5
have found that people
in their 60s and 70s who
underwent supervised
weight training developed
muscles as large and
strong as those of an
average 30-year-old. To
build muscles back up, just SORE MUSCLES MEAN GIVE IT A REST
begin using them again.
Start light and gradually MYTHBUSTER
increase the number of Achy muscles aren’t a signal to sit on the couch
repetitions or the heaviness all day. Instead, try a leisurely walk or gentle
of the weights so your yoga to keep the blood flowing to your muscles.
muscles always feel Indeed, some soreness from exercising is normal,
challenged, advises even for several days. To minimise achiness,
Dr Scharff Olson. Make avoid hammering the same muscles on back-
your routine a consistent to-back days. Sharp, persistent pain though
habit and you’ll be toned could be the sign of an injury, so see your GP if
again in a few months. the discomfort lingers more than a few days.

Beauty L
Neck on the line

Noticing a few more wrinkles around your neck
area? Your smartphone could be to blame. ‘Tech
neck’, the pain and stiffness – and sagging skin and
creases – resulting from constantly looking down
at devices, is something Melbourne dermatologist
Dr Shyamalar Gunatheesan is seeing more of. “The
more often you use a muscle, the more wrinkling
you’ll see in the skin, especially as you get older,”
she says. Adopt a healthier stance with these:
The Upright Go 2 ($149.95, uprightpose.com) is a
small device you wear around your neck that vibrates
when you slouch, training you into better posture.
Dermalogica Neck Fit Contour Serum ($135,
dermalogica.com.au) contains ingredients that help
create a lifting and tightening effect. The roll-on
serum can be used alongside personalised workouts at
neckfitcontour.com, which tone and strengthen your neck
muscles – the perfect reminder to hold your head up high.
WORDS: CECILY-ANNA BENNETT. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

Beauty now
INGREDIENT IQ:
Ferulic acid
This antioxidant
has big credentials
(UV-protecting, anti-
ageing, redness-
reducing), but its
magic lies in helping
other ingredients
perform. Research
shows a combo of
0.5 per cent ferulic,
1 per cent vitamin E
and 15 per cent
vitamin C boosts C’s
strength eight-fold
(bye, pigmentation!).
Find it in a serum
like Paula’s Choice
C15 Super Booster,
$62, paulaschoice.
com.au
Q& TAG TEAM
A
A natural, simple
solution for
removing skin tags
is here! Those little
growths of skin that
HOW CAN I BE SURE THAT MY PRODUCTS often pop up where
WILL WORK FOR MY SKIN TYPE? friction occurs (neck,
Your best bet is expert-prescribed skincare products that armpits, under your
are tailored to your skin. Personalised skincare is one of breasts) may be
the most effective ways to treat your skin, because the harmless, but they
ingredients target your specific concerns. Expect a face- can be annoying.
to-face or virtual consultation before your products are
Meet Neat Feat
prescribed. Formulations can then be adjusted as your
Natural Willow
skin responds and adapts. Here are three of our faves:
Wart & Skin Tag Gel
SKINCEUTICALS QR8 MEDISKIN SKINSTITUT ($17.95, Chemist

CUSTOM D.O.S.E This doctor- X MYDNA Warehouse), which
From a doctor consult prescribed Products are uses natural
to a corrective skincare starts prescribed ingredients (based
serum dispensed with a video post-DNA swab
on a formula
in just 10 minutes, consultation test (reviewed
traditionally used in
this service relies on and ends with a by clinical
complex algorithms prescription-only geneticists) to homeopathic and
for your perfect mix topical product discover genetic herbal medicine)
of ingredients. From that’ll work with markers that to eliminate those
$295, skinceuticals. your existing routine. From predict how your skin will age. pesky tags without
com.au $130, qr8mediskin.com From $99, skinstitut.com discomfort. Clever!
Kenkay Extra Relief Moisturising Cream is specially formulated
for mild eczema and dermatitis. Formulated with moisture-rich
glycerin, pure sunflower oil and aloe vera, to restore your skin’s
barrier and ease dry skin discomfort.
kenkay.com.au
CARING FOR SKIN SINCE 1983

IF SYMPTOMS PERSIST, TALK TO YOUR HEALTH PROFESSIONAL. AC 11107-0321
Beauty
How long can you actually

keep your make-up?
Still using mascara you bought at the airport duty-free counter
before COVID? Follow these guidelines from cosmetic chemist
Ron Robinson to keep your beauty tools fresh, clean and usable.
fram
me
e
your ti
0 6 MONTHS 12 M O N T H S 18 M O N T H S
Self-service
Storing your
Mouths. Are. Busy. Your lip colour can
N
LIPSTICK
LIQUID only stay ‘clean’ for so long when you make-up in the
re-dip and re-swipe on the daily. bathroom means
heat and humidity
can cause faster
BULLET
bacteria growth,
shortening expiration
dates even more.
Instead, leave items
MASCARA
in a dry place, such

The closed, wet tube equals a cosy breeding ground for eye- as your bedroom.
ANY KIND
infecting germs. Mascara’s also got a short life span because... Practise good
N hygiene by
cleaning your
brushes regularly.
Get a spray bottle
SHADOW
CREAM
and mist them with
EYE-
...your eye area can harbour a lot of bacteria, making antimicrobial rubbing
eye-product contamination risks higher. alcohol once a week.
Both pencil
POWDER
N and gel liners
can harden from
The more moist the make-up, the faster exposure to air. Use
it’ll expire. But powder foundation
FOUNDATION
a sharpener (that
doesn’t last so much longer, thanks
LIQUID to constant contact with your water- you’ve scrubbed
based skincare products. clean with soap
and water) once a
week to keep them
POWDER lining like new.
PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFFREY WESTBROOK/STUDIO D. STYLING: ELIZABETH OSBOURNE

EYELINER
PENCIL The tips of eyeliners spend lots of

time mingling with eye fluids (gross,
but true), leading to potentially
LIQUID
infectious circumstances.
Green alert
These rules don’t apply to
all-natural make-up, which
Preservatives in blush help protect is made without traditional
it from your skin’s own germs. preservatives. Take the
Once they stop working, however, expiration dates on the
CREAM you’re left with a super-cute petri packaging seriously.
BLUSH
dish that’s bound to break you out.
POWDER
3
Rising spa
8
Turn bath time into spa time with these

cleansing, hydrating beauties that’ll
leave you feeling smooth all over.
1. SALT BY HENDRIX BATH TO BODY OIL, $39.95, adorebeauty.com.au An antioxidant-rich oil blend that’s lovely
in the bath or applied directly to skin. 2. ELIZABETH ARDEN WHITE TEA MANDARIN BLOSSOM BODY CREAM, $32,
adorebeauty.com.au Hydrate your skin with this rich, nourishing body cream. 3. FRENCH GIRL JASMINE SEA POLISH,
$64, and FRENCH GIRL JASMINE SERENITY BATH, $67, both from thenativesco.com.au The perfect bath soak and
exfoliating duo for spa-like relaxation. 4. CREED LOVE IN WHITE SOAP, $59, creedperfume.com.au Work up a lavish
PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCK
lather with this luxury floral-scented soap. 5. GOOP G.TOX 5 SALT DETOX BODY SCRUB, $61, Mecca Smooth your skin
with this hydrating mix of mineral salts and essential oils. 6. L’OCCITANE ROSE SHOWER OIL, $69 (sold as duo with Rose
Body Lotion), au.loccitane.com Harness the softening power of rose to leave your skin soft and fragranced. 7. JURLIQUE
SMOOTHING BODY EXFOLIATING GEL, $48, Myer A rich exfoliant for glowing skin. 8. MANICARE SENSISCRUB 3-IN-1
WET BODY BRUSH, $14.99, Chemist Warehouse Cleanse, exfoliate and boost circulation with this silicone body brush.

Beauty
Your winter-proof guide to

silky hands
Cold temperatures can wreak havoc on your hands,
but these simple and effective tips will ensure
they’re softer than a cashmere blanket.
S
andpaper hands and cracked
cuticles don’t have to be “just a part Quick fix If you’re cleansing on the
of winter”. It’s time to say no more! go, try Dermal Therapy Sanitising Hand
Read on for the latest ways to keep Cream ($8.99, dermaltherapy.com.au),
them soft and super smooth. which contains urea to keep hands soft
while killing 99.9 per cent of bacteria.
WASH SMARTER
Frequent handwashing is a sign of the
times, but constant exposure to water and
soap reduces the healthy fatty compounds KEEP HAND CREAM HANDY
in the top layers of your skin, according to The skin on your hands is constantly exposed to the elements and is thinner and
Harvard University. To counteract this, use more susceptible to damage than on the rest of your body. Moisturising is key to
lukewarm water to wash and a moisturising keeping your hands soft and supple, so keep a cream in your bag containing
soap that won’t strip natural oils. Look for humectants (such as glycerine, urea or hyaluronic acid), which pull moisture into
one with hydrating ingredients added, such the skin from the air (we like CeraVe Reparative Hand Cream, $8.99, Chemist
as shea butter, aloe or plant-based oils. After Warehouse). Simply reapply when needed. If the appearance of your skin bothers
washing, apply a hand cream containing you (think age spots and wrinkles), a brightening treatment, such as Skin Doctors
emollients (such as squalane), which forms Younger Hands ($34.95, Chemist Warehouse), uses active ingredients to boost skin
a protective barrier over the skin and traps density and lighten pigmentation. When applying face products, rub any excess to
moisture beneath. Beauté Pacifique the backs of your hands for an added dose of nourishment – and don’t forget the SPF.
Enriched Hydrating Hand Creme ($38,
beaute-pacifique.com/au) is squalane Quick fix For deeper hydration, try an overnight hand mask, such
rich and reactivated by contact with water, as Mavala Repairing Night Cream for Damaged Hands ($64.95,
ensuring hands remain protected. mavala.com.au), to help restore your mitts to their baby-soft best.
Old hand
Feel like your hands are drier
than they used to be? That’s
because your oil and sweat
glands grow less active as you
get older, making it harder to
keep your skin moist. So keep
them protected with gloves
when out in the elements.
USE NUTRITION TO
CONDITION NAILS
To combat dry cuticles,
massage them daily with a
moisturiser, such as Burt’s Bees
Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
($14.99, Priceline), to keep the
skin around your nails nourished.
Your nails naturally become
drier and more brittle with age,
as your body absorbs fewer
nutrients, says nutritionist Fiona
Tuck. “Nails can be a reflection
of your inner health and dietary
habits, so if you ‘feed’ nails with
the correct nutrients, they’ll grow
stronger and be more resistant
to breakage,” she explains. Good
foods include cucumbers, barley,
oats, root vegies, such as onions,
carrots and potatoes, leafy green
vegies, such as spinach, broccoli
and kale, and raw nuts and seeds.
Quick fix Wearing nail

polish for extended periods can
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Mind
SMART WAYS TO STAY SHARP, CALM AND POSITIVE
Active imagination
Creativity may be a happy side effect of regular
workouts, according to a new Austrian study.
Building on findings that suggest brief bouts
of movement can spark a flurry of bright ideas,
researchers looked at whether active people
are more creative than those who don’t move
as much. To pinpoint the link, the scientists
tracked the activity of 79 volunteers for five days
before testing their ingenuity in the lab with
tasks such as finding new uses for car tyres and
umbrellas and finishing partial drawings. They
found that the most innovative ideas came from
those who were the most mobile, especially if
they loved walking or other moderate exercise.
So, if you want to boost your imagination, why
PHOTOGRAPHY: iSTOCK
not take a scenic stroll or hike?

Mind now
SMOKE AND MIRRORS

How to spot a liar is easy – they’ll act
just like you. A study by Dutch and UK
researchers found that when people
are being dishonest, they tend to
1.7
times
mimic the body language of the
person they’re lying to – and the taller That’s how much
the tale, the more likely they are to more periods affect
sync up with their victim! Scientists say women’s moods than
that hoodwinking is such a mental big emotional events
overload that copying people such as Christmas.
around you is one way the brain can Enough said.
free up valuable thinking resources for SOURCE: STANFORD UNIVERSITY
maintaining the deceit. And because

it’s unconscious, it’s difficult for liars to
control, so it may be a useful way to
catch an untruth in real time.
Positive
outcome
Turns out you really
do create your own
reality. According
to US research,
people who think
optimistically about
their ability to age
well are much more
likely to experience
that outcome. Feeling
so-so about the future?
Upgrade your mindset
with these tips from
Claire Aristides,
visualisation coach
and founder of the
Mindology app.
Make it detailed: “Build
a specific mental
picture of your goal –
imagine yourself
WORDS: PENNY CARROLL & JESSICA PETTWAY. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
laughing, catching up
with friends at a cafe
or learning the piano.”
If you didn’t get much shut-eye last night, blame Catch negativity:
the moon. US researchers have discovered that “When you feel down,
people go to bed later and sleep less in the days take yourself back to
your happy vision.”
Sleep leading up to a full moon. They saw the strange
Make it a habit: “Repeat
lunar effect in both people living in rural your visualisation
phase communities and light-polluted big cities, every day (when
leading the scientists to suggest that your brushing your teeth,
natural circadian rhythms are somehow synchronised for example) to build
with – or entrained to – the phases of the lunar cycle. neural pathways.”
A change
of heart
Negativity can spell trouble for your heart, but taking a half-
full approach to life can boost both your spirits and health.
F
eeling a little glass half empty? You’re
not alone, but that constant stress and
negativity can take a toll on your heart,
triggering high blood pressure and
inflammation, which can lead to obesity and
type 2 diabetes over time. Building resilience
– healthy coping skills – is critical for overall
wellness and, in particular, your heart. Here’s
how to get better at bouncing back.
1 PRIORITISE YOU Pay attention to

your limits and take time to replenish
and restore, emotionally and physically,
says psychologist Dr Simira Freeman. Do
what makes you feel good – taking a stroll,
cooking, jamming to your favourite tunes.
2 LIVE IN THE NOW “Projecting too

far ahead in the future can increase
stress levels, so try to stay present and
grounded in what you can control,” advises
Dr Freeman. “Gratitude will give you
a chance to catch your breath.”
3 FIND YOUR SQUAD A solid support

system (of any size) is crucial for
resilience. “Identify the people who
are ready and able to support you in various
ways and who can give you the boost you
need to get over hurdles,” she says.
4 ZOOM IN ON LIFE’S
GOOD SIDE “Perspective is
everything and silver linings are real,”
explains Dr Freeman. “Viewing challenging

experiences in positive ways can help you
refocus on the upsides. This helps you grow,
learn and feel in control.”

Why are habits
so hard to kick?
Enjoyable behaviours
trigger the feel-good
chemical dopamine,
which creates the
craving to do
it again.
WORDS: AVIVA PATZ. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
CHANGE YOUR WAYS
BREAK
all your
BAD
HABITS
Whether it’s smoking, snacking or overspending, ditching
a compulsive behaviour is incredibly hard. But there’s
a way out – and all it takes is a few little modifications.
O
ne thing we know about habits is that things (and overriding old tendencies). The hitch?
they’re tough to break. That’s because, The brain clings to its habit loops – which means
whether they’re helpful (brushing your changing a behaviour requires much more effort
teeth every night) or harmful (smoking), than acting without thinking does.
they become hardwired into the brain. But we’re far from stuck. Until recently, many
To understand how a habit forms, picture two psychologists preached white-knuckled willpower
areas of the brain. In the limbic system, the basal (I will not bite my nails) and deprivation (I’m
ganglia (located deep within the brain) helps you not buying anything I don’t need for a month).
do things such as drive a car or tie your shoelaces. But now that rigidity and self-control has been
The prefrontal cortex (at the front of the brain) supplanted by an approach that outsmarts the
is the key to decision-making or solving complex brain’s own wiring. Whether it’s eliminating a
problems. By design, the uber-efficient basal trigger or providing an alternative reward, you can
ganglia makes many of your daily tasks automatic, nudge the brain into different behaviour. Ready to
freeing the prefrontal cortex for learning new bust those bad practices? Let’s get to work. E

CHANGE YOUR WAYS
USE WORDS LIKE THEY MATTER

Quit saying “I can’t” and instead say “I don’t drink
on weeknights,” the same way vegetarians don’t eat
meat. A study in the Journal of Consumer Research
found that when people use the words “I don’t” to
describe their temptation, they were much less likely
to choose their old behaviour than those who used
the words “I can’t”. Researchers believe that saying
“I don’t” is psychologically empowering. The phrase
implies the decision has already been made.
REPLACE YOUR BAD HABIT WITH

SOMETHING THAT IS GOOD
Most people can’t just drop a bad habit, so why
not replace it instead? If your weakness is too
much caffeine, switch from coffee to something
else that’s hot and aromatic, such as a herbal tea.
If your social media feed is your addiction, turn
WRITE YOUR off notifications and put it out of reach and find
MANIFESTO something else that can fully absorb you, such as
working on a creative project or reading a book.
(in just 3 minutes!)
Jot down the pros and
cons of quitting your habit
– sweet snacks, alcohol,
shopping, social media,
etc – says psychologist
Dr James Claiborn. You’ll
likely come up with some
excellent reasons to make
the change, and then keep
the list handy. “Whenever
temptation arises, pull out
the list and review why
you don’t want to give into
addiction,” he says. It’ll
be like having your own

pocket-sized life coach.
ID YOUR
DANGER ZONES
Anticipate lapses in willpower and
strategise how you’ll deal with them.
For instance, if you habitually grab
some biscuits from the tea room at
4pm because your energy is flagging
(and they’re free!), that’s a high-risk
situation. Ask yourself: what can I do
tomorrow at that tricky time
to replace that habit?
MAKE THE
STRUGGLE PUBLIC
The more accountable you are
to others, the more likely you are
to stick it out (embarrassment is
a great motivator). Instead of
grabbing another coffee, recruit
a buddy to take walks with or to
give you the stink eye when you
grab those Tim Tams at 4pm.
The goal-setting app Coach.me
offers a free habit-tracking
portal that lets you invite friends
to view your progress and
leave comments as well as
crowdsource encouragement.
MONITOR
YOUR PROGRESS
Log how well your coping
mechanisms are working
in your diary each day.
“Taking note of your
behaviour makes you
aware of your actions,
SET UP A REWARDS PROGRAM so you’re forced to make
Positive reinforcement isn’t just for kindergarteners. conscious decisions,”
Reward yourself with a meaningful treat – dining says Dr Claiborn. It also
out, a spa visit, whatever gets you excited – for gives you something to look
accomplishing one day, three days or a week back on when you’re
without the thing you’re addicted to. It’s key to having a tough day.
motivation and that’s what will get you through.

TUMMY TONERS
your custom
FLAT-BELLY
GUIDE Here’s something no one told you: There’s no one-size-
fits-all fix for a flat tummy, but once you figure out your
roadblock, a slimmer stomach is yours for the taking.
BY BETSY STEPHENS
THE SCARY SPARE TYRE you hungrier even as your body is practically
hoarding fat, says nutritionist Sara Vance.
YOUR SYMPTOMS Diets haven’t helped much, Of course, lack of exercise can cause weight gain,
so you figure you have to accept that your little too, says exercise physiologist Dr Cris Slentz. His
round belly is permanent. And it seems like the research shows that inactivity causes visceral fat
older you get, the rounder you become. to grow rapidly in as little as six months. “When
WHAT’S GOING ON There are two kinds of oestrogen levels dip during perimenopause and
belly fat. There’s the stuff right under your skin menopause, it only gets worse,” he explains. So
that you can pinch, which is called subcutaneous whichever of these things is causing your excess
fat, but that’s actually the less harmful kind. It’s visceral fat, it’s important to get it under control for
the visceral fat that poses a real threat to your the sake of your future health, says Dr Cederquist.
health. It plumps your middle from the inside
out, surrounding organs, such as your liver, THE SOLUTION If relaxing and sleeping more
lungs and heart, and putting you at greater risk were viable options in life, you’d probably be all
of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers, says over it. In the real world, however, you might have
endocrinologist Dr Kristen Gill Hairston. a better shot at controlling it by adopting healthier
WHAT CAUSES IT Your genes, for one thing. eating habits. But you need to exercise, too. In
“Some families just carry most of their weight in Dr Slentz’s study, walking or jogging 18 kilometres
their belly, no matter how thin they are,” says GP a week kept visceral and subcutaneous fat at
Dr Caroline Cederquist. Visceral fat gets worse bay, and walking a total of 25 kilometres melted
before and during menopause partly because of them off. “It’s not the intensity of the exercise
a drop in oestrogen levels. And if you’re under that matters,” he says. “It’s the amount.” Try the
a lot of stress or not sleeping well, hormones make six-week walking plan on the facing page. E
Fast
fact
For women,
a waist
measurement
of more
than 89
centimetres
indicates an
unhealthy
amount of
belly fat and a
greater risk of
health issues.
try this
6pwlaenek
YOUR BELLY-BUSTING WALKING GUIDE
Gradually work up to 25 kilometres a week to melt away fat with this plan from personal trainer Jessica Smith.
WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEK 3 WEEK 4 WEEK 5 WEEK 6

(Total 6km) (Total 10km) (Total 12km) (Total 18km) (Total 22km) (Total 25km)
O 1.5km x 4 days O3km x 2 days O3km x 4 days O5km x 2 days O5km x 3 days O5km x 5 days
O2km x 2 days O4km x 2 days O3.5km x 2 days
Did you
know?
A study found
that women
who had more
weight around
their middle had
a 10 to 20 per
cent greater risk
of heart attack
than those who
were just heavier
overall.
TUMMY TONERS
IMBALANCED If the only abs exercise you

MUSCLES ever do is crunches, you’ll
YOUR SYMPTOMS You remember to get
a few crunches in, or you actually do them
never have a firm tummy.
like a pro, but you still don’t have flat abs.
WHAT’S GOING ON If the only abs exercise
you ever do is crunches, you’ll never have a
firm tummy, says physiotherapist Stephanie
Hahn. Crunches train your rectus abdominis Balancing act
(or sixpack) to fold forward. That makes
the muscles shorter, and if your transverse These simple moves will
abdominals (the muscles that sit behind your help bring more balance
rectus abdominis) aren’t toned, you end up to your midsection.
with what experts call a muscle imbalance –
and a bulge in your lower belly. “Doing more
crunches won’t help,” Hahn affirms. WALL CRESCENTS
OTHER CAUSES They aren’t the only Stand with your butt, upper
culprit. Just sitting for long periods of time back and head against a
(at your desk job or during Netflix binges) wall and clasp your hands
can wreck your waistline. “When you slouch, together overhead. Lean to
the front of your body is rounded, just as it the right, making sure that
would be in a crunch,” says physiotherapist your body stays against
and personal trainer Sean Wells. “So you’re the wall. Slowly bring your
still conditioning your rectus to be in this upper body back to the
shortened state – but often, it’s also weak.” starting position and repeat
The tummy bulge is bad enough, but worse 10 times. Then switch sides.
are the back problems an overworked rectus
can create – anything from general pain to
degenerative or herniated disks, says Wells.
“The stronger muscles in the front of your
body take over and your back muscles turn
off,” he says. With nothing to hold your spine in
place, the disks can shift and squish together.
Another imbalance that plagues the abs is
between the obliques, the muscles that cinch
your sides. You have two sets on both your ROLLOVERS
right and left, and if you show them love, Lie on your back with your legs straight and your arms
they’ll give you a nice hourglass shape. Sadly, stretched out behind your head. Keeping your ab muscles
your left obliques start out at a disadvantage, engaged, roll to your left and onto your stomach without
says Hahn. Blame your heart, which takes up bending your arms or legs. Roll to your left again and return
extra space and makes the obliques difficult to your back. Repeat 10 times, then do the same on your right.
to tone – an issue that’s compounded if you’re
right-handed. “You do so much with your
right side, making it stronger,” he says. Think
about where your mouse pad is, or when you
scrub the bathroom or carry that heavy bag.
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES. ILLUSTRATIONS: JOSH McKIBLE
BALL CIRCLES
THE SOLUTION To bring balance to your Lie on your back with knees bent in
midsection, keep moving, even while you’re towards your chest and arms wrapped
working. When you’re seated, tilt your pelvis around your thighs. Engage your ab
forward, which will curve your lower back muscles to initiate a rocking motion.
and lengthen your abdomen. During your Don’t roll back beyond your upper
workouts, “focus on moves that work your back or forward past your tailbone.
entire body instead of one muscle group,” As you rock, turn your body clockwise
advises Wells. These exercises on the right until you’ve made a full circle. Repeat
fit the bill. Do them once a day. in the opposite direction. E

TUMMY TONERS
THE MUMMY TUMMY Though your uterus shrinks

YOUR SYMPTOMS Pregnancy gifted you back to its normal size, your
with a bundle of joy but also a squishy stomach.
Sometimes it’s coupled with lower back pain. muscles don’t always close.
Ahh, the joys of motherhood.
WHAT’S GOING ON When your uterus
grows during pregnancy, it pushes against If that sounds like you, try this simple test: Lie
your abdominal wall. If that pressure gets too on your back and place three fingers at the base
intense, the muscles can open up, creating of your belly button, pointing towards your feet.
a separation known as diastasis recti, says Lift your head and press with your fingers. If you
gynaecologist Dr Suzanne Trupin. feel your fingers sink, you have a diastasis.
THE AFTERMATH Though your uterus
shrinks back to its normal size after the baby’s THE SOLUTION It’s not the rectus you need
born, your muscles don’t always close – in fact, to work, it’s your inner abs, or the transverse
in a small study, nearly 40 per cent of women abdominals. These muscles wrap around your
still had a gap six months after giving birth. entire core, and when they’re strong, they cinch
This breach allows the soft tissue behind your your waist like a corset. In a US study, women
abs to come through, Dr Trupin says, resulting who worked them for just 10 minutes a day saw
in a rounded, protruding belly. Plus, your back their diastasis shrink to almost nothing. Once
muscles have to compensate for your off-duty a day, do the moves below from personal
abs, putting you at risk of back pain. trainer Leah Keller, creator of the Dia Method.
Mummy moves
CORE COMPRESSIONS
These exercises will tap into your deep
Sit tall in a chair with your
abdominal muscles to flatten your belly.
feet hip-width apart and belly
flattened towards your spine.
INCLINE PLANKS Place one hand on your upper
Place your hands on the back of the couch abs and the other on your
and step back about one metre, so your lower. Take a deep breath in
body is leaning against it at a 45-degree and then exhale forcefully to
angle. Keep your back straight and your draw your ab muscles in even
belly flat. As with the core compressions tighter, keeping your back
(right), pulse your abdominal muscles straight and still. Continue for
from tight to tighter, exhaling with each five minutes, focusing on slow,
squeeze. Do two sets of 20 pulses. complete tightening of the
muscles. Do two sets.
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES. ILLUSTRATIONS: JOSH McKIBLE
WAIST ANCHORS
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor.
Holding a one- or two-kilogram dumbbell in each hand, extend
your arms straight up. Inhale and slowly lower your arms behind
your head. Exhale firmly, pulling your belly button towards your
spine as you bring the weights back up. Do two sets of 10.
Fast
fact
A new study
has found that
76 per cent
of Australian
women have
excess weight
around their
abdomen.

COVER STAR
Melissa Leong's
taste for life
The MasterChef judge and food writer dishes out her
wisdom on finding peace, her life-changing diagnosis
and why extra calories don’t scare her one bit.
BY ANDREA DUVALL PHOTOGRAPHY CAMERON GRAYSON
Tasting food all day might sound like a dream job, but
be careful what you wish for. “There was a day recently
when we ate about 18 pastas and six desserts,” recalls
MasterChef judge and food writer Melissa Leong.
It’s a unique spin on a tough day at the office. But,
behind the scenes, it turns out that Melissa, 39, has
a smart approach to staying healthy and not gaining
kilos in the course of doing her job well. “I make it
a priority to move my body,” she says. “That’s what
I need to do to feel good in my skin.”
Indeed, anyone watching outtakes of the hit reality
show would see Melissa over in the corner bending
and stretching whenever the opportunity arises. E
COVER STAR
I’m sure there was a small “One thing that my very

piecemeal career has taught me is
voice that said to me, ‘Take a that you have infinite capacity to
continue to evolve,” Melissa
break!’ But I thought, ‘No, no, says. “I think that’s a
wonderful thing to
no, no! I need to keep going!’ remember. Growing up,

my parents (who
migrated to Australia
from Singapore) always
“I aim to keep my body healthy in order to have a instilled a sense that good things
nice life and live well.” Part of that healthy outlook require work, whether that’s patience or
is borne from having done ballet since the age effort. I’m grateful for that, because if things
of four. Though Melissa is now an enthusiastic come easily to you, then they become cheap in a
devotee of Pilates. “My body looks different than way. You don’t feel the value of them as much.”
it did when I started – I’m longer, leaner and it’s The downside to this philosophy, she admits, is
yielded results a lot faster than I thought,” she says. she’s a pretty hard task master. “Yeah, absolutely!
Even during the dark days of COVID’s lengthy I believe in hard work. There’s no buts about it.”
Melbourne lockdown, her committment to daily
Pilates practice did not wane. “My dear friend Cat FEELING THE HEAT
Webb, who runs Good Times Pilates, loaned out This principle was put to the test a few years ago,
her reformers [exercise machines] to friends, so I when Melissa pushed herself to the very limits.
had one for about six or eight weeks and I used it While producing The Great Australian Cookbook,
every day,” she says. “I loved it and I do often think a combination of intense work and travel (she
long and hard about investing in one for home.” spent six months on the road with a production
And while food is front and centre in Melissa’s crew) meant she put on a few kilos. “I thought,
life as a food critic, author and presenter, her ‘Let’s get real fit,’ and I discovered the joys of HIIT
approach to eating is joyful. “If I end up putting [high-intensity interval training]. With that all-or-
on a couple of kilos during the season, that’s life. nothing mentality of mine, I pushed myself and,
I’d rather eat the cake, eat the pasta, enjoy it and sure, I lost the weight and I looked really good, but
do my job than fret over whether I should’ve eaten I woke up one morning and it felt like someone
that last dumpling or whatever. It’s just balance.” had taken the batteries out of my pack and I was
When she’s not consuming multiple dishes very slowly powering down.
in the fancy TV kitchen, Melissa is busy eating “I tried supplements, drinking herbal teas,
up all that life has to offer or, as she puts it on I went to expensive health retreats and I did
her website Fooderati, “[My] life philosophy is colonics. I did all of the things I thought I was
the same as that in food – be voracious.” It’s this supposed to do to fix myself and nothing worked.”
delicious spirit of enthusiasm, curiosity and Finally, an integrative medicine specialist
passion to taste all of life’s opportunities that diagnosed Melissa with pyrrole disorder, which
bubble to the surface as she speaks. is associated with an inability to absorb zinc and
“Saying yes to MasterChef was probably the vitamin B6.
scariest thing I’ve done,” she confides. “But I feel “The big warning from her was: you can never
like a big part of my life has just been saying yes be the same way you were before; you’ve broken
to opportunities.” yourself. She told me: ‘You need to be very
Indeed, she’s packed a lifetime’s worth of protective of your energy and don’t push
adventures in her two-decade career, from starting yourself to a point of no return,’ because
out as a professional hair and make-up artist, that cliché we see on memes is true:
before moving into advertising and copywriting, If you don’t stop, then your body
which then ultimately led to her gig as a freelance will decide for you. I’m living
food and travel writer, broadcaster and editor. proof of that.
On the menu
MASTERFUL WORK
Melissa and co-MasterChef judges
Andy Allen (left) and Jock Zonfrillo
celebrate a Best Reality Program
win at the 2020 AACTA Awards.
OPENING SPREAD: MELISSA WEARS LORNA JANE TOP, NOBODY DENIM JEANS AND HER OWN TRENCH. THIS PAGE: GARY BIGENI DRESS.
SCAREDY CATS
Melissa enjoys hanging at home
with her two cute cats, Ghoul and
Ghost (front), the latter of which has
made a cameo on MasterChef.
HOMEGROWN STAR
Tomatoes, lemon and baby bay
leaves from Melissa’s backyard
about to become “saturday night
pasta”. Find more @fooderati.

COVER STAR
Side serve of
Melissa
The one ingredient you
put in everything?
Hot sauce!
One thing people don’t

know about you?
I carry a tin of salt and pepper
in my purse at all times.
Describe yourself in a hashtag.

Hmmm, that’s a hard one. My
mantra is ‘work hard, but don’t
be a d*ck’. You can be successful
without having to push hard
and step over people.
Favourite time of the day?

As much as I’m not a morning
person, you never, ever regret
watching the sun rise.
Your go-to for a good laugh?

I really love watching [US adult
animated sitcom] Archer – it’s
completely inappropriate and
yet so funny.
Finish this sentence: When

I’m 50, I want to be…
… the most ‘me’ I’ve ever been.
“It doesn’t mean you can’t live a full life and it are now her adorable cats, Ghost and Ghoul.
doesn’t mean you can’t kick arse in your chosen “Creating a base that’s a haven is really important
career. You just have to be protective of yourself.” to me,” she says. “I like a place that’s quiet and is
The diagnosis became a defining moment beautiful to look at, and where I have my favourite
for Melissa, who says her approach to life has books around me. I’ve created a space for myself
changed for the good. “If I look back on it, I think that I love to come home to.
there’s a lot to be said for that gut instinct that “I like living in a house more than an
we often ignore,” she says. “I’m sure there was a apartment, for that feeling of being connected to
small voice that said to me, ‘Look, go a little easier. the ground. I’d choose living in the country any
Take a break! Be good to yourself.’ But I thought, day to being in a 50-floor high-rise somewhere.
‘No, no, no, no! I need to keep going!’ I probably I lived in Tasmania for a few years and it gave me
knew on some level that I shouldn’t, but you feel a sense of peace to be in nature and to appreciate
unbreakable. You really do test yourself. I’m a bit quietness and darkness sometimes.”
more in tune with my body these days and I can Indeed, Melissa spent two years living on a sheep
feel when I’m starting to be a bit zapped.” dairy and abattoir, learning how to make cheese
and pack meat. As she explained last year when
THE QUIET LIFE her MasterChef role was announced: “We have
Now, Melissa is putting her wellbeing first and a growing disconnection with where our food
hopes sharing her experience will help others comes from. It’s all well and good to know that in
avoid burnout. “When you start to feel irritable the abstract, but I wanted to get my hands dirty.”
about things and sounds are louder and lights are
brighter, these are warning signs that your body FINDING NOURISHMENT
Regular viewers of MasterChef will be familiar with
Melissa’s incredible outfits and statement earrings.
It’s just balance. I know if I’m “I love fashion and all the shoes and clothes I get
to wear,” she beams. Melissa’s distinctive personal
tasting that many calories style garners plenty of attention off-camera, too,
with almost 200,000 Instagram followers to her
name. Although, she admits that being in the
for work… then I make it a public eye still feels strange and she’s adjusting to
the attention – take, for example, her decision to
priority to move my body. turn off comments on her Instagram.
“I don’t find it comfortable receiving a large
influx of people’s feelings and thoughts,” she
explains. “It’s a lot for an introvert!” she says.
MAKE-UP: @JUSTINHENRYBEAUTY, USING MR SMITH HAIR & MAC COSMETICS
STYLING: ROSS McCALLUM. ASSISTANT STYLING: RIAN DIFUNTORUM. HAIR &
is trying to tell you to withdraw and maybe run Nonetheless, her style, her street savviness
a bath or read a book or whatever you do for self- and her sheer passion for all aspects of her multi-
care,” she says. “I notice those things a bit sooner faceted life come shining through in the beautiful
than perhaps I have in the past and that’s my signal posts she shares.
to say no to that social engagement and instead stay It all comes back to that word ‘nourishment’,
in this weekend because that’s what I need to be in all things, not just about food. Melissa explains
whole. I’m much more upfront with my friends now a moment that has stayed with her, hearing
and say, ‘I’d love to be at your party, but that’s not an inspirational speaker being asked how she
what’s best for me right now,’ so I politely decline, approaches each day with positivity. The speaker
send a bunch of flowers instead and stay in.” replied: “Because it’s a choice.” And that’s an
Home life has become even more key to apt summation of Melissa’s happily voracious
Melissa. Having split from husband Joe Jones last attitude to life as well – a mindset that’s now
year, after four years of marriage, her housemates at the top of her menu.

Think that
sugary sweet will
solve your issues?
A study in the journal
Appetite found the
feel-good fix only
lasts three
minutes.
EMOTIONAL EATING
BEAT
STRESS
EATING
Learning how to stop putting food in your
mouth when you’re feeling overwhelmed or
anxious is the key to avoiding extra kilos on
your waist. Ready to change your habits?
W
hen you’re feeling stressed or
anxious, is your hand already
reaching into a packet of biscuits
before your brain has a chance
to catch up? “The urge is entirely normal,”
explains psychologist Glenn Mackintosh, author
of Thinsanity, who specialises in helping people

modify their eating behaviour and physical
activity. Here, he shares three common situations
people find themselves in and what you can do
to crush the urge to feed your feelings. E

Fast
fact
According to a
recent survey,
83 per cent
of overweight
Australians
are eating
emotionally.
EMOTIONAL EATING
EXHAUSTED EATING SNACKING TO SOOTHE

WHEN YOU’RE STRUGGLING FOR ENERGY WHEN YOU’RE SAD
The foods that are hardwired into our pleasure/reward/addiction centres The same addiction pathway in the brain
are what we call ‘hyper-palatable’ foods – basically, high fat, salt and sugar connects food with increased pleasure
… the yum stuff! This is natural, but the food industry makes this problem and with decreased pain. Often they both
10 times worse by creating foods that specifically target that area of the happen together when we comfort eat,
brain, meaning that many of our cravings are not always for what our so it can be hard to tease them apart
body wants but for what the food industry has made our body crave. (although, after a while, many people
don’t even get much pleasure from their
CALM THE URGE Think about what’s really going on for us, and emotional eating, and we see the same
mindfully teach ourselves to choose behaviours that’ll actually phenomena in other addictions). Yet it’s
get us what we want. In this case, a piece of fruit and maybe exactly those experiences that create the
something with some protein and fat (such as yoghurt or some nuts) habit. We learn that food can (at least
would help fill the tank and keep us feeling satisfied and energised temporarily) stop us from feeling sad,
for longer. So taking a ‘pause point’ to discover what you really uncertain or any other type of emotional
want, and fulfilling the real want or need, will really help a lot. pain, which strengthens our emotional
eating habits. In this sense, because it
can make you feel better/less bad, some
level of emotional eating isn’t a problem,
and it can even be helpful. But it’s when it
becomes your main, or your only, way to
soothe yourself that you run into trouble.
CRISIS CHOMPING
WHEN YOU’RE ANXIOUS CALM THE URGE It’s time to find out
Things that keep us alive, such as food, what you really want. While there are
are connected with our brain’s pleasure a million ways we emotionally eat,
centre. Often this neural mapping is emotional eating impulses always
reinforced by childhood experiences (for boil down to three things:
1. Uncomfortable emotions that you’re
example, getting a lolly after you go to the
trying to resolve with food
doctor), which strengthen the connection.
2. Unmet wants or needs you’re trying
Then, as we get older, we create our own to meet with food
‘adult emotional eating’ routines – maybe 3. Things that need to change in your
it’s sneaking a treat while we fill up at life that you’re trying to ignore with food
the servo, waiting until the kids go to
bed and indulging in some quiet time So, ask yourself, “Are there unpleasant
with a block of chocolate, or eating up feelings I need to resolve?”, “What want
big as part of a shared family ritual. or need am I trying to fulfil right now?”,
These are all based on this reinforced or “Is there something I need to change
biological food-mood connection. in my life, career or relationships?”
Chances are the answer is not in the
CALM THE URGE A key thing to remember is fridge. I do know that when my clients
that there’s no nutritional solution to an emotional ask themselves these questions, they’re
problem. Emotional eating rarely does what it says often surprised to find the answers are
on the box – it may make you feel comforted while always within. Why not try it?
you’re eating, but then the uncomfortable feelings
start flooding back (often with an extra dose of guilt
if you’ve overeaten). So it helps to start to identify
the feeling and how you’re going to resolve it.
Remember, emotional eating isn’t about food, it’s Edited extract from
about mood! So practising meditation may actually Thinsanity by Glenn
calm you down better than the pack of Tim Tams! Mackintosh ($29.99,
glennmackintosh.
com/thinsanity)

HEALTHIER GENES
OUTSMART
your
GENES
We’re all dealt a unique set of DNA cards at birth, yet
science shows that we may be able to change more than
we think. Here’s what you can do to steer your genetic
destiny towards a healthier life.
BY MEGHAN RABBITT
Studies show
that women are
genetically hardwired
to be healthier than
men (XY), thanks to
their powerful XX
chromosomes.
ADDITIONAL WORDS: PENNY CARROLL. PHOTOGRAPHY: WOMEN’S HEALTH UK
M
any of us go through life thinking of possible routes,” explains Dr Colby. “While
we’re blessed, or perhaps unlucky, your genes may mean your road map has paths
by the genes we’ve inherited. Maybe that go towards heart disease or Alzheimer’s,
you got your mum’s gorgeous eyes, those courses aren’t set in stone – they’re just
but also her astigmatism, or you scored the possibilities laid out by your genes.”
tall-and-slender genes from your father’s side And there are a number of things you can do to
of the family, but worry that you also have their program your genetic GPS so it redirects you down
predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease. a healthy road. “Most diseases are determined by
Though you cannot change your genetic a combination of genetic and non-genetic factors,
make-up, you can positively influence how your which means you can make changes that’ll reduce
DNA gets expressed, says Dr Brandon Colby, – and maybe even eliminate – your chances of
a clinical geneticist and the author of Outsmart contracting diseases for which your genes put
Your Genes. “Think of your genes like a road map you at risk,” he says. “It’s empowering.” E

HEALTHIER GENES
YOUR GENETIC CODE if it doesn’t, many gene mutations are harmless
explained and won’t affect your health. However, some

mutations are harmful – and those are the ones
First, it’s important that you have a basic we can now detect and try to outsmart.”
isn’t
understanding of how your genes work. Here’s
a fact that’ll bring you back to biology class: WHY YOUR DNA
we all enter the world with (almost) the same YOUR DESTINY
20,000-plus genes, all made up of DNA. “Each Dr Joshua Selsby, a muscle physiologist, likes
person gets half of their genetic material from to compare the multitude of genes to recipes
their father and half from their mother, which in a big cookbook. “While you get your genetic
combine to create a new individual genome make-up (DNA) from your parents, with fixed
(you),” says Dr Paul Lacaze, head of Monash ingredients, through lifestyle choices, you can
University’s Public Health Genomics Program. exert control over how often you make certain
“That underlying unique genetic code gets recipes,” he explains. Say, for example, you
passed on to every cell in your body.” exercise regularly. That healthy lifestyle choice
Think of the genome as a complex is like making a nutritious recipe over and over
instruction manual for the human body. again so many times that your cookbook will
There’s a complete copy of the guidebook automatically open to the page for that recipe.
in each cell, but different portions of genes “When it comes to the genes you use a
are switched on or off to determine whether lot, it’s as if you’re pushing on your genome
they’re, say, a skin cell or a heart cell or a like you’d push down the pages of the recipes
brain cell. It’s a pretty amazing system, but you use repeatedly,” adds Dr Keith Baar, a
sometimes mutations creep in. This isn’t as molecular exercise physiologist. That’s a great
bad as it might sound: the fact your genes have thing if what you’re doing is something positive,
mutated over time is the reason humans are such as exercising regularly or eating
smarter, healthier and living longer. 12 servings of fruit and vegies a day; choices
DNA mutations can also occur across that change your genes in beneficial ways.
your lifespan. Some changes are prompted The converse is also true, as you might
by environmental factors, such as too much imagine. Things like smoking and sitting for
sunlight, poor diet and smoking, which 12 hours a day can push on genes you don’t
can lead to diseases such as cancer. Others want turned on. “While you can’t control your
happen as a result of ageing or because of genetics, you can impact what you do with
occasional mistakes made as the body’s cells go those genetics,” Dr Selsby says. In other words,
through their normal process of dividing and you can favour the genes that’ll help you live a
multiplying. “Luckily, your body detects and longer, healthier life and work to suppress the
corrects most errors,” says Dr Colby. “And even ones that put you at increased risk of disease.
Fast
fact
Some foods
communicate
with your
genes and the
most powerful
speakers on
your plate
are green
vegies.
How to
take control of your genes for better health
Ready to play conductor? These four strategies will help you turn on your
health-promoting genes and turn off the ones that could cause problems.
1
MOVE LIKE A KID
“Think back to when you were a child – you likely sprinted
as fast as you could, pulled yourself up on the jungle gym
and tried to lift heavy things, and all this activity turned
certain genes on,” says Dr Baar. “Doing strenuous activity as
an adult sparks your epigenetic memory, prompting those
resistance training for six months and the researchers
then compared their muscle tissue to that of a group
of 20-somethings. They found the older adults’ genetic
fingerprint had actually reversed, reaching levels similar
to those seen in the younger adults. Keep in mind that
the key to triggering this reaction is to stress your body.
It doesn’t have to be every workout, but a few times a
genes that respond well to exercise to respond again.” week, you should do activity that goes beyond brisk-walk-
Case in point: Weight training can change your gene around-the-block intensity, says Dr Baar. “If you really push
expression so it mimics that of someone much younger. yourself, the genetic response will be bigger.” Resistance
In a study, men and women over 65 did twice-weekly workouts are good – but so is a game of tag! E

REDUCE YOUR
CHEMICAL LOAD
You may not see them, but toxins in your
everyday surroundings can alter DNA,
either by damaging genes themselves or
disrupting how they function. “Your body is
constantly responding to the environment
– you’re getting signals not just from food
and nutrients, but also toxins, chemicals
and stress,” explains Dr Furness.
One recent study found that a common
class of chemicals called aldehyde, which
appear in everything from exhaust fumes
and building materials to cosmetics and
alcohol, breaks down the body’s cell-repair
mechanisms, potentially allowing cancer-
causing DNA mutations to go unchecked.
It’s impossible to avoid all toxins, but you
can take steps to reduce harmful chemicals
in your life by making conscious changes
around your home. Start by adding some
indoor greenery: house plants, including
rubber trees and spider plants, have been
shown to effectively filter carcinogens from
indoor air, while an Australian study found
that microorganisms in potting mix are
capable of removing the chemical benzene.
You could also opt for natural cosmetics.
Try making your own cleaning products with
ingredients such as bicarb soda and vinegar,
and avoid heating food in plastic containers
that can leech chemicals.
HEALTHIER GENES
4
ZAP STRESS
to stay sharp
When it comes to outsmarting
gene variations that might lead
to cognitive decline, exercising
your mind on a regular basis
is especially important. This
has been shown to stimulate
the growth of new brain cells
and strengthen the synapses
between those cells – two
things that keep you sharp
as you age. And fun mental
exercises have the added
benefit of reducing stress,
also key when it comes to
programming your genetic GPS.
For this reason, one of the
best ways to work your brain is
with mindfulness meditation.
“Mindfulness can turn on lots
of good genes,” Dr Furness says.
“Research shows it can change
levels of neurotransmitters
such as oxytocin and the stress
hormone cortisol. Even just by
going for a walk and practising
mindfulness, you could be
getting benefits [of meditation]
as well as physical activity.”
If ‘oms’ aren’t for you, try
stepping out with a buddy.
“A strong social network of
friends has also been
associated with a protective
effect against Alzheimer’s,
possibly because it helps ease
stress,” adds Dr Colby.

Fast
fact
According to
a Living Alone
in Australia
Survey,
70 per cent of
midlife women
living alone
prefer to live
alone.
SOLO PERFORMANCE
The art of
being
ALONE
Whatever your relationship or family status, spending
time in your own company can be life-enhancing.
BY FRANCESCA SPECTER
I
t was when I came out of a long-term have a word for what I was attempting, so I coined
relationship two years ago that I came face one: ‘alonement’, or positive and fulfilling time
to face with my fear of being alone. Rather dedicated to yourself. My aim was to reframe alone
than celebrate my new-found independence, time so it became the opposite of feeling lonely.
I started booking up my diary so I’d never be My first step towards valuing my own company
without company, even crashing on friends’ sofas involved writing a diary. Putting pen to paper
to avoid another night in my own empty bed. allowed me to process the thoughts I’d drowned
Two months into being single, I’d become out by being around others. Confronting the empty
entirely reliant on other people to help me cope, page often felt uncomfortable but, over time,
feeling lonelier than ever in their absence. Back I finally began to heal from my break-up and to
then, alone meant ‘lonely’ to me because I didn’t realise my capacity for self-soothing.
know an alternative. I’d spent my life prioritising I also worked on developing solitude skills;
almost anything over time by myself. I’d date think social skills for solo time. I ditched bad habits,
unsuitable men, say yes to every invitation and, such as eating Weet-Bix for dinner (I call this an
even when physically alone, I’d be glued to What’s ‘only me-ism’: depriving yourself of basic comforts
App. It was why I’d spent months struggling to save because you’re alone). Instead, I started scheduling
my relationship instead of accepting it’d turned sour. alonement, such as my Saturday ritual of eating
I realised this chronic need to be around breakfast at a local cafe, or movie nights for one.
others, which I’d accepted as part of my extrovert I’d also digitally detox by putting my phone on
personality, had become destructive. So, in January airplane mode during time on my own, rather
2019, I made a New Year’s resolution: to learn to than waste it scrolling through Instagram.
enjoy spending more time on my own. I didn’t I wanted to actually be with myself. E

SOLO PERFORMANCE
The next step involved exposure therapy: visiting you value their company much more. You can enjoy
public spaces, such as the theatre, alone, when in the alonement whatever your relationship status – in
past I’d only ever been with other people. This wasn’t fact, many couples cite space as the key to their
easy. Once, a restaurant refused to accommodate success. It’s also something you can value at any life
me as a table for one because, they said, “We like to stage; parents of young children often tell me they
see customers chatting to each other.” crave alone time like never before.
At times it can feel like the world isn’t yet built A fear of being alone no longer dictates my life,
for alonement. I’ve received looks of pity after and I don’t want it to dictate yours either. So, on
telling people I’ve spent Saturday evening solo the facing page, start by looking at solitude as a
or visited a gallery alone. “You should’ve said window of opportunity to work on one of the most
something – I would’ve gone with you!” they’d say. important and lifelong relationships you’ll ever
The leisure industry is centred around couples have – the one with yourself.
and groups, from two-for-one deals for tickets to
the seating arrangements at restaurants (although
counter-style dining is increasingly available).
Then there’s the dreaded single supplement for
solo-occupied hotel rooms.
Yet, the pros soon outweighed the cons. With
gained confidence, the whole world became my
oyster: from the glass of champagne I enjoyed at
a rooftop bar to celebrate my book deal, to a last-
minute holiday by myself last summer. It’s not
that I value socialising with my friends any less,
but alonement allows me to enjoy activities in
a different way. For instance, solo dining tends to
be a more mindful experience, while dinners with
friends are centred around the buzz of conviviality.
Of course, this new confidence helped me navigate
the forced alone time of lockdown as well.
It wasn’t an overnight epiphany, but embracing
alonement has changed my life. I’m calmer, more
fulfilled and my sense of self-esteem has soared.
I have a stronger sense of me-ness; what I like, what
my interests are and how to look after myself. It has
also transformed my relationships, because when
you stop seeing people as an escape from yourself,
How to own
BEING ALONE
Author Francesca Specter’s six steps to welcoming your own company.
4
PUT IT IN THE CALENDAR
1 3
GET COMFORTABLE WITH EMBRACE POSITIVE
YOUR THOUGHTS SELFISHNESS Lockdown aside, we’re used to
Often we use socialising and Always putting others above booking a dinner with friends
social media as a way to escape our yourself can cause dissatisfaction and or a date night with our partner,
feelings. As a result, we neglect and resentment. Use alonement to practise but what about one with ourselves?
even fear solo time, simply because positive selfishness: meeting your Scheduling alonement, rather than
we haven’t developed the capacity own needs in a way that doesn’t harm letting it be a fallback option if
to sit with ourselves. Developing others. Whether it’s booking a solo you have no social plans, helps you
healthy strategies, such as journaling, vacation, cooking yourself the meal look forward to it and turn it into
meditation, breathing techniques or your partner or kids refuse to eat, or meaningful quality time. Plus, if
working with a therapist, is the entry even just watching the TV at precisely your ‘me’ time is in the diary, you’re
ticket to valuing alone time. the right volume for you, embrace the less likely to pass it up at the drop
chance to truly satisfy yourself. of a hat when someone suggests a
last-minute get-together, because,
2
CREATE RITUALS
We’re creatures of habit and legitimately, you already have plans.
introducing solo rituals involves
feelings of familiarity and comfort,
5
putting you in the right headspace to LEARN TO COMMUNICATE
cherish alonement. For instance, play Telling loved ones you want
Nina Simone and pour a preferred time alone can prove difficult,
drink while cooking solo (a personal particularly if you’ve never done it
favourite) or indulge in a four-step before. The trick is to communicate
skincare regimen to relax before bed. your need for alonement in the
context of what you hope to get from
it – for example, saying, “Taking a
bath helps me decompress.” In doing
so, you invite others to respect your
space, without getting the wrong
end of the stick. You might even
inspire them to follow suit.
6
DON’T COMPROMISE
Avoid ‘only me-isms’ and go all-out: light
Edited extract your favourite scented candle; create
from Alonement: a visually stunning table setting for
How to Be Alone &
one; put on lipstick; or order a delicious
Absolutely Own It
by Francesca Specter dessert with a single spoon.
(Hachette, $34.99).
You, alone, are worth it!

HOW
menopause
changes
your
SKIN
Understanding the effects that
hormones have on your skin can
help you take control now.
BY CECILY-ANNA BENNETT
W
hile you hear so much about
hot flushes, insomnia and mood
swings, a more unexpected side
effect of menopause is how it can
change your skin. By understanding what happens
to your skin and why, along with our expert advice,
you’ll have the tools to ensure you look after your
skin and maintain a glowing complexion – and
not just because you can’t stop hot flushing.
HORMONES AND SKIN
Ask the experts
Q WHAT CAUSES THE SKIN TO

DEVELOP WRINKLES?
It’s a sobering fact that during the first years of menopause,
you lose about 30 per cent of your collagen (which is what
keeps the skin looking plump), and it continues to decline
about 2.1 per cent every postmenopausal year for a period
of 15 years, says Dr Shyamalar Gunatheesan, a Melbourne-
based dermatologist and Fellow of the Australasian College
of Dermatologists. Of course, genetics and environmental
factors, such as sun damage, also play a role. But the loss
of collagen, and elastin and moisture, are the big three
changes making skin dryer and thinner. The good part?
To some degree, you’re now able to address these changes
with effective skincare. (More on that over the page.)
Q
WHY IS MY SKIN SO DRY?
If there’s one main thing menopause does to your skin, it’s sap
the moisture, says Dr Gunatheesan. “This is because oestrogen,
one of the main hormones that depletes during menopause,
traps water and plumps the hydration of your skin,” she explains.
“A greater water content boosts your skin thickness and your
levels of ‘natural moisturising factors’ (which equates to how
well your skin holds water).” As oestrogen declines, your dermal
water content does too, resulting in skin that’s dehydrated and
less elastic, with more noticeable fine lines and wrinkles.
Q WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH

SUDDEN SENSITIVITY?
If products you normally use become irritating, or your skin
is looking red or feeling hot and prickly, you’re not alone.
“I was suddenly unable to use any products containing
‘actives’ without breaking out and feeling sensitised,” says
Mukti, founder of skincare brand Mukti Organics, who
experienced severe sensitivity in perimenopause. (She
consequently created her Calming range to help women
with similar issues.) You can blame hormonal fluctuations
for this sensitivity – it lowers your pain threshold and, in
extreme cases, even light touch can feel painful.
“The depletion of oestrogen and loss of progesterone
can affect the severity of rosacea,” adds Dr Gunatheesan.
This is especially the case if it’s something you’re prone
to. The dryness of menopausal skin also impairs wound
healing; you may find that you bruise more easily and don’t
heal from cuts or abrasions as quickly as you used to.

“You have to remember that your skin is your largest
organ,” says Dr Gunatheesan. “It does so much for you – it’s
carried you through. By the time menopause hits, you have
the wisdom and the knowledge to do something about it.” E

HORMONES AND SKIN
5
The 5 powerful solutions
Meet the big guns in skincare that can make
a serious difference to your skin by boosting hydration,
reducing pigmentation, brightening and protecting.
1 HYALURONIC ACID
This wonder ingredient can hold
1000 times its weight in water and is able
to penetrate the deeper layers of your skin,
boosting elasticity and plumping the skin’s
3 VITAMIN B3 (aka niacinamide)
Anti-inflammatory vitamin B3 is
described by Dr Mansberg as a great
skincare all-rounder. “It’s used for anti-ageing,
management of some common skin disorders,
appearance, says Dr Gunatheesan. managing acne and reducing the risk of non-
melanoma skin cancers,” she says. It also helps
Find it in: La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 reduce free radical damage, calms breakouts,
Hyaluronic Acid Serum strengthens the skin and improves skin tone.
This day serum contains
two types of plumping Find it in: Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide
hyaluronic acid. Booster contains a concentrated formulation
($69.99, Priceline). of niacinamide. ($62, paulaschoice.com.au).
CeraVe Daily Alpha-H Vitamin B Serum with Niacinamide
Moisturising Lotion is contains a blend of B vitamins and hyaluronic
suitable for very dry acid. ($69.95, alpha-h.com).
skin and, along with
hyaluronic acid, contains
ceramides, which help
shield skin against
dehydration. ($19.99, Chemist Warehouse).
4 VITAMIN A
Numerous studies attest to the anti-
ageing benefits of vitamin A. Variously
known as retinol, retinal (which is stronger) and
prescription-only retinoic acid, it can improve
2 VITAMIN C (aka L-ascorbic acid)

“When vitamin C is applied to the skin,
it acts as an antioxidant – it reduces and
reverses pigmentation, wrinkles, fine lines and
skin roughness, protects from UV radiation and
the thickness of your skin and speed up cell
turnover, reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
Find it in: ESK Ultimate A+ contains

retinal in combination with vitamin B3, aka
promotes collagen,” says GP Dr Ginni Mansberg, niacinamide. ($115, eskcare.com/au).
a member of the Australasian Menopause Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair
Society. For products to be effective, you need Retinol Oil is a lightweight overnight
to look for formulations containing at least a treatment. ($42.99, Chemist Warehouse).
10 per cent concentration.
Find it in: Elizabeth

Arden Vitamin C
Ceramide Capsules
Apply the oil in the
5 SPF 50+
About 80 per cent of facial skin ageing is
a result of UV exposure, so protecting
yourself is essential. “If you care about sun-
related ageing, you need sunscreen from
capsule onto the face, sunrise to sunset,” advises Dr Mansberg.
neck and decolletage.
(From $79, Myer). Find it in: Natio Daily Defence Face
Naturium Vitamin C Moisturiser SPF 50+ is nourishing, lightweight
Complex Serum and non-greasy. ($19.95, natio.com.au).
is an all-natural, Aspect Sun Envirostat Face SPF 50 contains
non-irritating antioxidants for added environmental
formula. ($34.95, protection. Can also be used as a face cream
naturium.com.au). or body lotion. ($38, adorebeauty.com.au).
And while you’re at it...
GET SERIOUS ABOUT
HYDRATION
As a general rule, non-negotiables for
dry skin include cleansing with soap-free
wash that’ll clean and nourish, not strip the
skin, then moisturising with a product
containing hyaluronic acid and ceramides
(which help replace the fatty
molecule in your skin barrier).
If your skin feels tight, it’s
likely dehydrated. Give skin
extra support with nourishing
serums: vitamin C for day and
vitamin A for night. (Don’t
layer C and A together,
warns Dr Gunatheesan –
it’s a recipe for irritation.)
Try Mukti Calming Cleansing
Balm A hydrating alternative to
washing with soap. ($64.95,
muktiorganics.com).
Murad Intense Recovery
Cream A rich, replenishing
moisturiser. ($125,
murad.com.au).
Synergie Skin TriDration B
A soothing, hydrating mask,
which can be stored in the
fridge for an extra-cool effect.
($99, synergieskin.com).
DON’T GO IT ALONE
It’s important to get expert advice during this
stage of your life. A large-scale British study
recently revealed that one in two women who
have experienced menopause don’t consult a
health professional, and of those, 35 per cent
believe it’s “just something they have to put
up with”. If you’re concerned about changes
to your skin during menopause, speak to a

dermatologist, who can give you solutions,
whether it’s topical or clinical treatments. E

HORMONES AND SKIN
Adapting your
make-up routine
Now for the finishing touch… These clever
tips will help beautify menopausal skin.
GO LIGHT and EASY

The more product you use on your skin, the more product
there is to sit in your crinkles, so keep it simple. “During
menopause, skin often feels hot, so focus on cooling,
nurturing and nourishing,” says over-40 make-up expert
Amanda Ramsay. “Make-up won’t hide wrinkled or
textured skin.” A dry-looking complexion is ageing, so first
and foremost use products that give your face a fresh,
healthy glow, suggests Amanda.
She recommends adding a face oil into your skincare
regimen. This can be applied after serum and before
moisturiser. And when skin is feeling hot, use a soothing,
hydrating mist, which you can spritz throughout the day
to keep skin refreshed.
Try Weleda Pomegranate Firming Facial Oil ($46.95,
adorebeauty.com.au) and Clémence Organics Tone
+ Hydrate Spritz ($39.98, clemenceorganics.com).
GIVE DRY SKIN SOME GLOW

Don’t use powder to set your make-up, because if you
have dry skin, it’ll settle into and magnify fine lines and
wrinkles. Instead, opt for a hydrating setting spray, which
you can spritz on before and after applying make-up for
strong staying power, says Amanda.
Choose a hydrating foundation that is enriched with
hyaluronic acid, and apply it in thin layers, building
coverage only where necessary. (Heavy all-over make-up is
ageing, but seeing a few freckles looks fresh and healthy.)
Blemishes can be camouflaged with a spot of creamy
concealer where necessary. Deeper lines and dark circles
can be softened with an illuminating concealer pen.
Try NYX Professional Makeup Bare With Me Prime.
Set. Refresh. Multitasking Spray ($19.95, Priceline)
and DB Cosmetics Luminous Hydrating Foundation
($19.99, dbcosmetics.com.au).
Focus on the good
“Pick one or two features that you
love about your face, whether
it’s your eyes, brows or lips, and
highlight those,” Amanda suggests.
“Experimenting with colour will boost
your mood.” This doesn’t mean
having to go for bright, bold colours.
“You can play it safe, but make
pinks and peaches your neutrals
instead of browns, nudes and greys,
which will flatten your complexion.”
Try
FOR EYES: L’Oréal Paris Colour
Riche Le Khol Pencil Eyeliner
A creamy, smudge-proof pencil that
glides on smoothly. ($18.95, Priceline).
FOR CHEEKS: Ere Perez
Beetroot Cheek & Lip Tint
This buildable, creamy blush has
major staying power. ($37, Myer).
FOR LIPS: Revlon Super Lustrous
Lipstick Its special formula seals in
colour and softness with moisturising
ingredients. ($24.95, Priceline).
TRY THE NO-SWEAT METHOD

If your skin tends to be sweaty as a result of hot
flushing, try a different approach to foundation,
as dewy liquid formulations will melt off. Instead,
opt for a moisture-absorbing mineral powder
foundation. “A quality, natural mineral powder
foundation will mop up excess perspiration
without caking,” says Amanda.
Try Jane Iredale Amazing Base Loose
Mineral Powder for silky, medium coverage.
($85, janeiredale.com.au). Or Fitcover Active
Mineral Powder Foundation, a natural, sweat-proof

powder that contains vitamin E. ($59, fitcover.com).

Adopting a
healthy diet is
key to reducing
your diabetes
symptoms.
MANAGING DIABETES
GUARD
DUTY
While more than a million Aussies have type 2 diabetes,
about two million of us are at high risk of developing it
and yet the warning signs can be sneaky. To help protect
yourself, look out for these surprising symptoms.
WORDS: EDITORS OF PREVENTION. ADDITIONAL WORDS: PENNY CARROLL. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
W
ith so many Australians living with, [type 2] diabetes might take 20 years or more,”
or at risk of, diabetes, it’s no wonder explains Dr Sultan Linjawi, an endocrinologist
it’s dubbed the ‘silent pandemic’. who specialises in diabetes. “If you look at when
Part of the problem is that type 2 people are diagnosed and you average it out, by
diabetes tends to fly under the radar: Many people the time most people are diagnosed, 50 per cent of
with type 2 don’t have any symptoms when they’re their insulin production capacity is already gone.”
diagnosed. And since nothing seems to be wrong, That’s why early detection and intervention is
they underestimate the condition. crucial – the more capacity for processing blood
So what exactly is it? Type 2 diabetes is a chronic sugar you can retain, the better chance you have
condition that affects the way the body processes of keeping type 2 in check. There’s also a cluster of
blood sugar (glucose). Your pancreas makes a worrying conditions that tends to go hand in hand
hormone called insulin, which helps the glucose with type 2 diabetes as it develops, such as high
get into the body’s cells. If you don’t make enough blood pressure and cholesterol, obesity and sleep
insulin, or your body doesn’t respond as well to the apnoea. “The rate of heart attacks for people with
insulin it does produce, you can’t move sugar from diabetes and borderline diabetes is almost the
the blood into the cells. But, while you may not see same,” Dr Linjawi points out. But the good news
it or feel it developing, type 2 can still do damage. is that once diabetes is diagnosed, its associated
“From start to finish, the process of developing health risks can all be managed. E

MANAGING DIABETES
A quick Google search of type 2 diabetes

will show that symptoms can include
blurred vision, excessive thirst and
nasty skin infections such as foot ulcers.
But these are severe, late-stage signs.
“When someone has those symptoms,
their blood sugar levels are profoundly
abnormal,” says Dr Linjawi. Other signs
are far more subtle and easy to write
off, or can be attributed to other causes. SYMPTOM #2
Here are some to watch out for. HARD OF HEARING
If you find yourself cranking up the volume on the
TV, or you can’t get through a conversation without
asking people to repeat themselves, book in a blood
SYMPTOM #1 sugar test. One US study suggests hearing loss could
ONGOING FATIGUE be an early diabetes symptom: people with higher-
Many people feel normal when they’re diagnosed than-normal blood sugar who didn’t yet meet the
with type 2 or prediabetes. But, says Dr Linjawi, criteria for diabetes were 30 per cent more likely
they probably don’t recognise that their quality to have hearing damage than those with healthy
of life has taken a dive. “It’s quite interesting blood glucose levels. It’s thought that diabetes can
when I see a person who’s newly diagnosed and lead to hearing loss because it can damage the
their blood sugar is high, and then you get their nerves and blood vessels of the inner ear.
blood sugar down and they come back and say,
‘I feel so much better.’ They just didn’t realise –
it’s like carrying 20 kilos on your back and when
you take it off, you think, ‘Oh, that’s better.’”
The reason behind the lethargy? When SYMPTOM #3
blood sugar can’t get to cells, cells can’t use it
for energy. Instead, it winds up in the urine and,
despite your kidneys’ best attempt to retain
INFECTIONS THAT
important nutrients such as sugar, plenty WON’T QUIT
escapes through this route, leading to mild High glucose levels can
dehydration. “When sugar goes into your urine, interfere with the immune
you produce more urine, so water goes out,” system’s ability to battle
says Dr Linjawi. “It’s like having a low- infections, delaying the
grade hangover. It’s a similar situation: You healing process. Colds and flu
drink a bit too much, so you pee a bit more drag on, wounds are slow
and you get dehydrated. You don’t feel to heal and women may
great, but you can still function.” experience recurrent
While a powerful thirst and vaginal infections.
frequent urination are classic late- “People will say they have
stage symptoms of type 2 diabetes, little wounds or scratches
the early signs of this process on their legs and it just takes
– often low-level fatigue longer to heal,” says Dr Linjawi. “The reason
– can be easy to blame is because, if your blood sugar is above 10,
on anything from a high it impairs the healing process. It might be
workload to low iron to a that, as a woman, you get thrush a little
crazy-busy family schedule. more often and you don’t think anything
about it. It could be that you’re more likely
to get urinary infections. Sugar fuels the
bacteria to grow, so that could be in your
lungs and then your lungs end up with
pneumonia, or it could be your bladder
and you end up with a urinary infection.”
SYMPTOM #4
Did you
know? Night-time woes
“About half of people with type 2 diabetes have sleep-
disordered breathing,” says endocrinologist Dr Osama
Almost Hamdy. So, if you’re diagnosed with the condition –
60 per cent of characterised by loud snoring and daytime sleepiness
– it’s a good idea to get your blood glucose levels
type 2 diabetes checked, too. A recent Canadian study showed that
cases can be 23 per cent of patients diagnosed with mild sleep apnoea
delayed or went on to develop diabetes within five years. The
prevented with connection isn’t completely understood, but there’s one
important link between the two: Patients with sleep-
changes to diet disordered breathing tend to release stress hormones
and lifestyle. during sleep, which can raise blood sugar levels. E

MANAGING DIABETES
Fast
fact
SYMPTOM #5
CREEPING WEIGHT GAIN Taking a
Being overweight is a major risk factor 15-minute walk
for developing type 2, and it’s a process after a meal can
that tends to creep up over time, says
Dr Linjawi. “It might be that you’re in your
help regulate
20s and you put on a bit of weight and your blood
you feel fine, but while that’s going on, sugar levels and
it’s changing the way your body handles reduce your
sugar through a process called insulin
resistance,” he explains. “So, you go risk of diabetes.
from being normal to putting on a little So, instead of
bit of weight, to becoming a bit insulin curling up on
resistant, putting on a bit more weight the couch after
and becoming more insulin resistant.
Eventually, you’re not making enough dinner, step
insulin to get the sugar out of your blood.” outside!
Dropping just five per cent of your body
weight can dramatically improve insulin
sensitivity, he adds. “It doesn’t mean you
have to lose 30 kilos in a week, it just
means you have to start progressing from
where you are to where you need to be.”
The best insulin-sensitising weight-
loss plan keeps your blood sugar low
and steady. In a study, researchers put
52 insulin-resistant women and men on
one of three healthy lifestyle plans for six
months (one group got advice, another got
lifestyle counselling and the third got a
healthy diet). The experts found that only
the healthy diet group improved insulin
sensitivity – by a whopping 50 per cent.
N KEEPING TABS
It’s important to be proactive around testing, especially
if you have a family history of diabetes or you’re over
the age of 55. “If you’re younger and overweight, you
you’ve eaten a meal, you’re missing the 60–70 per cent
of people who have high post-meal blood sugar levels.”
The glucose tolerance test involves having a blood
should have a test, particularly if you carry extra weight test in the morning before food (a fasting blood test).
around your stomach,” advises Dr Linjawi. You’ll then have a sugary drink and another blood test
The type of test is key, too. According to Dr Linjawi, two hours later. If you’re diagnosed with diabetes,
many cases are missed because people have only had a doctors can start you on a treatment plan right away.
random blood test rather than the gold-standard glucose And if you’re told you have prediabetes, think of it as
tolerance test. “Some people have issues where their good news: this is your opportunity to wind back the
blood sugars are high when they wake up, known as disease with healthy lifestyle changes, such as diet and
fasting blood sugar levels,” he explains. “And there are exercise. It’s all about managing risk, says Dr Linjawi,
other people whose blood sugar jumps up dramatically who adds that it’s crucial to keep on top of prediabetes
after they eat. If you’re just doing a random blood test, or with yearly check-ups. “Just because you don’t feel it,
even a fasting blood sugar test, unless you’ve done it after it doesn’t mean it’s not serious.”
Q
Can type 2 diabetes
be cured?
Every day, more research emerges showing that
type 2 diabetes can be put into remission – that
is, people with diabetes can control their blood
sugar without medication. Here are just some of
the advances that scientists are making.
THE LOW-KJ DIET: One of the most effective
ways to trigger type 2 remission is with an
extremely low-kilojoule diet. Problem is, it can be
pretty tough to stick to in real life. Enter the UK’s
Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT), which
showed that a doable weight-loss plan delivered
by a GP can put type 2 diabetes into remission
for at least two years. In the study, people with
type 2 diabetes were put on a meal-replacement
diet totalling just 3556kJ (850cals) per day for
12–20 weeks, followed by a healthy weight-
management plan. Two years later, more than
one third of participants were still in remission.
The caveat? They received advice from doctors
along the way, so don’t try this one alone.
THE GAME-CHANGING DRUG: Because significant
weight loss is so tough to achieve, the results from
a new clinical trial has experts excited. A study of
more than 2000 people showed that high doses
of the drug semaglutide can cut body weight by
up to 20 per cent, while reducing key risk factors
for diabetes. Semaglutide is already available in
Australia at lower doses, and Dr Linjawi says it
works by “switching off” appetite. However, he has
concerns about the cost and side effects of higher
doses of the drug. “I know that if you support
someone with the right weight-loss strategies,
you can achieve the same outcome with much
lower doses,” he explains. Its real potential, he
believes, lies in helping people transition to
a lower-kJ diet by suppressing hunger.
THE PROMISING DISCOVERY: Researchers from
Monash University have recently made a major
breakthrough in pinpointing the role the liver
plays in high blood-sugar levels and muscle loss,
both hallmarks of diabetes. The study found that
people with obesity-related type 2 diabetes have
elevated levels of an enzyme that breaks down
the amino acid alanine in the liver. “That reaction
simultaneously takes alanine from the blood and
reduces muscle and it’s converted into glucose or
sugar,” explains lead researcher Dr Adam Rose.
After showing that silencing the enzyme that
breaks down alanine reverses high blood sugar
and muscle loss in mice, the scientists are now
working on a safe treatment for people.
RETRAINING THE BRAIN
Mind
TRICKS Your brain’s ability to learn, grow,
adapt and heal never stops, as one
woman’s powerful story reveals.
BY PENNY CARROLL
I
t was early morning in country Queensland and
Helen Ross Lee was getting ready to fly. The
former hang-gliding champion was about to take
off in a dolly (a launch trolley that enables a hang-
glider to start in the prone position for safer take-offs)
towed by an ultralight plane, but on this day in March
2008, she never quite managed to fly. Instead, Helen
lifted five metres into the air, banked sharply to the left
and then plummeted to the ground, the metal nose of
her glider slamming into the back of her head.
“I have no recollection of the accident at all,” Helen,
now 59, recalls. “The last thing I can remember is
getting ready to launch.”
In fact, it would be 53 days before Helen’s post-
traumatic amnesia began to lift, a confusing time
in which she had to face a devastating new reality.
Although she had been lucky to survive, the impact of
the head injury was grim: doctors warned Helen that
she would almost certainly always struggle to talk
properly, move the left side of her body, think clearly
or take care of herself. For Helen, a mother of two
who’d been an ultra-fit nurse before the accident, the
prognosis served as a challenge to work hard on her
Right: After a hang- recovery and beat the odds. “I was determined that
gliding accident left I had to be there for my kids,” she says. “So it was just
her with a brain injury, head down and bum up for me.”
Helen was determined
to find a way to get Helen spent the next 10 and a half months in
her mind back. hospital, beginning the long process of relearning
how to do the simplest things such as talk, eat
and write. She was eventually discharged with a
laundry list of physical and cognitive issues, from My neurologist didn’t seem
an inability to walk, go to the bathroom by herself
and speak clearly, to poor short-term memory and to know about the power of
imperfect long-term memory. Most upsetting of
all was a loss-of-capacity order imposed by her neuroplasticity. He told me that
neurologist, which legally restricted her from
managing her own affairs. I’d never amount to much.
“By the time I left hospital, I knew what I
wanted, but I felt very physically dependent on
people around me for all activities and elements of
safety,” Helen recounts. Her memory issues were
particularly problematic. “Having your memory
intact is fundamental for every aspect of day-to- REORGANISING THE MIND
day life,” she explains. “I used to start each day by Helen’s neurologist may have simply been
writing the date on a whiteboard and then I would following the standard medical path at the time.
check my diary, where I had to record lists of Until relatively recently, scientists believed that
things that needed to be done.” the brain was hardwired by early adulthood.
It wasn’t until years later, as she continued to But groundbreaking research over the past few
PHOTOGRAPHY: DON SHAWYER; GETTY IMAGES
search for therapies that would help her recover, decades has shown that the brain is, in fact, a
that Helen read about neuroplasticity. “It’s all dynamic work in progress, constantly adapting in
about retraining your brain if it’s damaged,” she response to new experiences and environments.
explains. “It may need to be re-networked, like And while there’s evidence to suggest that
programming a computer. What I’m surprised your memory peaks in your 20s and cognitive
about is that my neurologist didn’t seem to know decline in healthy, educated adults begins in your
about the power of neuroplasticity. He told me late 20s and early 30s, these findings suggest you
that I would never amount to much.” have the power to intervene. E

RETRAINING THE BRAIN
WAYS TO
5
TRAIN
your
BRAIN
The human brain has about 100 billion neurons,
and each neuron has thousands of connecting
synapses, which transfer and store information. The
brain’s incredible ability to continually form and
Here are some simple exercises strengthen these connections, reorganise pathways
you can do to keep your mind and, in some pockets of the organ, create entirely new
sharp, active and healthy. neurons is known as neuroplasticity.
“The brain is unique in many ways and one of the
1
ways is that it never really stops developing,” says
LOSE YOUR PHONE Instead of Professor Anthony Hannan, head of the Epigenetics
relying on your smartphone to jog and Neural Plasticity Laboratory at the Florey
your memory, find directions or split Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in
a lunch bill, challenge your grey Victoria. “Our brain is changing all the time, even to
matter first. “Give your brain greater credit the extent that when you experience something, such
for what it’s capable of,” says Dr Brockis.
2
as a lecture or read a book or learn an instrument,
DO THE FLAMINGO Stand on it actually changes your brain in order to learn new
one leg and then close your eyes things. It’s intrinsic to how the brain works.”
and see what happens. Get the It’s exciting because it means, with the right
wobblies after just a few seconds? inputs, the brain is capable of rewiring itself to learn
“Being able to stand on one leg with your new skills and stay sharp as you age, or even repairing
eyes shut for 20 seconds has been shown
itself after experiencing an injury, like Helen’s. “One
to be a good test of brain health,” says
aspect of plasticity is the idea that if you stay mentally
Dr Brockis. So, keep practising!
3
stimulated and physically active, you can slow down
HAVE A CHAT Reach out to a good brain ageing and improve the brain – we think it can
friend or loved one for a D&M. help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and other
“Social interactions are a high-level forms of dementia,” explains Professor Hannan.
form of cognitive stimulation,” says
“And then, in the case of brain injury, we know that
Professor Hannan. “They also help protect
people from mood disorders.”
increased cognitive stimulation and physical activity
4
can help the brain combat something like traumatic
PLAY GAMES “Card games, such brain injury or stroke, which is another type of brain
as bridge, are good because they injury that’s very common in older people.”
can enhance social interaction
and thinking,” says Dr Brockis.
“Solitary activities, such as puzzles, are also
MENTAL MUSCLE
beneficial – it’s about choosing things you For Helen, discovering Canadian psychiatrist
enjoy and doing lots of different things.” Dr Norman Doidge’s book The Brain That Changes
5
Itself was a major turning point, sending her
KEEP LEARNING It could be on a quest to learn as much as she could about
piano, juggling or a short course
neuroplasticity. She eventually came across the
– just keep studying. “Everyone
online brain training program BrainHQ, developed
should be thinking about lifelong
learning,” says Professor Hannan. “It can by American neuroscientist Dr Michael Merzenich.
be any manner of things, but it’s going to “The BrainHQ exercises help your mind with things
be more stimulating if it’s something new like mental flexibility and the way your brain thinks
and something you’re interested in.” and responds to information as it comes in,” Helen
I did the exercises
regularly over a
period of about a year
in all… [Now] I feel
cognitively ‘normal’.
gut microbiome to chemicals released by muscles Helen (above, during her
hang-gliding days) is now
during exercise to your heart rate. “A healthy diet,
back on her feet and
exercise, stress management and healthy sleep hopes her recovery story
patterns are good for the body and the brain,” he will help others to look
says. “I did the exercises regularly over a period of says. “Those things apply to everyone, even if you after their brain health.
about a year in all. Your brain is just as responsive don’t have a disorder.”
to exercise as any other muscle in your body.” Exercise seems to be particularly valuable – last
While physiotherapy helped her to literally year, a study by the University of Sydney found
get back on her feet, Helen believes brain training that a six-month strength program could slow
is what contributed the most to her cognitive or even halt degeneration in areas of the brain
recovery, including improvements in memory, vulnerable to Alzheimer’s, with the protective
information processing, attention and people effects lasting up to 12 months.
skills. She no longer needs to keep track of her
life on a whiteboard, her speech is clearer and FORWARD THINKING
the loss-of-capacity order has been lifted. “I feel As the understanding of neuroplasticity evolves,
cognitively ‘normal’,” she says simply. the way professionals treat brain events, such as
Research into online cognitive training stroke and traumatic brain injury, is changing
programs like BrainHQ is promising, but they can dramatically, says Dr Brockis. “It’s now recognised
also be costly, and Professor Hannan says more that post-injury is the time when the brain is most
clinical trials are needed to support their claims. capable of reorganising and recovering using task
Happily, there are plenty of free and accessible repetition and task-specific practice,” she explains.
ways to exercise your brain and keep it in tip-top “It’s slow, but it works! The more a particular
condition (see panel on facing page). Just don’t neural pathway is stimulated, the stronger and
expect it to be like any other kind of workout. faster it becomes and ultimately becomes the
“The best thing to drive your brain’s natural pathway of choice for the brain.”
plasticity is to provide it with something new to After committing to brain training, Helen
learn, something you think is going to require considers her cognitive rehab complete. She’s
effort and isn’t something you expect to be good since channelled her revamped attention and
at,” says Dr Jenny Brockis, a lifestyle medicine focus skills into writing a memoir of her recovery,
physician and author of Thriving Mind: How to called The Phoenix Rising: A True Story of Survival,
Cultivate a Good Life. This could be anything from which shares her experience with the power of The Phoenix Rising: A
pottery to swing dancing. “Entertaining continual neuroplasticity and encourages other survivors True Story of Survival
curiosity is key,” she adds. of brain injury to “reach for the same goals”. by Helen Ross Lee
Beyond mental stimulation, a healthy lifestyle In the process, she’s inspiring people of all (Loving Healing Press,
is also important to enhance neuroplasticity, says walks of life to nurture their brain health. But, $38.45) is available now.
Professor Hannan, because the brain is influenced Helen insists, “I’m not trying to inspire anyone. For more details, visit
by so many other organs and processes, from the My motivation is to help people.” thephoenixrising.com.au.

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Take a walking safari
through the Flinders Ranges
in South Australia – it’s the
outback at its loveliest.
OPEN-AIR ESCAPES
A breath of
fresh air
Escape the city and get a hit of pure oxygen
with these nature-filled getaways.
BY UTE JUNKER
PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHARD FIELD

OPEN-AIR ESCAPES
F
orget fad diets and vitamin supplements – the
easiest way to give your body and mind a boost
is to get yourself a good dose of fresh air. Oxygen
helps every part of your body work better, from
digestion to your immune system. The cleaner the air you
breathe, the better your body will function. It’s not just
your body, either. Your brain also needs plenty of oxygen Below: Enjoy a captivating sunset
in order to keep your moods balanced and your powers over private conservancy Arkaba
of concentration at their peak. in the Flinders Ranges. Right:
Explore the spectacular Wilpena
So, if you’re feeling in need of a lift, head for one of
Pound, a natural ‘amphitheatre’ of
Australia’s inviting outdoor playgrounds, where the mountains in the heart of the Ikara-
clean air is just the beginning of your adventure. Flinders Ranges National Park.
kilometre-wide crater-like formation that is actually the

Hit new heights in the eroded remains of a prehistoric mountain range. It’s great
to explore on foot, but also when seen from a scenic flight.
FLINDERS RANGES, SOUTH AUSTRALIA Other highlights for hikers include the 24,000-hectare
You could spend an entire day just gazing at the Flinders Arkaba Conservancy, a luxury property that hosts just
PHOTOGRAPHY: TOP LEFT: RICHARD FIELD; TOP RIGHT: SOUTH AUSTRALIAN
Ranges, watching them slowly change colour as the sun 10 guests at a time. There’s also the 20-kilometre Brachina
moves through the sky. That, however, would be a waste. Gorge Geological Trail, which opens up a window into eons
There’s a lot more to the Flinders Ranges than just rock. of geological change, and the full-day trek up St Mary Peak,
TOURISM COMMISSION; BOTTOM RIGHT: RANDY LARCOMBE
Located 500 kilometres north of Adelaide, the Flinders the highest point in the Flinders Ranges. Be aware that
is the outback at its loveliest, a place where you can stroll this site is sacred to the Adnyamathanha people, and that
along riverbeds shaded by red gums or hike amid spinifex climbers are asked not to venture beyond the Tanderra
that find ways to anchor themselves even on steep slopes, Saddle. Be sure to sign up for a cultural tour with an
and where you’re more likely to encounter a mob of red Adnyamathanha elder to hear the stories behind this land.
kangaroos or a group of emus than humans. Come after Find out more: Wilpena Pound Resort offers a range
good rain and you’ll see another landscape entirely, with of accommodation options, from basic camping and
wildflowers springing up on the grasslands and otherwise- safari tent options to deluxe resort rooms. From $193
arid lakes drawing all sorts of birdlife to their waters. a night; wilpenapound.com.au. Arkaba Conservancy’s
The area’s most famous feature is Ikara or Wilpena homestead package starts from $1070 a night, including
Pound, an extraordinary 17-kilometre-long by eight- meals and activities; arkabaconservancy.com E
Get up close to an emu or two.
Right: Set up camp at the Arkaba
Conservancy homestead, a luxurious
five-bedroom 1850s farmhouse.

OPEN-AIR ESCAPES
Right: Wind down at Norman

Beach, located at Tidal River
campground, in Wilsons
Promontory National Park.
outcrops and through tree-fern gullies

Hike your way around before you reach the picture-perfect beach.
Scenic stops along the way include the
VICTORIA’S DEEP SOUTH charming Ferny Glade, a dell watered
There is something in the air at Wilson’s by a small waterfall, where ferns and
Promontory. Here on the southernmost mosses thrive, and Sealers Swamp, home
tip of the mainland, the air is particularly to ancient swamp paperbarks.
invigorating, thanks to an intoxicating Looking for something a bit less taxing?
combination of tangy ocean breezes and Then try the seven-kilometre round trip to
air filtered through the vast swathes of the summit of Mt Oberon. A well-tended
bushland. It’s that combination of beach path helps ease your way; the most difficult
and bush that has made Victoria’s oldest section is the approach to the summit, where
national park a firm family favourite for there are steep steps. Alternatively, check
generations – well, that and the fact that out The Big Drift, a collection of inland sand
it’s a superb place for wildlife spotting, dunes, or head to Refuge Cove to watch for
including wombats and emus. marine life such as dolphins, seals and
You don’t need to be travelling with whales, as well as birds including albatross,
kids to enjoy exploring the Prom, however. white-bellied sea eagles and little penguins.
More than 80 kilometres of walking tracks Find out more: At the Wilderness Retreats
wind their way through the park, giving at Tidal River, glamping tents come
you plenty of options when you feel like equipped with queen size beds, en suite
taking a hike. Among the favourites is the bathrooms and generous decks, and there
walk to Sealers Cove, a 19-kilometre round are also communal cooking facilities.
trip that showcases the Prom’s remarkable From $324.90 a night; parks.vic.gov.au/
diversity – expect to wander past granite where-to-stay/wilderness-retreats
From top: Glamp in a safari-style tent,

complete with timber floors and a queen
size bed, at Wilderness Retreats; take the
Tidal River to Pillar Point walk and you’ll
pass over this delightful footbridge.
Get rugged at
CRADLE MOUNTAIN, TASMANIA
Now this is what wilderness should look like!
With its dramatic mountains, crater lakes, ancient
forests and icy streams, Tasmania’s Cradle
Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is the perfect
destination when you’re ready to go a little wild.
Where to start? The area’s signature hike is
the 65-kilometre Overland Track, a six-day trek
that offers complete immersion in the wilderness.
Hikers carry their own gear and stay overnight
in huts or tents. Keep an eye out for pademelons,
possums and wombats, while echidnas, platypuses
and Tassie devils are also occasionally spotted.
If you love the idea of an adventure but don’t
have a week to spare, then sign up for a day’s
canyoning. Thrillseekers will love exploring
Dove Canyon, complete with crossings of no
fewer than six waterfalls. How do you get past
a waterfall? By abseiling, jumping or – in the case from the beech forests that once covered the From top: Make your way
beneath the towering
of the natural formation dubbed the Laundry ancient continent of Gondwana. Australia’s only peaks of Cradle Mountain
Chute – sliding down into a natural pool. cold-climate deciduous tree, the fagus puts on on the six-kilometre Dove
Prefer a slightly more sedate approach? The a brilliant autumnal show, its leaves turning Lake Circuit walk; get deep
into the wilderness on the
PHOTOGRAPHY: TOP: ANDREW MACINTOSH
area’s best half-day hikes include the picturesque magnificent shades of gold, flaming orange and
scenic Overland Track –
Dove Lake Circuit, Shadow Lake Circuit and the rusty red. It’s an unforgettable sight. physically demanding
Crater Lake Circuit, which takes you through Find out more: Tasmanian Expeditions offers but oh-so rewarding.
sassafras forest to a secluded glacial lake ringed a range of guided adventures, including a three-
with 200-metre cliffs. The latter is particularly day Cradle Mountain Short Escape and a six-day
spectacular during the turning of the fagus. Also Overland Track experience. From $1295 per
known as deciduous beech, this tree is descended person; tasmanianexpeditions.com.au E

OPEN-AIR ESCAPES
Branch out in the

DAINTREE RAINFOREST,
QUEENSLAND
Walking through the rainforest is a lot like
diving to the bottom of the ocean. Here, things
don’t just look different, they also feel and
sound different. It’s the softness of the light,
filtered through the dense tree canopy, and the
way your footfalls are muffled by the leaf litter
as you move through this unique eco-system.
More than 3000 types of plants are found
in Queensland’s Daintree Rainforest – one
of the world’s oldest rainforests – alongside
animals that are found nowhere else. Life
bursts and blooms in all sorts of levels, from
the forest floor to the dense canopy. Look up to
see the splashes of brilliant blue on the Ulysses
butterfly, and down to see the remarkable
forest dragon, which maintains a cool body
temperature to evade the heat-seeking python.
Other inhabitants to keep an eye out for
include saltwater crocodiles (see them out on a
Daintree River cruise) and the giant cassowary,
which can be seen around Mission Beach.
One of the most-loved spots in the Daintree
is Mossman Gorge, just 20 minutes north
of Port Douglas, where cool, clear waters
wash over granite boulders and tree-covered
mountains shield the horizon. Take a tour
with a member of the local Kuku Yalanji
tribe to learn how they have lived in harmony
with the forest for 50,000 years. PHOTOGRAPHY: CLOCKWISE FROM MAIN IMAGE: WILSON ARCHER; TOURISM AND
Want more forest action? Take the car

EVENTS QUEENSLAND; JAMES VODICKA; SIMON SHIFF (X2); WILSON ARCHER
ferry across the Daintree River to explore the

wilderness of Cape Tribulation, where the
verdant rainforest is fringed by beautiful
beaches. The full-day Mount Sorrow Ridge Trail
is one of the area’s best hikes, with glorious
views across the rainforest and the coast, but
best tackled by experienced bushwalkers.
Find out more: With just 15 treehouses
nestled into the forest canopy, Daintree
Ecolodge offers a secluded rainforest
experience. The two-night Rainforest Roamer
package includes breakfast, a picnic lunch and
a Daintree River cruise. From $944 for two;
daintree-ecolodge.com.au
Enjoy some quiet time
on one of the remote,
pristine beaches or at the
spectacular Mossman
Gorge (above). Right:
Daintree Ecolodge’s snug
treehouses ensure you’re
right in the thick of it.
Explore the Daintree River,

and all its wildlife splendour,
by boat. Right, from left:
a luxe Rainforest Bayan
at Daintree Ecolodge;
soak up the surrounding
greenery from your tub.

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food
NUTRITIOUS & DELICIOUS
Healthy eating made easy
Soft tofu
shakshuka
(page 117)
On the menu this month ...

108
Hearty meat-free dishes
112
Nutritious comfort foods
118
Easy spice mixes, from
120
Flavoursome spice bowls
that are light on prep but that’ll warm both your Italian to Indian, to using the spice mixes
big on flavour. inside and outside. boost your next meal. you made on p118!

VEGETARIAN DELIGHTS
Slow dance
These hearty meat-free dishes are light on prep but big
on flavour, thanks to their long baking time. So haul out
the slow cooker, or your favourite heavy-based pan,
and fix up one of these nutritious meals this weekend.
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy-based

RIBOLLITA saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chilli,
onion and garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes to
SERVES 4 HANDS-ON TIME 30 MINUTES soften. Add the carrot, celery, rosemary and salt
COOK TIME 1 HOUR and pepper and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
2. Add the wine and reduce by one-third before
⅓ cup olive oil adding the tomatoes, cannellini beans and peas.
½ teaspoon chilli flakes 3. Add 2 litres of hot water to pan and bring to
1 onion, finely chopped the boil. Check seasoning, then turn heat down to
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped low, cover with lid and cook for 30 minutes. Add
2 carrots, finely chopped zucchini, kale and one-third of bread and cook for
2 celery stalks, finely chopped a further 15 minutes or until the vegies are tender.
1 small rosemary sprig 4. While soup is cooking, preheat oven to 180°C.
3 tablespoons white wine (such as chardonnay Place remaining bread on a baking tray, drizzle over
or sauvignon blanc) remaining olive oil and season with salt. Toast in
400g can whole peeled tomatoes, juices drained oven for 10 minutes or until crunchy and golden.
and tomatoes crushed 5. When you’re almost ready to serve, remove
400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed the pan from the heat and nestle the crusty bread
½ cup frozen baby peas halfway into the soup. Let the soup stand for
2 zucchinis, diced 10 minutes, and then serve with the Parmesan,
4 kale leaves, central stalks removed, leaves chopped some more pepper and a splash of olive oil.
½ sourdough loaf (ideally a few days old), torn
into 4cm chunks NUTRITION (per serve) 1850kJ/443cal. Protein 13.7g.
finely grated Parmesan and extra-virgin Carbs 36.3g. Sat fat 3.3g. Fibre 16g. Sodium 406mg E
olive oil, to serve

VEGETARIAN DELIGHTS
OMOMO OMOMMOOMM
POT-ROASTED WHOLE 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut a cross in

CAULIFLOWER the base of the stem of the cauliflower with a small,
sharp knife (this will ensure it cooks evenly).
SERVES 4–6 2. Heat the oil and butter in a large, flame-proof
HANDS-ON TIME 15 MINUTES casserole dish (that fits the whole cauliflower)
COOK TIME 1 HOUR AND 40 MINUTES over medium heat. Add the onion, capsicum,
carrot and raisins, and then season with salt and
1 large head of cauliflower, leaves trimmed pepper. Sweat, stirring regularly, for 6–8 minutes
2 tablespoons olive oil or until softened and lightly coloured. Add the
25g butter garlic, rosemary and spices and cook for a further
1 onion, sliced 1 minute. Stir in the vinegar and wine and bring to
1 red capsicum, sliced the boil and then add the tomato passata and stir.
1 carrot, cut into thin rounds 3. Place the cauliflower, base down, in the dish
3 tablespoons raisins and spoon over some of the liquid to moisten.
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced Season with salt and cover with the lid. Transfer
1 rosemary sprig, leaves picked and roughly chopped to the oven to braise, basting two or three times to
1 teaspoon caraway seeds ensure the cauliflower absorbs as much flavour as
1 teaspoon ground coriander possible, for 1½ hours or until tender.
1 teaspoon ground cumin 4. Carefully remove the cauliflower from the dish
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar and place on a chopping board. Pour the sauce into
2 cups white wine (such as chardonnay a shallow serving dish and rest the cauliflower on
or sauvignon blanc) top. Scatter on the parsley and smoked almonds.
200g tomato passata
finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and NUTRITION (per serve) 1451kJ/347cal. Protein 7.5g.
smoked almonds, to serve Carbs 23.2g. Sat fat 2.6g. Fibre 10.4g. Sodium 129mg
Sweet
dream
Raisins are great for
creating a tantalising
sweet-and-sour combo
that Italians call
agrodolce.
LEGUME STEW 2 teaspoons maple syrup
plain yoghurt, avocado wedges, coriander leaves
SERVES 4–6 HANDS-ON TIME 15 MINUTES and toasted or grilled sourdough, to serve
COOK TIME 2 HOURS
1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium
2 tablespoons olive oil heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, capsicum, carrot
1 onion, finely chopped and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, for 10–15
2 garlic cloves, chopped minutes or until vegies are soft and caramelised.
2cm piece of ginger, finely grated 2. Add the chipotle and adobo sauce and spices and
1 red capsicum, deseeded and finely chopped cook for a further 1 minute or until aromatic. Add
1 carrot, grated the beans and stir to coat in the vegetable mixture.
2 field mushrooms, chopped 3. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Deglaze the pan
50g chopped chipotle in adobo sauce, plus with beer and bring to the boil, then add tomatoes
2 teaspoons sauce (in the international and stock. Turn the heat down to low, cover with the
section of major supermarkets) lid and simmer for 1 hour or until the beans are soft.
1 tablespoon ground cumin At this stage, the stew will look soupy; this is okay.
1 tablespoon ground coriander 4. Add lentils to pan and cook for 45–60 minutes or
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon until lentils are soft and the sauce is thick and rich.
½ cup dried kidney or borlotti beans, soaked in water 5. Season legume stew with salt and pepper and mix Recipes extracted
overnight and then drained and rinsed in the maple syrup. Serve with yoghurt, avocado from The Slow Cook
375ml bottle beer (any pale or dark ale) wedges, coriander leaves and sourdough on the side. by Justine Schofield
400g can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed (Plum, $39.99).
1 litre vegetable stock NUTRITION (per serve) 1605kJ/384cal. Protein 17.3g. Photography by
⅔ cup puy lentils, rinsed Carbs 37.8g. Sat fat 1.8g. Fibre 15g. Sodium 687mg Rob Palmer.

WINTER WARMERS
Warm
reception
Forget the heater! These nutritious comfort meals
will do the job on those chilly nights.
1. Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced).

ROAST CRUMBED CHICKEN Combine the spring onion, breadcrumbs, garlic,
WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE walnuts, lemon zest and juice in a bowl. Press
lightly and evenly onto the chicken strips and
SERVES 4 HANDS-ON TIME 20 MINUTES season with freshly ground black pepper.
COOK TIME 45 MINUTES 2. Spread the tomatoes over the base of a roasting
tin and top with the chicken strips. Lightly spray
2 spring onions, thinly sliced all over with oil and roast for 25–30 minutes or
2 x 40g slices wholemeal sourdough, processed until cooked and golden.
to coarse crumbs 3. Meanwhile, to make the mushroom sauce, melt
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced the margarine in a frying pan over medium-high
2 tablespoons toasted walnuts, finely chopped heat. Add the garlic, onion and mushrooms and
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until golden and
600g chicken tenderloins starting to soften.
900g tomatoes, cut into wedges, or cherry tomatoes 4. Reduce the heat to medium-low, pour in the
olive oil cooking spray stock and simmer gently for 12–15 minutes or
3 cups cooked brown rice until reduced by three-quarters.
mixed salad leaves and lemon wedges, to serve 5. Remove the pan from the heat, stir through
the mustard and parsley, and season with freshly
MUSHROOM SAUCE ground black pepper.
2 tablespoons light margarine 6. Divide the rice, chicken and tomatoes among
2 cloves garlic, crushed plates and spoon the mushroom sauce alongside.
1 onion, finely chopped Serve with mixed salad leaves and lemon wedges.
500g button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup salt-reduced chicken stock NUTRITION (per serve) 2421kJ/579cal. Protein 46.9g.
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard Carbs 56.5g. Sat fat 2.8g. Fibre 9.9g. Sodium 472mg E
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

SOFT TOFU SHAKSHUKA
Recipe on page 117
WINTER WARMERS
Purple
heart
The anthocyanins (the
purple pigment of the
skin) in eggplant have
been shown to help
reduce the risk of
heart disease.
LAMB & EGGPLANT RICE

Recipe on page 117

HERBED GREENS
& LENTIL PENNE
WINTER WARMERS
SOFT TOFU SHAKSHUKA

1. Heat a large, deep, non-stick frying pan over
SERVES 4 HANDS-ON TIME 20 MINUTES medium-high heat. Combine the eggplant, lamb
COOK TIME 20 MINUTES and paprika in a bowl and season with freshly
ground black pepper. Toss well to combine and
2 x 400g tins crushed tomatoes then spray lightly with oil.
2 teaspoons Italian spice booster (see page 119) 2. Working in three batches, cook the lamb
2 teaspoons smoked paprika mixture for 4–5 minutes each or until just cooked
2 red capsicums, seeded and finely chopped and golden. Transfer to a large bowl.
2 zucchinis, finely chopped 3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the soy
680g soft tofu, cut into 12 pieces sauce, sesame oil, Asian spice booster and ginger,
2 spring onions, thinly sliced and whisk well to combine.
1 tablespoon toasted mixed seeds (such as sunflower 4. Add this mixture and all the remaining
seeds, linseeds, pumpkin seeds/pepitas) ingredients to the large bowl and gently toss
4 x 4g slices wholemeal bread, toasted to combine. Season with freshly ground black
lemon wedges, to serve pepper and serve.
1. Place the tomatoes, spice booster, paprika, NUTRITION (per serve) 2622kJ/627cal. Protein 45g.
capsicum, zucchini and ½ cup water in a large, Carbs 65.8g. Sat fat 4g. Fibre 13.7g. Sodium 764mg
deep, non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally,
for 10–12 minutes or until the vegetables are
cooked and the liquid has reduced by one-third. HERBED GREENS
2. Gently press the tofu pieces halfway into the
tomato mixture and then cover and cook for
& LENTIL PENNE
5 minutes or until the tofu is heated through. SERVES 4 HANDS-ON TIME 25 MINUTES
3. Sprinkle with the spring onion and mixed seeds COOK TIME 20 MINUTES
and then take the pan straight to the table and
serve with toast and lemon wedges alongside. 2 tablespoons olive oil
finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
NUTRITION (per serve) 1332kJ/319cal. Protein 20g. 1 bunch basil, leaves picked
Carbs 30.8g. Sat fat 1g. Fibre 15.1g. Sodium 756mg 1 cup baby rocket leaves
2 spring onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon Italian spice booster (see page 119)
LAMB & EGGPLANT RICE 3 x 400g tins lentils, drained and rinsed
4 cups baby spinach leaves
SERVES 4 HANDS-ON TIME 25 MINUTES 4 cups cooked wholegrain penne
COOK TIME 15 MINUTES
1. Place the oil, lemon zest and juice, basil, rocket, Recipes extracted
2 large eggplants, cut into 2cm pieces spring onion, garlic and spice booster in a food from The CSIRO
600g lamb strips processor and blend until smooth, adding a little Women’s Health
1 tablespoon smoked paprika water, if needed, to loosen. Season with freshly & Nutrition
olive oil cooking spray ground black pepper. Guide by Dr Jane
¼ cup salt-reduced soy sauce 2. Transfer the pesto to a large bowl. Add the Bowen, Associate
8 drops sesame oil lentils, baby spinach and penne. Season with Professor Bev
1 teaspoon Asian spice booster (see page 119) freshly ground black pepper and toss to combine. Muhlhausler &
2cm piece ginger, finely grated Serve immediately. Gemma Williams
4 roma tomatoes, cut into eighths lengthways (Macmillan
2 cups rocket leaves NUTRITION (per serve) 2529kJ/605cal. Protein 30.2g. Australia, $39.99).
½ avocado, sliced Carbs 82.2g. Sat fat 1.9g. Fibre 17.7g. Sodium 73mg Photography by
4 cups cooked brown basmati rice Rob Palmer.

SPICE BOOSTERS
Season ticket
The healthy way to add sensational flavour to meals?
Make your own quick and easy spice mixes.
A
spice booster can be used as a
flavour base, dry rub or seasoning
when you’re cooking or making
dressings, marinades, dips, salsas or
sauces. Or sprinkle over your meal as a flavour
enhancer just before serving. Mixing these
yourself works out to be more economical
and avoids the inclusion of extra salt.
INDIAN SPICE BOOSTER
ITALIAN SPICE BOOSTER ALL-PURPOSE SPICE BOOSTER
MEXICAN SPICE BOOSTER

ASIAN SPICE BOOSTER
INDIAN SPICE BOOSTER ALL-PURPOSE MIDDLE EASTERN
Spices are the foundation of all Indian SPICE BOOSTER SPICE BOOSTER
cooking and this combination will make This flavour-enhancing mix will become This spice booster is also known
your curries sing. Made with families in your secret ingredient. It can be rubbed as dukkah and can make a simple
mind, these are without chilli, but you onto chicken or pork prior to pan-frying dish shine. Sprinkle it over
can add it to your recipes, to taste. salad greens, soup or roasted
for a basic ‘meat and three veg’ meal or
vegetables, use it as a coating for
MAKES ABOUT ½ CUP added to soups and casseroles, mashed
fish, chicken or pork, serve on
PREPARATION 5 MINUTES potato and rice or any other side dish
top of avocado toast or enjoy it
that needs a pop of flavour.
simply with pita or crusty bread
3 tablespoons garam masala
1 tablespoon ground coriander MAKES ABOUT ⅔ CUP and a good-quality olive oil. If you
1 tablespoon ground cumin PREPARATION 5 MINUTES don’t have pistachios, feel free to
replace them with hazelnuts or
2 teaspoons ground ginger 3 tablespoons sweet paprika just use more almonds.
2 teaspoons ground turmeric 2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
ITALIAN SPICE BOOSTER 1 tablespoon dried parsley PREPARATION 5 MINUTES
This is the go-to seasoning blend for ½ cup almonds
pasta sauces, but you can also sprinkle ASIAN SPICE BOOSTER ⅓ cup unsalted shelled pistachios
it on vegetables or potatoes for extra When making this, use a lemon pepper 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
flavour, or mix it into salad dressings. blend that is made with plenty of dried 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
mixed herbs and flavours, such as 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
MAKES ABOUT ⅔ CUP
capsicum, parsley, onion and garlic, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
PREPARATION 5 MINUTES
and has minimal salt added. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano MAKES ABOUT ½ CUP fan-forced). Spread out the nuts
2 tablespoons dried marjoram PREPARATION 5 MINUTES and seeds on a baking tray and
toast in the oven for 5 minutes
1 tablespoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon onion powder or dry pan-fry for 3–5 minutes.
1 tablespoon dried rosemary 1 tablespoon garlic powder Stir frequently to prevent burning.
2 tablespoons ground Cool, then blitz the nuts and seeds
MEXICAN SPICE coriander into crumbs in a food processor.
BOOSTER 2 tablespoons ground cumin Alternatively, grind with a mortar
If you don’t like a lot of heat, you can leave 2 teaspoons salt-reduced and pestle. Store in a cool, dark
out the chilli powder. For those feeding lemon pepper (see above) place for up to two months.
a range of tastes, a good option is to make
the spice blend without it, then add dried METHOD FOR ALL
chilli for those who want it in their meal. SPICE BOOSTERS
Place all the ingredients in
MAKES ABOUT ⅔ CUP a screw-top jar, seal and then
PREPARATION 5 MINUTES shake until well combined.
2 tablespoons sweet paprika Store in a cool, dark place
2 tablespoons smoked paprika for up to two months.
2 tablespoons ground cumin MIDDLE EASTERN SPICE BOOSTER
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1–2 teaspoons chilli powder (optional)
Now put these flavour boosters to work in one of the spice bowl
recipes over the page. Your tastebuds won’t know what hit them! E

SPICE-BOOSTER BOWLS
Completely
bowled over
Turn your spice boosters (from the previous page) into
flavoursome spice bowls with these super-fast recipes.
Q
U IC
KC Y
HICKPEA CURR
Y
ou could call this the lazy cook’s guide to
tasty dinners, but the masterful results
will belie the fact you whipped these up
in just 10 minutes. Serving four people,
these meals incorporate the spice booster recipes
from the previous page for those times when you
need a scrumptious dinner on the table quickly.
Perfect for those last-minute guests or when
you’ve had to work back late. E
MEXI-BOWL
Spices not only
add flavour without
the need for salt, but
they also provide an
impressive array of
vitamins, minerals and
phytonutrients.
PAS
TA TOSS
SA
M
L
O
N
AN
DM
ASH
TOFU
S T I R - F RY

SPICE-BOOSTER BOWLS
MEXI-BOWL TOFU STIR-FRY

4 cups cooked brown rice 4 cups soaked brown rice vermicelli noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil (or brown rice noodles)
1 tablespoon Mexican spice booster 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
600g beef stir-fry strips 1 tablespoon Asian spice booster
2 green capsicums and 1 red 500g firm tofu, cut into 2cm pieces
capsicum, seeded and sliced 500g sugar snap peas, trimmed
3 zucchinis, sliced 4 spring onions, sliced
1 red onion, sliced 1 yellow capsicum, seeded and sliced
⅓ cup sliced avocado
Serve with 1 bunch Chinese broccoli, trimmed,
Serve with lime wedges and coriander leaves. steamed Thai basil leaves and lime wedges.
NUTRITION (per serve) 2469kJ/591cal. Protein 41.5g. NUTRITION (per serve) 2165kJ/518cal. Protein 25.2g.
Carbs 61.5g. Sat fat 4.1g. Fibre 10g. Sodium 112mg Carbs 53.4g. Sat fat 2.6g. Fibre 12.4g. Sodium 134mg
QUICK CHICKPEA CURRY SALMON AND MASH

1 tablespoon sunflower oil 1.2kg boiled potatoes, mashed
1 tablespoon Indian spice booster 1 tablespoon olive oil
3 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 tablespoon All-purpose spice booster
400g baby green beans, trimmed 600g skinless, boneless salmon portions,
1 red onion, chopped cut into 2cm pieces
2 cups peeled, finely diced pumpkin 1 red onion, cut into wedges
3 large tomatoes, chopped 2 zucchinis, sliced
2 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds, chopped 2 sticks celery, sliced
4 x 80g wholemeal pita breads, split
Serve with 3 cups mixed salad leaves, 80g
Serve with coriander, mint leaves sliced avocado, flat-leaf parsley leaves and
and lemon wedges. lemon wedges.
NUTRITION (per serve) 2956kJ/707cal. Protein 32.1g. NUTRITION (per serve) 2623kJ/628cal. Protein 41.6g.
Carbs 91.5g. Sat fat 1.7g. Fibre 26.9g. Sodium 390mg Carbs 43.3g. Sat fat 5.8g. Fibre 8.1g. Sodium 147mg
PASTA TOSS
4 cups cooked wholegrain penne METHOD FOR ALL BOWLS
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1. Get the grain or potatoes (if listed) cooking.
1 tablespoon Italian spice booster 2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep, non-
600g diced chicken breast stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add Recipes extracted
600g baby medley tomatoes, halved (or the spice booster and meat or vegetarian from The CSIRO
5 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped) alternative and cook, tossing, for 2 minutes. Women’s Health
1 yellow capsicum, seeded and diced 3. Add the vegetables and cook, tossing & Nutrition Guide
⅔ cup snow peas, sliced, or ⅔ cup peas occasionally, for 8–10 minutes or until golden. by Dr Jane Bowen,
Spoon the grain or potatoes (or, for the chickpea Associate Professor
Serve with basil leaves and lemon wedges. curry, place the pita bread) into four serving bowls, Bev Muhlhausler &
top with the frying pan mixture and add the ‘serve Gemma Williams
NUTRITION (per serve) 2191kJ/524cal. Protein 45.6g. with’ ingredients, if you’re using them. (If you like, (Macmillan Australia,
Carbs 47.5g. Sat fat 2.4g. Fibre 14.2g. Sodium 84mg you can modify the ingredients to avoid wasting $39.99). Photography
fresh produce or meat you already have.) by Rob Palmer.
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Pets
Boost your dog’s mood

Despite endless studies about how pets help your mental
health, there’s little info on maximising their happiness.
Read on for tricks to lift your pup’s spirits.
KEEP YOUR VOICE UPBEAT

Just like people, dogs want to be praised
and rewarded for good behaviour. Using an
optimistic tone when speaking to them will
help them feel happy and also motivated, says
veterinary behaviourist Theresa DePorter.
“Positive reinforcement will ensure your dog
engages voluntarily with you,” she says.
USE DIFFERENT STROKES

Pay close attention to how you’re patting
and snuggling with your furry friend, says
DePorter. If your dog’s ears stay full and its
face remains soft, then it’s a go! But if its
ears go back, it looks away and there’s
tension in its face, your dog is probably
not loving it, so switch up your stroke.
DIY A PUZZLE TOY

Offering your pooch brainteasers on a
regular basis gives them something fun
to think about. DePorter suggests making
a puzzle toy: Scoop kibble into the spaces
in a muffin tin and cover a few of them with
tennis balls so your dog can manipulate
the toys to find treats underneath.
GET THEM MOVING

Exercise is good for more than keeping your
buddy fit: Dogs that get enough activity tend
to sleep better and are less anxious. Plus, if you
pay attention to how your pet behaves when
it’s outdoors, you’ll find clues to its emotional
health. “Tail-wagging doesn’t mean it’s happy,
but when your dog’s tush is wiggling and
its body is curving like a C, it most likely is,”
explains DePorter. “If it’s standing still with
tail lowered, it’s likely worried or stressed.”
Try a quieter walking route or bring along toys
to loosen up your pup. Bottom line? “Read your
dog’s face, eyes and ears,” she says. “It’ll tell
you what it likes and when it’s happy.” E

Pets
Separation
anxiety fix
If a new routine has you out
of the house more often, your
four-legged friend could be
feeling stressed and lonely.
Here’s how to deal with it.
A
s the recipient of endless hours of excitement when you return — ignoring their
attention when you’re around the house antics then will signal that your reappearance is
all day, your pets are in heaven. But when nothing to get worked up about. Make sure to pat
things change, such as going back into the office and praise them once they calm down.
after working from home, or you’ve recovered
from an illness, your cat or dog may start to CREATE A SAFE SPACE
experience fear, anxiety and stress (FAS). Telltale Pets who get stressed about loud noises, ringing
signs include aggressive or erratic behaviour, of the doorbell or a change in routine can benefit
urinating in the house, panting or whining for from a room of their own. Give them a sanctuary
dogs; and excessive grooming, hiding or yowling space, such as a corner with a comfy bed and
for cats. If you notice unusual habits, first take favourite toys, or an even tighter space such as
your pet to the vet to rule out anything physical, a carry crate, says Radosta. At high-stress times,
says animal behaviourist Lisa Radosta. If the all- such as thunderstorms, put your cat or dog in their CONSIDER
clear is given, try these approaches to ease stress. safe spot with a puzzle toy or special treats and MEDICATION
add some background noise, such as from the TV, Deeply rooted fears
KEEP THEM BUSY to keep them distracted. Consider crate-training or triggers you can’t
A tired dog is a happy dog, explains canine dogs before leaving them home alone. easily simulate, such
behaviourist Colleen Demling-Riley. A long walk, as thunderstorms
a trip to the local dog park or a rousing game DESENSITISE THEM TO TRIGGERS and vet visits, may
of fetch before you leave the house can help You can train your dog not to flip out when the call for professional
mitigate FAS-based behaviours. Leaving them doorbell rings, says pet expert Kristen Levine. Ask help. Radosta and
with a puzzle or a treat-stuffed toy can also keep your pet to sit and then have a friend ring the bell. Demling-Riley both
their brain engaged so they’ll hardly notice you’ve Give your pup a treat after the bell rings so they’ll suggest that, for
left. Playing with cats when they seem stressed associate the noise with good things and learn to more severe cases
WORDS: SARA BOWER. PHOTOGRAPHY: iSTOCK
or anxious can help as well. sit instead of bark at a loud sound. If your dog does of FAS, you should
woof, reward them only after they’ve quietened consult your vet to
COME AND GO CALMLY down. Repeat for just five to 10 minutes at a stretch determine whether
If you turn your arrivals and departures into big to keep your dog engaged and your neighbours medication or
productions, your dog will think of them that happy. You can also train a pet to go and sit on training by a certified
way too. Instead, briefly pat them and say “I’ll their bed when someone rings or knocks at the behaviourist can
be back soon” in a level voice before you leave, door, letting you accept deliveries without fearing help solve it.
advises Demling-Riley. And don’t indulge their that your pet will escape somewhere.
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Life lessons
Toni
Pearen, 48
The singer, actress and
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out
Of Here! favourite shares
what she’s learnt so far.
1 DOING I’M A CELEBRITY… HAS

GIVEN ME A NEW RESILIENCE. Now,
whenever I’m facing challenges, either myself
or someone in my immediate family will say,
“Well, it isn’t anything like being bitten on
the face by five snakes!” So, I’ve certainly got
something quite up there to compare it to!
6
MOVING 7 SHOWING AFFECTION IS SO
IMPORTANT IN A MARRIAGE
[Toni has been married to husband Will
2 IT’S AN HONOUR TO GROW OLDER.

I lost my mum when she was 62, so I feel
very grateful that I’m growing older in good
health. It’s an absolute gift.
MY BODY,
WHATEVER
THAT MIGHT
Osmond for 13 years]. It might be walking
past each other and putting a hand on each
other, or having a glass of wine on the balcony
at the end of the week, just the two of us.
Those moments keep the marriage alive.
3 I’VE ALWAYS VALUED HEALTH and

I try to set a good example for my kids
[son Lucky, 11, and daughter Ever, eight]. I’m
very mindful about the food I eat, the amount
BE, MAKES
ME HAPPY.
It could be
8 FOR THE MOST PART, I’VE
ALWAYS TAKEN FAME WITH
A GRAIN OF SALT. But if I could tell my
younger self anything, I would say to trust
of alcohol I drink and how much sleep I get. your instincts more and be uniquely you.
Sleep is really important to my wellbeing. going for a Don’t compare yourself.
AS TOLD TO PENNY CARROLL. PHOTOGRAPHY: BREE BAIN PHOTOGRAPHY
4 I’M STILL LEARNING HOW TO

GIVE MYSELF PERMISSION TO TAKE
TIME OUT. I like to work, I like to be everything
for everyone. Recently, I took time out for a
walk, going to
the gym
or doing
9 WHEN I’M FACING LIFE
DECISIONS, I always tell myself
that it’s your life, so put your soul in it. That’s
been my motto ever since I was really young.
whole morning and I felt all the better for it. I ask myself, “Is this a soulful choice for me?
a dance class. Will it feed my soul?”
5 MY PARENTS TAUGHT ME TO ALWAYS

BE A DECENT HUMAN BEING. I think
listening is a great tool. I’m very curious and
I always listen. The world would be a better
And you’ll
never regret 10 IF ALL ELSE FAILS, CRANK
UP THE MUSIC AND DANCE!
Kylie Minogue has always been my go-to
place if we all communicated more effectively. a swim. when I’m having a bad day.
Tune into our
PODCAST
Brought to you by the editors of PREVENTION
We know how confusing

and truly overwhelming
the changes caused by
menopause can be. That’s
why we’ve enlisted some
of Australia’s best health
experts to share simple ways
to make midlife easier in our
new podcast, Thriving in
Menopause. We cover it
all, from minimising those
awful hot flushes, to easing
mad-eyed mood swings, to
Thriving in Menopause by Prevention managing sudden weight
Episode 1 shifts, to handling your
relationship. Subscribe to
this six-part series now.
Don’t let your

hormones rule
you – find out
how to thrive in
menopause!
Listen to Thriving in Menopause now on iTunes, Apple Podcasts,

Spotify or wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

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