The Female Body Bible: A Revolution in Women's Health and Fitness

Description

A comprehensive guide from a team of experts giving women of all ages the knowledge to understand our bodies throughout our lives to make us fitter, healthier, happier. Did you know women- * can harness their hormones to improve menstrual cycle symptoms, work productivity and exercise habits. * are up to six times more likely to suffer a joint injury than men. * lay down all our bone density by the age of 30, after which it starts to decrease. * are 40% more likely to suffer insomnia than men. * can achieve a 4% increase in performance by wearing a well-fitted sports bra - when running a marathon this means finishing by a mile earlier. The data gap in women's health remains huge- in sports science and medicine in 2020 as little as 6% of research was conducted exclusively on women. Worse still, of that 6%, only 8% was found to be of high enough quality for the outcomes to be trusted. Women go through various life stages, with each moment bringing a new set of challenges and opportunities. Yet we rarely speak openly about these, or share our knowledge and solutions with each other. We use euphemisms to describe periods rather than saying the word. We don't acknowledge leakages or admit that we don't know how to find our pelvic floor or even what it does. We buy trendy sports bras without thinking how they work for breast health or exercise performance. We see young women giving up exercise in their teens to the detriment of their health at an older age. We barely mention the menopause. Body literacy is something every woman is entitled to. Health and fitness are not the same as aesthetics and photogenics. Instead of prioritising how a body looks we need to focus on how it feels and functions. How it works. When we listen to the body, embrace it and nurture it, health and fitness will follow. Merging the expertise of sports research scientist Dr Emma Ross, athletic coach Baz Moffat and NHS doctor Bella Smith, The Well HQ champions the non-negotiables when it comes to understanding our health and wellbeing as women, throughout all stages of our lives.

Emma Ross (Author) Dr Emma Ross is a scientist, researcher and practitioner. Before founding The Well she was Head of Physiology at the English Institute of Sport, she is the woman behind several breakthrough initiatives that ensure active women - and their support teams - are empowered with the knowledge they need about women's bodies, across their lifetimes. Baz Moffat (Author) Baz Moffat is a former Team GB rower, trainer and coach. With 20 years' experience working in fitness and sport, Baz is a prominent voice in the women's health movement. Baz specialises in core strength and the pelvic floor - a pivotal yet vastly underappreciated nucleus in the female body. Bella Smith (Author) Dr Bella Smith is an NHS GP with over 20 years' experience, a women's health advocate and an ambassador for The Eve Appeal. Under her moniker 'The Digital GP', Bella is a long time media consultant, adding insight and opinions on women's medical issues, the entrenched and harmful taboos in women's health discourse, and reproductive health and wellbeing.

This book is wonderfully empowering, it has given me huge insight into how my body works and how I can help myself be stronger, fitter and healthier. My only wish is I could have had it as a teenager when I very sadly gave up competitive swimming because I didn't like the way it made me look, and had no clue how immensely important it was to me both physically and mentally. I can't wait to give it to my daughters, so they don't make the same mistake. * Louise Minchin, journalist and author of Dare to Tri * Dr Bella is a fantastic GP who works in the NHS and is passionate about lifestyle, women's health and providing reliable, evidence based information. She is colleague, a friend and somebody whose information I would trust! * Dr Rupy Aujla, MBBS, BSc, MRCGP, Founder of The Doctor's Kitchen * Every female athlete, every coach of female athletes, and everybody in between needs to get involved with the amazing team at The WellHQ. * Helen Scott MBE: GB Track Tandem Pilot, British Cycling Level 3 Track Coach * The Eve Appeal is a gynaecological cancer charity and we have worked with Bella for over 4 years. She's a trusted and serious voice - but equally effectively engages with a group of teenagers on menstrual wellbeing or group of 50+ on the impacts of the menopause and how to manage it. * Athena Lamnisos, CEO, The Eve Appeal * I first worked with Baz after giving birth to my daughter and she was a really great coach to work with... with sport being such a big part of my life, I knew it was important to address any post-natal issues I had, to give me the best chance of being able to enjoy sport for the rest of my life. * Helen Richardson-Walsh: Four-times Olympian, Olympic gold medallist (Rio) and mother *