Dynamic Solutions For Women

If you’re struggling to conceive, or are wanting to know when your body is most likely to conceive, you might want to just check up on these basics to help you to get to know your body a bit better and understand the science behind conception.

Firstly, you should know about how your body works when it ovulates. Perhaps the only time we get to learn about our menstrual cycle is during sex education lessons in secondary school, when we’re told what to expect when we have our first period. At that time, though, we were probably more interested in knowing when our boobs would grow than what was actually happening to our womb lining.

So, the long and the short of it is: your ‘cycle’ starts on the first day of your period. That’s when your hormones kick in to start eggs growing in follicles in your ovaries. Between days 7 and 11, the hormones tell your womb lining to thicken, to prepare it for the arrival of an egg which will (your body hopes) be fertilised during sex.

Most cycles last between 26 and 35 days. You ovulate normally 10 – 16 days before day one of your next period, so once you’ve worked out when your period is due you can aim to have sex more in the 10 – 16 days before then, since that is when your egg is released and makes its way to your womb.

A good way to tell when you are ovulating is to examine yourself – if you have a slightly sticky discharge, then that is when your body is most fertile. There are online ovulation calculators available, so use those to help once you’ve got an idea of how long your cycles are.

If your periods are irregular (or even if they aren’t) you can use your temperature to measure your ovulation. Progesterone is the hormone released to make the womb lining thicker, and progesterone raises the body temperature slightly. Check your temperature each morning before you get out of bed.

There are also ovulation kits that check your hormone levels present in your urine. These are more reliable than temperature checks, which can be affected by things other than progesterone.

If your egg isn’t fertilised during the cycle, then your womb lining breaks down with the egg and you have a period.

Things that can affect your ovulation include foods (use ‘good’ fats like olive oil rather than ‘bad’ fats like in fastfood and pastries; favour a vegetarian diet over a meat-rich one, though make sure you get enough protein; eat lots of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains), and your weight. Being overweight can significantly affect your ability to fall pregnant. Being 20lbs overweight can make you 10% less likely to get pregnant.

You’re also less likely to fall pregnant the older you get. This doesn’t even mean you have to be ‘old’, either – your fertility starts to decline from the age of 30. If you do fall pregnant, from the age of about 35 your egg production can go a bit haywire, spitting out multiple eggs at a time and increasing the chances of multiple births.

Although there are many cases of older men having babies, in fact sperm count and sperm-motility decrease as the man gets older (from the age of about 45).  

If you’re concerned about the length of time it’s taking you to fall pregnant, particularly if you are age 35 plus then you should see your GP and discuss your options.

There’s that old saying that men get old and distinguished-looking whilst women just get old. There’s a good deal of pressure to conform to society’s ideals of youth and beauty, and when those crows’ feet first appear it can be quite a shock to the system. They’re the first visible sign that you’re not as young as you used to be, and psychologically that’s a bit of a downer.

There are things you can do to reduce the chances of getting wrinkles (or at least reduce the severity of them) – like wearing SPF factor 15 or above every day (rain or shine) to reduce the exposure to UVA rays that break down the elastic in the skin, or quitting smoking and reducing drinking.

But what do you do if it’s too late for all that, the wrinkles are here??

Many women are turning increasingly to cosmetic fillers, which are substances injected under the skin to plump it up and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Of course, putting on a stone or two will plump out your face just as well, and is more fun in the short-term (though perhaps more unhealthy in the long-run).

Anti-wrinkle treatments are as old as dirt, and people have been trying to convince women to buy products to make them look younger since money was invented. Most products haven’t been tested out properly and offer ridiculous, short-term promises, and may have side-effects. Injectable fillers are nothing new, but are becoming longer-lasting (even permanent in some cases) so it’s important to get them right first time or you’ll have a long time to have to get used to the results.

There are several types of cosmetic filler, with collagen being the most well-known. Here is a sample of some of the treatments available.

1. Collagen: this can be bovine (from cows) or human. Bovine collagen can cause allergic reactions, and to get the best results (assuming no allergic reaction has occurred) the treatment needs to be repeated every 3 to 6 months. Human collagen gives fewer allergic reactions, but is more expensive and has to be repeated at the same rate as bovine collagen.
2. Fat injection fillers: this takes the fat from where you don’t want it (usually thighs or bottom) and puts it where it might do some good by hiding those wrinkles. Sometimes permanent, and few allergic reactions because it’s your own tissue they’re injecting.
3. Hyaluronic acid fillers: this acid is something that occurs naturally in your body but depletes with age. This treatment adds injections of the substance under the skin to top up your body’s natural levels. The effects last longer than collagen (around 9 months or more) and don’t often cause allergic reactions.
4. Synthetic permanent dermal fillers: these generally use a substance called methylmethacrylate microspheres (methylmethacrylate is actually a sort of cement used normally to glue joints back together). It’s used in combination with bovine collagen to be delivered into the skin via several injections. Allergic reactions are possible.
5. Poly-L lactic acid fillers: this stimulates the body’s own skin cells to make their own collagen. It’s not toxic, and because it’s encouraging a natural process allergic reactions are rare. The results can last for several months or even years.

Whatever option you may choose, make sure that you choose a reputable cosmetic surgeon and spend some time discussing the risks and benefits. In particular, make sure that the surgeon you use routinely offers allergy-testing as part of the service.

Something happens to many women’s arms once they reach their thirties. Suddenly, arms cease to be arms and start to become something rather more like bones to hang flab from. ‘Bingo wings’ are the bane of many women’s lives, but the good news is that there are exercises that can tone them up and make them an asset instead of an embarrassment. And as well as looking good, toning your arms will increase your strength and avoids posture-related strains and stresses on your back and neck muscles.

If your overall fitness and fat levels are not up to scratch, then working just on your arms would be a bit pointless (like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic…), and all your lovely new muscles will be hidden under a load of fat, so make sure your overall diet and exercise levels are in line with current recommendations for your height and weight.

Key to moulding arms into things of beauty is adding resistance to your exercise (not along the lines of ‘but I don’t want to…’ – physical resistance, of course). Use weights, tins of beans, cartons of milk, special weight-bands, shopping bags, or choose exercises that use your own body weight to add resistance to your muscles. Don’t be afraid that you’re going to turn into one of those muscle-women who go orange and shiny and enter competitions: you need a lot more than a tin of beans for that.

Here are some examples of exercises that really work those arms:

1. Hold weights (like 2 or 4-litre milk cartons filled with water, or heavy tins), in both hands, with hands by your side. Pull your hands up and then push them up above your head. Do as many repetitions as you can. Aim to do a few more each time.
2. Do some push ups, but start in the ‘up’ position and allow yourself to dip down a little, bending your elbows.
3. Sit on the edge of a chair (be careful!), with your hands gripping the seat at either side of you at the front of the seat. Push your bottom off the seat and lower yourself down until your elbows are bent as far as you can, and back up. Repeat as often as you can.

These are all exercises you can do at home, and they only take a few minutes. Fit them in around your other work and you’ll soon notice a difference in your stamina, meaning that your arms are well on the way to becoming things of beauty.

Only two weeks to go until Christmas and chances are you’ll be snuffling into a tissue and coughing yourself awake most nights as one of the many, seasonal bugs makes themselves at home in your respiratory system.
If you start feeling run-down, you may benefit from taking vitamin supplements to boost your immune system in an effort to make it strong enough to battle those bugs. But there are natural foods that do the same thing, arguably more effectively. They’ll certainly help you get your five-a-day and should give you the boost you need to make you germ-free in time for the Big Day.
Mushrooms
These are a good source of selenium. Whilst it won’t prevent ‘flu, selenium will make any ‘flu you do contract less severe. Button mushrooms also have vitamin B, niacin and riboflavin, which can boost the immune system.
Elderberry
The berries themselves may not taste terribly good, but mixed with a bit of sugary syrup or allowed to ferment and they make rather nice beverages! And even better, they may help you to get over ‘flu if you do contract the virus. They are packed with antioxidants, too.
Acai Berry
This is one of those ‘super-foods’ that were doing the rounds a year or so ago along with blueberries. They are full of antioxidants, which help to maintain a healthy immune system.
Watermelon
Not terribly seasonal, but if you can get hold of it it, too, has the antioxidant glutathione in it, which helps your body fight infection.
Oysters
If you can stomach them, they’re full of zinc, an excellent mineral for boosting immunity and may even ward off viruses, though it’s not known how.
Cabbage
This also has glutathione, and may be easier to come by than watermelon. It’s not to everyone’s taste, so add it to soups or stews.
Grapefruit, Oranges etc.
Citrus fruits are good sources of vitamin C, which everyone knows is helpful for recovering from colds and ‘flu. At this time of year, get some satsumas in!
Low-fat Yoghurt
If you choose ‘live’ yoghurt, you will reduce the risk of catching a cold or ‘flu.
Broccoli
This is an ace immunity booster, full of vitamins A and C, plus the antioxidant glutathione.

This is the time of year when you most want/need to fit into a little black dress, yet have the least amount of money to achieve weight loss (all your spare money seems to go on presents, wrapping paper, turkey, crackers, the little black dress…). Many women wanting to lose a bit of weight before the Christmas party season head off to the gym or maybe even invest in gym equipment for the home (which soon become rather expensive clothes-hangers). Others may sign up to diet clubs that charge a membership fee and weekly subs.

But you don’t need to go to these costly lengths to achieve the shape you want. Here are some ideas to inspire you to work out at home to tone up and look fab this Christmas.

1. Actually Go To The Gym

We’re not being facetious here. You may already have a gym membership, which you may have not taken up for a while because you keep failing to make time for it, or can think of a million other things to do with your time.

If you are lucky enough to have a gym membership that includes use of a personal trainer then book in some sessions! If not, then book time in your diary to go! Make sure your favourite tunes are on your player to motivate you to move.

1. Buy a Workout DVD

All you really need to tone up and lose weight is thirty minutes, five times a week. Switch off Emmerdale and put on a workout DVD instead. Make sure the workout makes you puff a bit (so that conversation is hard) but not so much that you feel out of breath.

1. Try a Basic Workout at Home on Your Own

Try exercises that work on each part of your body and keep working at them. Do them for ten minutes each evening before settling down to get ready for sleep (exercise will wake you up so don’t do it when you’re wanting to go to bed). Try these:

• Sit-ups (don’t try to lift yourself all the way up – they’re much more effective if you lift slightly off the floor feeling your tummy ‘crunch’ with the effort, holding for ten seconds at a time).
• Squats (stand tall, feet apart, arms out forwards and squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground)
• Jumping jacks
• Chair exercises (sit on your hands, arms straight, lift your knees towards your chest, bending slightly – not too much! – to meet them; or hold the edge of your chair and slip your bottom off, using your arms to ‘dip’ your bottom, counting to three on the way down and one on the way up).
• Use tins, or fill empty 4 litre milk cartons with water to act as impromtu weights.
• Check out apps for your mobile that offer exercise-tracking and weight-loss targets.

Whatever you do, it is better than nothing at least! If you stick at it then you will see a difference in your body shape, and if it’s a minor adjustment to your normal routine then it will be easier to keep it up.