Women's Health Australia July 2021

As the old saying goes, anything worth having in life lies just outside your comfort zone. And on a recent bucket-list trip to the Northern Territory, I yet again found one of Instagram’s most popular mantras to be utterly true. For any endurance lover, the epic Larapinta Trail is a must-do. Spanning 230km of ancient landscape, the trail features rugged tracks and spectacular views. So when one of my dearest friends launched a female-focused adventure platform, Her Trails, and invited me to join a week-long escape to experience it, I couldn’t have said yes faster. As regular readers of this column would know, I consider myself relatively fit. I train (hard) five days a week and regularly push past my mental and physical limits. I’ve run half-marathons. Done a 31-hour non-stop…

THE BIG QUESTION Do extensions make your eyelashes fall out? Answer The I-woke-up-like-this power of perma-falsies is pretty irresistible. But, despite opening your eyes to a life without sticky mascara and an extra five minutes in bed, lash extensions have not received exclusively positive PR. Overloading your natural lashes with too many at once can cause them to break and fall out, warns lash artist Debbie Law, so it’s important to find a salon that knows what it’s doing. “Having them correctly applied, which involves the most appropriate weight and length selection for the client’s natural lashes, won’t interfere with the natural lash cycle,” Law explains. How to know you’re in safe hands? “Going to a professional brand with reputable products, discussing the safest type of lash technique for you and checking…

PHOTO DUMPS Aka, an Insta gallery of unrelated photos that celebrate small, everyday moments of beauty and joy – think leaves on the ground, your neighbour’s cute pup and a coffee ring on the book you just finished. Consider it an antidote to the shiny and curated highlights reel. ROLLER SKATING From Emma Corrin gliding around in The Crown to those super-cool vids taking over TikTok, this nostalgic fave offers a fun total-body workout. Keen to lace up? We love the range of PETA-approved vegan skates (especially the pastel fade pair – swoon) available at impalaskate.com.au. TACO BIRTHDAY PARTY CAKES Yes, you read that right. This tasty new foodie celebration sees tacos arranged in the shape of someone’s age, and then surrounded by guac, salsa et al. Ideal if your tooth is more savoury than…

Slay Hot Yoga for Your Heart Like Vegemite, hot yoga splits opinions. But it may be worth getting your sweat on. A study presented at an American Heart Association summit found the practice could help lower blood pressure to healthy levels. People with hypertension, not on medication, took part in three hour-long sessions a week at 40.5°C for three months, while a control group did zilch. After 12 weeks, the yogis had reduced their risk of heart attack and stroke. Scientists credit the combo of heat and yoga. Room-temp flows can lower blood pressure, too, but the efficacy of each is yet to be compared. WANT TO LAUGH, CRY AND FEEL INSPIRED? Running Stories (Hightale, $44.99) shares short accounts about the powerful impact of running on people’s lives – from the abuse survivor…

Jaw Dropper QUICK CHECK: Rub the spot where your jaw meets your ears while opening and closing your mouth a few times. Do you feel stiff back there or hear a clicking sound? That might be due to bruxism – the clenching or grinding of teeth, causing pain there and in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ syndrome). Stress could be one cause, as it’s linked to clenching, says orthodontist Helen Choi. Women also experience TMJ syndrome more than men, possibly due to hormones or higher anxiety overall. Try these soothing solves… 01 Use a hot or cold pack for 10 to 20 minutes, two or three times per day. If your jaw feels tender and inflamed, go the chilly route; if it feels like tightness, then apply heat. 02 Put your tongue on the roof of…

The Best Kind of Glow Turns out, while it’s cool to be kind, it’s also hot. New research has found that “givers” – aka people who are generous – are likelier to be rated as more physically attractive by others. Nice! SOURCE: INDIANA UNIVERSITY GET CHEEKY WITH IT We’re all for dreamy make-up shades in eco-friendly packaging, which is why the new Hermes blushes have landed at the top of our wish list. Expect refillable compacts and wearable semi-matte colours that look crazy natural on your skin. Sign us up! Hermes Rose Hermes Silky Blush Powder in Rose Pommette, $110 SPOT ON Whether you have dark spots due to acne scarring or excessive sun exposure, a specialised at-home treatment, like Rodan + Fields Reverse Targeted Dark Spot Corrector, $89, can help to lighten marks and make your…