The new wellness secret we should all be embracing? Cherry Healey’s guide to being your sexiest, healthiest and most empowered

By Cheryl Caira

You reach 40, and it’s a whole new ballgame. The rulebook changes. Sometimes for the better, but energy levels aren’t as bouncy as they used to be. For some people, the way they’ve lived their life for years becomes anxiety-inducing. And there’s also a nagging feeling that, as women, we’re not getting the support we need.

Whether we’re talking about closing the gender pay gap or safety on the streets at night, the most recent Global Gender Gap Report (from the World Economic Forum) projected it will now take 123 years for women to achieve parity.    

When it comes to health – well, we’re on the back foot too. On average, women in the UK live longer than men, but spend three more years in poor health. Historically, female participants have been underrepresented in clinical research, which has created gaps in our understanding of how specific treatments impact women. Case in point: females are 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed following a heart attack, because heart failure trials have primarily used male subjects. The sobering list goes on.

That’s why, on a cheerier note, it’s rousing to hear from people that wear the cause with passion – that put it all out there, speak their mind and make you feel less alone with the everyday, whatever those challenges might be.

A chat with presenter Cherry Healey very quickly feels like conversing with someone you’ve been friends with for years. She’s full of good energy, I think excited for the interview, and also just infectiously passionate about women getting what they deserve – and looking after themselves at this pivotal point in life. Midlife.

“Your forties, fifties, sixties and above are a renaissance for women. We need to look after ourselves at this point. You can wing it with your health in your twenties and thirties, but beyond that, bad habits really start to hurt you. You need to get up, you need to be focused at work. Hormones aren’t necessarily playing with you. 

“Cortisol-reducing exercise needs to be regular. It needs to be happy, calm and the right thing for your body. It just needs to be lovely. It doesn’t need to be running on the hills in the freezing cold for it to be exercise.”

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