As fires throughout the nation have demonstrated over the last few weeks, fire season isn’t ending any time soon.

A court will hear evidence in September to decide on five-year-old Tafida’s care.

Reality TV brought fame and fortune to Nigel Lythgoe. So, it’s no surprise he can spin entertaining tales about the real-life drama he experienced with his heart.

But the man once dubbed “Nasty Nigel” for his bluntness as a talent show judge sounded downright empathetic as he explained why he tells those tales.

A household name

“Listen,” he said, “I suffered a heart attack before I realised how important it was to look after my heart. I hope other people realise long before they have a heart attack, and they live a long and healthy and happy life.”

Lythgoe’s ability to tell a good story has made him one of the world’s most successful TV figures. A creator and judge for “So You Think You Can Dance”, his long list of credits includes, perhaps fittingly, being director and producer on the British version of “Survivor”. He became a household name in Britain as a judge on “Popstars” and was a longtime executive producer of “American Idol”.

His first heart crisis struck in January 2003. He had just returned from a vacation in Barbados with “Idol” judge Simon Cowell, whom Lythgoe jokingly blames for what happened.

“He had me dancing all around this hotel,” Lythgoe said, before adding: “I used to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day as well. Which obviously didn’t help.”

He was in the editing suite working on the second season of “Idol” when it happened. “I was literally in the edit with Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken.”

He thought he had indigestion and lay down to rest. “The next day I was still feeling bad,” he said, but he kept working. Finally, on the third day, his wife convinced him to see his doctor.

He looked healthy

“He examined me and said, ‘Oh my God – you’re having a heart attack!'”

Which was a surprise, he said, because he looked healthy, with his post-vacation glow. “I was tanned and brown to the point that my doctor said, ‘I’m calling an ambulance for you. Can you try and look ill?'”

Doctors found a blocked heart artery and used a stent to open it up. But about eight years later, his heart had another nasty surprise in store.

He had gone to see a movie – “Cloud Atlas” – one afternoon and was alone in the theatre when he suddenly felt dizzy. He staggered out of the cinema.

“I saw the poor girl behind the popcorn counter. I said, ‘Call an ambulance, please.’ And with that I keeled over.”

He was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and ended up needing a pacemaker, a defibrillator and three ablation procedures to destroy heart tissue that was causing his heart’s electrical malfunctions. “Since 2012, I’ve been good,” said Lythgoe, who turned 70 in July.

He felt invulnerable

Looking back now, he understands the mistakes he made when it came to his health. A longtime dancer, he choreographed for hundreds of TV episodes, working with the likes of Ben Vereen, Shirley Bassey and the Muppets.

“There was never a point in my life when I felt vulnerable to anything.” He was arrogant, he said, and thought, “Oh, I can eat fries. I can do this. I can do that. I’m a dancer. I keep my shape.”

But as he sees it, “The great thing about surviving a heart attack is you really do then take care of yourself. If you’re lucky enough to survive it.”

He’s since given up smoking, sugar and dairy, and does Pilates twice a week.

He’s serious about working to help others not make the same mistakes he made. He and “Hairspray” director Adam Shankman were together in Los Angeles and San Diego this spring to help with a collaboration between the American Dance Movement, a non-profit they founded to build healthy communities through dance, and the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge.

Lythgoe’s message about the lessons he’s learned is, once again, direct.

“Nobody in this life gets out alive. But the big thing for me is to just stick around as long as you can. And if you don’t look after your heart, if you don’t look after your entire body, you’re not going to be around as long as you should be.”

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HealthDay

A London gender clinic leaks details of almost 2,000 people on its email list.

If you don’t indulge in fizzy drinks but love your chocolate bar, you might want to continue reading.

As we know, a tax on sugary drinks has been implemented in South Africa to help fight obesity levels. But new research suggests that there is a measure that may be even more effective.

A ‘snack tax’

A new study in The BMJ stated that taxing high sugar snacks such as biscuits, cakes and sweets might be more effective at curbing growing obesity rates worldwide, according to a news report.

According to this study, in the UK, high sugar snacks add more to the national sugar intake than sugary drinks. Therefore, reducing the purchase of these goods may make a bigger impact on the population’s health.

While currently there is no new research on figures in South Africa, the study focused on food purchase data for 36 324 UK households and National Diet and Nutrition Survey Data for 2 544 adults.

Results were grouped by household income and body mass index (BMI) to determine any changes in weight and prevalence of obesity during the course of a year.  

The results suggest that for all income groups combined, increasing the price of biscuits, cakes, chocolates, and sweets by 20% would reduce annual average energy intake by around 8 900 calories per person, leading to an average weight loss of 1.3kg over one year, stated the news report.

Compared to sugary snacks, a similar price increase of sugary drinks would only result in an average weight loss of 203g.

“The results also suggest that price increases in high sugar snacks could also make an important contribution to reducing health inequalities driven by diet related disease,” the study concluded.

Is this a definite solution?

Of course it’s important to point out study limitations such as the short time frame, but researchers indicate that there is strong rationale to use fiscal policy to help improve diet and health.

There is also still the argument that a fiscal policy might be useful, but doesn’t help to incentivise healthy eating habits any further.

Cut your sugar

While this is still merely a research suggestion, viewing sugary snacks as a treat, instead of a household staple, and consuming these in moderation is the first step to a balanced diet and a reduced sugar intake.

Our dietitians at Nutritional Solutions acknowledge that your body needs natural sugars to provide much-needed energy, but also add that you should be wary of processed, packaged snacks.

“We are often unaware of the sugar content of foods as it is added to many processed foods such as sauces, breakfast cereals, health and energy bars, yoghurt, milky drinks, instant coffee, flavoured coffee sachets and rusks,” says Ria Catsicas, a registered dietitian at Nutritional Solutions.

But limiting your sugar doesn’t need to be hard – start with adopting a healthy, balanced diet to keep you full and avoid cravings for sugary snacks. Read this article for more information.

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Compiled by Marelize Wilke

On May 26, 2016, I took my phone out and deleted contact information for every single man I had casually slept with, dated, or sexted in the last 10 years. There were a lot of them.

At age 37, I had spent years in casual relationships but never found anything close to what my heart truly craved—a healthy, balanced relationship with a partner. In a moment of brutal but necessary self-actualization, I saw the common thread in each of these relationships—it was me. At that moment, I made a decision: I was tired of feeling alone and done with feeling invisible.

A few months before this realization, my body had started to give out on me. My left knee had a habit of buckling from underneath me, my feet would go numb, and my lower back was in constant pain. Daily tasks most  people take for granted—like walking through Target or standing to do the dishes at the sink—were becoming really hard. I started to limit what I did, and the orbit of my life was getting smaller and smaller.

If I had told a stranger that I was unhappy, that person would have just said, “If you’re an unhappy fat woman, why don’t you just go on a diet?” As if I hadn’t thought of that before!

RELATED: How This Woman Quit Being Self-Conscious of Her Cerebral Palsy: ‘I Used to Hide Away’

The truth is, I’ve been on dozens of diets in my lifetime—and none of them had any lasting success. This time, I decided to take stock of where I was with my body and my life. Once I really started thinking about it, here’s what I knew for sure: I ate at night when I was lonely, in the car when I was bored, and a whole lot of other times—very few of which were actually tied to hunger. My relationship to food was totally out of whack. My physical body was keeping me from experiencing life the way I wanted. And, finally, I threw myself into shallow connections that were sometimes frenzied, many times oblivious, and more often than not, ended in my wondering why I was wasn’t good enough for guys to want to date me.

How was I going to find a diet that would address all of that? My light-bulb moment was realizing there wasn’t a diet in the world that could fix the emotional pain I was in. I didn’t know what would heal the hurt, but I had to do something different.

RELATED: This Body-Positive Activist Rebuilt Her Confidence on Her Own Terms. Here’s How

I want to be clear: I am not saying that losing weight is bad—heck, in the years since, I have lost weight and I’ll probably lose more. I am saying that a “diet” will never be the catalyst that leads to happiness. Being thinner doesn’t make you better or happier.

Three years later, I’m unearthing a beautifully flawed, perfectly imperfect, eternal-work-in-progress version of myself that I never knew existed. I do Pilates. I strength-train. I meditate. Most important, I do the emotional work that helps me understand why I’ve done the things I did.

Diet culture is a dysfunctional system of beliefs. Weight loss is a tool. But personal growth? That’s where the magic actually happens.

So the next time you find yourself cursing your body and thinking that shedding weight will “abracadabra” your perfect life into existence, ask yourself: “What is it I am really aching for? Am I running from something? Do I need to heal any hurt?”

Start there—build your self-love, and begin your journey from the inside out.

To learn more about Sarah Sapora and her size-inclusive wellness offerings, visit sarahsapora.com

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Move your body in a way that feels good

Instead of forcing yourself up super early for boot camp because “you have to,” think about how moving actually makes you feel. “Exercise can be great, but not if you’re using it as punishment,” says Bishop. “Try to divorce movement from changing the size and shape of your body, and do things that make you feel joyful.” If it’s been a while since exercise and joy were in the same sentence, think back to what you liked as a kid. Riding bikes? Go to a spin class. Swimming? Head to the nearest pool.

RELATED: How This Woman Quit Being Self-Conscious of Her Cerebral Palsy: ‘I Used to Hide Away’

Take a break

Whether you notice it or not, you’re inundated with messages in your daily life that shape how you feel about your body. To recalibrate, Lindsay Kite, PhD, codirector of Beauty Redefined in New York City, recommends a social media fast for at least three days. “This can resensitize yourself to the messages you’re allowing to permeate your body image.”

Do a social media audit

Once you’re back on the grid, purge all your social feeds of any images that make you feel bad. Fill it with images that inspire you instead of making you feel like you have to aspire to something. Once you’ve cleared the things that feel triggering, experts recommend creating an inspiration board of things you find beautiful—in all sizes. “Start a Pinterest board or a saved collection on Instagram of people who are your size or larger,” says Bishop. “When you see yourself represented in this way, it can be really healing.”

RELATED: How This Influencer Fought Diet Culture and Focused on Self-Love: 'Thinner Doesn't Make You Better'

Speak up

It’s hard to feel at peace when your coworkers at lunch are telling you they “can’t” eat that, or your best friend texts you that she can’t find an outfit for the weekend because she feels fat. “Be honest about how hard it is for you to listen to people’s comments abusing their own bodies,” says Bauer. “Boundaries are important. Think about the length of time you spend with someone—you might love your best friend, but if she’s constantly berating herself, is she the right person to shop with?”

RELATED: This Body-Positive Activist Rebuilt Her Confidence on Her Own Terms. Here’s How

Stop negativity in its tracks

When you’re shooting for a peaceful coexistence with your body, the goal isn’t to eradicate all of your negative thoughts at once—it’s to recognize them so that you can start to make some headway. So when you feel them coming on, Bishop recommends picturing a white flag waving, and saying, “We are not at war today. We’re not doing this today.” Then replace your negativity with a mantra that makes you feel good, like “I am enough,” or “My body is an instrument, not an ornament.”

Take in the sights

If you’re hypercritical of your stomach and you go to the beach, you’re going to be laser-focused on all the women on the beach who have defined abs. So experts recommend making a practice of noticing all of the people you see—not just those who make you feel inferior. “This exercise trains you to notice that there are people of all shapes out there, and they wear all sorts of different things,” says Bishop. “It creates insulation around you so that you don’t feel so fragile in the world.”

RELATED: How This Marathon-Running Fitness Editor Deals With Negative Body Image: ‘No One’s Immune to It’

Make a three-outfit maximum

If you tend to battle with your body the most when you’re getting dressed, create boundaries. “Set a limit for how long you can stand there and check yourself out,” says Bauer. Let yourself try three outfits, and then you have to go with one of them so that you don’t get bogged down obsessing.

Check in

Negativity is usually a symptom of something bigger. “Ask yourself, ‘What do I need?’ when you notice you’re feeling nasty to yourself,” says Bauer. “Often, our bodies are the easiest things to take our anxiety and frustration out on, so identifying what the real issue is can divert the emotions in a healthier way.”

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You’d have to be living under a rock not to know that body positivity is a hot topic. From curvy influencers embracing their physiques on social media to brands like Nike introducing fuller-figured mannequins, there have been major cultural strides in accepting women of all shapes and sizes. This is a really good thing. But it can also create a tricky dynamic.

Traditionally in the United States, there has been just one body-type ideal—and that ideal is thin, explains Kathleen Bishop, a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Body Peace and Liberation in San Jose, California. Women who don’t meet that standard often feel like they’ve failed. So as nice as it is to be told you should love the way you look, it’s hard to simply shake off years of negative thoughts about your body. In fact, now there are lots of women feeling like double failures—feeling like they’re failing because they aren’t that cultural ideal and failing because they aren’t feeling body-positive.

RELATED: 8 Ways to Banish Negative Thoughts and Make Peace With Your Body

The good news: There is a solution. Some experts say rather than body positivity, we should all be striving for peace. “Body peace is more about coexisting with your body and viewing it as more functional than aesthetic,” says Bishop. If body positivity is the finish line, body peace is the marathon course—it’s a process, and one that has a lot of twists and turns. “Body peace isn’t loving your body every day,” adds Kristina Taylor, a licensed mental health counselor with the Growth & Recovery Counseling Center in Trinity, Florida. “It’s recognizing that our bodies are a minute part of who we are as a whole person—and not letting them take up more space in our minds than they deserve.”

RELATED: I Suffered Burns Over 65% of My Body in a Plane Crash—But My Scars Don't Define Me

Like anything else, the bond with your body takes nurturing, but with effort, it can be a healthy one. “The goal is for it to be a peaceful relationship, and free of conflict and hostility,” says Meredith Bauer, a licensed professional counselor with Modern Therapy in Houston. To move you toward that place, we asked four women to share their own journeys, and are offering up expert-approved tricks that can lay the foundation for your own body peace.

Keah Brown

Here’s something you should know about me to understand the journey I’ve been on. I have cerebral palsy, which means, among other things, that I walk with a limp and have a right hand that balls into a fist and lifts itself in the air involuntarily. People stare at me everywhere I go. Because of this, I used to hide away and apologize for the space I took up. I would even use the sleeves of my shirt to cover my right hand… [Read more]

Sarah Sapora

My light- bulb moment was realizing there wasn’t a diet in the world that could fix the emotional pain I was in. I didn’t know what would heal the hurt, but I had to do something different… [Read more]

Ashley Mateo

As women, we have become conditioned to compare ourselves to impossible ideals, and our insecurities have become the norm. No one’s immune to it, not Olympians, not the pros, and definitely not the people—like me—who dish out fitness advice… [Read more]

Cece Olisa

Then one day I wrote in my journal, “Don’t wait on your weight to live the life you want.” I began to say it in the mirror each morning. My confidence balloon started filling back up. Once I began to focus on how I felt instead of how I looked, the world opened up to me… [Read more]

For more real talk on everything health and wellness, subscribe to our WomenIRL newsletter

Stringr

Over time, fish oil supplements have become very popular with some people saying it could decrease the risk of a heart attack and is good for brain health.

With all the popularity it has gained over time, scientists are beginning to wonder if there it is beneficial.

It’s believed that there is insufficient evidence to back up the claims that it helps. 

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Stringr

Women are less likely than men to be treated with cholesterol-lowering statins – or get them prescribed at guideline-recommended intensity levels when they do, according to a new study that also looked at reasons behind the discrepancies.

Statins help reduce the risk of heart attacks, stroke and other cardiovascular events by lowering high cholesterol levels. But women historically have received less aggressive treatment than men when it comes to cholesterol management.

Sex differences remain

Researchers explored potential causes for the differences in a study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. They examined national registry data on 5 693 people eligible for statin treatment based on cholesterol management guidelines from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology.

Researchers found women were considerably less likely than men – 67% compared to 78% – to be treated with a statin. Among the reasons cited, women were not offered the medication as often as men, were more likely to decline statin therapy when it was recommended and were more inclined to discontinue the treatment after starting it, usually citing side effects.

Women and men had different beliefs about the role of statins in relation to cardiovascular disease, the research found. Women were more likely to worry about having a heart attack or stroke – yet less likely to believe that having high cholesterol could contribute to one.

Sex differences remained even after researchers adjusted for age, race and other demographics, as well as socioeconomic factors and health history.

“Patients and providers alike must be educated on the safety and efficacy of statin therapy to optimise therapeutic efforts,” researchers said in the report.

About 35% of men and 40% of women had total cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dL or higher between 2013 and 2016, according to the AHA.

Improving use of therapies

“Part of the onus falls on providers doing a better job in communicating the safety and efficacy of these therapies to their patients,” said Dr Michael Nanna, the study’s lead author and a cardiology fellow at Duke University’s Clinical Research Institute in North Carolina.

More research also is needed to explore why specific medical treatments are not being used and how to influence their acceptance, he said.

“We have invested significant resources into developing safe and effective therapies, but if you look at how often they are prescribed and patients who are taking them, it’s a fraction,” Nanna said. Future efforts should be aimed at improving the use of those therapies, he said.

The report is among a new wave of studies trying to reach beyond data sets and lab findings to uncover reasons for health care differences, said Dr Prateeti Khazanie, an assistant professor of cardiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

While previous research suggests women are less likely than men to use statins, the new study found underlying factors from both patient and provider that contributed to the problem.

“If you can better understand reasons behind sex differences in care, you can target those issues to help decrease the sex differences in the future,” she said.

Complex and multifactorial topic

“Understanding how therapies affect patients and how patients make decisions – and how providers make decisions – are going to be critical in future research.”

Khazanie was not involved in the study but co-authored an accompanying perspective piece that discussed ways a value-based health care system – one in which hospitals and physicians are given incentives based on patient results could be used to address sex differences in care.

Treatment discrepancies between men and women in a range of cardiovascular care have been getting more attention, she said. But the reasons remain poorly understood.

“Some theorise that women present with symptoms that are different from men, and maybe they’re not being recognised early enough,” said Khazanie.

“Many women tend to discount their own symptoms and also have a harder time trusting medical therapies. And unfortunately, that could be a big piece of it,” she said. “This is a really complex and multifactorial topic and future interventions to reduce sex differences in care will require a multipronged approach addressing issues with both clinicians and patients.”

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