Despite decades of medical progress, women’s health remains chronically under-researched and underfunded, writes Dr Ariella Heffernan-Marks. When women are told that their instincts are wrong, they lose confidence not only in their healthcare providers but in themselves.

A 2023 meta-analysis in The British Journal of Sports Medicine found that exercise is 1.5x more effective than counselling or leading medications for treating depression and anxiety in some groups. And when it comes to women’s health specifically, there’s growing research supporting exercise as a non-invasive, low-cost tool to regulate hormonal changes across life stages.