HealthTALK

Are Your Glutes Working… or Just Showing Up?

Let us have an honest moment. Many of us are sitting more than we are squatting, scrolling more than we are stepping, and wondering why our lower back is complaining by 3:00 PM.

The image says it clearly. Leg raises. Glute bridges. Lunges. Donkey kicks. Three sets of fifteen. Simple. Uncomplicated. Slightly humbling.

Here is the part most people do not realise. Your gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body. It is designed for power, stability and propulsion. Yet research in musculoskeletal health shows that prolonged sitting reduces glute activation, leading to what physiotherapists informally call “gluteal amnesia.” 

When your glutes do not fire properly, other muscles compensate. That is when hips tighten, knees wobble and lower backs take on work they were not designed to carry.

Sustaining Career Momentum:

Wellbeing Practices for Women.

If your career is accelerating but your nervous system is quietly decelerating, that is not “just a busy season” that is a risk signal.

In the UK, work-related stress is not a side issue. The Health and Safety Executive reports 964,000 workers experiencing work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25, with 22.1 million working days lost.

The Office for National Statistics also reports a 2.0% sickness absence rate in 2024 (working hours lost due to sickness or injury). When we look inside organisations, the CIPD’s 2025 health and wellbeing research found that 64% of respondents reported stress-related absence in their organisation in the last year.

Why Women Need to Pay Attention to Femtech, Now!

Femtech is how new tech can help us live longer, healthier and with less burnout, especially for Black women and girls.

Femtech, short for female technology, covers digital tools, diagnostics, wearables, telehealth and medical devices built specifically for women’s health. From periods and fertility to menopause, HIV/STIs, pelvic health and beyond. The term was coined in 2016 to give a fast‑growing but long‑neglected field a clear identity and to attract serious investment and research attention.

Why should the HealthTalk Group care?

Femtech is not just more apps, it is a practical way to close care gaps, counter burnout and improve outcomes for women who are too often dismissed or underserved by the system, especially Black and women of colour. The UK and US data are unambiguous.

PCOS Is Not a Lifestyle Failure:

It Is a Signal of a System Under Strain

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome rarely announces itself loudly. It creeps in through irregular cycles, stubborn weight gain, fatigue, acne, anxiety, fertility challenges and a sense that your body is no longer responding the way it once did. Many women spend years being treated for individual symptoms before anyone names the pattern.

Here is the scale of the issue. PCOS affects an estimated 1 in 10 women of reproductive age worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation. In the United Kingdom alone, the NHS estimates that up to 2 million women are living with PCOS, many undiagnosed. Rates are rising globally and not because women’s bodies are suddenly “failing”, but because modern environments are colliding with ancient biology.

What is PCOS?