WELCOME
DIVA DICTUM
Happy New Year and welcome to the first issue of 2017. Many of us think about our health, whether that’s our physical or mental wellbeing, throughout the year but in the coldest months any wellness issues we might have can often feel doubly hard. With few daylight hours, many of us leave home and return in the dark, barely catching the weak sun’s rays, the mood may be festive for some but for many lesbian and bi women, Christmas and New Year is a difficult time. So we decided to ask experts of body, mind and soul to share their wisdom, helping us to grow our resilience and become more deeply embodied. Experts like Vicky Beeching (p22), who shares her views on New Year resolutions and what she intends to change in 2017, like dietitian Lucy Aphramor (p68) who takes an ethical, empathic approach to health, bodies and wellbeing. We asked personal trainer Lucy Fry (p50) to weigh up 2017’s health trends and fads, separating the fab from the fanciful, and we spoke to couragous readers who have survived some of life’s hardest challenges (p48). When Madonna accepted her Billboard award for Woman of The Year, she talked about treating the good and bad experiences as gifts, recalling how those who doubted and criticised her only made her stronger. Sometimes it’s hard to see the gift when you’re backed against a wall but it’s a lesson in survival and humility. And if it’s good enough for Madge, it’s good enough for me.