Female personal trainer, Becky, is based in Horsham, West Sussex, and works with a variety of clients, specialising in behaviour change, rehabilitation, and cancer exercise. She recently picked up a copy of Women’s Health magazine’s “GLP-1 Journal” and reviews it here…
GLP-1s are becoming the drug of the decade. Since these weight-loss medications became more widely available, the media and the public have gone mad for them. When I attended an exercise oncology conference earlier this summer, and the topic inevitably came up, the speaker who’d been asked the question actually said, “I was hoping that this might be the one meeting I attended this year when these medications weren’t mentioned…”.
And with availability and interest comes opportunity. In our late-stage capitalist society, of course there are brands that are cashing in, or adapting their practices to suit a changing market. Reports have been made about people providing less catering at parties and social gatherings, because their guests have little to no appetite. Food outlets are apparently intentionally reducing portion sizes, or looking more closely at macronutrient balances of their menus in order to offer “GLP-1-friendly” dishes. And there are, of course, books, TV programmes, podcast episodes… and special-edition journals published by major magazines.
Women’s Health: The GLP-1 Journal
I learned that this existed when I was browsing in Tesco last week. I occasionally pick up Women’s Health throughout the year – normally when I’m intrigued by the cover star’s story, or there’s a piece on an area of work I’m interested in. When I was hunting for it on the newsstand, I spotted the font I was looking for, but with a very different cover, and found that they’ve produced a special edition of their magazine this summer.
There are a few things that struck me as interesting when I flipped through it before deciding to buy. Firstly, I found it a little sickening that this has come out in August. Timely, as these drugs seem to peak in popularity, and we approach the time when an oral version (versus the original injectable) comes to market. But can we also not let people live?! Many people in my social circle are expressing dismay at the increased “skinnification” of our culture, and at a time when the sun’s out, people are enjoying holidays, and should be letting it all hang out without a care in the world, we are still encouraging people to keep an eye on their waistline and the scale. Whilst I am a proponent for fitness being a year-round activity, I do also believe that we should all be able to have at least a day off.
Next, I noticed that there was no celebrity fronting this issue, as is standard for Women’s Health. It’s a striking difference to the cover, and one that’s relevant here, because we don’t need a poster person for these drugs. Finally, it’s nowhere near as weighty as a typical issue – the features are laser-focused… and there is a distinct lack of advertising, which is unusual for this publication, but something I absolutely support here – we also didn’t need specific brands touting their snacks or supplements as The One that you need on this journey.
So, what did I like and dislike, and is it worth £5.99? Let’s find out…
Things I disliked about The GLP-1 Journal
Let’s get the negatives out of the way! The magazine is split into four sections: nutrition, fitness, mindset, and journaling pages. I found positives and negatives across the board, because we’d all approach the same task differently! As part of my continuing professional development, I’ve studied the use of GLP-1s closely, and continue to learn more as the landscape shifts.
Probably the most disappointing part of the Journal… is the journal section. It’s repetitive, and feels like a tick-box template rather than allowing people to choose the things that really matter to their own journey and circumstances. Whilst some of the prompts link to the health advice earlier in the journal, and it’s good that it doesn’t include a weight-loss or body measurement tracker, this section could and should have been so much more valuable.
Nutrition is not my area of expertise, so my criticism here is more gentle: there’s very little advice within this section for vegans. Whilst we can’t always cover all bases, nutrition can be an additional challenge for those who follow a vegan diet, and there’s nothing here on this. Where full recipes are given, all of them include animal products, with no substitutions offered, and in 2026, this feels poor.
As is to be expected, the fitness features quote high exercise level targets that I think serve to de-motivate people. Yes, space is at a premium, but one of the fitness features references the fact that 10 minutes of walking has a positive impact on health, only to suggest in the next sentence that people “build up” to 150 minutes per week, without any guidance as to how to go about this. It also references a study of adults with obesity who clocked about 8,500 steps per day during a weight-loss programme, then stuck to it afterwards and were found to be less at risk of regaining weight lost. So much more context is needed here – people are likely to hook onto these numbers as either magic or unachievable, and find themselves disappointed.
Things I liked about The GLP-1 Journal
Now for the good news! The opening nutrition advice feature makes the excellent point that “eating less” isn’t the only thing that we need to worry about when trying to lose weight. The feature points out that the nutritional value of what we do consume when eating less is even more important, and that wraparound care with these medications is vital.
I loved the fitness feature on how to plan a strength training session. It breaks down movement patterns beautifully, offering a simple explanation for people to create a balanced workout. I also love that it mentions the importance of lateral work – so many people skip this (not my clients, though!). Most of the exercises are inclusive, but some of them lean more towards more experienced exercisers, so it could’ve done with some alternative suggestions for those who are newer. My only other adjustment would be my standard line on how I coach clients on what I expect in terms of range of movement (more on that in a minute).
The articles in the mindset section offer some great “buyer beware” advice about body image and other issues that may arise – such as substance misuse. These are things that there is currently little data on, due to the medications being fairly new for this purpose, and it highlights the importance of monitoring people carefully. I also like that this section makes a point of encouraging people to track wins that aren’t just related to body size.
Final thoughts on The GLP-1 Journal
Nothing replaces personalised guidance. Not ChatGPT, not a magazine, and not a leaflet from your doctor. To truly embrace a journey of change, you need the help of people who get to know you, and have your best interests at heart as well as adapting the plan along the way. Want to work with me? Get in touch…
