29th October 2019

What breathwork is really doing for your health

What breathwork is really doing for your health

Can controlling your breathing really change your brain - or is it a load of hot air?

Yet here I am, sitting in a dimly lit studio with Paulo Pacifici, being guided through some basic breathing techniques. We move from box breathing – in for four counts, hold for four, out for four, hold for four, before moving through other combinations, all designed to either calm or energise the body and mind.

I’ve done enough yoga classes to appreciate the p

inews.co.uk • 21st August 2019

Discover a classy retreat in Marbella — without an alcopop in sight

The Costa del Sol has the dubious honour of being the location of my first ever teenage package holiday without the parents. Two weeks of lurid-green alcopops, full Englishes, bad karaoke, kissing unsuitable boys and general naffness.

I wore too low an SPF and got terrible burn lines (you can always spot an Irish girl abroad by the burns and the “it’ll fade to a tan” protests). And I wore a variety of handkerchief tops (perfect for showing off the burn lines), and spent my time moving from sun

inews.co.uk • 19th August 2019

Why doing absolutely nothing can be brilliant for your mind

When’s the last time you really got away from it all? I wasn’t exactly offline on a visit to Croatia at the weekend, checking emails, posting to Instagram. But I stumbled upon a helpful reminder to unplug.

“We don’t take our coffee standing up like the Italians,” my guide Ivana told me as we strolled past cafes lining the polished pedestrianised streets of Zadar. Nor are takeaway cups a thing – people here like to take their time, sit and savour the moment. Even stranger, I noticed the people w

inews.co.uk • 26th July 2019

Struggling to sleep? This hotel library is full of books that will help you nod off

A friend once told me that her birthday treat is a night away in a hotel. “Lovely, so you and your partner can have a little getaway?” I asked.

“Oh, no. He’s looking after the kids. I just want to chill out, order room service and get a solid eight hours’ sleep,” she said, laughing.

A hotel stay might seem like a dream to a sleep-deprived parent, but I would choose my own bed every time. Yes, I love the crisp sheets and big breakfast, but I don’t tend to get a good night’s sleep in a hotel. Ei

inews.co.uk • 25th June 2019

'Stop telling new mums to get their body back', says Hollywood trainer

The stylish polished-wood studio tucked away on a back street in North London seems an unlikely spot for the workout branded among Hollywood’s toughest.

There’s no terrifying Crossfit equipment here, no barbells or rigs or treadmills, just some dinky little weights, resistance bands and mini-trampolines.

This is the new home of Body by Simone, the programme that many A-listers credit with sculpting their bodies, from Sandra Bullock to Rosie Huntington-Whiteley to Taylor Swift to most of the Je

inews.co.uk • 17th June 2019

SoulCycle has landed in the UK but how will brits manage the mantras?

“If there is no challenge, there is no change!”

I hear whoops and cheers from the semi-darkness, as 63 pairs of eyes gaze up at the candlelit altar. Everyone who is here is clearly intent on “becoming the change”, and I can’t help but get swept up in the energy.

Our leader is no robed guru, but a lyra-clad ponytailed goddess – or Abbey from Vancouver. She fits the stereotype of a SoulCycle instructor – tight body, Hollywood smile and a bucketful of good vibes.

She effortlessly clicks her clea

inews.co.uk • 17th June 2019

The Viking Method: meet the fitness trainer who doesn’t take any prisoners

The world of fitness can be an annoyingly chirpy one, increasingly saturated with 20-year-old former reality TV stars offering vague platitudes about “motivation Mondays” and “fitspo” – fitness inspiration.

It’s a world Svava Sigbertsdottir has little patience with. “Argh, fitspo,” she sighs. “Look, it’s so easy to get knowledge these days, and the more discussion about health the better. But fitspo can be dangerous with the constant image demands – that you have to look a certain way.”

Given

inews.co.uk • 29th May 2019

'But you look so well’: What it's like to live with an invisible illness like MS

Where I come from, the phrase “you’re looking well” has various meanings as you progress through life. In your teens, it’s the highest of compliments from a bashful beau, blushing to his temples as he stares fiercely at the ground. In your university years, it’s a mark of approval from an Irish Mammy, satisfied that you haven’t starved yourself without her hearty cooking.

And, then, if you happen to be diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, it comes with an air of hope, or worse, scepticism. M

inews.co.uk • 8th April 2019

Can this hi-tech headband that reads your brainwaves help you find inner peace?

As I sit cross-legged, eyes closed, I can hear the rain gently falling. I concentrate on my breath – in, out, in, out. It’s not long before my mind wanders – to work, to plans for later, replaying a conversation that’s been bothering me. The rain begins to fall more heavily, the wind whipping up into a storm. Concentrate! I breathe more deeply, and the rain lulls. A bird twitters, then another.

Eventually, a bell sounds, and I open my eyes. I’m not in a rainforest, but in my sitting room, and w

inews.co.uk • 12th March 2019

Meet the tech CEO who lost five stone thanks to his own app

Many of us would never dream of darkening the door of a gym when travelling for work or pleasure. Fritz Lanman isn’t one of those people.

“I went to Sweat It yesterday, do you know it? Pretty tough. I landed from Bangkok into Heathrow and I just knew I was going to have to stay awake all day, so I had to get a workout in to get my energy levels up. And then this morning I went to Another Space, I did a boxing HIIT workout and it was packed in there.”

It’s hardly a surprise that the chief execu

inews.co.uk • 1st March 2019

This 88-year-old fitness instructor who qualified in her 70s believes everyone can keep fit

Alacia Elliott doesn’t fit the mould of the stereotypical fitness instructor – no bulging muscles, menacing stance or “push through the pain” mantra. But she’s made of tough stuff. And, at 88, is older than most of her clients.

“When I retired at the age of 59 from my job in local government, my husband was still working, so I decided to take some fitness classes at the local leisure centre,” says Ms Elliott. “There was so much – water aerobics, even badminton. It was also really sociable, so m

inews.co.uk • 21st February 2019

The man who gave Margot Robbie a Hollywood body – and can reboot yours in just 21 days

On the morning I meet David Higgins, bloated as I am from a weekend of excess and struggling with a frozen shoulder, I don’t exactly feel that I fit the mould of his typical clientele.

The personal trainer and physiotherapist has worked with Colin Firth, Margot Robbie and even Samuel L Jackson to get them fit for camera. His new book is titled The Hollywood Body Plan – and my body doesn’t even qualify as a Hollyoaks body after a sluggish start to the year.

Sitting in his sleek BodySpace gym at

inews.co.uk • 29th January 2019

Dr Michael Mosley: the man behind the 5:2 diet on why he now wants you to eat just 800 calories a day

He is the man who got Britons to lose weight, has written a slew of best-selling diet books and fronted dozens of health documentaries. But don’t leave the biscuit tin unattended when Dr Michael Mosley’s around.

“I have no willpower. If there’s a bar of chocolate, I will eat the whole thing. If there are salted peanuts, I’ll eat the whole bloody bowl.

“Clare knows – very occasionally we’ll have a packet of biscuits in the house and she’ll say ‘what are you doing’, while I’m *makes munching noi

inews.co.uk • 12th January 2019

People with allergies say food chains are ‘running scared’ after manager advises family to eat somewhere else

For most parents, a morning of ice skating followed by lunch is an easy way to keep the children entertained as the Christmas holidays come to a close. But for Alexa Baracaia, it’s an outing that needs to be planned meticulously. Alexa’s son, eight-year-old Sidney, is allergic to egg, peanuts, nuts, sesame and lentils.

inews.co.uk • 19th September 2018

Can’t sleep? Millions are using the Calm app to hear a soothing bedtime story for grown-ups

It’s enough to make you lose your sheep. The clock ticking mercilessly on, while sleep remains elusive. The frustration of knowing that the morning – and the time to face a new day – is drawing closer.

It’s no secret that we’ve become a nation of night owls, partly due to the never-ending stream of technology at our fingertips. As many as one in 10 of us could be turning to medication to help us drop off, with sleeping pills costing the NHS £50m a year.

The chief executive of Netflix, Reed Has

inews.co.uk • 12th September 2018

Turning pensioners into fitness instructors could be just what the doctor ordered – for all of us

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to retirement. Granted, I’ve got about three decades to go (or more if the goalposts keep moving), but by then I’ll be more than ready to put my feet up.

Or perhaps not, if the health tsars have anything to do with it. A new campaign from ukactive is encouraging pensioners to consider retraining as fitness instructors to help over-55s feel more comfortable in the gym.

I know what you’re thinking – we slog all our lives and then you want us to pra

I • 30th August 2018

The secrets of living to 100? We've known them all along

I always wonder if the centenarians are pulling our legs when we beg them to reveal the secrets behind their longevity.

Raw eggs, they tell us solemnly. Daily plunges into icy ocean waters. A can of Stella and a packet of custard creams (props to you, Eileen Maher of Blackpool).

No wonder we’re desperate for some nuggets of wisdom – barely a day goes by where scientists are not locking horns over the best course of action for a long life.

High-fat, low-carb, some say, while others wring their

I • 16th August 2018

Cycling through history: new London bike tour celebrates women’s achievements

Think of your average historical city tour: chances are, it will comprise a rambling round-up of dead white blokes. Statues of conquering heroes on horseback, plaques for playwrights, those kinds of things.

But a new London bike excursion is taking people on a tour marking a few of the city’s females heroes, some of whom you will probably never have heard of.

Tour de Force, a joint initiative between Santander and Transport for London, is aiming to put the spotlight on some inspirational women

iNews • 14th July 2018

Don’t write off summer just yet: here are some reasons to be cheerful

Remember how summer used to stretch on for ever? Long, hazy days, barbecues and Mr Whippy ice creams, scorched grass and paddling pools?

That’s how this summer was beginning to feel, only with a more grown-up flair: we woke up day after day to blue skies, drank cocktails at sunset (on a Tuesday!), and watched England beat the odds to rise through the World Cup ranks.

And then, all at once, summer sort of sputtered to a halt. The clouds rolled in just as England crashed out, just as the English

iNews • 11th July 2018

What can we learn from a 16th-century wellness bible? That snake oil has been around for quite a while

The world of wellbeing is undoubtedly a strange one. I must admit I have fallen down the rabbit hole on occasion, spending my hard-earned cash on “superfood” concoctions including outlandish ingredients such as baobab, and spirulina (ugh), and turmeric, and chlorella.

Use these ingredients and you could be like us, the wellness goddesses cooed, all glowy skin and shiny hair and flat tummies.

So I imbibed, and spiralised, and infused, all with the hope that this was some kind of elixir of youth

iNews • 11th July 2018

Plogging: the Scandinavian trend that helps you get fit while doing your bit for the planet

If you’ve ever fancied drawing the ire of thousands of commuters during morning rush hour, I have some tips.

Number one, join a pack of runners for an 8.30am city-centre jog. Number two, have each of those runners randomly stop without warning and crouch to pick something up off the street.

It seems that trying to save the world won’t win everyone over, especially not on the mean streets of the capital. But as I find myself donning gloves and a bag for a central London plogging expedition, I’m

iNews • 23rd June 2018

Brain training: why running could be the best medicine for your mind

If you’re a regular runner, the brain benefits are probably already obvious. Plenty of people use the miles pounded out on the road or trail to decompress, de-stress and re-energise the mind.

And it appears that the advantages of clocking up the miles are more than anecdotal. Studies have shown tangible benefits to the brain in runners, with the positive effects lasting long after you have reached your destination.

“There is evidence that if you want to learn something new, it’s better to lear

iNews • 11th June 2018

The surgeon who fell in love with broken hearts

As an organ, the heart has been rather unloved in recent years. Column inches and bestselling books are dedicated to the brain and even the hitherto unglamorous gut, while the heart soldiers on unnoticed.

Heart surgeon Nikki Stamp, though, is smitten. “Even when the heart is outside the body – if you give it blood with oxygen and nutrients the heart muscle just beats,” she says. “I think that’s amazing.”

Stamp has no shortage of interesting facts about the heart – in fact, she’s written an ent

iNews • 6th June 2018

How a photo from my past reminded me of how much I have gained

Ah, the Facebook Memory. Sometimes it taps you on the shoulder with a lovely little reminder of a happy event.

Sometimes, like a sneaky little frenemy, it pokes you in the ribs, pointing out how much you’ve aged… or widened.

It happened to me recently – a Memory popped up, featuring the “me” of six years ago. A version of me taken by a professional, looking skinny, youthful and, dare I say it, aspirational.

It was my one-and-only stint as a cover girl – the editors of a fitness magazine had p