https://www.scmp.com/rss/299462/feed Tara Loader Wilkinson is a journalist and editor of 15 years, having written for the Wall Street Journal, the BBC, Tatler, Monocle, the Financial Times and many more. She spent 9 years living in Hong Kong before recently returning to her homeland of the UK. She loves long walks in nature, spending time with friends and family and drinking Champagne. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Jennifer Lynn knows she is a “guinea pig”. The 43-year-old former ice hockey player turned athletic coach, who is based in Tampa Bay, Florida, has been “stacking” synthetic peptides for the last year. It is a trend that some see as the future of medicine, but others view as a reckless gamble. “I know a lot of people who are sceptical and who are not willing to be guinea pigs,” she says. “While I never push peptides on my clients, I will tell people about my experiences if they ask. Personally, I... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3351943/what-peptide-stacking-biohackers-jump-risky-trend-cheaper-stem-cell-therapy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3351943/what-peptide-stacking-biohackers-jump-risky-trend-cheaper-stem-cell-therapy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson To lose a baby is unthinkable. To do so during the Covid-19 pandemic, in isolation from your husband, family and friends, is the twist of the knife. But this was the fate of Keya Wingfield, a Mumbai-born, US-based Food Network champion chef. She gave birth to her second child, son Daksh, in February 2021. “He was sick from the get-go,” she remembers. “They just couldn’t figure it out.” Daksh’s lungs were failing him, and he spent his short life – 55 days – in a neonatal intensive care unit. He... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349480/she-was-102kg-diabetic-death-wish-after-losing-40kg-shes-thriving?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349480/she-was-102kg-diabetic-death-wish-after-losing-40kg-shes-thriving?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 03:15:07 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson The Easter break offers a chance of escape for many Hongkongers, but that holiday joy often comes with a hidden tax: jet lag. Jet lag is the cognitive and physical misalignment that your brain and body experience when arriving in a new time zone. Known more formally as desynchronosis, it is more than a lack of sleep – it is a state of biological confusion. Los Angeles Times journalist Horace Sutton may have been the first person to use the term “jet lag”, in a piece he wrote in 1966. “If you’re... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348783/how-frequent-fliers-are-beating-jet-lag-using-apps-timeshifter-and-stopjetlag?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348783/how-frequent-fliers-are-beating-jet-lag-using-apps-timeshifter-and-stopjetlag?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson In the third of a series on challenges facing Hong Kong’s growing autistic population, Tara Loader Wilkinson speaks with a mother of an autistic son who found a simple way to help boost acceptance of neurodivergent people, and a filmmaker who is giving them a voice. Sometimes the small things make the biggest difference. So it was with 12-year-old Alexander Talos Schaus, who was born in Hong Kong and diagnosed with autism at the age of three. He is largely non-speaking; he communicates with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348508/how-hong-kong-mother-autistic-son-helping-others-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348508/how-hong-kong-mother-autistic-son-helping-others-him?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:15:07 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson While aeroplane cockpits may be more hi-tech than ever and commercial flying is safer than ever, the fear of flying remains a stubborn hurdle for many. Commercial flying is statistically the safest mode of transport by far and it has become steadily safer each decade since the 1960s, according to research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Yet as many as 40 per cent of people in developed countries grapple with some form of aviophobia – a clinical anxiety that turns a flight into a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347025/how-overcome-your-fear-flying-flight-anxiety-runs-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347025/how-overcome-your-fear-flying-flight-anxiety-runs-high?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 08:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Six couples who want to start families but cannot conceive are the focus of a new Netflix documentary, The Plastic Detox. The couples – two of which have been trying to get pregnant for over two years, while one has been attempting for a decade – strip as much plastic from their lives as possible over three months to see if this will help. “Fertility worldwide is going down, and it is tightly linked to chemicals that are commonly used in plastic,” says epidemiologist Dr Shanna Swan in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345709/microplastic-dangers-and-innovators-finding-solutions-plus-8-ways-protect-yourself?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345709/microplastic-dangers-and-innovators-finding-solutions-plus-8-ways-protect-yourself?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 04:45:07 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson A conference’s last session before lunch is usually the time to covertly check your phone and run some digital errands, while trying to stifle yawns. But that was not the case at the Global Wellness Summit’s recent event in New York to launch its annual trends report. Attendees were urged to get to their feet, turn to their neighbour, hold their gaze for several minutes, take their hands and say: “I love you.” Next came the rave. On stage, former dancer Luuk Melisse, founder of the mindful... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344686/why-wild-health-raves-will-be-one-2026s-biggest-wellness-trends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344686/why-wild-health-raves-will-be-one-2026s-biggest-wellness-trends?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 09:15:07 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson In summer 2023, Oliver Rolfe was at breaking point. On the face of it, he had it all. In his early forties, he was a happily married father of two and the founder of a successful global headhunting business. He did not realise, though, that he was on the brink of burnout. “In hindsight, I can see how it all unravelled,” he says from his home in London. “I had always loved work, but it was a balance with sport and socialising.” After hurting his back 10 years ago, he could not play football –... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343972/how-burnout-brought-ceo-breaking-point-what-signs-are-and-how-fix-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343972/how-burnout-brought-ceo-breaking-point-what-signs-are-and-how-fix-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 07:15:07 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson With rising living costs and persistent inflation in much of the world, many consumers are cutting back on spending – but not, it seems, when it comes to wellness. The wellness industry is now valued at US$6.8 trillion and forecast to reach US$10 trillion by 2029, according to the Global Wellness Institute, a non-profit research and education foundation. Its sister organisation, the Global Wellness Summit, recently revealed its Future of Wellness report, with a focus on trends that are expected... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343389/8-hot-wellness-trends-2026-womens-longevity-and-sports-health-raves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343389/8-hot-wellness-trends-2026-womens-longevity-and-sports-health-raves?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 08:15:11 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson It is hard to imagine Heather Mills, one of the world’s best known veganism and animal rights campaigners, as a “Northeast sausage-and-mash girl”. “It’s so funny to think of the evolutions we go through in our short lives,” says the English entrepreneur, philanthropist and activist, who grew up in a working-class family in Northern England in the 1970s, for whom sausages were a weekend luxury. Now in her fifties, Mills’ fame stems from her former modelling career and her marriage to one of the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3341276/how-vegan-activist-heather-mills-took-control-her-health-plant-based-diet-choices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3341276/how-vegan-activist-heather-mills-took-control-her-health-plant-based-diet-choices?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson If you’re looking for a lengthy debate about the merits of authentic cuisine, ask a Bahamian about their grandmother’s recipe for guava duff. The national dessert of the Bahamas, the duff is a steamed, doughy dumpling furrowed with fresh mashed guava (canned fruit is not acceptable, we are told), served piping hot and swimming in rum-spiked butter sauce. After listening to our waitress wax lyrical, we had to order one at Daddy Joe’s, more a living room than a restaurant in North Eleuthera, on... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3339196/eleuthera-and-harbour-island-bahamas-taylor-swift-slips-away?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3339196/eleuthera-and-harbour-island-bahamas-taylor-swift-slips-away?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 00:00:11 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson January used to be about detoxes and gym sign-ups. Now, for millions, it is about giving up meat, eggs and dairy – at least for a while, as more people taste-test the vegan lifestyle. A study last year by YouGov and non-profit organisation Veganuary – both based in the United Kingdom – found that 25.8 million people worldwide took part in the month-long challenge to avoid animal products in January 2025, even if they did not hold out for the whole month. Since its launch in the UK in 2014, the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3339367/chinese-vietnamese-plant-based-influencer-makes-even-haters-love-tofu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3339367/chinese-vietnamese-plant-based-influencer-makes-even-haters-love-tofu?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 04:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson “Exercise every day and just don’t ever stop” is Argie Ligeros’ top advice on living and ageing well for her more than 135,000 Instagram followers. The 71-year-old yoga teacher, author and fitness influencer swears by this approach to stay youthful and vibrant herself: she looks decades younger than her age, and is the same size and weight as she was in her twenties. From her home in the US state of Colorado, Ligeros’ yoga and wellness teaching, grounded in her life experience, has inspired tens... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3334998/how-71-year-old-yoga-teacher-argie-ligeros-looks-and-feels-so-much-younger-her-age?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3334998/how-71-year-old-yoga-teacher-argie-ligeros-looks-and-feels-so-much-younger-her-age?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 04:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson American entrepreneur turned biohacker Bryan Johnson is no stranger to esoteric self-experiments in the quest to live a longer life, from injecting Botox into his genitals to receiving blood plasma infusions from his teenage son. But this month he took a trip of sorts, streaming live on social media his experience of taking psilocybin, a psychedelic ingredient found in magic mushrooms, as a longevity therapy. The 48-year-old founder of the Don’t Die movement wore a brain activity monitor to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3334337/could-magic-mushrooms-help-us-live-longer-what-biohacker-bryan-johnsons-test-showed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3334337/could-magic-mushrooms-help-us-live-longer-what-biohacker-bryan-johnsons-test-showed?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 11:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson An obsession with dietary supplements is a relatively recent trend, tied to a spike in social media promotion and a growing interest in longevity, and perhaps partly driven by the seductive idea of a “silver bullet” for an ageing population. Supplements are a serious business: the global market is expected to more than double from US$203 billion last year to US$454 billion by 2035. A-list celebrities Jennifer Aniston, Hailey Bieber, David Beckham, Joe Rogan and others endorse supplements that... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3333493/what-are-best-supplements-expert-advice-what-works-and-what-doesnt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3333493/what-are-best-supplements-expert-advice-what-works-and-what-doesnt?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 23:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Former Hongkonger Michelle Hale was 14 when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, a chronic disease in which the body does not produce enough insulin. Untreated, it causes high blood sugar levels, which can cause organ damage and increase the risks of seizures, heart disease and strokes. Treatment requires a daily regimen of insulin. Type 1 diabetes is not fully understood, but it is an autoimmune disease that seems to start with a genetic predisposition. An environmental trigger, possibly a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3332423/woman-shares-diabetes-journey-raise-awareness-inspire-others-live-full-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3332423/woman-shares-diabetes-journey-raise-awareness-inspire-others-live-full-life?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 11:15:07 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson The online world has opened a floodgate of sexual content for young people, often leaving their parents seeking relevant ways to talk about consent, boundaries and healthy relationships. For many, the first sign of trouble happens in their children’s bedrooms: walking in on them watching pornography, overhearing crude conversations with friends or noticing a sudden change in their attitude and behaviour. Relationship counsellor and certified clinical sexologist Dr Martha Tara Lee, based in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3331580/how-talk-children-and-teens-affected-early-exposure-sexual-content?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3331580/how-talk-children-and-teens-affected-early-exposure-sexual-content?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 04:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Vishen Lakhiani, the Malaysian CEO and founder of Mindvalley, a personal growth and online learning platform, and an author of bestselling self-help books, has been based in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, since 2020. Although the 49-year-old starts his day with meditation and vegetable juice, as an entrepreneur, the level of wellness that he aims to achieve is not within easy reach. “Simply going to the gym requires an hour round trip,” he says. Recognising the importance of wellness in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3330077/what-does-future-wellness-look-luxury-communities-you-can-live?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3330077/what-does-future-wellness-look-luxury-communities-you-can-live?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Oct 2025 11:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Could the reason for your irrational anxiety, depression or chronic fatigue lie not in your life, but in the traumas experienced by your great-great-grandparents? Once dismissed as pseudoscience, the field of ancestral healing has moved beyond the fringe and is trending on social media, such as on the Instagram account @sacredancestry, which has 165,000 followers. It is also gaining mainstream traction, thanks in part to the science of epigenetics – the study of how environmental influences,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3329099/what-ancestral-healing-how-inherited-trauma-could-affect-your-health-and-useful-tips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3329099/what-ancestral-healing-how-inherited-trauma-could-affect-your-health-and-useful-tips?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 04:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Move over members-only clubs that offer boozy lunches and late-night parties. A new generation of longevity-focused private members’ clubs is catering to individuals who, inspired by American serial entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, aim to defy mortality. Converging on the axes of luxury and wellness, these clubs offer an elite group of members access to advanced diagnostics, genetic testing and anti-ageing biohacking tools, from infrared saunas to cold plunges and much more. Membership comes at a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3322646/want-live-longer-these-exclusive-clubs-aim-help-heres-what-they-offer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3322646/want-live-longer-these-exclusive-clubs-aim-help-heres-what-they-offer?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Ahead of her 50th birthday, American internist Dr Lisa Larkin, an expert in menopause management, had been doing all the right things to live a long and healthy life, including having regular mammograms. Her most recent routine scan had turned up nothing untoward. Given the all-clear, she went off on a camping trip with her children to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa’s highest peak. It was on this trip in late 2013 that she felt a large mass in her breast. The routine mammogram had... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3321814/how-doctor-battled-breast-cancer-then-menopause-and-found-love-along-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3321814/how-doctor-battled-breast-cancer-then-menopause-and-found-love-along-way?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Aug 2025 00:15:07 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Has anyone ever told you to “stop being so sensitive” or to “toughen up”? If you are regularly accused of being too sensitive, you may be a highly sensitive person (HSP), among an estimated 15 to 30 per cent of the global population. “I was told my entire life I was oversensitive, or being overdramatic,” says Catherine Asta, an author, psychotherapist, and founder and host of The Late Discovered Club, a podcast that gives voice to autistic women. Asta is autistic, something that was identified... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3319941/are-you-highly-sensitive-person-how-you-can-tell-and-why-it-can-be-gift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3319941/are-you-highly-sensitive-person-how-you-can-tell-and-why-it-can-be-gift?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 00:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Jeff Galloway tends to be pretty low-key about birthdays, but on July 12 this year, things were decidedly different: the inspirational American Olympian runner turned 80. “I guess this year, because it had a zero on the end, I got a lot of nice messages – a few thousand actually,” he laughs from his home in Florida, where he lives with his wife of 50 years, Barb, who shares his passion for running. To say Galloway has had a positive impact on the take-up of competitive running would be an... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3319387/how-olympian-jeff-galloway-still-running-marathons-80-he-trains-his-237th?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3319387/how-olympian-jeff-galloway-still-running-marathons-80-he-trains-his-237th?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Jul 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Novak Djokovic is lauded for his dazzling tennis game and acute mental resilience on the court, and holds the record for the most weeks spent as world No 1 – 428 of them from 2011 to 2023. “It doesn’t happen by accident,” the 24-time grand slam champion told the Post. The 38-year-old Serbian spent much of the first two weeks of July on Centre Court at Wimbledon in London, seeing off rivals including Italy’s Flavio Cobolli and Australian Alex de Minaur, before finally being knocked out by the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3318533/novak-djokovic-reveals-his-health-diet-and-wellness-secrets-how-he-stays-peak-form?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3318533/novak-djokovic-reveals-his-health-diet-and-wellness-secrets-how-he-stays-peak-form?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jul 2025 00:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Veteran mountaineer Petra Thaller does not easily accept defeat – especially from cancer. In 2014, the German mother-of-two, then aged 53, was hiking the Carstensz Pyramid – also known as Puncak Jaya – which at 4,884 metres (16,024 feet) is Indonesia’s highest peak. She found it odd that she felt so tired on the climb. At one point, while crossing a river, she hurt her breast, which immediately swelled up and felt tender and sore. On her return to Germany, her doctor found five malignant tumours... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3316766/how-exercise-helps-cancer-survivors-stay-alive-and-thrive-and-1-way-boost-vo2-max?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3316766/how-exercise-helps-cancer-survivors-stay-alive-and-thrive-and-1-way-boost-vo2-max?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jul 2025 00:15:09 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson By the time her younger son Dan was 16, the online world had already transformed the landscape of the average teenager, both inside and out, Fiona Spargo-Mabbs says. “It meant Dan and his friends – without me knowing about anything other than the party nearby he’d asked permission to go to – could message one another online to meet, find their way to an illegal rave that had been organised through social media, and on the way there take a drug I’d never heard of, which was easily available by... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3310483/how-social-media-can-be-terrible-teens-and-people-fighting-back-bans-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3310483/how-social-media-can-be-terrible-teens-and-people-fighting-back-bans-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 May 2025 23:45:08 +0000 Cancer patient Jessica Ainscough, an Australian wellness entrepreneur, made the wrenching choice to turn her back on prescribed oncology treatment – amputating her arm. She had epithelioid sarcoma, a rare form of the disease. The Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar is loosely based on her story. Ainscough instead turned to Gerson therapy, an alternative cancer treatment that involves patients following a strict two-year organic juice regimen – drinking up to 13 glasses of fresh juice a day,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3305182/alternative-cancer-treatment-gets-spotlight-netflixs-apple-cider-vinegar-can-it-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3305182/alternative-cancer-treatment-gets-spotlight-netflixs-apple-cider-vinegar-can-it-work?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Apr 2025 20:15:08 +0000 Blacksmithing classes. Retro vinyl record players in hotel rooms. Board games at the phone-free dinner table. The movement towards an analogue revolution – or perhaps counter-revolution – is gathering pace. Could this year be the year we say goodbye to our “smart” lives and joyfully embrace a “dumber” one? Beth McGroarty, research director at Florida-based non-profit organisation Global Wellness Institute, believes people are getting more serious about logging off for digital pauses in 2025. She... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3300337/farming-phone-free-retreats-analogue-wellness-new-digital-detox-trend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3300337/farming-phone-free-retreats-analogue-wellness-new-digital-detox-trend?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Feb 2025 23:45:09 +0000 It’s the evening before the rodeo and 18-year-old Kaydee Brinas is steeling her nerves, having just saddled up her horse, Frenchie, and roped him outside the barn. Brinas works as a wrangler at Lone Mountain Ranch, a dude ranch with a history dating back to 1915, in Big Sky, Montana, in the United States, and since the age of 10, she has competed in rodeos as a barrel racer; running a cloverleaf pattern around barrels, aiming for the fastest time. In 2023, Brinas was crowned barrel racing... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3300334/skill-passion-and-derring-do-art-rodeo-montana?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3300334/skill-passion-and-derring-do-art-rodeo-montana?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Feb 2025 01:00:15 +0000 For most women, menopause – the stage in life when monthly periods stop and the ability to get pregnant ends – starts between the ages of 45 and 55. For about one per cent of women, however, premature menopause kicks in before the age of 40. Globally, that is about 5.8 million women between the ages of 30 and 39. Claire Blackshaw was among them. She was 32 and enjoying life in Hong Kong when, she now realises, she first experienced signs of premature menopause. When Blackshaw got her diagnosis... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3295192/her-premature-menopause-went-undiagnosed-shes-telling-her-story-help-other-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3295192/her-premature-menopause-went-undiagnosed-shes-telling-her-story-help-other-women?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jan 2025 09:15:08 +0000 A fully immersive wellness retreat can be hugely therapeutic. It was for 43-year-old life and business coach Lynda Williams, who in 2023 returned to Britain after 14 years living in Singapore. Following the end of a relationship in 2024, Williams decided to take her heartbreak into her own hands and checked into a five-night retreat in Greece, at Euphoria Retreat in Mystras, joining its Emotional Harmony programme. “I’ve always believed healing starts from the head and heart and the rest... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3293874/5-wellness-retreat-trends-2025-sexual-healing-and-psychedelics-horse-therapy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3293874/5-wellness-retreat-trends-2025-sexual-healing-and-psychedelics-horse-therapy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jan 2025 03:15:07 +0000 They are found in cosmetics and cleaning products, apples and chicken nuggets, breast milk – and our brains. From the bottom of the Mariana Trench 10,000 metres (32,800 feet) below the ocean’s surface to the top of Mount Everest, microplastics are everywhere. These plastic particles that are less than 5mm (0.19 inch) in size are broken down from larger plastic items such as bottles or packaging. Synthetic textiles are the biggest source of microplastics, producing 35 per cent of the total,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3286480/how-microplastics-threaten-humans-and-us149-test-see-your-levels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3286480/how-microplastics-threaten-humans-and-us149-test-see-your-levels?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Nov 2024 20:15:07 +0000 What does your Sunday morning look like? For many in Hong Kong, it will be spent nursing a hangover or indulging in a lie-in. For California-born, Hong Kong-based art adviser and open water swimming sensation Edie Hu, Sunday finds her swim-suited on the beach at Repulse Bay at 8.15am, ready for 90 minutes in the sea with a group of like-minded early birds. It is her regular date with the ocean that she never misses. Discovering open water swimming changed her life, Hu, 49, says. She swam... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3283636/why-hong-kong-ideal-open-water-swimming-sport-which-does-mind-and-body-good?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3283636/why-hong-kong-ideal-open-water-swimming-sport-which-does-mind-and-body-good?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Oct 2024 03:15:08 +0000 For 52-year-old American property agent and aesthetician Kathryn Dean, diabetes drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide were key to achieving long-term weight loss – and preventing type-2 diabetes. From the age of 37, Dean’s weight began creeping up until, at 46, she was at her heaviest: 79.8kg (176 pounds), about 18kg higher than her average adult weight. She was diagnosed as prediabetic six years ago. With this condition, also known as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), blood sugar levels are higher... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3283227/miracle-glp-1-agonist-weight-loss-drugs-help-us-woman-shed-18kg-stop-her-prediabetes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3283227/miracle-glp-1-agonist-weight-loss-drugs-help-us-woman-shed-18kg-stop-her-prediabetes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Oct 2024 23:15:08 +0000 Scientist Albert Einstein, actresses Jennifer Aniston, Whoopi Goldberg and Keira Knightley, actor Tom Cruise, author Agatha Christie, businessmen Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, chef Jamie Oliver, artist Andy Warhol, singer Gwen Stefani, composer Wolfgang Mozart and dozens of other great thinkers and celebrities share a common learning disorder: dyslexia. Dyslexia is not due to problems with intelligence, hearing or vision. Individual differences in areas of the brain that process language make... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3281959/dyslexia-superpower-says-richard-branson-learn-how-use-it-become-successful?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3281959/dyslexia-superpower-says-richard-branson-learn-how-use-it-become-successful?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Oct 2024 10:15:08 +0000 As children, we usually look forward to birthdays with glee. As we age, they are more often met with a sense of mildly increasing dread, serving as an annual reminder of our mortality. For Los Angeles, California-based serial entrepreneur turned biohacker Bryan Johnson, the subject of Netflix documentary Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever, birthdays are now celebrated less frequently. Johnson announced in June 2024 to his 808,000 followers on Instagram that he has succeeded in slowing... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3270071/why-bryan-biohacker-botoxed-his-johnson-counter-ageing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3270071/why-bryan-biohacker-botoxed-his-johnson-counter-ageing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jul 2024 10:15:09 +0000 Ozempic for weight loss. IV drips for hangovers. Micro-workouts for fitness. Life-extending supplements. The craze for instant health fixes has Dan Buettner, founder of the Blue Zones, shaking his head. Twenty years ago he showed that longevity is down to long-term lifestyle, with no such thing as a silver bullet. This was the message from the blue zones – five communities, in Okinawa, Japan, Sardinia, Italy, Nicoya, Costa Rica, Ikaria, Greece, and Loma Linda, in the US state of California –... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3267964/how-live-100-and-beyond-blue-zones-healthy-longevity-secrets-spread-new-places?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3267964/how-live-100-and-beyond-blue-zones-healthy-longevity-secrets-spread-new-places?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jun 2024 10:15:09 +0000 If you were a billionaire, what would you eat on your “cheat day”? English property tycoon John Caudwell’s “guilty pleasure” is a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) hot wings, the ones fried in double-breaded coating. He does not feel guilty when eating it, though; he enjoys every mouthful. “When I go bad, I go terrible. Of course KFC is disastrous for your health, it’s trans-fats, non-organic chicken, breadcrumbs … but I don’t feel guilty because I don’t have it more than once a month – I... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3267190/how-age-well-biking-billionaire-john-caudwell-71-steers-clear-sugar-sneaks-kfc?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3267190/how-age-well-biking-billionaire-john-caudwell-71-steers-clear-sugar-sneaks-kfc?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jun 2024 08:15:09 +0000 You can reverse your biological clock with a few small lifestyle changes, and you do not need to spend millions of dollars on the craze to try to live forever. Julie Gibson Clark is living proof of this. The 55-year-old American recently made headlines for her score in an online longevity competition called the Rejuvenation Olympics. Gibson Clark, who lives in the US state of Arizona, has the second-largest age reversal on the leaderboard, which ranks ageing biologically – how “old” your cells... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3264695/can-you-slow-down-ageing-4-women-who-believe-they-can-share-their-top-tips-turning-back-clock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3264695/can-you-slow-down-ageing-4-women-who-believe-they-can-share-their-top-tips-turning-back-clock?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Jun 2024 10:15:14 +0000 Colombian pop star Shakira’s music video for her early hit She Wolf masterfully showcases her toned and sleek body. A great woman behind this great woman helped her achieve this fabulous fitness. Look closer at the 2009 video and as the singer, songwriter, musician, and dancer writhes and curls her toned muscles into all sorts of contortions, there, in the background is backup dancer turned personal trainer and nutritionist Anna Kaiser, responsible for honing those famous hips – and the rest. In... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3263920/we-join-workouts-personal-trainer-who-helps-shakira-alicia-keys-and-kelly-ripa-stay-shape?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3263920/we-join-workouts-personal-trainer-who-helps-shakira-alicia-keys-and-kelly-ripa-stay-shape?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 May 2024 08:15:09 +0000 In this hectic world, we all seem to want more energy – but few are able to easily get it. Learning how to do so, however, can be life-changing. This is the heart of the message Simon Ong delivers. The Malaysian-Chinese former financier quit his job after suffering from burnout and shifted his focus from time management to energy management. He found the approach so rewarding he became a life coach and wrote the self-help book Energize: Make the Most of Every Moment. “Your energy levels... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3262991/8-ways-boost-energy-and-productivity-and-be-less-tired-malaysian-chinese-life-coach-and-authors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3262991/8-ways-boost-energy-and-productivity-and-be-less-tired-malaysian-chinese-life-coach-and-authors?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 May 2024 10:15:10 +0000 Without quantifiable data about your body and the way it metabolises certain foods, making changes to your lifestyle to counteract ageing – or so-called “biohacking” – may be a shot in the dark. This was partly my reason for doing the Zoe test. I kept seeing people with yellow stickers on the backs of their arms, learned about Zoe, and wanted to gain insight into how my body really responds to foods. Tim Spector, a British medical doctor and professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3258182/what-zoe-we-try-nutrition-testing-kit-checks-blood-sugar-and-microbiome-health-and-companion-app?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3258182/what-zoe-we-try-nutrition-testing-kit-checks-blood-sugar-and-microbiome-health-and-companion-app?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Apr 2024 20:15:14 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Malene Rydahl did not realise she had been born into what is considered one of the world’s happiest countries until she moved from Denmark to Paris to become a nanny at the age of 18. She soon discovered that values she had taken for granted at home, such as innate trust in and respect for others, independence, and good work-life balance, were not so widely embraced in other places. She struggled to regain her happiness, and in doing so realised that it can be self-taught and comes from... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3255740/how-be-happy-10-keys-happiness-author-bestseller-about-achieving-it-shes-dane-often-ranked-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3255740/how-be-happy-10-keys-happiness-author-bestseller-about-achieving-it-shes-dane-often-ranked-one?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Mar 2024 20:15:14 +0000 As Lunar New Year festivities wind down after weeks of indulgences – dipping into tempting confectionery boxes, savouring multi-course family meals with auspicious dishes, perhaps sharing a lavish Valentine’s Day dinner or a box of those well-meant chocolates – many of us will have gained a few unwanted kilos. With warmer weather – and swimwear season – looming, getting back into shape may be front of mind. Shedding a bit of excess weight can benefit your overall health by cutting belly fat,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3252792/10-ways-lose-lunar-new-year-weight-and-keep-it-good-according-experts-and-dieting-isnt-one-them?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3252792/10-ways-lose-lunar-new-year-weight-and-keep-it-good-according-experts-and-dieting-isnt-one-them?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Feb 2024 04:15:08 +0000 At the age of 41, Maria Monllor began experiencing an array of alarming symptoms: raging mood swings, weight gain, bouts of insomnia and, to her partner’s dismay, a plummeting libido. “Despite being fit and healthy, I didn’t feel myself. I was confused and depressed,” says the mother of three, who lives in Alicante, Spain. After some research she realised she was experiencing perimenopause, a gradual decrease in oestrogen levels that can last more than a decade before menopause – the end of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3244607/how-menopause-retreats-help-women-alleviate-symptoms-and-7-around-world-consider?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3244607/how-menopause-retreats-help-women-alleviate-symptoms-and-7-around-world-consider?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Dec 2023 10:15:17 +0000 “When I got my period, the pain was so severe I would be throwing up and almost losing consciousness,” recalls Kellie Johnson, a 39-year-old entrepreneur based in North Sydney, Australia, who suffers from severe endometriosis. “Only a small group of friends and family knew what I was dealing with – I wouldn’t go around telling people about how traumatic it was. Even today, not many people would understand.” As many as one in 10 women suffer from endometriosis, according to the World Health... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3241477/throwing-nearly-fainting-endometriosis-affects-one-10-women-heres-how-one-devised-her-own-pain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3241477/throwing-nearly-fainting-endometriosis-affects-one-10-women-heres-how-one-devised-her-own-pain?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Nov 2023 20:15:18 +0000 It was August 2010 and Anisha Oberoi, in her late 20s, had the world at her feet. She had kicked off a career in luxury fashion working for Zegna and had just been offered a place to study an MBA at the prestigious business school INSEAD in France. When she felt a soft, pea-sized lump in her left breast, she did not think it was much to worry about. Still, she went to see two different gynaecologists to have it checked. Both told her the lump was benign. A couple of months later, when she was... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3236888/how-breast-cancer-survivor-built-successful-clean-beauty-platform-goop-middle-east-back-beating?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3236888/how-breast-cancer-survivor-built-successful-clean-beauty-platform-goop-middle-east-back-beating?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Oct 2023 11:15:09 +0000 Natalie Dau was always sporty as a teenager in Perth, Western Australia. But the now-celebrated 51-year-old ultrarunner remembers being debilitated for a few days every month during her period. “It was awful – I’ve had such bad experiences of lying on a footpath at 6am, mid-run, doubled over in pain when I’ve pushed too hard during my period,” she says over Zoom from Singapore, her home for the last two decades with her Welsh husband, Matt, and 14-year-old daughter, Lilliana. “This was the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3234497/how-exercise-around-your-period-ultrarunning-champion-rock-star-arms-teaches-women-sync-workouts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3234497/how-exercise-around-your-period-ultrarunning-champion-rock-star-arms-teaches-women-sync-workouts?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Sep 2023 10:15:09 +0000 Kenneth Kleinberg had it all. A hotshot Hollywood lawyer and founding partner of Kleinberg Lange Cuddy & Carlo, he represented A-listers such as author J.K. Rowling, actors Johnny Depp and Jack Nicholson, musicians Mick Jagger and Toby Keith, and brands such as Lego. At the age of 56, he was as healthy as he was hardworking, with barely a complaint or a niggle. But that all changed in the late 1990s while on a business trip to the French city of Cannes, when he woke one morning feeling puffy and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3228952/synthetic-kidney-transplants-could-be-less-10-years-away-thanks-hollywood-lawyer-stars-who-funded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3228952/synthetic-kidney-transplants-could-be-less-10-years-away-thanks-hollywood-lawyer-stars-who-funded?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jul 2023 20:15:09 +0000 Heather and David Ashley moved to a seaside town in Dorset, southwest England, from Doha, Qatar, in 2019. It was a new start, as David, a fighter pilot, had hurt his back and needed time to recover. At the time, Heather was splitting her time between working as a health coach and looking after her two teenage sons. The British couple could not have foreseen the tragedy that would take David’s life three years later, nor the healing method that would carry Heather through her journey of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3226739/wim-hof-method-how-cold-water-therapy-and-breathing-exercises-help-widow-control-her-grief-build?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3226739/wim-hof-method-how-cold-water-therapy-and-breathing-exercises-help-widow-control-her-grief-build?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Jul 2023 08:15:10 +0000