https://www.scmp.com/rss/502998/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Are you looking to boost your physical and mental health as the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic draws to a close? Movement for Mind, an eight-week audio course from Japanese sportswear giant Asics, aims to improve well-being through a combination of physical exercise and mindfulness techniques. The course was developed with input from seven wellness experts with diverse backgrounds in disciplines ranging from breathwork and sophrology (a stress-relieving meditation method) to music... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3158264/how-improve-your-mental-and-physical-health-eight-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3158264/how-improve-your-mental-and-physical-health-eight-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Dec 2021 22:15:21 +0000 Money: it makes the world go around, it doesn’t grow on trees, and, if the statistics are correct, it’s the root of all … anxiety. Or, at least, a lot of anxiety. Research from the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America 2020 report shows that 64 per cent of US adults see money as a source of stress. A 2020 study designed by the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong found that 65.7 per cent of Hongkongers felt stressed about income or employment this year. Experts suggest that... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3116084/how-stop-worrying-about-money-educate-yourself-practise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3116084/how-stop-worrying-about-money-educate-yourself-practise?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Jan 2021 01:15:04 +0000 What do you do once you’ve run your way around the world? For Nick Butter, there’s only one answer: you keep on running. In November 2019, Butter, 31, a former banker from the UK, became the first person to run a marathon in every single country on the planet after a physically and mentally punishing 674-day expedition that involved running 8,256km (5,130 miles). The story begins in 2016 in Morocco, where Butter, already an accomplished runner with more than 400 marathons under his belt, was... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3110482/first-person-run-marathon-every-country-heres-his-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3110482/first-person-run-marathon-every-country-heres-his-message?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Nov 2020 09:15:17 +0000 Taking the time to stop and smell the roses really could be the secret to happiness, according to new scientific research exploring the emotional benefits of an “awe walk”. A recent US study invited a group of older adults to take weekly 15-minute solo strolls termed “awe walks” for eight weeks, with instructions to tap into a sense of wonder by focusing on the details of their surroundings. When compared to a control group, these walkers experienced greater awe, joy and other positive... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3106818/tap-sense-wonder-focusing-small-things-around-you-nature?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3106818/tap-sense-wonder-focusing-small-things-around-you-nature?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Oct 2020 08:15:19 +0000 In times of heightened anxiety, meditation can help quieten frazzled minds. But what if you constantly struggle to switch off? Well, there is a meditation method for that, too. It’s called “sophrology”, and it has been around for decades. If you haven’t heard of it, you’re not alone: despite being widely practised in France, Switzerland and increasingly in the UK, the practice remains relatively unknown in Asia. So what is it? “Sophrology is a modern form of meditation,” explains Swiss... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3084390/meditation-used-treat-depression-and-ptsd-breathing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3084390/meditation-used-treat-depression-and-ptsd-breathing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 May 2020 07:00:14 +0000 Hong Kong’s dance studios have been closed to the public for weeks, as the city restricts leisure activities to lower coronavirus infection rates. All over the world, from Paris to New York, the music has been paused, with millions of people confined to their homes. But letting loose and dancing could well be more important than ever. “At any time – lockdown or not – having regular physical activity is a really crucial part of looking after our physical health, but also our mental health, and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3079138/dance-away-coronavirus-lockdown-blues-boogie-around-your?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3079138/dance-away-coronavirus-lockdown-blues-boogie-around-your?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2020 12:00:15 +0000 It’s 5am on a bitter Sunday, and I’m standing in a caravan park somewhere on Australia’s Great Ocean Road in Victoria, trying to wiggle the feeling back into my hands. Hundreds of Lycra-clad people are performing eye-popping stretches around me. We are here to sprint along one of the country’s most renowned tourist attractions: a rugged stretch of coastline that starts 100km (62 miles) from Melbourne and makes for a famously scenic drive. But for one weekend each May, it becomes an astonishing... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3048359/5-best-places-marathon-tourism-holiday-runs-benefits-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3048359/5-best-places-marathon-tourism-holiday-runs-benefits-go?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Feb 2020 12:00:06 +0000 January is traditionally a time for waging war on ourselves by banning alcohol, counting calories, and drawing up ambitious workout plans for the coming year. But what if we took a softer approach to 2020, by sleeping through more of it instead? Sleep deprivation is fast becoming a major global health issue, and Asia is by no means immune to the epidemic. A recent survey found that 69 per cent of people in Hong Kong, mainland China, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia aren’t happy with how much... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3043567/cant-sleep-learn-do-it-better-sleep-retreat-luxury-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3043567/cant-sleep-learn-do-it-better-sleep-retreat-luxury-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Dec 2019 21:00:16 +0000 Sinking into the waters of the Andaman Sea, part of the Indian Ocean to the south of Myanmar (Burma), I focused on the coral to my left rather than the impenetrable blackness on my right. Divers call it “The Big Blue”, but all I cared was that it wasn’t hiding a big shark. I squinted hard at a nearby clown fish to calm myself down. It worked. The loud, rhythmic rattle of my breathing, the sensation of weightlessness and the bewitching neon fish darting inches from my face helped to produce a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3040909/how-scuba-diving-can-boost-mental-health-and-mindfulness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3040909/how-scuba-diving-can-boost-mental-health-and-mindfulness?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Dec 2019 21:00:16 +0000