Wellness

Wellness is big business and why shouldn’t it be – we all have a desire not only to look better, but also to feel better. From your basic face masks to IV drips of collagen and vitamins, it has become a trillion dollar industry. Treatments that were once only available to the stars have infiltrated the average person’s life, but what happens when the reality of wellness falls drastically short of the promise? Ashley Oerman, deputy lifestyle director at Cosmopolitan magazine explained on an episode of Archive on 4 that “wellness is just a sexier word for health. But because it’s been used to market everything from face masks to supplemental powders, basically ‘self-care’ and ‘wellness’ are just words used to sell women things that they don’t need.” Read what they are at the BBC...

You might think breathing is a simple case of in, out, in, out – so easy we do it automatically. However, a new wellbeing trend – with celebrity devotees including Fearne Cotton, Naomie Harris and Kate Hudson – claims that paying attention to how we breathe can transform our health. “It’s game-changing. I’ve been visiting a coach for breathwork for a long time and I get so much out of it,” says Fearne. Good breathing can improve mood, reduce stress and boost energy, as well as helping with health conditions such as asthma and sleep apnea. And best of all, you can do it anywhere, and it costs nothing. Being mindful of your breath is an excellent habit to get into. “Everybody knows how much food and water they should be consuming on a daily basis but very few people think a...

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably seen Kelly Ripa on TV and, at some point, wondered aloud how she has such boundless energy. Ripa, the accomplished day-time talk show host and TV producer, usually looks like she just got 11 hours of sleep. Or consumed several cups of coffee. Or both. I wondered recently how it’s possible that someone who turned 50 this fall could be so incredibly vibrant. After researching Ripa’s wellness routine, I found the key to her vitality. Namely, the TV star approaches diets, workouts, and mindfulness by subscribing to the theory that variety is the spice of life. After trying her routine, I was left surprisingly stress-free, as well. Here’s a closer look at why Ripa’s self-care strategies work so well. Read the story at The Ladders...

From goat yoga to sound baths, the world is full of wellness trends designed to soothe and calm both body and spirit. Now, a self-care practice hailing from the Netherlands is promising practitioners serenity, and perhaps a smile or two. Dubbed “koe knuffelen” in Dutch (literally “cow hugging”), the practice is centred on the inherent healing properties of a good human-to-animal snuggle. Cow cuddlers typically start by taking a tour of the farm before resting against one of the cows for two to three hours. The cow’s warmer body temperature, slower heartbeat and mammoth size can make hugging them an incredibly soothing experience, and giving the animal a backrub, reclining against them or even getting licked is all part of the therapeutic encounter. Continue at BBC Travel

It's safe to say that 2020 has been a challenging year for us all. From turbulent weather to an unyielding pandemic which resulted in economic turmoil worldwide, the events of this year have meant big changes in our day-to-day lives. These changes and adjustments can have a significant impact on our emotional and mental well-being. The reality is that consideration of your mental health needs to be at the forefront of everything you do. This is so because of the direct impact it can have on various aspects of your life, including your finances. It's almost like a cycle; not feeling good can make earning and managing money harder, and at the same time worrying about money can make you feel worse; it can be paralysing. So instead of worrying, let's focus on planning ahead and the simple w...

The new Apple Watch Series 6 includes a sensor that allows the watch to measure blood oxygen levels. The device is a long-awaited addition to Apple’s suite of health tools, but it tracks oxygen levels at the wrist, which can be less accurate than measurements typically gathered at the fingertip. Most oxygen sensors, including Apple’s, measure the amount of oxygen in your blood using light. These devices are called pulse oximeters, and they typically clip on to your fingertip. A standard version sends both red and infrared light through the finger, where there’s lots of blood close to the surface. A protein in the blood absorbs more infrared light when it has oxygen and more red light when it’s doesn’t. A sensor on the other side of the finger calculates how much of each type of light tr...

Shilpa Shetty Kundra has been using Instagram to share her favourite hacks, tips, tricks with her fans. “Social media is a powerful weapon; you just have to know how to use it. It’s a great platform to help me make a difference. That’s why I decided to take the health and wellness route, and I must credit social media—Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and every possible medium that’s helping me spread the word,” she shared in an interview. Here is a sneak-peek into what you can learn. 1) An AM workout can be a great way to start the day Shetty Kundra likes to start her day with a workout. “There's so much uncertainty in life at this point that we need to center ourselves to function normally,” she confirmed in an Instagram post. Keep reading at Vogue India

Robin Fitzsimons has spent multiple decades providing wellness services to residents in southwest Wisconsin. Against the backdrop of that extensive experience, the past five months stand out as a time when people have taken a particularly close look at their well-being. Many industry professionals believe this enhanced attention to wellness could be a silver lining to 2020, a year marked by both social disruption, health concerns and economic turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “I think that many people have reconsidered their wellness in 2020,” Fitzsimons said. “People have been very stressed. And I think, over the time we were shut down, it gave them a chance to slow down and simplify.” Continue reading

Renee MacDonald's life reads like an episode of The Oprah Show: dysfunctional family, sexual abuse, violence and methamphetamine addiction. If it sounds dramatic, that's because it is. But it's hard to square MacDonald's backstory with the healthy, happy 41-year-old sitting opposite me, sipping the peach and green tea kombucha she makes under her Soul Sisters Kombucha label. "I've certainly come from a place of darkness," says Levin-based MacDonald. "I had to hit rock bottom to be able to come out the other side." Today the mother of three is in "an amazing place". "I have a loving relationship firstly with myself but also with my kids and my fantastic partner. My business is doing well, I'm furthering my study in Rongoā (natural Māori medicine) and helping others to manage th...

When Jessamyn Stanley started doing yoga, she felt completely out of place. “I was almost always the only fat person, the only Black person, like I'm very physically different from everyone else in the room,” said Stanley, 33. “It was very alienating.” Despite wanting to quit, Stanley stuck with yoga for the emotional benefits. Nearly a decade later, Durham, North Carolina-based Stanley is a yoga teacher, author of “Every Body Yoga,” and a renowned body-positive wellness influencer who uses her hard-won visibility to flip existing narratives about who belongs in the yoga and wellness world. Wellness, however, still hasn’t come far in terms of inclusion. “To this day, especially if I go to a random class with people that I don't know, there's still a lot of prejudice,” Stanley ...