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Experience: my yoga class turned out to be a cult

I was 22 when I moved to a different US city and needed a new yoga studio. I discovered a place that believed in eastern mysticism – perfect for an open-minded spiritualist, which was how I saw myself at the time. I walked in and a young woman was very excited to see me. She paid attention to my every word, making me feel cared about. I then met with a “master”, who informed me I was in very poor energetic health and needed to sign up right away. The classes were quirky. We’d do 40 minutes of exercise and meditation to a mix of new age flute music and Michael Jackson. It was far less pretentious than the yoga studios I had visited before. I decided to join for the haggled price of $100 (£79) a month. During my second class, the teacher gave me a healing massage, rubbing my chest with both hands. I started to cry. A friend had killed herself a few weeks before and I was probably more emotionally raw than I realised. As I got better at yoga, the masters told me I had potential. Wit
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BAME women make up 55% of UK pregnancy hospitalisations with Covid-19

More than half of pregnant women who were admitted to hospital with coronavirus in the UK were from a black and minority ethnic background, a study has found, prompting experts to issue guidance for midwives to remain on high alert and lower the threshold for diagnosis by medical professionals. The study found that 55% of pregnant women admitted to hospital with coronavirus from 1 March to 14 April were from a BAME background. The findings show women from a BAME background were four times more likely to be hospitalised with coronavirus than white women. The study suggests that for pregnant women, being from a BAME background is a stronger predictor of the likelihood of being hospitalised with coronavirus than age and obesity. The “troubling” data prompted the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) to develop new guidance for midwives and maternity support workers to ensure that they are aware of the increased risks for BAME women and that there is a lower threshold for investigating sym
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Fit in my 40s: how to keep bored kids fit at home

The best piece of advice I ever had on keeping kids fit at home was from Joe Wicks, the guru of these things: start them young. There are things you can persuade a four-year-old to do with a sticker that, by the time they are six, would be more like a quid; if you wanted to bribe a 12-year-old to do a daily plank, from a baseline of no-daily-plank, that would cost you roughly £1m. Unfortunately, to really make use of this excellent advice, I would have to go back to 2013. I have two 12-year-olds and one 10-year-old. The older two are less biddable, but each has a sport (C has karate, TJ has tennis and cycling) and some semblance of a sport ethic to go with it. The youngest has nothing of the sort. We used to call her H the Quitter, and don’t write in to explain why that is wrong because we knew it was wrong at the time. To concentrate on the big ones: stick to their sport and make it their thing. Even the most rebellious soul cannot help forming habits; if there is any livestreamed
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Pinch and be patient: how to treat a nosebleed

Nosebleeds are normally a result of a ruptured blood vessel in the nose. Common causes include picking or blowing your nose, sneezing vigorously and high blood pressure. Do not lie down or tilt your head back, as the blood will drip into the back of your throat and block the airway. Sit down, lean forward and pinch the soft part of the nose. You can use an ice pack or frozen peas in a tea towel on the bridge of the nose if you want to, but it is not normally necessary. Pinching the soft part of the nose helps to form a clot and stop the bleeding. Pinch for 10 minutes, then let go to see if it has stopped. If it has not, pinch again. If the bleeding is severe or lasts for more than 30 minutes, or if you are on blood-thinning tablets (which would cause you to lose a lot more blood), you should seek medical help. If the nosebleed has been caused by a head injury, the blood may be thin and watery, which could mean fluid is leaking from around the brain. This could be a sign of a signif
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How to maintain healthy cholesterol levels

The first challenge is pursuading people to get their cholesterol tested. The second is making sure they get it done by a healthcare professional, whether that is with a GP or a practice nurse, or at an NHS Health Check. Some pharmacies and supermarkets are starting to offer tests, and there are local initiatives, too. Symptoms of high cholesterol show only when you are starting to get heart disease as a result: you build up a lot of fatty plaque in your arteries, start to experience shortness of breath, chest pains or angina. By that point, the condition is irreversible – and the earlier in life you have a heart attack or stroke, the worse your long-term outcomes are. Prevention is absolutely better than cure. Most people can start with lifestyle factors. As a nation, we know we are not as active as we should be, that we are increasingly overweight and that our intake of saturated fats is too high – that leads to our cholesterol levels being too high. For most people, the first st
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Fitness tips: rowing for beginners

Push, don’t pull It’s a common misconception that rowers have big arms, but rowing is a mainly legs-based sport. Master the sequence of using your legs first when you’re taking a stroke, followed by your hips, and finally pulling your arms. Practising on an indoor rower can be great to improve your technique and fitness before heading out on the water. Build your confidence We use drills to teach new rowers confidence in the boat before they get moving. Try turning your boat 360 degrees as fast as you can, or rocking it side to side, touching the riggers into the water as many times as you can in 30 seconds. It’s a great way for beginners to get used to the wobbling of a boat. Team up Using a crew boat, such as a double or quad, can be a great way to practise: the crew can “sit” the boat by not rowing, so you don’t have to worry about the balance. This is the best way to take full strokes while you’re learning. Farewell to the 2010s… … will the 2020s offer more hope? This has been
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Vegan runners: can a plant-based diet provide what you need to compete – and win?

“In 2004, I was the only vegan in the village,” says Fiona Oakes, a multi-world-record-breaking marathon runner. “But now you see vegan runners everywhere.” An animal lover who set up her own animal sanctuary, Oakes started a running club called Vegan Runners in 2004. The idea came about after she saw the long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe on TV and spotted an opportunity. Oakes was a good runner and thought that, if she got faster, she could end up alongside Radcliffe at the start line of the London marathon, on national television, with the words “Vegan Runners” emblazoned across her vest. “It was a way of showcasing the cause,” she says. “I’d been vegan since I was six years old. I’d lost my kneecap from an illness when I was 17 and been told I would never run again. If I could do this as a vegan, it showed that anything was possible.” Back then she was a lone crusader, trying to introduce people to the word “vegan” in a positive way. “Rather than cause disruption and be in
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