Lifestyle

  • Staying afloat in zero gravity is the way to beat City stress
    Wednesday, 10th March 2010
    There’s nothing New Age about relaxing in a floatation tank
    Timothy Barber
    MY abiding image of floatation therapy has always been Absolutely Fabulous’s Edina Monsoon thrashing about ridiculously in a tank in her bedroom. I think she ended up keeping a dolphin in it. Back then, the idea of relaxing by lying in a puddle of water inside what looked like a giant plastic egg seemed just the kind of daft, New Age indulgence designed to appeal to those too stupid and too rich to resist its novelty appeal. How times change. Not only are we so much more receptive to therapies and treatments that drive out stress, but floatation itself has become an affordable, mainstream... [Read more]

  • How to be as healthy as Barack
    Thursday, 4th March 2010
    If you’re nearing 50, it’s time to cut down on those fry-ups
    Zoe Strimpel
    EARLIER this week, the White House released the results of President Obama’s first medical report since he took office. For a 46-year-old man in a stressful job, they were pretty good. The only area... [Read more]
  • I’m trying not to scream at my ex-lover/colleague
    Thursday, 4th March 2010
    VEXED IN THE CITY SOLVING YOUR RECESSION PROBLEMS DEAR VEXED: I had an affair with a colleague that ended recently. He’s now seeing someone else outside work and won’t shut up about it. It’s making... [Read more]
  • How City high achievers are tapping into fresh energy
    Tuesday, 16th February 2010
    If you want to enhance your productivity, lie back and relax
    Zoe Strimpel
    I’M lying in a citrus-scented room near Spitalfields market, a moist herbal mask over my face and eyes. Tinkling oriental music is playing, and a woman in a white, clinical uniform is seated in front... [Read more]

  • INNER PEACE LEADS TO PRODUCTIVITY | OTHER RESOURCES IN LONDON
    Tuesday, 16th February 2010
    The Art of Meditation at the Bishopsgate Institute Modern living is crying out for meditation, a tool that can help you develop a relaxed, alert and focused state of mind and bring about a gentle... [Read more]
  • The right brew can help you beat the winter blues
    Tuesday, 26th January 2010
    Green tea has been shown to combat depression. Other tea can help you too
    Zoe Strimpel
    GREEN tea has been trendy in the West for a while now, along with black-skinned fruits and yoga. But in this case, trendiness does not indicate mere faddishness. There is ever-mounting evidence that... [Read more]
  • Can I discuss my personal issues at work?
    Tuesday, 26th January 2010
    DEAR VEXED: I’m going through a divorce and I can’t help crying at my desk sometimes. I don’t want to be inappropriate, but keeping it all from my colleagues and boss feels bizarre. Should I confide... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Tuesday, 26th January 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    CHRIS OFILI OPENS AT TATE BRITAIN Famous for his works decorated with elephant dung, Turner Prize winning Chris Ofili shows here that he’s an artist of great sophistication for his relatively few... [Read more]
  • Get fit to hit the slopes
    Tuesday, 12th January 2010
    Limber up for your Alpine holiday with a ski-specific fitness regime
    Zoe Strimpel
    SNO CAMP AT VIRGIN ACTIVE The snow motif doesn’t stop with the name of this course: each week’s session will be based on a new theme such as Snow Plough (the beginner’s technique – draining on the... [Read more]
  • Essentials for glowing skin on and off piste
    Tuesday, 12th January 2010
    These luxe products are enriched to keep your skin moist despite the elements
    Zoe Strimpel
    1 Jurlique Moisture Replenishing Mask, £30. Uses groomwell and Sichuan peppercorn to clarify, hydrate and soothe; perfect after a day in the elements. www.jurlique.com 2 Clinique Comfort on Call... [Read more]
  • Ten ways to make your job less stressful this January
    Tuesday, 5th January 2010
    If New Year blues are kicking in, Timothy Barber has solutions for a happier work life
    Timothy Barber
    1. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY It might seem like a mental issue, but stress is the result of the body’s instinctive reaction to a perceived threat – what’s known as the “fight or flight” response, in which... [Read more]
  • Think twice about your resolutions
    Tuesday, 22nd December 2009
    Choosing realistic goals on New Year’s Day is vital for your self-esteem
    Zoe Strimpel
    AFTER a season of excess, it’s no wonder New Year’s Day comes with a hearty dose of self-recrimination and impassioned vows to improve. There’s no doubt that the more your liver is aching, the more... [Read more]
  • Coffee is good for you, but I’m eating broccoli instead
    Tuesday, 22nd December 2009
    Research is interesting but useless
    Jeremy Hazlehurst
    IT SEEMS like only yesterday that we were writing in these pages about how bad coffee is for you. Too many cups a day, we reported, can lead to exhausted adrenal glands, an increased chance of... [Read more]
  • OTHER FUN & HEALTHY THINGS
    Tuesday, 15th December 2009
    SEX According to a study published in the journal Biological Psychology, those who have regular penetrative sex deal better with stress than those who abstain or who engage in other sexual activity.... [Read more]
  • Why fizz is good for you
    Tuesday, 15th December 2009
    Research shows that champagne is just as beneficial for the health as red wine. Good news
    Jeremy Hazlehurst
    JOHN Mortimer, the author who created the scuzzy lawyer Rumpole of the Bailey, used to say that champagne was the secret to a long life. Mortimer drank a glass of fizz every morning, before settling... [Read more]
  • Warning: anger is bad for your heart
    Tuesday, 1st December 2009
    Dealing correctly with rage at work is crucial for physical and mental health
    Zoe Strimpel
    NEXT time you feel you’re going to burst a blood vessel from rage because a colleague undermined you or stitched you up or just generally made you feel crap, think carefully about how you deal... [Read more]
  • Keep your festive drinking in control
    Tuesday, 24th November 2009
    A recent study suggests that drinking more is good for you. It's not
    ZoeStrimpel
    ONE MINUTE we’re told that drinking alcohol in any quantity is bad for us; the next it appears that red wine is like mother’s milk and should be consumed with gay abandon. Only last week... [Read more]
  • How to control Xmas party damage
    Tuesday, 24th November 2009
    Make this the year you don't gain weight
    Zoe Strimpel
    THE revelry of the Christmas season always carries the same sting in its tail: hangovers, weight gain and liver strain. On average, people gain five pounds over the four-week period, the result of... [Read more]
  • Exotic golden oils have become the must-have winter face product
    Tuesday, 10th November 2009
    Put your creams away this season, every beauty afficionado worth her lipstick is opting for a luxurious oil to bring a glow to her face
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    NO longer the domain of incense-infused massage parlours, body and face oils have become the must-have item in the discerning woman’s winter skincare closet. When the mercury drops and your... [Read more]
  • Men: soothe and protect your skin too
    Tuesday, 10th November 2009
    Lend your face a hand this winter
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    ONCE the summer sun disappears, it’s easy for men to forget to take care of their skin. However, the winter can be just as problematic to a gent’s appearance as the sunnier months... [Read more]
  • Ten years younger: why City men are lapping up the botox and lipo
    Tuesday, 3rd November 2009
    No longer a taboo, cosmetic procedures are all the rage for chaps who want to look sharp and healthy
    Zoe Strimpel
    LAST week, Gordon Ramsay admitted that he has had cosmetic surgery to fill in the crevices – smile lines, as he called them – on his chin. The most astonishing thing is not that a man... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Tuesday, 3rd November 2009
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    THE HABIT OF ARTAlan Bennet’s last play for the National Theatre, The History Boys, became an international phenomenon and film. With Richard Griffiths once again in the starring role, similar... [Read more]
  • THE MODERN HEALTH FARMS
    Tuesday, 20th October 2009
    NUBEGINNINGS Devon www.nubeginnings.co.ukPain potential: 9/10 Fun factor: 6/10 The idea: This sleek retreat is among the UK’s more hardcore – it calls itself a “weight loss boot... [Read more]
  • No more pain: how health farms became spas, and we got a bit soft
    Tuesday, 20th October 2009
    The spas of yore were painful, rigorous, and even dangerous. But they sure were effective for those that stuck it out
    Zoe Strimpel
    WITHOUT FAIL, my grandmother and her mother used to go to a “health farm” for a week. It sounded like my idea of hell: a week of deprivation, nothing fun to do or eat. The end results... [Read more]
  • Brunette ambition in tough times
    Tuesday, 13th October 2009
    City Blondes are ditching the bottle in a bid to be taken more seriously
    Zoe Strimpel
    WITH the economic golden days over and the job market still precarious, who has time to spend 72 minutes a day on their appearance? Blondes, apparently, who – according to recent research by... [Read more]
  • IN DEFENCE OF BLONDES
    Tuesday, 13th October 2009
    VICTORIA BATES
    EVER since actress Jennifer Hudson sashayed into a New York cafe in the Sex and the City Movie and failed to recognise the newly-darkened locks of her trend-setting boss Carrie Bradshaw, the world of... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Tuesday, 6th October 2009
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    TURNER PRIZE AT TATE BRITAINIt’s Turner Prize time at the Tate once again, with four more up-and-coming artists staking their claims to the country’s most notable and controversial art... [Read more]
  • Long, dark & handsome
    Tuesday, 6th October 2009
    Great, mascara-enhanced lashes will help you to shine this autumn, writes Zoe Strimpel
    Zoe Strimpel
    IT HAS been said about diamonds, chocolate, red lipstick and Sauvignon Blanc, but mascara really is a girl’s best friend. In a single stroke it adds allure and definition to your eyes which, in... [Read more]
  • Feeding the skin organic veggies, fruit and honey are the new cream
    Tuesday, 29th September 2009
    Edible facials are blazing the trail in elite beauty circles. Zoe Strimpel tried one, and found the results delicious
    Zoe Strimpel
    PORRIDGE was drying stickily on my face and the smell of strawberries wafted towards me, past the little pot of goat’s milk yoghurt by my head. No, I was not the victim of a breakfast explosion... [Read more]
  • A 500 jamboree of wrinkle-busting in Paris
    Tuesday, 8th September 2009
    Science and luxury take on ageing at the Dior Institut. Zoe Strimpel just had to jump on a Eurostar
    Zoe Strimpel
    LIKE most Londoners, I spend a good deal of time rushing to and fro between fume-filled streets, the skin-shrivellingly dry Underground and an air-conditioned office. My face is a receptacle of urban... [Read more]
  • Reasons to be cheerful
    Tuesday, 18th August 2009
    Optimism is healthy, and anyone can learn how to think positively
    Timothy Barber
    IF YOU believe the old Rodgers & Hammerstein song, all you need to do to lift your mood on a bad day is to whistle a happy tune – if only life really were so simple. But it seems that a... [Read more]
  • Spas for the mind are the new cure-all
    Tuesday, 11th August 2009
    The wellbeing industry has gone far beyond plain old pampering
    Zoe Strimpel
    NOT long ago I found myself lying on a Freudian-looking couch in a small, neat room. Rather than a psychoanalyst sitting by my head with a clock and a contemplative expression, there was a lithe... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Tuesday, 11th August 2009
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    GLORIOUS GROUSE AT LE BOUCHON BRETONSpitalfields’ most glamorous – and unabashedly – French restaurant will put a unique twist on game season with a selection of platters that... [Read more]
  • Why the triathlon has become the ultimate water-cooler competition
    Tuesday, 4th August 2009
    The sport will improve your fitness and earn you office bragging rights
    Timothy Barber
    ON A NORMAL weekend you’re more likely to encounter tumbleweed in Docklands than serious signs of human activity. It might have been a bit of a shock this Sunday, then, to have seen 13,000... [Read more]
  • Looking sharp: how to sizzle by the sea
    Tuesday, 21st July 2009
    Pack a few beach-worthy bits and pieces to keep your face looking lovely
    Zoe Strimpel
    LOOKING hot on the beach isn’t just about sweating in your nice new swimsuit. It’s about a look that’s full of glow and colour; strong lashes, peachy, pinky tones and lashings of... [Read more]
  • Coffee is not the miracle drug it's often made out to be
    Tuesday, 14th July 2009
    Despite its possible disease-reversing effects, caffeine can be damaging
    Zoe Strimpel
    LAST week scientists from the University of Florida released a study claiming that coffee can prevent the development of dementia, and even reverse it. When they gave caffeine to mice that had been... [Read more]
  • How a 30-minute workout can help you beat the jet lag blues
    Tuesday, 7th July 2009
    Exercise is the best way to reset your body clock after a long flight
    Zoe Strimpel
    HUMANS were not built to cross multiple time zones in metal tubes flying at 600 mph. Then again, we weren’t built for a lot of the things we do and enjoy – were foie gras and chocolate... [Read more]
  • LONDON Where to revive
    Tuesday, 7th July 2009
    Mandarin OrientalGo for the Ginger Ritual. This jet-lag busting treatment uses a finger pressure technique, whereby the therapist applies pressure to the body’s shiatsu points to stimulate the... [Read more]
  • Pamper your feet with the best pedicures in London
    Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
    If you are going to get your feet out this summer, make sure they are looking their best. Zoe Strimpel investigates the options
    Zoe Strimpel
    Spa Studio at the LanesboroughThe Lanesborough, Hyde Park Corner, SW1X 7TA. 020 7333 7700 THE SETTING: The Lanesborough is London’s last word in hotel luxury. The spa is a hidden chamber in the... [Read more]
  • Make the most of summer learn how to turn the park into a gym
    Tuesday, 2nd June 2009
    London's green spaces have all you need to keep fit and get a tan
    Jeremy Hazlehurst
    I AM standing in Green Park, puffing and panting, my lungs burning. My arms hurt. My legs are heavy. A line of schoolchildren walks past. If I were them, I would probably be pointing and laughing,... [Read more]
  • Boosting your immune system will help you make the most of summer
    Tuesday, 26th May 2009
    Strengthening your first line of defence is all about food and exercise
    Zoe Strimpel
    TO the great vindication of blokes the world over, it seems that man flu may not be a myth after all. Research recently published found that oestrogen boosts the immune system, meaning that ... [Read more]
  • How to keep yourself young and healthy while soaking up the rays
    Tuesday, 19th May 2009
    Zoe Strimpel
    <!--StartFragment--> IT’S all too tempting to run joyfully to the beach or pool without a minute’s delay upon rocking up at your sun-drenched destination. But the glee of having... [Read more]