Health

‘I’m here to help people, which gives me a superpower’: one man’s challenge...

Neil Gilson is undertaking a huge mental and physical task to raise awareness of a neuropsychiatric condition that affected his son Jack The physical effort as he battles currents, coldness and wind is massive, but the mental challenge of ploughing on alone for hours on end is even more testing. Neil Gilson, a father o...

Friday, 12 September 2025

Experience: my babies were born seven weeks apart

After years of miscarriages, I had abandoned the prospect of giving birth. Then, as we prepared to conceive using a surrogate, the impossible happened The first time I miscarried, I blamed myself. After getting pregnant early on in our relationship, at 34, I had a flash of doubt that my partner Alex and I weren’t ready...

Friday, 12 September 2025

I’m exhausted but am surviving. How can I heal from burnout without expensi...

Lots of us are desperate to come off the watch, advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith writes. One strategy might be to cut the corners you can Read more Leading questions How can I heal from burnout while having to do the exact same things that contributed to burnout? Over the past seven years I have worked in govern...

Thursday, 11 September 2025

The big stink: is ‘genital anxiety’ behind the rapid rise of whole-body deo...

In the past we would just deodorise our armpits, but now a huge wave of products are aimed at our most intimate areas. Do these serve a need – or just encourage paranoia? Earlier this year, the deodorant brand Sure launched a product to be used on “ta-tas”, “trotters”, and “marbles” (AKA breasts, feet and testicles). “...

Wednesday, 10 September 2025

‘I thought, I can’t keep living with this shame’: five life models on the p...

What is it like to be in a room full of artists who are observing and drawing your naked body? Sitters discuss the freedom and healing they have experienced Craig, 54 (@tattooed_nude) I started life modelling 18 months ago. My mum said: “You’re getting all these tattoos and no one gets to see them.” That triggered s...

Tuesday, 09 September 2025

I’m ashamed of my daughter’s messy garden. Should I say something? | Ask An...

Your concern may be an expression of care for your daughter – but you need to dig down into why you feel like this My daughter, aged nearly 50, lives in a pleasant cul-de-sac of privately owned houses. Her front garden is the only one in it that, frankly, looks a mess. The grass is never cut because she says it’s eco-f...

Sunday, 14 September 2025

My partner won’t pleasure me – and it is making me paranoid

I am happy to give him oral sex, but feel disrespected when he fails to reciprocate. Does this mean the end of our relationship? I am a 56-year-old widow. My husband died two years ago, and I am now in a long-distance relationship with a 55-year-old man. We have been dating for six months. Our sex life is really good, ...

Tuesday, 09 September 2025

Developer wants 63% of retirement flat sale price

My widowed sister-in-law has dementia and we need to sell to fund her care home, but the charges seem excessive The sheltered housing provider Anchor is taking more than 60% of my widowed sister-in-law’s nest egg, which she needs to fund her care home. She and her late husband bought a £59,995 retirement flat at an Anc...

Tuesday, 09 September 2025

‘Cycling tourism is the next big thing’: the long journey to restore a cent...

As retrofitted sections of the Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail begin to open, cyclists are flocking to what one day promises to be Australia’s longest rail trail – and a 271km opportunity for dwindling townships Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news...

Saturday, 06 September 2025

‘I still want to achieve’: people living with stage 4 cancer embrace Chris ...

Inaugural Tour de 4 is tailored to individuals’ physical abilities and aims to challenge assumptions about stage 4 cancer Mel Erwin is pragmatic about what it took to get her on a bike. “I have one and a half lungs. I’m on a treatment drug. I don’t identify as sporty. I wouldn’t have done it without a goal.” This Sunda...

Saturday, 06 September 2025

Britain’s illegal e-bike boom: desperation, delivery drivers – and unthinka...

E-bikes can legally travel at 15.5mph. But the fastest the police have seized was capable of 70mph. What will stop the rise of these souped-up and potentially fatal vehicles? A busy Wednesday morning on Bishopsgate in London and Sgt Stuart Ford of the City of London police is pointing out possible offenders. “He’s not ...

Thursday, 04 September 2025

The best bike locks in the UK for all budgets, unpicked by experts

From coveted Kryptonite locks to lightweight and combination designs, these are the bike locks our experts swear by – as well as tips for keeping your bike safe • In the US? Check out our top-rated bike locks there Few among us do not have a tale of a stolen bike: you leave work with your helmet fastened or come out of...

Friday, 29 August 2025

I cut up 15 bike locks to find the best in the US. Here are my favorites

From U-locks and folding locks to heavy-duty chains, we tested 15 bicycle locks – with an angle grinder! – to find out which offer real protection • In the UK? Check out our top-rated bike locks there You are 2.5 times more likely to have your bike stolen than your car. And as tools such as cordless angle grinders – wh...

Friday, 29 August 2025

‘Your nether regions will know if you’ve skimped’: 16 summer cycling essent...

Saddling up for summer? Here’s the kit to keep you cool, comfortable and chafe-free • Hit the road with the best bike panniers and handlebar bags Cycling is one of the most rewarding activities around. It’s good for your physical and mental health, offers a carbon-free way of getting from A to B, and can often be the q...

Sunday, 10 August 2025

From the archive: Bicycle graveyards: why do so many bikes end up underwate...

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2022: every year, thousands of bikes are tossed into rivers, ponds, lakes and canals. What’s behind this mass drowning? By Jody Rosen. Read by Masud Milas Continue r...

Wednesday, 30 July 2025

The one change that worked: I hated exercise – until I put a bike in front ...

The rule is: no telly unless I’m working out. So I pedal moderately while the football is on, and sprint during the ad breaks. I’ve never had more energy Ever since a nasty concussion stopped me playing rugby when I was 18, I struggled to exercise regularly. I tried plenty of workouts, dabbling in everything from Cross...

Monday, 21 July 2025

Hackney birdsong? Stolen Lime bikes the new sound of summer in the city

Some in an east London park say they like the incessant beeping, but others that it’s an indication of low-level crime Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Was that exhausting to read? Well, imagine if that noise was the soundtrack to your summer. To the ire of many city dwellers this year, it is. The piercing and persi...

Sunday, 20 July 2025

Remote and accessible: cycling New Zealand’s West Coast Wilderness Trail

Cyclists of varying abilities can tackle the 133km track, which hugs glacial rivers, pebbly beaches and mossy forests New Zealand’s remote West Coast Wilderness Trail is something of an oxymoron: accessibly wild. It sounds nonsensical, but that’s exactly the experience. The gently undulating gravel trail in the country...

Friday, 13 June 2025

‘No place in children’s hands’: under-16s in England to be banned from buyi...

Government to ban sale of energy drinks with more than 150mg of caffeine, citing concerns over obesity and lack of concentration Under-16s in England will be banned from buying energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster because they fuel obesity, cause sleep problems and leave them unable to concentrate. Health experts...

Tuesday, 02 September 2025

Exercise and therapy can mend a broken heart, study suggests

Takotsubo syndrome can lead to heart failure and early death. But doctors now believe it can be treated Doctors may have discovered the secret to mending a broken heart in a world-first clinical trial. Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are living with takotsubo cardiomyopathy, known as broken heart syndrome, wh...

Saturday, 30 August 2025

Exposure to some Pfas could increase risk of multiple miscarriages – study

Research tracking about 200 women found those who had at least two miscarriages had higher levels of chemicals in their blood Exposure to some toxic Pfas “forever chemicals” may increase the risk of having multiple miscarriages, new peer-reviewed research has found. The study, which tracked about 200 women in China, fo...

Sunday, 24 August 2025

Baby food firms given 18 months to improve quality of products in England

Government issues voluntary guidance calling for less sugar and salt amid concerns over nutritional value Baby food manufacturers have been given 18 months to improve the quality of their products in England, amid mounting concerns that leading brands are nutritionally poor. The new voluntary guidance from the governme...

Thursday, 21 August 2025