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Wellness

Wellness
Latest news and features on wellness, including diet, mental health trends, exercise, fitness, medicine and diseases.
Weight-loss injections, which have been approved by Hong Kong authorities for use, have become increasingly popular around the world. Photo: Karma Lo
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Exclusive | No prescription, no problem: Hong Kong’s grey zone for weight-loss injections

Slimming injections cannot be sold or purchased in Hong Kong without doctor’s prescription, but some retailers are operating grey market.

Meditation and how to find balance

Explainer | What is ‘soft January’? New trend helps you start the year with less pressure

Medicine

Weight rebound after stopping Ozempic, Wegovy? Not necessarily, new data says

Social media

Guilty of doomscrolling? Meet the YouTube stars telling you to log off

On YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, influencers like Olivia ‘Unplugged’ Yokubonis and CatGPT are urging doomscrollers to unplug and reset.

Are you stuck in a doomscrolling loop? Influencers like Olivia Unplugged and CatGPT say they can help you break the habit. Photo: Shutterstock
Fashion

How next-gen brands are blending luxury with sportswear

Functional shouldn’t mean unfashionable – as new sportswear brands like Literary Sport, Johanna Parv and Spence are demonstrating.

Veganism and vegetarianism

He had cancer, she had a rare disorder. How two 85-year-olds came out on top

Bob and Fran German share how going vegan changed their lives and helps them keep fit, healthy, full of energy – and sniffle-free.

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Japan

Long and short of it: why Okinawa lost crown as Japan’s island of longevity

Okinawan men fell from first to 43rd while women slipped to 16th in the last life expectancy survey, a slide that is expected to continue.

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Japanese women in Okinawa show off vegetables freshly picked from their garden. Photo: Getty Images
Social media

‘Going analogue in 2026’: how letter writing is making a comeback

Letter writing and writing instruments are seeing a surge in interest as people look for space to reflect and build meaningful connections.

How to age well

The hidden benefits of common vaccines, including reduced dementia, heart risks

Flu, RSV, shingles, Covid and other vaccines have ‘off-target’ benefits for older adults, making them ‘key tools’ for healthy ageing.

Music

‘First Asian woman in hip hop’ went from misfit to managing Wu-Tang members

Sophia Chang moved to New York at 21 and worked with some of the 1990s’ biggest rappers. Now 60, the Korean-Canadian’s aim is to stay strong.

Sophia Chang with RZA (left) and GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, in 2019. After growing up “a yellow girl in a white world”, the Korean-Canadian moved from suburban Vancouver to New York, where she would come to manage hip-hop artists from A Tribe Called Quest to D’Angelo. Photo: Sophia Chang
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | This year, Hong Kong must resolve to rewrite the script for retirement

Any long-term solution requires a re-imagination of retirement – beyond the outdated view of retirees as passive welfare recipients.

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Elderly people do their morning exercises in Fanling on August 17, 2025. Photo: Eugene Lee
How to age well

She lost 13kg in 4 months. Now she’s on a mission to help others get fit

After transforming her own health, Karen Chau started Fit2Give, a Hong Kong charity offering free training to church ministers and NGO staff.

How to age well

The huge benefits of quitting alcohol, from weight loss to slowing ageing

Ex-drinkers and sobriety experts explain how life is better and healthier without drinking as many attempt the same during Dry January.

Science

We rewrite our memories every time we recall a moment. How that can help us

Every time we recall something, it sets off actions that change us and alter our memories – something that could have therapeutic benefits.

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When we recall events, our brain alters that memory, while the memory changes us at the same time. This has many therapeutic possibilities. Photo: Shutterstock
China society

Outside In | We are speeding towards a demography of loneliness

The swarming sociability of family life is fading as one-person households and lonely deaths rise. Coping with loneliness is now a life skill.

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Around the world, more people are growing up as only children; marrying late, if at all; having children late, if at all; and living alone in old age. Photo: Shutterstock
What to do in Hong Kong

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, January 16-18

Loosen up for the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, shop discounted home goods, enjoy special-edition buns and more this weekend.

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Food and Drinks

Hong Kong’s bar scene was extra volatile last year – what’s in store for 2026?

From Bar Leone, to Quinary and Draft Land, the city’s bar scene is increasingly oriented towards simplicity, accessibility and community.

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Tourism

What’s fuelling South Korea’s running boom? A look at the fitness obsession

From office workers to ultra-marathoners, South Korea’s running boom is reshaping streets, travel and retail as millions hit the pavement.

Runners set off during the DMZ International Peace Marathon, in the Demilitarized Zone in Gangwon province, in South Korea, on September 21, 2025. Some 10 million South Koreans now identify as runners, according to industry and tourism data, roughly double the figure from 2015. Photo: The Korea Times
How to cope

Singaporean pro boxer uses skills from the ring to dominate life’s other fights

Efasha Kamarudin credits boxing for helping her build self-confidence, tackle body-size hang-ups and bounce back from new motherhood blues.

How to age well

At 52, she is stronger than ever. How strength training helps women in midlife

Strength training after 50 helps women counter bone loss post-menopause, build muscle and maintain a healthy weight.

Health & Fitness

5 power-ups for 2026 to start your 2026 wellness journey right

Check out apparel and footwear from the likes of Sporty & Rich and American Vintage, then sign up for Apple Fitness+ to stay focused on your goals.

American Vintage is a buzzy French brand with a line of colourful retro fitness looks. Photo: Handout
How to age well

How mobility exercises can help you stay active and healthy as you age

Mobility exercises strengthen your muscles, increase your range of motion, and help you stay healthy in body and mind as you get older.

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Mobility becomes more important as you age, keeping you healthy, and staving off illness and dementia. Photo: Shutterstock
Dementia

Singaporean dementia study links Alzheimer’s to clogged ‘brain drains’

Blocked glymphatic channels, part of the brain’s waste-cleaning network, could be an early Alzheimer’s marker, Singaporean researchers find.

Health & Fitness

How celebrity wellness brands are reshaping self-care

From wellness OG Gwyneth Paltrow, to newer entrepreneurs like Halle Berry, celebrities have shifted their focus from beauty to health.

Veganism and vegetarianism

This Chinese-Vietnamese plant-based influencer makes even haters love tofu

Wendy the Food Scientist is on a mission to make plant-based eating simple, healthy and satisfying – no ultra-processed ‘fake meat’ required.

Wendy Luong, aka Wendy the Food Scientist, shares vegan cooking techniques that are backed by science and rooted in tradition on her Instagram and other social media pages. Photo: Wendy Luong
Hong Kong society

Opinion | Hong Kong’s ageing population needs purpose, not just medical care

Too many among the city’s ageing population struggle on their own due to stigmas around mental health and a lack of targeted policies.

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An elderly woman at Oi Man Estate in Ho Man Tin in October 2025. Photo: Jelly Tse
Mental health

Explainer | It’s not you, it’s the weather: all about seasonal affective disorder

Beat the winter blues – and even summer SAD – with expert tips on light therapy, diet and mindfulness for better seasonal mental health.

Medicine

Why your gut microbiome is so important for health and how to protect it

Bacteria in the gut perform important jobs that help prevent disease, but how to best protect and improve yours? An expert weighs in.

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