Wild caving, axe throwing, aerial yoga: Step outside your comfort zone with these hobbies
The start of the year is an ideal time to try a new activity or sport – and if it ignites your sense of adventure, so much the better
Health Month
Will exercising my brain keep it in shape?
While there are likely to be positive effects when engaging in stimulating your brain, biology and genetics will play their own significant part in how we age
While a gym mat might be okay for kneeling on, a cross-training machine makes a poor altar
There’s no need for grand new year resolutions: change can be quiet, personal and profound
Aoife was diagnosed with HIV in Australia in 2020: ‘He was unknowingly positive. We had no idea’
New campaign aims to tackle widespread ignorance about HIV, a treatable condition that, contrary to myths, cannot be spread by kissing or using the same utensils
‘My 17-year-old says the panic just takes him over and sometimes he can’t go into school’
We want to support him as best as we can, but we also want him to stay in school
What is HMPV, is it in Ireland, and how worried should we be?
In China authorities say they are dealing with an outbreak of human metapneumovirus – but it is not something to be alarmed about
Conor Pope: What if dry January turned into dry forever? Eight ways life has changed since I stopped drinking in 2022
I would not have considered myself a big drinker and, like so many Irish people, I was lying to myself
Drinking coffee can bring health benefits, but it depends on when you drink it, new study finds
Morning coffee drinkers less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, analysis suggests
‘I don’t know what I am supposed to feel, but surely life needs to have more to it than this’
Tell Me About It: ‘I have all the usual accoutrements of car, house and holidays, and no fears about future finance, but it is not enough’
Be selfish in the bedroom: sex therapists on how to reboot your love life
Six relationship resolutions for the new year from couples counsellors, sex therapists and relationship researchers
Young parents: ‘A lot of them would suffer social anxiety and isolation’
The Teen Parents Support Programme helps young people through pregnancy and with the practicalities of caring for their babies, often while continuing in education or finding suitable accommodation
Doctors share 19 tips for looking after your liver: Don’t drink alcohol every day, but do drink coffee, and lose weight
Here, doctors share their advice on how to keep the vital organ healthy all year round
‘Here I am, a grown adult, who struggles to keep my tears at bay’
Jen Hogan: No way to keep the tears in check but maybe I’ll outgrow it, yet
Regretting being a stay-at-home parent: ‘You’re sitting at home doing housework and you’re bored out of your tree’
Parenting Taboos: Admitting that you feel bored, unfulfilled, or even regret your choice to stay at home with your children is difficult but not uncommon
An Irish cardiologist’s tips on how to ‘make purposeful changes in your life and see them through’
Prof Robert Kelly on how to make healthy heart habits stick
Orla Tinsley: The reality of having to fight for basic rights from all angles is exhausting
Next government needs to urgently implement a rights-based model of disability
Will Robert F Kennedy jnr ‘go wild’ on health issues in the US and how will this play out?
Dr Muiris Houston: Rocky times ahead for US healthcare, with several flagged changes set to have global repercussions
If we really wanted to be good and healthy in 2025, we’d resolve to pester our politicians
Childhood rickets is back in Britain – and it’s not because ill-health is the logical outcome of poor choices
‘Farmers are phoning me to join the fitness classes and I have a waiting list’
The central pillars of the Fit Farmers programme are diet, movement, sleep and stress management for a better work-life balance
Irish health system report card: a year of criticisms, concerns and innovations
From rows about staffing, waiting lists and cost overruns to resignations of senior staff, heathcare was never far from the news headlines in 2024
A sound sleep: Move over white noise – there’s a rainbow of sounds to help you get a good night’s rest
Many are familiar with the static hum of white noise, but there’s a whole spectrum of coloured noises on the market that people are using to help them sleep
Patrick Freyne: I joined a gym this year. Here’s how working out is working out
I’m not entirely sedentary these days. I walk a lot. But recently I was talking to my GP and she suggested that I should also use my arms sometimes
25 ways to improve your health in 2025: Shop less, sleep more and keep a good work-life balance
The new year is a good time to take stock and start to transition to new, healthier habits
Conor Pope’s guide to health insurance: Everything you need to know
Access to consultants, private hospital rooms and reduced waiting times are some of the reasons why it can pay to have private health insurance
‘My ex-wife is tracking my daughter’s mobile phone location when she is with me’
Ask the Expert: It feels like I am under surveillance about my parenting. What should I do? What are my rights about this?
Head-to-foot joint tests you can do to check your mobility
Studies note a link between joint health and longevity and that those with better lower limb mobility are less likely to suffer falls in later life
Magnet fishing: ‘An engagement ring, a gold coin – the crowd willed the fisherman to draw something valuable from the water’
Casting a line for something other than fish is a long-odds game but, fleetingly, all shared a sense of hope
Nine reasons people struggle to build an exercise habit and what to do about it
Experts in exercise science and psychology share their best advice on how to cut through mental blocks
‘My sister’s attitude from the start of her cancer diagnosis was toxic’
Tell Me About It: ‘The family dynamics have always been fractured and are now at an all-time low’
Four thousand days and counting: ‘If you drink, your life expectancy is between one day and six months’
I am still amazed by the imbecility of people who know about my condition but nevertheless say: ‘Surely one little drink wouldn’t hurt you?’
Orla Tinsley: 26 ways you can organise your hospital space to make it safe and soothing
Don’t let healthcare surroundings determine how you feel. Make the space your own with a few home comforts and items of self-care
Oesophageal cancer: ‘People definitely rally around when they think you are going to pop your clogs’
Golfer Pádraig Harrington is proactive about raising awareness of oesophageal cancer, the incidence of which has grown about fourfold in the Western world in the last four decades
‘My two-year-old daughter won’t let me out of her sight’
Ask the Expert: What can I do to help her settle at night without me?
Kate Middleton may have had a very sensible reason for her long hospital stay
Dr Muiris Houston: While there was some speculation online about the princess’s recent diagnosis, she may simply have wanted time to convalesce
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