The ministry of clown
When the same-old gym regime begins to bore you, workouts get you down, and your get-up-and-go has got up and gone, there are other ways to improve body and mind... at the circus

Sound body, sound mind
Is exercise the key to not only a smarter existence, but also a
sunnier disposition and an all-round more wholesome outlook on life?

Healthy junk food
Ditching fast food may seem like an uphill struggle, but with a little imagination and effort, you can still have your cake and eat it

Fantasy Island
While many resorts boast of their credentials, Conrad Rangali Maldives delivers in spectacular style, offering not only the best that nature can provide, but also a spa menu you can’t help but get relaxed about

Methods of massage
To relax, heal, or just for peace of mind, massage is the most popular treatment available at your typical day spa. But with a variety of styles and benefits on the menu, opting for the right one can be a challenge

The epitome of well-being
Building a name for itself through hard work and expert knowledge,
Sharanis Spa in Abu Dhabi is well equipped to provide a full day of pampering

Earn more, spend more, want more
Allergies are an everyday occurrence, less shocking truth, more universally-accepted annoyance. But what about those put-upon with unusual afflictions that ultimately affect the way they live and moreover, their health?

Unorthodox ailments
Allergies are an everyday occurrence, less shocking truth, more universally-accepted annoyance. But what about those put-upon with unusual afflictions that ultimately affect the way they live and moreover, their health?

Buried alive
Causing its victims to be entombed in their bodies, fully conscious but unable to communicate with the outside world, locked-in syndrome remains one of the most terrifying diseases, of which there is no cure

Beating lethargy
A condition often misconstrue for apathy and idleness on closer inspection reveals something that, if left untreated, could take control of your life

Sleeping beauty
Making it through the day on little or no sleep is an ordeal we could all do without. Thankfully help is at hand, meaning we can, hopefully, all rest easy

Put the needle on it
To many people, running up stairs is a chore brought on by a boken lift, to vertical marathon runners it’s a sniff off competition and a sprint to glory

The great relationship healers
When we’re having problems with our spouse and things aren’t looking rosy, we’re all too quick to run to relationship counsellors... but do they really work, or are they just cogs in a multi-billion Dirham industry?

Shifting harmony
You may never have thought it, but changing your life may be as easy as moving your furniture

Race you to the top?
To many people, running up stairs is a chore brought on by a boken lift, to vertical marathon runners it’s a sniff off competition and a sprint to glory

Functional food
We eat to survive, yet we rarely know what’s in the food we put into our bodies. GOODLIVING decided to get to the bottom of our nutritional dilemmas

Self Liberation
Yoga is an art often dismissed as being too ‘new age’ for the moral majority. Thankfully, acclaimed practitioner Katy Appleton is breaking down some barriers and emancipating both body and mind in the process

The appeal of aromatherapy
Aromatherapy has come a long way in the 4,000 years or more since
it was first discovered. Commonly associated with massage, it’s not only an excellent form of relaxation, but also a leading factor in completing your inner chi

Feeling the strain
Injuries in the workplace can lead to a barrage of disastrous consequences. Physical and mental conditions can be contracted and developed, leaving little to look forward to in your nine-to-five

By royal appointment
As Madara Spa arrives in the region, only the regal highs
of the Monarch Dubai could be fitting to host the ultimate in relaxation

Special spa situations
The more spa treatments become easily accessible and popular, the more fierce the race becomes to find new and exciting ways of maintaining a healthy glow, even if it is with bird poop

How to be happy
A life of fun and contentment is out there, you just need to know where to look

Playground psychology
Although seemingly a lifetime ago,
just what effect did our school years have on who we are today?

Mother knows best
Don’t do that, you’ll go blind. You shouldn’t eat sugar, you’ll get worms. Don’t touch frogs, you’ll get warts. The list is endless. By becoming the biggest spoilsport on Earth she tries to look after you, but does mother really know best?

Take me to the other side
We’ve all been told about the bright light at the end of the tunnel appearing when we die, do we walk towards it and risk never coming back, or run in the opposite direction, and fast? GOODLIVING finds out what near death experiences are trying to tell us

Witness the fitness
In a country where excess seemingly rules every aspect of our lives, a growing number of health and fitness options are preaching a different mindset. Mefit08 is coming, and with it a life changing opportunity

My name is Gym, and I’m an addict
The lure of a spandex-clad gym instructor is all too much to bear, so heed our advice and if you feel yourself slipping into the muscle-bound grasp of a gym addiction – get out fast, it’s a situation best avoided

How to save a life
First aid techniques are relatively simple to learn and can mean the difference between life and death. So why is it so few of us really know any?

Executive stress release
Located in the heart of Dubai International Financial Centre, Urban Male Lounge is providing a business class service to a rapidly increasing clientele

Maven marvellous
For a traditional Balinese hideaway, there’s no better place than Maven Spa. From the charming little Uptown Mirdiff Mall, walk into a world of relaxation and peace

Will power required
Bad habits we pick up from childhood can often seem impossible to shift. Thankfully GOODLIVING puts an end to the evil glances from friends, as you refreshingly crack your knuckles, with a rundown of the most common habits and advice on how to cut them out

Designing your detox
Detox often seems like a dirty word, sending shivers down the spine of cake-lovers and pie-munchers everywhere. The typical foods that spring to mind are rice, dry brown bread and the occasional apple. It’s time to shatter the myth and get to the bottom of the detox diet

Sick day
You’re there almost every day, spend most of your waking hours there and are under constant threat from bugs, viral conditions and illness. GOODLIVING takes a look at how the office environment is slowly making us ill

The secret of life
Why the secret of youth lies not in your age, but in your state of mind and outlook on life

Written in the stars
The mystery of a psychic goes deeper than a crystal ball and tarot cards. Having your palm read is seen by many as a form of guidance and spiritual tug in the right direction. GOODLIVING fixed one eye on the future to find out more

Female fitness crisis
Female sport is something that suffers by comparison, beaten to the headlines by male-dominated competition. This negative and ultimately harmful standpoint is pushing the destructive notion that only boys should turn up to play, and the ramifications may well be serious

Eating for the gym
Finding the right diet to maximise your gym session is a minefield of do’s and don’ts. Luckily GOODLIVING has delved deep into the subject to offer a helping hand

Beating the odds
Death is written in the book of life, on some immutable plaque, beside birth. Some of us will have no idea when the game will end, many know only too well, with terminal disease often the deciding factor. Thankfully, some medical types have ideas for change

IBS enigma
Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS, does not fall well on the ears. It’s a condition that will change your life. Diagnosis will push most to banish all memory of their favourite curries, spices and hot foods – but is it necessary?

Comic relief
While jokers and clowns run amok at the circus, GOODLIVING discovers that aside from their big shoes and eerily scary faces, they may have discovered a technique that could improve our way of life

The Maldivian experience
Offering an escape to paradise when you’re already surrounded by tranquil bliss was never going to be easy. However the Aquum spa, set in the heart of the Maldives, seems to be handling things with ease

The allure of Angsana
Named after a statue-like tree in the rainforests of Asia, the Angsana Spa is in full growth, offering luxury and space with award-winning treatments

Singing the seasonal blues
As the year draws to an end, so does our good mood. What is it about January that makes us all want to stay in bed rather than face the world? The blues kick in for at least a month and nobody can escape them

Don’t believe the hype
Conspiracy theories are everywhere and for each news story you see and hear, another will be furtively planting seeds of doubt into every mind it reaches. How do we separate fact from fiction and just how far are people willing to go in order to believe?

E-therapy
In a virtual age the countdown has begun to a life online. Even therapy sessions can now be conducted over the web but does the emailed advice compensate the lack of human contact?

Fear and loathing
Delving deep into your subconscious can provoke phobias to many ordinary objects. As GOODLIVING found out, it’s often the most bizarre that are the most fascinating

Lessons in life
What we aspire to be doesn’t always go according to plan, dreams of the future turn to dust without the motivation to exceed. Who better to push and boost our spirits than a certified life coach, a pro with all the answers

Back to the gym
Changing your lifestyle to accommodate a new fitness regime is a plan many people follow at the turn of the year, but without the correct technique you could soon find yourself on the treatment table. Local sports Therapist, Victoria Roper, explains

Salsa – flirting with exercise
A new craze of salsa is stroking through Dubai. Much more than just a bit of needless leg movement, this can also be a great way to keep fit.

Movement for the jilted generation
“He’s going to jump – someone stop him!” This is a common reaction to the sight of someone atop your local high-rise building. But these creatures are not considering an early exit. They are parkour - a movement that allows those with seemingly inhuman ability membership to a mentality that suggests the normal lines are dated and boring

Meals for the mind
In a world of fast food and microwave meals, the easy option is generally the worst for our well-being. GOODLIVING looks at how to make the most of your diet and the grub best suited to stimulating the brain

Unfunny bones
An often hard-hitting illness that can have a shattering effect on not just the sufferer but also their family, arthritis affects millions and yet there is still no real cure

A wider state of subconscious
GOODLIVING examines the art of hypnotherapy and discovers a technique with life changing potential

Drug repping - a dirty game
Medicine and drugs are essential throughout life. While at times self-administered,
most will come on recommendation of your local GP or specialist. We take it for granted that these people, as medical professionals, are doing what is right for us – the patient. It never crossed our minds that the doctor passing you pills could actually be trying to meet their quota for a certain pharmaceutical company. A notion that begs one serious question – just who is prescribing our medication?

Reduce, reuse, recycle
Our planet has been robbed of its resources, poisoned with our waste and thoughtless mentality. Recycling garbage is a practical way to curb the problem, so just why are people avoiding it?

Oriental bliss
In a city where speeding mopeds and market stalls are found on every street corner, escape is easily found in the stunning Oriental Hotel on the Chao Phya riverside in Bangkok. One of the most famous hotels in the world needs no introduction, so GOODLIVING tries out the inner workings of their award-winning spa

Rejuvenation by numbers
As work related stress in the city reaches unprecedented levels, there’s only one place to go for the man in need of relaxation, 1847

Resolute resolutions
New Year’s resolutions aren’t easy, the gloom of January making keeping the promise a near impossibility. GOODLIVING examines why we rarely last past February and how to make changes that can last a lifetime

Surviving the office Christmas party
Office Christmas parties are a notorious opportunity to let your hair down, get to know your fellow colleagues and in one festive evening bring the career you’ve worked so hard for to a shuddering halt. Thankfully, help is at hand as GOODLIVING brings you four dangerous scenarios and how to avoid them

The freedom to choose
Chastised and castigated the world over for their lifestyle choice, women who decide against having children are often regarded with social derision. However, where a new life is concerned, the courage to admit you’re not parent material could actually be the most selfless act of all

Diet joke?
In a world of image obsessed teens and equally as neurotic adults, all aiming for stick-thin versions of ‘beauty’, is it simply the media that are to blame for their airbrushed examples of perfection, or should we look at the diet culture that’s sweeping the globe? Good Living decided to find out

Drug Repping – A dirty game?
Medicine and drugs are essential throughout life. While at times self-administered, most will come on recommendation of your local GP or specialist. We take it for granted that these people, as medical professionals, are doing what is right for us – the patient.

The B-Team
In 2007 an unfit journalist was sent to bootcamp for crimes (against a decent diet) that he definitely did commit. He promptly sweated, staggered and struggled his way through a 60 minute workout in the vain hope it would cleanse him of his sins (with burgers) ... it didn’t. He survived, but only just, and this is his story

Unfunny bones
An often hard-hitting illness that can have a shattering effect on not just the sufferer but also their family, arthritis affects millions and yet there is still no real cure

Chain reaction
The local gym isn’t simply a monotonous routine of pumping iron and posing in front of a large mirror. By varying your routine to incorporate circuits of exercise you can tone up the flabby areas whilst still enjoying your workout. Good Living took to the fitness centre to find out how

Oscar, winner
Olympian paddling machine and all-round Iron man tells us how to stay ahead of the competition.