An outdoor swimming tour of London – top 10 lidos and ponds

There’s no better way to escape the stresses of city life than to go for an outdoor swim. London has some historic lidos and even the odd truly beautiful swimming pond, as our writer discovers as she visits 10 of them in a weekend

George Osborne ruined my yoga retreat

There’s no escaping the budget – not even when you’re halfway up an Italian hill with a bunch of highly literate yogis

Is your deodorant safe? – interactive

Of all the products in your bathroom cabinet, deodorant is among those linked to the most health concerns. Use our interactive to research yours

Level crossing safety campaigns to target dog walkers and cyclists

Network Rail says TV campaigns are not changing behaviour of at-risk groups and it will concentrate on those such as farm workers and commercial drivers

Spa retreats for people with cancer

Although a spa seems like the perfect place for someone recovering from serious illness, most are very wary of taking bookings from people who have been treated for cancer. Thankfully a handful have changed their approach, says Joanna Moorhead

A simple cure for back pain: grow up in the Ecuadorian mountains

A California biochemist wants westerners to mimic communities where back pain is nonexistent. But is our problem culture not posture?

Sweat it out: could your sportswear be toxic?

A Greenpeace report is one of an emerging body of research highlighting the possible link between the chemicals in sportswear and health risks

Body and board: my week combining yoga and surf lessons in beautiful Byron Bay

Craving a healthy holiday, our correspondent mixed surf lessons with daily yoga and wholesome food (plus a dash of wine) on a trip to the New South Wales north coast

Snow joke: winter running in Lapland

Most people go to Swedish Lapland’s Icehotel for a romantic break spent wrapped in furs and chasing the northern lights. Sarah Baxter pulls on her trainers instead, for knee-deep snow-running in -14C

Mindfulness holiday: glamping in Wales

Staring at sultanas, eating in silence, hiking with Tibetan singing bowls ... a mindfulness retreat in Wales sounds way out, but it works, finds Rachel Dixon

OurChemist

Our Chemist – Health