Readers’ tips: fitness and activity breaks

Want to stick to your resolution to get fit? Then plan a healthy holiday. Been there readers recommend their favourites, including a mulit-activity break in Denmark, swimming between Greek islands and running on a Kenyan beach

Escape the winter in a Helsinki sauna

Carole Cadwalladr heads for colder climes, to Helsinki, where warming up is done in style at the public saunas currently enjoying a revival

Meet Santa – in deepest Kent

Lapland UK, Christmas without the trimmings and affordable new London hotels

Top five skiing holiday preparation tips

If you normally get to the ski slopes feeling totally under-prepared, book one of these courses or days out in the UK before you go, says Chris Moran

Lucky dip: warming spa breaks for winter

Chill out in a Croatian hotel where Elizabeth Taylor stayed or rest your weary bones in Hungary (but only after you've explored the countryside by bike)

Karmic resolution: UK retreats

Karmic chakras in need of a spot of rebalancing? Or just fancy an extreme five-day detox? Here are some of the courses on offer

A shamanic detox in Sussex

OK, she saw visions of Peter Andre in Tesco. But an ayahuasca detox in the Sussex countryside left Stephanie Theobald feeling mentally and physically rebooted

The networker who made Champneys’ name

Spa owner Stephen Purdew likes to be generous to newspaper editors, sports stars ... and sometimes policemen. They give the place a buzz, he tells Simon Bowers

Self-help: change your life in a weekend

Want to control a fear of heights, quit smoking, or need a little inspiration for some big life changes? Jane Dunford suggests 10 courses to help you take the next step

Easy weight loss: The ‘virtual gastric band’

For those devoted to KFC but who hate exercising, a hypnotherapy treatment with a difference is being offered by an Essex spa. Gemma Bowes took along a curry-loving friend to try it out