The best walking pads and under-desk treadmills, tried and tested to turn your workday into a workout | Fitness

Various guidelines suggest we all try to walk at least 10,000 steps a day to improve our overall health and wellbeing. Public Health England encourages a slightly more manageable target of just 10 minutes of brisk walking daily to introduce more moderate-intensity physical activity and reduce your risk of early death by up to 15%. … Read more

My latest garden fantasy? An elegant table covered in flower pots | Gardens

Recently, my garden fantasies have extended to a table. Specifically, one of those substantial, move-it-if-you-dare stone tables, weathered beautifully with some mottling and moss, standing on gravel beneath the dappled shade of a tree. I long for this table because, in the similarly fantastical small urban garden in my head, it is the answer to … Read more

My teenage son is just horrid, I hate him. How can I cope with the disgusting feelings I’m having? | Parents and parenting

I have a 15-year-old son and he is at that typical dreadful teenager stage filled with attitude, disrespectful behaviour and is just horrid. Despite being his mother, I hate him. I can’t stand to be around him and because of this I’m suffering from depression. Being his mother is the absolute worst experience. How can … Read more

Dining across the divide: ‘He couldn’t see that we were actually disagreeing’ | Life and style

Clive, 56, Manchester Occupation Consultant engineer Voting record Mostly Lib Dem. “The last MP, a Tory, thought it was a good idea to send someone a picture of his knob, so I didn’t have much time for him” Amuse bouche Clive once competed in a 24-hour lawnmower race. “The engine blew up after five or six hours” Sheena, … Read more

‘The leaves fall off – but I think that’s normal’: the houseplants you just can’t kill | Houseplants

There is a good reason that we treat certain houseplants as the green wallpaper of our homes: the odd splash of water and they seem to rub along fine. These are the species that have proved, over many decades, that they are best adapted to surviving in a vast range of situations. Unfortunately, familiarity breeds … Read more