Resting too much can weaken muscles, worsening joint pain in the long run, says an expert.

Synopsis: Every month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

Problems affecting bones, joints, muscles, and tendons are the leading contributor of disability among all ages worldwide.

These problems arising from musculoskeletal disorders comprise diverse conditions affecting bones, joints, muscles, and connective tissues, which may result in pain and loss of function.

The disorders, which include conditions such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, low back pain, and other degenerative conditions, are especially common in older adults.

However, they are not an inevitable part of aging.

In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo talks to surgeon-scientist, Assistant Professor Bryan Tan to find out more about what one can do to prevent musculoskeletal disorders.

They touched on strength training, what one can do about exercise after a flare of knee osteoarthritis, and not waiting till there is no pain to resume exercising.

Prof Tan is an orthopaedic surgeon at Woodlands Hospital, and the co-chair of the musculoskeletal integrated care work group at NHG Health.

Highlights (click/tap above):

3:48 What are musculoskeletal conditions?

6:55 It’s never too late to build your muscles and bones

8:45 The more you don’t use your muscles, the weaker they will become

18:21 Hyrox or not, everyone should be engaging in physical activity

20:27 How to get back to your exercise routine after a flare of your knee osteoarthritis?

Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN

Host: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Amirul Karim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong

Follow Health Check Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

---

Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

---

#healthcheck

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hong Kong prides itself on being a first world city. So how did such a thing like the Tai Po fire happen?

Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they're based in.

On Nov 26, 2025, a fire swept through Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong's Tai Po district, killing 168 people.

What also perished in that inferno was a certain trust in the system to keep everyone safe.

The Straits Times’ Hong Kong Correspondent Magdalene Fung, a long-time resident of the city, talks about her experience covering the disaster.

She also wrestles with the question of how Hong Kong’s tolerance for cutting corners cuts both ways. There is ingenuity. But the acceptance of quick, convenient fixes has also resulted in a society that collectively allowed the fire to happen.

Highlights (click/tap above):

01:04 On the ground, covering the fire

03:52 A system that failed

09:54 But a society that also helped

11:03 Low standards and quick, convenient fixes

16:12 The fire doors are still not closed

Read Magdalene Fung’s article here: https://str.sg/JyX2y

Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR

Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x

Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz

Host: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg)

Edited by: Fa’izah Sani

Executive producer: Ernest Luis

Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa

---

Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

---

#STAsianInsider

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to charting their career paths, it’s likely most young Singaporeans would opt for white-collared jobs.

Hands-on skilled trades? Not so much.

Yet, The Straits Times reported in January that a growing number of younger people are choosing to go into traditional skilled trades such as plumbing and landscaping.

In this episode of The Usual Place, I speak with two millennials who have chosen not to follow the conventional script and have built businesses with their own hands.

Ms Geraldine Goh, 31, is a licensed plumber, who started her own business Agraffe in 2017 after a stint as a facilities management officer at a town council. She was studying mechanical engineering at a university, but dropped out after two years.

Meanwhile, Mr Ahmad Alhabshee, 36, started his own furniture company Urban Salvation about 11 years ago. He designs and handcrafts bespoke wooden furniture using sustainably sourced materials.

He branched out on his own after he was slighted by a former employer, who judged him for not having enough academic qualifications.

What convinced both of them to take on blue-collared work and become their own bosses? What does it mean to go against expectations in a society that still measures success with grades and paper qualifications?

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:50 The misconceptions of being a female plumber

8:53 Why I dropped out of NTU to work at a town council

12:32 The harsh reality of the furniture business

20:05 30 years of experience vs. a licence

28:35 Why modern men can’t fix a $1 door hinge

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/theusualplacepodcast

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai, Eden Soh and Chen Junyi

Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor & Ernest Luis

Editorial producers: Elizabeth Law & Lynda Hong

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

---

Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

--

#tup #tuptr

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.