• "Hairspray" star Ricki Lake, 56, says she lost 40 pounds without using Ozempic.
• Instead, she followed a strict keto diet, went hiking daily with a weighted vest, and did Pilates.
• The actor told Us Weekly that she also uses a glucose monitor and an Oura ring to track her health.

Ricki Lake, 56, says she lost 40 pounds without any help from Ozempic.

In an interview with Us Weekly published over the weekend, the "Hairspray" star spoke about the fitness and diet routine that has helped her shed pounds since October 2023.

"I did not go on any drug because I wasn't prediabetic," Lake told Us Weekly. "There's nothing wrong with those drugs. They're actually game-changers for so many people. But for me, I did not want to be reliant on a drug if I could help it."

Instead, Lake said she started intermittent fasting while following "a very strict keto diet," which involves cutting almost all consumption of carbs in favor of eating fat and protein instead.

Fasting, such as the popular 8/16 diet that requires people to fit all their meals into an eight-hour window, can help burn more fat while preventing mindless snacking.

Additionally, Lake says also goes hiking with a weighted vest "every single day" and does Pilates "four days a week."

"I hike every single day, weather allowed. But even in the rain, I'm just out there, [at the] crack of dawn with my dog and usually my husband," she said.

Rucking, or carrying a weight over distances, has become an immensely popular fitness trend over the past year. It can help improve cardiovascular health while providing resistance training to help strengthen muscles and bones.

To track her progress, Lake says she wore a glucose monitor and her Oura ring, which tracks health data like sleep, temperature, and heart rate.

She also changed her lifestyle by prioritizing sleep and lowering stress levels.

"I don't go out late at night like my friends. I have DJ friends, they're going out at midnight, and I'm like, 'I'm so sorry. I cannot get there,'" Lake said. "I am way asleep by, like, 8 p.m."

The biggest change, by far, has been in her attitude toward working out, she said.

"I took what was once a chore, you know, every day having to work out and get on the elliptical and hate every minute of it," she said. "Now it's a privilege and a joy to be able to move my body, to not be in pain, to see the results [and] to fit in my size 4 jeans."

During a May appearance on the talk show "Sherri," Lake told host Sherri Shepherd that getting healthy was a "commitment" she had made with her husband, Ross Burningham, whom she married in 2022.

"I did this on my own, and I want to be an example that if I can do it, others can too. You know, whatever works for anybody — I don't judge anyone, but I want to share my success in finding love in my 50s because it doesn't have to be the end. It can be just the beginning," Lake said.

"I think it's safe to say I feel the best I can ever remember feeling in my entire life," she said.

In recent years, more and more celebrities — such as Elon Musk and Whoopi Goldberg — have spoken up about using GLP-1 medications in their weight loss journey.

Ozempic contains the active ingredient semaglutide, which the FDA approved in 2021 for weight management under the brand name Wegovy.

The size of the GLP-1 market is expected to double to $71 billion by 2027, according to forecasts from asset management firm, Columbia Threadneedle Investments.

A representative for Lake did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

• Jane Fonda, 87, says her workout routine hasn't changed much over the years.
• "I essentially do everything I used to do, just slower," Fonda told People, adding that she loves walking.
• Research has shown that walking just 4,000 steps a day can lower a person's risk of dying early.

Jane Fonda may be 87, but she's still as fit as a fiddle.

In fact, her workout routine hasn't changed much over the years, the actor told People in an interview published over the weekend.

"I essentially do everything I used to do, just slower," Fonda said. "I used to be a runner, but now I love walking. I love being outdoors in the woods, especially up and down hills."

Regardless of her schedule, Fonda ensures that she gets a bit of exercise every day.

"I work out every day, so it is important to mix up the way I move. I alternate days doing upper body and lower body work for strength. I also find some way to get cardio in. Walking outside is one of my favorite ways to do so," she said.

The actor has long been passionate about fitness. In the '80s, she released a series of home workout videos, beginning with "Jane Fonda's Workout" in 1982.

Looking back at her home workout tapes, Fonda said she had "no idea" they would become so popular.

"When I was starting out, there weren't many rigorous forms of exercise available to women," Fonda said. "I learned the basic workout from a charismatic teacher named Leni Kasden in the '70s."

After the videos were released, she would receive "amazing letters from around the world" from fans about how the workouts impacted their lives, she added.

"One was from a young woman in the Peace Corps in Guatemala who did the exercises in her mud hut," Fonda said. "Another woman said she looked in the mirror as she was brushing her teeth and noticed new muscles in her arms. She wrote that it made her feel empowered, and that day she went to work and stood up to her handsy boss for the first time."

Walking can help you live longer

For those who lead sedentary lifestyles, the best thing they can do for their health is to start somewhere, Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a preventative cardiologist, told Business Insider previously.

"Doing something is better than doing nothing," she said. "If walking is the beginning stages of embracing a heart healthy life, then it is the initial stages that will create habits that will be sustainable and last for a lifetime."

A study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology in 2023 found that walking just 4,000 steps a day can lower a person's risk of dying early.

Research shows that walking can help reduce stress and anxiety while improving heart health. Some studies also suggest that brisk walking — at about 2.7 to 3 miles an hour — can make a bigger difference in terms of health benefits.

A representative for Fonda did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.

• Jennifer Aniston, 55, exercises regularly and keeps her diet in check with the 80/20 rule.
• The 80/20 rule involves eating healthily 80% of the time and being more lenient during the other 20%.
• "I give myself days where I can have whatever I want. I don't deprive myself," Aniston told Today.

Jennifer Aniston, 55, maintains a well-rounded health and wellness regimen.

In an interview with Today, the "Friends" star spoke about her workout routine and diet.

"I do 80/20. I give myself days where I can have whatever I want. I don't deprive myself," Aniston told Today. The 80/20 rule involves eating healthily 80% of the time and being more flexible for the remaining 20%.

She tries to have nutrient-dense meals 80% of the time, which involves eating lots of protein and salad and drinking "tons of water," she said.

Aniston also avoids extra salt or salad dressing and instead uses ingredients like vinegar to season her dishes.

"Stuff like that will create a taste that that is so delicious, where you're not just dousing everything with salt and butter or olive oil to make it taste good," she said.

Aniston said she's more lenient with what she eats the other 20% of the time: "It would be a cheeseburger and fries or Mexican food, pasta, pizza — all the stuff that's savory," she said.

Aniston also aims to exercise at least three to four times a week.

Aniston isn't the only celebrity who has spoken about using a version of the 80/20 rule to guide their diet.

Former NFL player Tom Brady also follows a variation of the 80/20 rule: He fills 80% of his plate with plant-based foods while the other 20% is lean protein.

The 80/20 rule can make it easier to stick to a healthy diet, since restrictive eating can sometimes result in obsessiveness and bingeing, Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a dietician, previously told Business Insider.

She added that no food's inherently "good" or "bad," and having a healthy diet also involves factors such as portion size and how often you eat certain foods.

"I eat chocolate every single day," Ludlam-Raine told BI. "Just not a family-sized bar."

A representative for Aniston did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.

• Jennifer Love Hewitt, 45, is speaking out against ageism in Hollywood.
• She told Fox News that fans have a "hard time" accepting that she no longer looks like she did in her 20s.
• Age-based discrimination isn't just a problem in showbiz; it's prevalent in other workplaces, too.

Jennifer Love Hewitt is speaking up about the unrealistic expectations that come with growing up in showbiz.

"I feel like fans pick this you at this age that they love that they think represents you, and you're never supposed to grow beyond that," Hewitt, 45, told Fox News Digital, recalling a quote that she heard Taylor Swift use in her documentary.

"For me, it was like me in my 20s. People seem to have a really hard time accepting that I'm just not, that I don't look that way anymore," she said.

Hewitt is best known for starring in the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" thriller franchise in the late 1990s and rom-coms such as "Heartbreakers" in the early 2000s.

Hewitt said she thinks aging is nothing to be ashamed of.

"I'm kind of going with it. Age is age," Hewitt said. "I think women really come into this, like, acceptance of themselves and this comfortability in their 40s that is beautiful."

"Whatever it is, you just want to have the freedom to be whoever you are at that age," she continued.

In December 2023, Hewitt took to the "Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum" podcast to address claims that she was trying to hide her real appearance after she posted a selfie with a filter.

"A bunch of people were like: 'Jennifer Love Hewitt is unrecognizable. She's unrecognizable, so she's gone to filters because she doesn't want us to know how bad she actually looks now in her 40s,'" Hewitt told the podcast's host, Michael Rosenbaum, recalling the criticism she received. "This is crazy, right?"

Hewitt isn't the only female actor who has spoken up about ageism in Hollywood.

In March, Kirsten Dunst told Marie Claire she took a two-year break from acting because she was typecast and offered only "sad mom" roles.

In an interview with Variety in September, Kathy Bates said she was able to have a long acting career only because she didn't fit societal standards of beauty.

"I have to say I give an inner wink when I see friends who have been beauty queens who are no longer working because of ageism, and in my case, I've been able to continue working for many years because I don't look like that," Bates said.

But ageism isn't just a problem in Hollywood; it's prevalent in other workplaces, too.

A survey of 913 women published in Harvard Business Review in June 2023 suggested that women in leadership roles faced workplace age discrimination at every age bracket.

A 2020 report from the AARP — formerly the American Association of Retired Persons — and the Economist Intelligence Unit said discrimination against older workers cost the US economy an estimated $850 billion in GDP in 2018.

A representative for Hewitt didn't immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

• Eight years ago, Debbie Welsch moved to Bali, Indonesia, after being laid off from her job in Los Angeles.
• Welsch wanted to escape the rat race and live a simple life where she'd be free from constantly thinking about money.
• Last year, her mother — now 81 — joined her in Bali. They live across the street from each other.

Debbie Welsch never thought she'd be retired and living in Bali, Indonesia, across the street from her mother.

Eight years ago, in 2018, Welsch was laid off from her dream job as an interior designer for a developer in Los Angeles. Although she managed to secure some contract work after — sometimes even making $100 an hour — she was always worried about not having enough money.

"Everything just seemed like I was not moving my life forward," Welsch, now 55, told Business Insider.

It reminded her of her struggles in 2012 when she was forced to shut down her home improvement business because of the financial crisis.

Back then, Welsch had to lease out her house because she couldn't afford her mortgage. She then started living in a room she rented from a friend.

Over the years, anxiety kept Welsch from moving back into her own home even as her financial situation improved.

This time, being laid off made her realize she had an unhealthy relationship with money, one in which she would always worry about not having enough.

Several hypnotherapy sessions helped her let go of her fears, but Welsch knew she needed a fresh start — away from the rat race — if she wanted to change her life.

The idea of leaving the US started to take root, and by the end of the year, Welsch had sold almost everything she owned to move to Bali.

Trading LA for Bali

Welsch had considered various locations before deciding on Bali.

"I actually looked at the Yucatán in South Mexico. I looked at Costa Rica, I looked at Tulum," she said, adding that none of the places appealed to her because "the vibe just wasn't there."

But Bali was different: Welsch had been there for vacation multiple times before, and she always loved the pace of life on the island.

"The vibe, the energy, the local Balinese culture is so soothing to me. I feel comfortable," Welsch said.

Before she made her decision, Welsch thought it'd be a good idea to visit a friend who was already living in Bali with her husband.

"I spent three weeks just trying to live as a resident versus a tourist, just to see where I would live, what I would do, all that kind of stuff," Welsch said.

Within six months of that trip, Welsch was back on the island — this time for good.

"When I came here, I felt safe, and I felt like it was where I needed to be, even if it was for a few years," she said.

House-hunting took a couple of months.

"I didn't need a big house or anything like that — the bigger the house, the more maintenance required," Welsch said. "I also wanted to be close by to the cafés and things like that."

Through word of mouth, she eventually found the perfect one-bedroom home in Seminyak, just an eight-minute walk to the beach.

Welsch's lease was for 10 years, and she preferred to keep the amount she spent on rent private.

With permission from her landlord, she was also able to renovate the villa.

"It was all just concrete — gray concrete floors, gray concrete walls. It was dingy. There were no windows in the back, and there was no breeze coming through," she said.

Welsch spent six months transforming the entire villa, adding new floor tiles, and even installing a new bathroom upstairs.

"It just needed a lot of work," she said.

Her mother followed in her footsteps

In February 2023, Welsch's mother, Linda Puzio, decided to join her in Bali.

Puzio — then 79 — had just been laid off from her job as a legal secretary in Palm Springs.

Even though her daughter had been trying to convince her to move for over a year, Puzio said she finally relented due to financial reasons.

"My boss retired, and I didn't have a job anymore. All I had was my Social Security to live on," Puzio, now 81, told BI. "I couldn't live in Palm Springs anymore. My rent was going to be $1,500 a month. My Social Security is $1,900 — that meant I had $400 for car insurance, gasoline, food, clothing, electricity, things like that."

It made more sense for her to move to Bali, where the cost of living was much lower.

Now, Puzio lives in a house across the street from her daughter, and the two of them get to spend quality time together.

"She's like my best friend. If anyone's going to hang out with me morning, noon, and night, it's her," Welsch said. "She's in her senior years and needs support, and I have the opportunity to help her with that, just making sure she's taken care of. But there's also a reciprocal thing. I have family here now, so it works well for us."

Living a simple island life

Welsch and her mother aren't alone in their decision to retire abroad.

With the rising cost of living, more and more Americans are being priced out of the US. A single person would need to earn more than $111,000 to live comfortably in LA, while the average household would need to save for 36 years to afford a typical home in LA.

In recent years, thanks to its relative affordability, Bali has become a popular place for people to live — especially digital nomads.

The cost of living — inclusive of rent — in Bali is 52% lower than in Los Angeles, per Numbeo, a platform that uses crowdsourced data to compare the cost of living in major cities across the world. A person would need around $2,400 in Bali to maintain the same standard of life that they can have with $5,000 in LA.

However, the influx of digital nomads has drawn the ire of some, who accuse them of gentrifying the island and driving up the cost of living over the years.

As much as Welsch appreciates her life in Bali, there are still things that she misses about LA.

"In LA, I had a lot of friends, and there's always an art gallery to go to or just a gathering with my friends and sleepovers — all that stuff. I miss the connection with my friends there," Welsch said. "Even if you have friends here, you're still living an independent life."

She also misses her other family members — like her brother and nephews — and some of the beaches in LA.

However, Welsch doesn't think that she'd go back to living there, although her mother feels differently.

"I'll go back in a heartbeat, because why? It is OK here and all, but I moved here when I was 79. I really kind of am set in my own ways, in what I want and what I like. I'm used to certain things, and I miss them," Puzio said.

However, both of them are happy where they are. Living a simple life in Bali has allowed Welsch to stay present instead of constantly worrying about money like she used to.

"I can just be, instead of waking up and going, 'OK, how am I going to make money or what's the money situation in my life?' Money is the first thing I'd think of when I wake up, and money's the last thing I'd think of when I go to sleep. It's not like that anymore," Welsch said.

These days, she doesn't feel the need to keep up with the Joneses either.

"I'm satisfied with a basic life, not being fancy, dressing up, going out, looking a certain way, having a certain car," Welsch said. "We don't have to worry what people think."

Have you recently relocated to a new country and found your dream home? If you have a story to share, contact this reporter at [email protected].

• For some New Yorkers, winning the NYC housing lottery is the only way they can afford to stay in the city.
• But competition is tough: There are about 3.5 million applications each year.
• Those who have won say it often took multiple applications and months of waiting before they heard back.

Louis Ciprian, 29, moved around New York City a lot when he was younger.

His father died when he was 11, and Ciprian and his mother fell on hard times. At 15, he entered the foster care system. For the next couple of years, he bounced from place to place and even graduated from high school while living in a homeless shelter.

After college, he started couch surfing, living with different roommates while looking for a more permanent place to call home.

In 2022, he started applying for the New York City affordable housing lottery, which is run by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Housing Development Corporation (HDC).

Two years later, in July, Ciprian finally received the call that he'd been waiting for: He won the lottery for a one-bedroom apartment in the Bronx, where rent is $1,481 a month.

He was thankful and relieved.

"To be able to get an opportunity like that where I'm paying rent that is affordable and not going to hit more than 30% of my income, it's an amazing feeling," Ciprian, a customer success manager at a real estate technology company, told Business Insider.

After years of grappling with homelessness, he now has a place of his own.

1 in 450 chance of winning

NYC is experiencing a severe housing affordability crisis.

From 2022 to 2023, rents in NYC increased seven times as fast as wages, a Zillow and StreetEasy analysis found. Even tech workers — who make an average of $135,000 annually — can only afford 35% of rentals in the city.

It's not surprising that many lower-earning New Yorkers are choosing to leave the city or even the country entirely in order to enjoy a lower cost of living.

For those still in NYC, the outlook is far from rosy. Over the past decade, the city grew by nearly 800,000 people, but only added 200,000 new homes, mayor Eric Adams said in a speech in December 2022.

Not only that, the city has also lost some 100,000 apartments — many in wealthy neighborhoods — because New Yorkers keep consolidating multi-family buildings and turning them into one- or two-family homes.

A 2023 city housing and vacancy survey found that only 1.4% of NYC apartments were available to rent last year, and over 40% of all renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent.

For many New Yorkers like Ciprian, winning the housing lottery is their only hope of securing an affordable apartment in an increasingly expensive city.

While the application is free, each household must meet specific income requirements to qualify for an apartment. But winning the affordable housing lottery is a feat in itself.

The HPD receives about 3.5 million applications a year, Natasha Kersey, an HPD representative, told BI.

On average, there are 450 applications received per rental unit.

With competition so stiff, it is not uncommon for people to apply for multiple apartments offered in the lottery.

Nkenge Clarke, 30, told BI previously that she had sent out over 130 applications before she finally succeeded in her bid.

"It took me maybe over a year before I started hearing back from different properties that I applied to," Clarke said. "Some of them I ended up not qualifying for, some of them I didn't provide enough documentation for."

Now, she pays about $1,000 in rent every month for a one-bedroom apartment in Chelsea, a neighborhood on the west side of Manhattan. The timing was impeccable; her previous landlord was looking to raise her rent had she renewed her lease.

"This place literally came just in time, like a few months before my second-year lease ended," Clarke said.

While the process took a lot of paperwork and patience, it was well worth the effort, she added. After all, living in an affordable apartment in the heart of the city was like a dream come true.

Stabilized rent in an ever-expensive market

Interested parties can apply for the affordable housing lottery online via the Housing Connect portal or by mail. Once the deadline passes, all applications are combined to create a pool from which the lottery is conducted, Aileen Reynolds, the assistant commissioner of housing opportunity at HPD, told BI.

A computer algorithm randomizes all the applications and assigns everyone a number, known as a lottery log number. That number, she added, dictates the order in which the developers have to contact the applicants.

While it helps applicants get a sense of where they stand, it's not a perfect science since there might be people who applied but do not qualify for the apartments.

It can take any time between weeks to months for an applicant to hear back, Reynolds said.

In Josh Ayala's case, it took him eight months to receive a call back after he had applied for his apartment.

"I was like, wait, what? I totally forgot I applied to this," Ayala, 26, told BI in August.

Thankfully, it all worked out for him; He signed the lease for the apartment within a month of the viewing. Now he pays $2,345 in monthly rent, which is stabilized.

"Around COVID-19 time, people were moving into apartments, and for one year, it was a great price. But the next year, the landlord would just increase their rent exorbitantly," Ayala said. "I didn't want that to happen to me, so I wanted something that was more secure, too."

Likewise, rent stabilization was the main reason Brynne McManimie and Peter Romano started applying for the housing lottery.

In 2021, they lived in a $2,600-a-month apartment in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. They had gotten a good deal on their lease due to the pandemic, but it didn't last long.

"After a year, our landlord raised our rent by like 25% and it made us very nervous about staying in that apartment," McManimie told BI in June. Their new rent was going to be $3,300 a month, and they decided it was too expensive for them to afford.

But luck was on their side: Within a month of applying for the housing lottery, they were contacted about a one-bedroom unit in Brooklyn.

The couple ended up signing a two-year lease. Now, they pay $2,800 in monthly rent.

"Since it's rent-stabilized, they can't raise it like a ton," Romano told BI. "Which is honestly really attractive to us, given what happened with our last landlord."

The income and household eligibility criteria for the lottery apartments only apply at the initial stage.

"Folks only need to qualify based on house size and income at the time they move in," Reynolds said.

'Native New Yorkers deserve to stay here'

But the housing lottery isn't without its criticism.

For years, the city's "community preference" policy dictated that half of new affordable apartments must first be offered to those already living in the area.

However, in 2015, three women filed a lawsuit against the city, saying that the policy reinforced segregation.

After almost a decade, the city finally agreed to settle the lawsuit in January. Under the terms of the settlement, the city will reduce the percentage of affordable houses set aside for those already living in the same community to 20%, down from the original 50%, per court documents. In May 2029, it will drop to 15%.

"Although the preference has been reduced, the outcome allows us to preserve it and continue to do our work by advocating for New Yorkers that need more housing at deeply affordable levels," Kersey said.

Still, NYC residents do get priority in the affordable housing lottery — although applicants don't need to be US citizens, Reynolds said.

In the meantime, the housing lottery will still be one of the best ways for New Yorkers to stay in affordable apartments in the city.

"As much as I'm for the housing lottery, I think that it does suck that as a native, sometimes the only hope and dream of staying in the city affordably is this route," Ceronne Mitchell, who pays $1,600 a month for her one-bedroom lottery housing apartment in Queens, told BI previously.

"Native New Yorkers deserve to stay here, and I'm always proud when one can," she added.

• Ryan Reynolds is facing backlash for saying that Blake Lively had a working-class background.
• Lively's parents worked in the entertainment industry, and her four siblings are actors, too.
• Being relatable can help a celebrity's appeal, but an inauthentic approach can quickly backfire, a PR expert said.

Ryan Reynolds has come under fire for saying that he and his wife, Blake Lively, grew up with working-class backgrounds.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published last week, the "Deadpool" star spoke about his and Lively's decision to keep their four kids out of the spotlight "to give them as normal a life as possible."

"I try not to impose upon them the difference in their childhood to my childhood or my wife's childhood," Reynolds told The Hollywood Reporter.

"We both grew up very working class, and I remember when they were very young, I used to say or think, like, 'Oh God, I would never have had a gift like this when I was a kid,' or, 'I never would've had this luxury of getting takeout,' or whatever. Then I realized that that's not really their bag of rocks to carry," Reynolds continued.

His comment about Lively's upbringing has drawn the ire of some fans because her parents had entertainment careers.

Her father, Ernie Lively, was an actor and producer with a Hollywood career spanning almost five decades, per his IMDB page. His acting credits include the 1989 comedy film "Turner & Hooch" and the 1992 action thriller "Passenger 57."

He also played Lively's onscreen father in the 2005 film "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and its 2008 sequel.

Her mother, Elaine Lively, was a talent manager who also appeared in the 1993 video game "Return to Zork," per her IMDB page.

All four of Lively's siblings are actors, per People.

In a 2006 interview with Radio Free, Lively said that she had "grown up on sets." Moreover, her brother, Eric got her into showbiz when she was a teenager, she added.

"He [told] his agents, 'You have to start sending Blake out on auditions.' And I didn't want to make him mad because he's such a good brother, so I just went on auditions to appease him. And then after a few months of auditioning, I got 'Sisterhood,'" Lively said.

Some internet users posted their displeasure with Reynolds' remarks in the comments section of an Instagram post by New York Magazine's The Cut.

"More and more I'm learning that rich people say 'working class' when they mean 'had a salary,'" one commenter wrote.

"You keep using that word, 'working class.' I do not think it means what you think it means," another wrote.

Reynolds' upbringing in Vancouver was seemingly more modest than that of his wife.

His father, James Reynolds, worked as a police officer and then as a food broker, per People. His mother, Tammy Reynolds, was a retail store saleswoman, per Reynolds' IMDB page.

Why do celebrities try to claim working-class affiliations?

Reynolds and Lively are still dealing with backlash from "It Ends with Us," which could explain why they're trying to lean into relatability as a strategy, Megan Balyk, a vice president at public relations firm Jive PR + Digital, told Business Insider.

"In today's world where authenticity is key, a working-class background can make a celebrity seem more genuine. Plus, it can help deflect criticism about privilege or nepotism," Balyk said.

But an inauthentic approach can backfire.

Social media has made it easy for fans to fact-check claims, and they're quick to call out any inconsistencies, she said.

"If a celebrity's claims seem false or exaggerated, it can lead to backlash, as we saw not too long ago with Victoria Beckham when she said she grew up 'working class' in the Beckham documentary, despite her father owning a Rolls-Royce," Balyk said.

There's also a risk of trivializing the struggles of people from disadvantaged backgrounds, she said.

Balyk said the backlash in Reynolds' case could be because people are becoming more aware of nepotism in Hollywood.

"There's a growing fatigue with celebrities who seem to downplay their privileges," she said.

"A better strategy would be to openly acknowledge their current position while showing genuine appreciation for any advantages they've had. It's better to be honest about your background than to overstate past hardships," she added.

A representative for Reynolds did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.

• Floating fish farms used to be a common sight along Singapore's coast.
• But now, their numbers are dwindling: As of October, there were 74 sea-based fish farms left, down from 98 in 2023.
• Local farmers say they face high operational costs and cheaper imports from regional competitors.

Once a week, Alvin Yeo hops onto a small, white skiff at Lim Chu Kang jetty and heads out to a farm on the water owned by his dad.

It's a breezy five-minute journey that takes him past dozens of similar floating farms along the Straits of Johor, which separates Singapore from the neighboring country of Malaysia.

Formed by interlocking planks held together with thick nails and buoyed by floating barrels, these platforms are living relics of the country's fishing village past.

The sun is harsh on most days, but the water is surprisingly calm, save for the waves created by the passing coastal guard boats patrolling the area. Towering apartment buildings loom in the background, a stark contrast to the weatherworn wooden platforms bobbing in the water.

Yeo's father — a former civil engineer — has been in the farming industry for almost 30 years, having started a fish farm in the '90s with his brother out of passion.

"My father is a hobbyist. He likes to rear fish," Yeo, 35, told Business Insider. "But he's not exactly a businessman, so the farm wasn't really making any money."

For small businesses like theirs, it's a constant struggle to stay afloat. Amid rising costs, environmental challenges, and a growing reluctance among younger generations to take on the demanding job, traditional farming in Singapore almost feels like a sunset industry.

Yeo is a rare exception.

Dwindling fish farm numbers

Around 2020, Yeo — a freelance musician — decided to join the trade. Together with his father, the duo separated from the original business to start Heng Heng Fish Farm.

Like most traditional farms, the fish are reared in open-net cages lowered directly into the sea.

While his father oversees the farm's day-to-day operations, Yeo mainly handles the business side of things.

Yeo is also trying to adopt more modern and sustainable techniques to their traditional farm, such as using solar panels for energy and introducing pelleted feed, which pollutes the water less than typical fish feed made from expired confectionary and other food by-products.

"I just felt that I needed to do it because I have feelings for the sea I grew up in. So I didn't want to see it just deteriorate as years go by," he said.

Much like street peddlers and traditional villages, the floating fish farms are a part of Singapore's cultural and economic identity that is rapidly disappearing as the city-state evolves past its fishing village origins.

The country's "kelongs" — offshore wooden platforms used to trap fish — used to be a common sight along the coast. The government stopped issuing new licenses in 1965.

Now, there are only four "kelongs" left in Singapore.

"With the dwindling catch from the wild and increasing cost of raw materials for maintenance of the 'kelong,' 'kelong' owners also saw the need to move toward fish farming as a viable commercial operation," the Singapore Food Agency, or SFA, told BI in a statement, adding that some of them have transitioned to coastal fish farms over the years.

Many locals still refer to these floating fish farms as "kelongs," even though they're not quite the same thing, Yeo said.

Fish farms are dwindling in numbers too, even as the resource-scarce country inches toward the deadline for its "30 by 30" goal — an initiative set by the Singapore government to be able to produce 30% of its nutritional needs by 2030.

Tough to beat prices from regional competitors

According to SFA data, there were 74 sea-based fish farms left in Singapore as of October, down from 98 at the end of 2023. This means about a quarter of these farms have shuttered in the past year.

Some farmers told the local paper The Straits Times that they had between June 2023 and June 2024 to take up a grant of 100,000 Singapore dollars, or $74,500, from the SFA to help them wind down operations. Those who had accepted the grant cited high costs, environmental conditions, and retirement as reasons for exiting the industry. The SFA did not share with BI the number of farmers who accepted the grant.

"To be competitive in the market, you have to be cheaper than imports. But it's hard to fight the cost of imports, especially from places like China, Indonesia, and Malaysia," Yeo said.

The cost of running a business in Singapore tends to be higher compared to neighboring countries, Kevin Cheong, an adjunct lecturer at the Singapore Management University who recently co-authored a study on sustainable fish farming in Singapore, told BI.

"Electricity costs, land costs, labor costs, all these things stack up against the consumer," Cheong said. "Primary production in Singapore, essentially agriculture, would be very challenging."

In Yeo's farm, the tilapia he grows can be harvested in six months. At the current scale of his production, he can harvest 12 batches of around 7,000 fish each in a year.

Since the floating farms are made from wood, their structure requires regular upkeep — and a metric ton of Chengal wood can cost up to SG$4,000, Yeo said.

"We don't really earn much. At the end of the day, it's just enough to keep the farm running," Yeo said.

A challenging environment

Beyond cost constraints, farmers are bogged down by the effects of the climate crisis.

Rising temperatures can lead to a higher incidence of disease outbreaks and algae blooms, Toh Tai Chong, a senior lecturer at the Reef Ecology Lab at the National University of Singapore, told BI.

Algae blooms are deadly for fish because they deplete the oxygen in the water and cause widespread fish death, he added.

"Open-pen sea-based farms are particularly susceptible because the fishes are reared in the natural environment, which is almost impossible to regulate," he said.

Farmers, in turn, have to grapple with worsening conditions.

"In my dad's era, fish didn't really have to be taken care of," Yeo said, gesturing at the bags of fish pellets behind him. "You could simply feed them till they got big, then sell them. But now, you have to feed and raise them."

Dean Jerry, an aquaculture professor who teaches at James Cook University's Singapore and Australian campuses, told BI that to cope with the changing environment, sea-based fish farmers have to rear more hardy species or invest in aquaculture technologies.

Many of these solutions are focused on closed-cage containment so farmers have more control over the environment, he said.

The challenge is compounded by the fact that most sea-based farms don't have mains power, he said. This means farmers will end up incurring extra costs installing diesel generators or solar panels to run these systems, he added.

"It's very, very costly to implement any sort of technological solutions because a lot of technological solutions will require power," he said.

The challenging nature of the job seems to have discouraged younger locals from stepping up to continue the trade.

Yeo, who only knows of one other farmer around his age, has two employees — a husband and wife duo from Myanmar who work and sleep on the floating farm.

"Local help is just impossible to get," he said.

Efforts to stay afloat

To help farmers sustain their businesses, the local government has stepped in with plans to overhaul the aquaculture sector.

In November, the government announced its Singapore Aquaculture Plan. Some new initiatives include increasing the supply of locally produced, genetically superior eggs and facilitating the exports of local fish to China.

"Our fish farms, as part of local production, cushion us from overseas supply disruptions and complement our efforts to diversify import sources of seafood," said Damian Chan, the CEO of SFA, per a media release.

The SFA told BI in a statement that farmers who are keen to increase their farms' productivity can rely on the SFA for advice and funding support for technology adoption.

On the other hand, the Singapore government will support those who choose to exit the industry by providing job-matching and training initiatives, it said.

Despite uncertainties about the aquaculture industry, some young farmers are finding alternate ways to stay afloat. Wong Jing Kai, who left his marketing job a decade ago to run Ah Hua Kelong, is one of them.

"Farming is considered a sunset industry," said Wong, 35. "Nobody wants to do it. So I'm like, if people don't do, I'll do it then."

But instead of being a wholesaler and pitting himself against more competitive imports, Wong opened Scaled — a seafood restaurant — and a fish soup hawker stall, to move his fish stock.

He can support his farm by supplying his own fish to his eateries, he said. "My plan is to have five fish soup stores and three to four restaurants on land. Then, I think we're more or less covered," he said.

Others, like Yeo, believe that the industry will survive as long as local consumers become more receptive to eating local fish.

"Of course, I hope to grow the business and be in this industry for a long time," he said. He hopes to have a high-tech fish farm one day — ideally on land, where conditions are less unpredictable.

"I take each day as it comes," he added.

• Last week, Jim Carrey said he came out of retirement to star in "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" because of money.
• A day later, he clarified to Comicbook.com that he wasn't really retired, just "power-resting" between projects.
• More older Americans are unretiring — either out of financial necessity or to stay active.

Jim Carrey, 62, walked back on his comments about coming out of retirement because he was strapped for cash.

At the London premiere of "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" on December 10, Carrey told the Associated Press that he signed on for the new film because "I bought a lot of stuff, and I need the money, frankly."

In an interview with ComicBook.com published a day later, on December 11, the actor clarified that "it's not really about the money. I joke about the money."

While he acknowledged that he previously spoke about retiring, he added, "You can't be definite about these things."

"I said I'd like to retire, but I think I was talking more about power-resting. Because as soon as a good idea comes your way, or a group of people that you really enjoyed working with and stuff, it just — things tend to change," he said.

Carrey added that with the "right idea," he's even open to reprising his role in sequels to "The Mask" or "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

While doing a press tour for "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" in April 2022, Carrey told Access Hollywood that he was "fairly serious" about "retiring."

"If the angels bring some sort of script that's written in gold ink that says to me that it's going to be really important for people to see, I might continue down the road, but I'm taking a break," Carrey said.

"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is Carrey's first film since then.

Carrey isn't the only Hollywood celebrity who has spoken about retirement.

Last week, David Letterman, 77, told GQ he wasn't ready to retire because "retirement is a myth."

"Retirement is nonsense. You won't retire. The human mechanism will not allow you to retire," Letterman said.

In response to the interviewer's point that people do retire, the former late-night host said, "But what do they do? Sit there and wait for — give me the name of a show — 'Judge Judy' to come on?"

The average retirement age in the US is 63. But the sudden transition from a 9-to-5 job to having endless leisure time can leave retirees feeling restless.

Edelman Financial Engines's 2024 Everyday Wealth in America survey found that 37% of the 3,008 respondents aged 30 and above say they want their post-working life to be different from previous generations, with many saying they are seeking a more active and adventurous lifestyle.

As such, some older Americans end up unretiring after some time, either to stay active or due to financial necessity.

A representative for Carrey did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.

• Rick Steves, 69, says he has some regrets about his career choice because of how it impacted his personal life.
• "It has not been great for relationships with loved ones," Steves told The New York Times.
• In August, the travel writer revealed on social media that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Travel writer Rick Steves, who was diagnosed with cancer in August, says he has some "regrets" over his choice of career.

"It has not been good for my family. I got divorced. It has not been great for relationships with loved ones," Steves, 69, told The New York Times in an interview published on Saturday.

Looking back on all his time on the road, Steves says he would have enjoyed leading a quiet life like before.

"You know, I would love to be the person I was before I was a travel writer. I would have had a very, very beautiful life being a piano teacher and coming home every night for dinner and mowing the lawn and joining clubs and being regular and reliable," he said. "But I've chosen a different path. It's a mission for me."

While he is sad about how some things in his personal life have turned out, his priorities "are the way they are."

"It's almost a calling from a pastoral sense or something. This is why God put me here. It gives me energy. It's like breathing straight oxygen. And I wouldn't wish it on anybody, but it fits me," he added.

In August, Steves shared on social media that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and would be undergoing prostate surgery.

In light of his diagnosis, Steves also shared that he has thought about what his life would be like when the day he can no longer travel — either because of age or sickness — comes.

"I would welcome the day, strangely, when I could not travel anymore, because it would open a gate of things that I've not done because of my love for travel," Steves said. "I've got a great piano sitting here. I don't play it enough. I've got a cabin in the mountains. I've got an amazing girlfriend. I've got a wonderful son and daughter and a grandson."

Even if he couldn't do his work anymore, he says he doesn't think he'll "miss a beat."

"This world is such a beautiful place to experience, and there are dimensions of experiencing this world that I have yet to try," he added.

A representative for Steves told Business Insider that the writer has no further comments.

Steves isn't alone in his struggles to balance professional commitments and personal life.

Well-being experts Clare Davenport and Elizabeth Koehler shared in an essay that "juggling work, family, and distractions is like a circus act with no intermission."

But instead of dividing work time and personal time "into neat, equal slices," it may be more beneficial to think of it as finding the right "work-life rhythm," psychologist Veronica West told Business Insider previously. This work-life rhythm mindset is not based on counting hours but a "feeling that both work and life energize rather than drain you," she said.

Work psychologists Tina Armasu and Eleni Giannakoudi told BI previously that to avoid burnout at work, it's important to minimize talking about work outside the office and dedicate some free time to doing things for fun instead of only completing what you feel obligated to.

"Once you become very aware of the different areas of your life and their priority, then it's easier to use this as a compass, basically, to plan your week, plan your days, and make decisions," Giannakoudi said.

• Deborah and Jason Brawn bought an abandoned house in rural Japan for about $23,000 in 2023.
• The Australian couple plan to restore the property in the coming years as they transition into retirement.
• They say that integrating into the local community is a crucial part of being a homeowner in Japan.

Deborah and Jason Brawn's shared dream was to buy a house in Japan.

The couple — from Brisbane, Australia — had long been interested in Japanese culture and its way of life, having visited the country multiple times over the years.

In 2023, they finally decided to take the plunge. With their four kids all grown up, they were soon-to-be empty nesters — it was now or never to follow their dreams.

"We knew that Japan had an issue with akiya, and because we really love the Japanese lifestyle, the people, the culture, and the old traditional houses, we thought, why not?" Jason, 51, told Business Insider. "Everyone else seemed to be following their dreams. Why can't we?"

A lifelong connection to Japan

The couple's love affair with Japan started with Deborah, who studied Japanese at university in the '90s. After graduation, she moved to Tokyo for five years, where she worked as an English teacher. For three decades, she also practiced karate.

Her love for Japan eventually rubbed off on Jason.

However, it was during the pandemic that the couple first learned about akiya, or abandoned houses, in Japan.

Due to the shrinking population and internal migration toward cities, there are millions of unoccupied houses in rural Japanese towns.

In recent years, the Japanese government started offering incentives — such as renovation subsidies and even free properties — in an effort to lure residents to these "ghost towns."

"I'd actually looked at foreclosed properties years and years ago, wanting to buy a property in Japan before the word 'akiya' had become popular. But I was in a position where I had young children," Deborah, 52, told BI.

Now that their youngest is 18, it made sense for the couple to start planning for the next stage of their lives, including retirement. That's where buying an akiya comes in.

"We wanted a project. Like the word 'ikigai,' we wanted to be able to get up and say, that's our passion now. We've raised kids, we want to go there as much as we can and just tinker," Deborah, a business analyst, said.

However, since Japan's borders were still closed at the time, the couple did most of their initial research online. They joined Facebook groups and spoke to like-minded people to learn more about the process.

They knew they wanted to be outside the city and close to nature. While browsing online listings, they put together a list of potential houses they wanted to see in person once travel resumed.

"We were sort of matching them against what we are looking for — something old, very traditional," Jason, a construction workplace health and safety inspector, said.

In November 2022, after the borders opened, they jumped on a plane to Japan for a quick visit.

In April 2023, they returned to the country for a six-week trip, where they drove around and looked at all the houses on their list.

It was in Mitocho, a small town near Masuda city, where they found the perfect akiya — a traditional Japanese house constructed in 1868, during the Meiji era. Masuda city is about a two-hour drive from Hiroshima, and a 90-minute flight from Tokyo.

"We drove over there, and when we saw it, we just knew that was the one, and we didn't look anymore after that," Deborah said.

The property had been vacant for 12 years before they came along. The couple was told it had served as a sake brewery until the early 1900s.

In order to inspect the property, they had to fill out a couple of forms for the local akiya bank. An akiya bank is a database maintained by the local municipalities for abandoned or vacant houses.

"They were very serious," Deborah said. "It was all in Japanese. We had to fill out a form with all our details, our families, what we do for a job, all that stuff. And then another form about our intentions and what we want to do with the house."

A retirement project

The couple paid 3.5 million Japanese yen, or $23,000, for the akiya in August 2023.

It was a 7LDK, which in Japanese housing terminology means that the house has seven bedrooms, a living room, a dining area, and a kitchen.

There are about 300 houses in their village, and their akiya is situated along a street leading to the community center. There's also a 7-11 across the rice field from their akiya.

So far, the couple has fixed up the front of the house by tidying up the garden, as well as adding a new gravel driveway and car park. They've also restored the kitchen, and gotten rid of the old toilet in favor of a modern bathroom.

"The intent is to bring the house back to its former glory with one or two modern touches," Jason said.

While they were prepared for the challenges of fixing up the old house, they were surprised by the amount of wildlife they encountered, including both spiders and snakes.

"And we've got monkeys, we've got centipedes, we've got bears, and killer hornets too. I was chased by one inside the house, so that was really scary — even though it makes a funny story now," Deborah said.

The language barrier was also a bit of a challenge for Jason, even though he's taking Japanese classes now.

"I can't really speak Japanese, whereas Deb can. So it puts a lot of pressure on her too," Jason said. "It's not like being in Tokyo or Kyoto where a lot of Japanese speak English."

The couple expects to spend the next few years chipping away at this project. They have also started documenting their restoration progress on their YouTube channel.

"We've got no urgent timeframe, and we're not trying to make money out of the property. We don't want to Airbnb it or anything like that. This is for us," Deborah said.

The couple still lives primarily in Brisbane, where their jobs are based. They plan to continue splitting their time between Japan and Australia until they fully retire in "hopefully five to eight years," Deborah said.

Integrating into the local community

When they're back in Australia, the akiya sits empty, but Jason said they've installed cameras around the property so they can monitor the yard.

The couple has also become friends with the real-estate agent who handled their akiya transaction — so much so that he even drives by their property once a week just to check on it on their behalf.

Building relationships with their neighbors and the wider community has been the key to the success of their akiya project.

"We've got a good support network there, but that doesn't just come along. You've got to work at that," Deborah said.

She added that they've been involved in the local community since day one, and even joined the neighborhood association.

In fact, the couple says that participating in the local community is one of the most important aspects of buying an akiya in Japan.

It's also why the local akiya bank was so invested in knowing why the couple wanted to buy the property, Jason said.

In recent years, foreigners have been snapping up these old, abandoned homes, in part due to the low price tags and the lack of restrictions on foreigners purchasing property in Japan. For many of them, it's more affordable to own an akiya in Japan than to own real estate in their home countries.

"In most cases potential buyers are asked their intentions before attending a viewing or submitting an application," Alex Shapiro, the cofounder of Blackship Realty, a Tokyo-based real-estate agency, told BI.

The local municipal governments may prioritize potential buyers who intend to live there, contribute to the local community, and pay local government taxes, he said.

However, each local government sets its own rules, Sami Senoussi, the cofounder of Akiya Heaven, which offers consulting services for akiya purchases, told BI.

"Some rural communities, especially those with aging populations, impose stricter guidelines in an effort to preserve the character and culture of their towns," he said. In more urban areas, including Tokyo, it's less common, he added.

Additionally, potential buyers may also be asked to demonstrate that they have the financial capacity to fund the renovations, especially if the akiya in question requires significant repairs, he said.

Indeed, while buying an akiya may be relatively affordable, the cost of fixing the house up can balloon quickly, Jason said.

"There's a lot of time, effort, and money that needs to go into them. And commitment — you can't just turn up in the community and play no part. You've got to put an equal amount of time into the house as much as you've got to put it into the community, and forge those relationships," he added.

Have you recently relocated to a new country and found your dream home? If you have a story to share, contact this reporter at [email protected].

• Multimillionaire "Shark Tank" star Barbara Corcoran says she prefers flying economy to first class.
• She said she would rather accumulate her free miles and give them to her family for free vacations.
• Airfares are lower now compared to the past, but many Americans still feel they're not getting good deals.

"Shark Tank" star Barbara Cocoran may be a multimillionaire, but she still prefers to fly in economy.

On Tuesday's episode of "The Jamie Kern Lima Show" podcast, the entrepreneur spoke about her flying preferences and why she doesn't think the more expensive cabins are worth it.

"Do you know what a first-class ticket costs?" Cocoran told podcast host Jamie Kern Lima. "Listen, the way I figure it is, a coach ticket is about 25% of a first-class ticket. I get the free miles and I can give them away. I have everybody in my family flying on my free miles."

To her, that's a better way for her to spend her airline miles because it means her family can enjoy free trips.

"What's more important — that everybody gets free vacations, or that I'm comfortable in first class?" she said. "I guess I could afford to do both, but I won't because I'll be in coach feeling really smug because I know I have three plane tickets that could take somebody somewhere. It accumulates, you know?"

And it's not just Cocoran who feels that way.

Even though airfares are more affordable now compared to three decades ago — when adjusted for inflation — many Americans still don't feel like they're getting a good deal.

"Airfare is the single most confusing and volatile purchase we regularly make," Scott Keyes, an airline industry expert told Business Insider previously. "Combine that with negativity bias and it's no surprise that even as airfare hits historic lows, people are more likely to think it's at historic highs."

BI's Monica Humphries reviewed the business class cabin aboard an Air New Zealand flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand, in summer of 2022. The ticket cost $6,000, and even though it was the best flight of her life, she said she wouldn't do it again.

"For the same price as a round-trip flight, in theory, I could've paid for another three weeks in New Zealand, covered months of rent, or put a down payment on a new car," she wrote in her review. The cost of a one-way ticket for the same flight for summer next year is still around $6,000, according to Air New Zealand's website.

In order to save money on airfare, travel hacks like "skiplagging" — which involves booking a flight with a layover in the intended destination and then bailing on the second leg of the journey — have gained immense popularity in the past year. However, many airlines have taken a stance against the practice.

In an essay for BI, travel writer Jonathan DeLise wrote that his favorite way of saving money on airfare involves taking "positioning" flights instead of direct ones. First, he flies to an intermediary airport with better ticket deals, and then he starts his journey to his destination. While this method allows him to save on flights, it doesn't save him time.

A representative for Cocoran did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.

• Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, 99, says eating in moderation is the key to longevity.
• "Age does not follow time. Age follows bodily health — the way you can function," he told Nikkei Asia.
• The number of people aged 80 or older is expected to reach 426 million worldwide, per WHO estimates.

Malaysia's former prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, will be 100 next year. His secret to longevity? Moderation.

"I don't eat too much. Obesity isn't good for survival," Mahathir told Nikkei Asia during an interview published in November.

"Age does not follow time. Age follows bodily health — the way you can function. Because of that, old age is not because of time; it's not because you are 60 that you are old. You may be 90, but if people at 90 are still strong, still able to work and function, then 90 would not be old age," he said.

Mahathir added that what people think of as old age has changed over time.

"At this moment, 60 or 65 is considered old, but we must remember that in the past, 30 was already old. During the time of Julius Caesar, leaders were only in their 30s because they died very early," he said.

Mahathir first served as Malaysia's prime minister from 1981 to 2003.

He reentered national politics in 2018 in a bid to unseat former prime minister Najib Razak, who had been accused of embezzling millions in state funds in the 1MDB scandal.

That same year, at age 92, Mahathir was elected as the country's prime minister once more — although he resigned a little under two years later.

Looking back on his political career, Mahathir shared that he regretted resigning from his post in 2003, "when I was not even 80 years old."

"When I was in my 70s, approaching 80, I told myself that 80 was very old. I thought I wouldn't be able to function well anymore. However, after I retired, I found that I was still able to work, still able to function," Mahathir said.

Experience comes with age, and society should try to retain older workers so as to not lose the wealth of knowledge that this demographic can provide, he said.

"If you retain older people in the workforce and allow them to continue working instead of retiring too early, you can benefit from their experience," Mahathir said.

During his second tenure as Malaysia's prime minister, Mahathir was considered one of the oldest elected world leaders. The oldest current national leader is President Paul Biya of Cameroon, who is 91 years old. In comparison, Joe Biden, at 82, is the oldest American president.

The number of people aged 80 or older is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 to reach 426 million worldwide, per WHO estimates.

A representative for Mahathir did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.

• Jenina, 36, and Adam, 38, spent about $60,000 building a tiny house in the Philippines countryside.
• They were inspired by the design of shepherd's huts in the UK, where Adam is from.
• Now, they're renting it out on Airbnb, and rates start at $150 a night.

Jenina, 36, and her husband, Adam, 38, have always wanted to own a tiny house in the woods.

The couple, who met as students at a party while studying in the UK, dreamed of having a cozy place they could escape to and reconnect with nature.

The two of them — who asked to be identified by only their first names for privacy reasons — were living in Bulacan, a province in the Philippines, at the time. Bulacan is about an hour's drive from the capital city of Manila.

Every weekend, they would visit the 22-hectare farm owned by Jenina's parents.

The couple always thought it'd be a good idea to have a small retreat there, somewhere they could bask in nature. The family farm is in Doña Remedios Trinidad, also known as DRT, in the Bulacan countryside. In July 2023, they turned their tiny-house dream into a reality.

"Initially, we envisioned this property as our personal holiday retreat— a sanctuary for relaxation," Jenina, who co-owns a digital-marketing agency, told Business Insider. "Being fans of tiny homes, we loved the idea of creating something minimalist yet functional."

Designed like a shepherd's hut

The couple was inspired by the design of shepherds' huts in the UK, where Adam is from, and decided to model their tiny home after it.

"We've always been fans of shepherd's huts for their practicality and charm. Their unique compact design inspired us, especially since they aren't widely known in the Philippines but are quite iconic in the UK," Jenina said.

She said they thought the distinctive style of the shepherd's hut would stand out aesthetically against the surrounding greenery.

The land was previously used as a pineapple plantation and to grow other fruit and vegetable crops. The couple made sure to build on a spot that was already cleared so that no trees had to be cut, Jenina said.

The whole construction process took about eight months, and the couple worked with a structural engineer and an architect to complete the project.

They said the hilly terrain of the plot made things especially challenging.

"We had to dig out four septic tanks and lay a solid foundation, bringing in a structural engineer to ensure the build was both secure and sustainable," Jenina said.

She said it was also difficult to transport building materials to the remote site, as it was miles from the nearest main road.

It didn't help that there was no electricity back then either, she added.

Sourcing materials was another major hurdle since finding unique items such as cast-iron wheels and frames required custom orders, which the couple collaborated on with a local architect.

"Managing the entire project ourselves tested our patience and problem-solving skills, but seeing the final result made all the challenges worthwhile," she said.

Turning it into a vacation rental

The two of them aren't the only ones who have hopped onto the tiny-house movement.

As housing keeps getting more expensive for people all around the world, tiny houses represent a cheaper alternative to real estate.

Six people who live in tiny houses previously told BI it was a way for them to improve their finances. Not only did they reduce their housing expenses, but living in a tiny house also forced them to reevaluate their daily spending habits.

"We evaluate what we buy a lot more carefully, which in turn ends up saving money from those 'I need to have this' moments. This allows us to invest back into our lives," Tim, a tiny-house blogger in Florida, told BI previously.

Jenina said they spent about 3.5 million Philippines pesos, or $60,000, to build the tiny house, including the cost of the landscaping around the structure.

The tiny house measures about 194 square feet and has a double bed, a sofa bed, a mini kitchen, and a full bathroom.

The internal and external walls are made of fiber cement, which helps keep the interior cool and comfortable even in tropical weather, Jenina said.

The curved roof is also crafted with durable Polyvinyl Chloride material that can last up to 50 years, she said — much longer than traditional roofing options.

Though the hut was meant to be their little getaway, the couple relocated to Cambodia in July this year after Adam accepted a job offer. He's a brand director for a luxury-goods company.

With the move, the couple also decided to turn their shepherd's hut into a guesthouse so that others could enjoy the space.

The tiny house — which can accommodate up to four adults — is available for rent on Airbnb or through their Facebook, with rates starting from 8,500 Philippine pesos on weekdays and 10,000 Philippine pesos on weekends and holidays.

The tiny hut is surrounded by plenty of natural sights that guests can enjoy, such as the Biak-Na-Bato National Park and the Verdivia Falls, a waterfall with clear pools popular for swimming and relaxing, Jenina said.

Their family members use the hut often, and the couple will always pop by for a quick stay whenever they're back in the Philippines to visit the family.

While living in the tiny hut permanently isn't in their immediate plans, they're definitely open to the idea in the future.

"Our favorite part of the hut is the stairs at the front," Jenina said. "From there, you can take in the breathtaking view of the mountains. It's the perfect spot to relax and connect with nature."

Have you recently relocated to a new country and found your dream home? If you have a story to share, contact this reporter at [email protected].

• Billie Eilish says she developed body image issues after a preteen obsession with Brandy Melville.
• Brandy Melville is a fast-fashion clothing retailer known for its "one size fits most" sizing policy.
• A 2021 Business Insider investigation exposed allegations of discrimination and sexual exploitation at the retailer.

Billie Eilish says she developed body image issues as a tween because of her obsession with the one-size clothing brand Brandy Melville.

In an interview with Complex published on Thursday, the singer opened up about how the fast-fashion brand heavily impacted the way she viewed her body.

The "What Was I Made For?" singer said that all she wore as a child were fairy dresses and skirts, even though she's now known for her baggy streetwear style.

"I never wore pants or shorts when I was a little kid," Eilish told Complex. "But when I got to be about 11, I got obsessed with this brand called Brandy Melville. And they only sold clothes in one size. I was chubbier and I was obsessed with these clothes, but I'd buy a shirt and it wouldn't fit me. That's when my body problems started. I was around the age of 10 or 11."

She shared that she went through puberty early and that she "wasn't slim." Not only that, being in ballet further exacerbated her body image issues, she said.

"I was wearing all these baggy clothes, and it was my style, but at the same time, it was how I could feel comfortable in my body and not feel tied to how my body looks. I didn't want my body to be part of my outfit. I wanted my outfit to be my outfit, and my body happens to be inside it," Eilish said.

Brandy Melville is a popular clothing brand known for selling basics like crop tops and mini skirts, and its "one size fits most" sizing policy.

In 2021, the brand came under fire for claims regarding a toxic and exploitative workplace culture. Several Brandy Melville employees told Business Insider's Kate Taylor that the company's top execs frequently discriminated against non-white employees, crossed professional boundaries with its young retail employees, and made sexist and antisemitic jokes. Brandy Melville did not offer any comment to BI in 2021 in response to the allegations.

In December 2022, the owners of Brandy Melville agreed to pay $1.45 million to settle claims from former workers that the retailer had violated California labor laws by forcing them to work "off the clock" and without breaks. However, they denied all wrongdoing in the court documents.

In July, Brandy Melville opened a sister store — named St. George — in Santa Monica, California, where some items are now available in a "medium" size, The Cut reported.

Representatives for Eilish and Brandy Melville did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

• McDonald's Snack Wraps are set to return to US menus in 2025.
• The cult-favorite menu item was launched in 2006 and discontinued in 2020.
• This announcement comes in the wake of the deadly E. coli outbreak in October linked to Quarter Pounders.

Fans of McDonald's Snack Wrap, rejoice — the fast-food giant is finally bringing the popular menu item back.

On Thursday, Joe Erlinger, the president of McDonald's US, confirmed on "Good Morning America" that the Snack Wrap will return next year.

"It has a cult following. I get so many emails in my inbox about this product," Erlinger said.

McDonald's Snack Wraps — chicken, lettuce, and cheese wrapped in a tortilla — were launched in 2006. In 2008, the company even enlisted supermodel Heidi Klum to star in a promotional campaign for the item.

The fan-favorite food was removed from national menus in 2016. Although franchisees could still choose to serve the Snack Wraps, they often complained that the wraps took too long to make, Bloomberg reported in 2015.

The Snack Wrap was officially discontinued in the US in 2020 as part of a menu simplification.

However, different variations of the Snack Wrap are still available on some international menus.

The Snack Wrap's return to US menus comes after years of online petitioning by fans — including one on Change.org that's been signed by over 18,000 people.

However, the exact launch date of the Snack Wrap remains unclear; Erlinger declined to share specifics while on the show.

"I'm not going to tell you exactly when in 2025 for competitive reasons," he said.

The announcement also comes in the wake of a deadly E. coli outbreak in October linked to slivered onions served on McDonald's Quarter Pounders.

About a week after reports of the outbreak emerged, the company said that its daily sales had dipped.

"We saw that shift to kind of having daily negative sales and guest count results since the beginning of the food safety incident," CFO Ian Borden said during the company's third-quarter earnings call on October 29.

In November, CNN reported that the fast-food giant was investing $100,000,000 to lure customers back to its restaurants. Thirty-five million of the investment will go toward marketing, while $65,000,000 will be spent on the franchisees that were worst affected by the outbreak.

A representative for McDonald's did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

• Hoda Kotb, 60, says she was body-shamed by a former boss when she was younger.
• "He goes, 'Hey, I got an idea. Maybe you might want to try to get on the treadmill,'" Kotb said, recalling his words.
• In the US, there are no federal laws that prohibit weight discrimination.

Hoda Kotb, 60, says she was body-shamed by her former boss.

During Monday's episode of "Today with Hoda and Jenna," Kotb recalled how her former boss had made comments about her weight when she was younger.

"I still remember I had just started working in a small market. And I played basketball in high school, so I always assumed I was in shape even though, literally, after college and stuff, I wasn't," Kotb told her cohost, Jenna Bush Hager.

"I still remember my boss going to me, 'Hey, Hoda,' and I was like, 'Yeah?' He goes, 'Hey, I got an idea. Maybe you might want to try to get on the treadmill,'" Kotb said, recalling his words.

Kotb says she was shocked by his comment because she didn't see herself that way.

"You know when you have a perception of yourself that is not the perception of the world?" Kotb said. "Yeah, so I was like, 'What are you talking about?'"

She went on to explain that "if you don't fit," people will "want you to wear something a certain way, cut your hair a certain way, speak a certain way."

But when people pretend to be someone they're not, they'll start losing who they really are, Kotb said, adding that there are times when people do have to "do things to fit into a work environment."

Kotb's comment came about during a discussion on the show about Timothée Chalamet and how he recently shared that he was told to change his body type early in his career to land bigger roles.

A 2023 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management found that almost 72% of US workers who have experienced unfair treatment at work due to their weight say it made them feel like quitting their jobs. Additionally, 11% of HR professionals surveyed say obese employees at their organization are not always treated as fairly as average-weight employees.

There are no federal laws that prohibit weight discrimination, although some cities in the US — such as San Francisco and Washington DC — have passed local laws banning weight discrimination. In 2023, New York City passed a law making weight discrimination illegal.

Michigan was the first state to pass a law that prevents weight discrimination.

Emily Capelli, a psychotherapist, previously told Business Insider that it can be helpful to speak up against weight stigma.

"You can say, just simply, 'That feels fatphobic,' or 'That hurts my feelings'," Capelli suggests. "This falls under setting boundaries with people, and I think it's helpful to say that setting boundaries is a skill. Like riding a bike, you can work on this skill."

There are also ways to change the subject or shut down the conversation if the topic comes up, she said: "It's perfectly OK to walk away."

A representative for Kotb did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

• Matt Guy moved to Japan in 2023 and bought a traditional house in a ski town for $6,000.
• He lives in the two-story house — that was built in the '60s — with his Japanese partner.
• He hopes that people will not buy property in Japan solely because it's cheap or trendy.

Matt Guy visited Japan for the first time during a six-week trip in 2010. Half of the visit was spent snowboarding, while the other half was spent exploring the country.

At that time, Guy — who was born in Australia — had already traveled to 30 different countries and lived in several places before, but Japan piqued his curiosity.

"I left the country feeling kind of different," Guy, 40, told Business Insider.

He knew he wanted to explore and understand the country more deeply, which led him to move to Japan in 2014 and enroll in a one-year course to learn the language.

Slowly, the idea of relocating to Japan started to take root. In 2016, he returned as an English teacher and stayed for two years. But he was itching to see the world once again, so he left.

It wasn't until 2023 that he returned to Japan — and this time, for good.

"By the time I committed to making Japan my home, it wasn't on a whim. I came with knowledge, experience, and respect for a place I had grown to deeply love," he said.

House-hunting in Japan

At that time, Guy — who has a background in construction — was on the hunt for a permanent place to call home.

He had spent the past couple of years looking at listings in Japan and scouting out different areas where he wouldn't mind living.

"I would still be searching even when I was overseas," Guy said. "I spent all of that time shaping up what is most desirable to me and what ticks the boxes for me."

As someone who likes the outdoors and enjoys activities such as hiking, backcountry skiing, and snowboarding, he has always wanted to live in a ski town.

By a stroke of luck, a friend who owns a ski lodge near Myoko Kogen — a popular ski area in the Niigata prefecture — had invited Guy to spend the summer.

By the end of the season, Guy ended up finding his forever home.

"I came here without an intention to buy anything, but it just lined up that this house became available," he said.

He chanced upon the listing online after searching for property in the area.

The traditional two-story house, built in the '60s, was owned by a couple in their eighties, who were eager to show him around.

"He's like, 'Come in, let me show you the good points of my house. If you open this window during the summer and that window, you get this cross ventilation coming through. This window gets the best sunshine,'" Guy said, recalling the previous owner's words. "It was incredible."

Guy says he bought the property for slightly under 1 million Japanese yen, or about $6,000.

"One of the things that I wanted was to live in a ski town up on the hill. I want the ski lift and the chairlift to be there," Guy said. "But as I've spent more time in the mountains, I've realized that if I come down a little bit, away from the more popular area, I'd be able to save money, and enjoy other benefits too."

For instance, it doesn't snow as heavily where he is.

"I don't have to clear snow. Some of my neighbors up the hill do," he said. "There are fewer insects; there are fewer woodpeckers that destroy your house. There are no bears here."

Rural but convenient

Guy — now a content creator who makes videos about off-the-beaten-path destinations in Japan — lives in the house with his partner, who is Japanese.

The house was largely move-in ready, save for the bathroom, which had some termites, he said.

"Everything else could have been left as it was. There was really no renovation necessary," Guy said.

However, he had his own idea of how he wanted the place to look, so he made some changes to the interiors.

"I recently renovated my bathroom and my shower room, and I made it out of Hinoki Japanese wood, and now that's become one of my favorite spots in the house," he added.

Even though the area he lives in is considered rural, there are still plenty of amenities around.

"For example, my next-door neighbor is a sushi restaurant. Two doors down, there's a soba restaurant. My local hospital is about 35 seconds walk away. The pharmacy is across the street from that. The post office is 15 seconds walk away," Guy said. "So it's all very convenient."

To get to Tokyo, all he has to do is hop on the Shinkansen, bullet train, and he'll be there in about two hours, he said.

A more present and intentional life

Since moving to Japan, Guy says he's found himself living a life that's more connected to the present.

For instance, the way that Japanese culture celebrates the changing seasons has encouraged him to focus less on what's next and more on what's happening now.

"This shift has brought a deeper sense of gratitude for everyday moments, whether it's enjoying a seasonal meal or taking part in a local tradition," he said.

He's also grown to be more patient since Japanese culture emphasizes politeness and respect in daily interactions.

"Whether it's waiting your turn to speak, carefully listening, or queuing for a train or a popular restaurant, patience becomes second nature," Guy said. "The value placed on maintaining harmony also means situations are often handled calmly and thoughtfully, which has taught me the value of slowing down and considering others."

Japanese society also views people as equals, regardless of their jobs, he said.

"Whether you are a bus driver or a doctor, you're very much treated with just as much respect as anybody else," Guy said. "People know that you're needed to operate. You are still part of the system needed to make everything work smoothly."

Playing a part in the community

Guy says one of the biggest things people should consider is that buying a house in Japan means participating in the local community.

"I think it's important to think about how you are a contributor to the community," Guy said. "It cannot be an entirely selfish approach of 'I just want a cheap ski house in Japan.'"

For instance, Guy and his neighbors meet every three months to do community service, such as cleaning the streets together.

"I think the first question is, 'How can I be valuable to the community that I live in?' And it's got to go beyond teaching English to people who don't ever need to use English in this community. It's got to go beyond cooking them things or baking them cookies," Guy said.

It's important that people consider their decision carefully before buying a house here, especially since it's quite a trend right now, Guy — who also does property consulting on the side — said.

According to Japan's Ministry of Justice, 2,604 Americans moved to the country in 2023, bringing the total number of American expats in Japan to 63,408.

Four Americans told BI previously listed the country's safety standards and relative affordability as their reasons for making the move. Some of them even buy and renovate one of the country's 8 million cheap abandoned homes.

He hopes people who purchase property in Japan do so because they genuinely love the country and its culture, and want to contribute to it — not just because they like the aesthetics of owning a house there.

"Buying a house in Japan is not just a financial transaction; it's a cultural exchange that affects both the buyer and the surrounding area," Guy said. "My hope is to see Japan maintain its unique character and charm rather than having homes purchased solely because they are inexpensive."

Have you recently relocated to a new country and found your dream home? If you have a story to share, contact this reporter at [email protected].

• Disney's "Moana 2" set a new five-day Thanksgiving box office record with $221 million in sales.
• The previous record was held by "Frozen II," which brought $125 million in 2019.
• "Moana 2," "Wicked," and "Gladiator II" contributed to the $420 million in box office sales over Thanksgiving.

"Moana 2" made a big splash at the box office over Thanksgiving weekend.

The highly anticipated sequel to the 2016 Disney film has brought in $221 million in domestic ticket sales since opening on Wednesday — the first day of the five-day Thanksgiving weekend — based on studio estimates.

The film broke the five-day Thanksgiving box office record, surpassing the $125 million record set by "Frozen II" in 2019. Before that, the title was held by "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," which brought in $109.9 million in 2013.

The Thanksgiving box office weekend has also seen the continued success of "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" — both of which were released on November 22.

Like "Barbenheimer," fans have dubbed the movies "Glicked" thanks to their coincidental release date.

During the five-day Thanksgiving period, "Wicked" — which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo — brought in $117.5 million domestically, while "Gladiator II" — which stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal — earned $44 million, based on estimates from IMDB's Box Office Mojo.

The three films contributed to the $420 million raked in over the five-day period — the best-ever Thanksgiving box office sales, surpassing the $315.6 million record set over the same period in 2018, according to Comscore data, per NBC.

Based on studio estimates, "Moana 2" has made $386 million globally so far.

In 2016, "Moana" also topped box offices on Thanksgiving weekend with $81 million in ticket sales.

It was released on Disney+ in 2019 and was the most-watched movie on a streaming platform in the US in 2023, with over 11.3 billion minutes streamed, per data from Nielsen.

A representative from Comscore did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

• Ted Danson is thankful he didn't meet his wife, Mary Steenburgen, until later in life.
• "I was not really fully emotionally baked until shortly before I met Mary," Danson told People.
• They met in 1983, reconnected in 1993, and got married in 1995.

Ted Danson has one thing to be grateful for this year — not meeting his wife, Mary Steenburgen, until later in life.

In an interview with People published Thursday, "The Good Place" actor says that their relationship wouldn't have worked out if they had met earlier.

"Guarantee you the answer is no. I'll just speak for myself," Danson, 76, told People. "I was not really fully emotionally baked until shortly before I met Mary."

The year before he met Steenburgen, he made a commitment to work on himself.

"I had, about a year before, decided I want to become a more emotionally mature, honest human being," he said. "I worked very hard at it or I don't think Mary Steenburgen would've even seen me. So yeah. The answer is no. Thank God we didn't meet earlier."

Danson and Steenburgen met in 1983 when he auditioned to play her on-screen husband in "Cross Creek." A decade later, they reconnected on the set of the 1993 film "Pontiac Moon" and married in 1995. They each have two children from their previous marriages.

In the '80s, the average age for American men to get married was 25, while women were tying the knot three years earlier at 22. In recent years, those ages have risen to 30 and 28, respectively, according to US Census data.

Danson says part of the reason their relationship works is also because they always have each other's backs.

"Whenever I become self-deprecating, full of doubt, which I do on a regular basis, she lovingly goes, 'Snap out of it,' and kind of forces me out the door into turning the next corner in life," he said.

Dr. Lindsay C. Gibson, a clinical psychologist, previously told Business Insider that an emotionally mature romantic partner will show clear signs of listening, be able to express empathy, and be good at regulating their emotions.

Interactions with them will also feel natural, she said.

"They're looking to dovetail with you as much as possible because they like harmony," Dr. Gibson said. "They like getting along with people, they don't say impulsive or thoughtless things, and they seem to notice how things affect someone."

A representative for Danson did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.