Endurance athletes, from weekend warriors to the elite, seek nutritional post-exercise products to enhance training and speed recovery. But for athletes, the challenge of negotiating the massive range…
Exercise isn’t a substitute for traditional therapies but should be part of a comprehensive treatment plan.
Image from shutterstock.com
One in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. The good news is that with earlier detection and improved treatments, the survival rate for many common cancers…
AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou (centre) has flagged a rise in positive test results, but changes to drug policies won’t necessarily help.
AAP/Joe Castro
The AFL’s approach to illicit drugs was championed as a world leader of drugs-in-sport policy when it was implemented in 2005. It was fair, humane and had been effective in reducing match day and out-of…
Coca-Cola’s business strategy is to build brand loyality and trust.
Flickr/orangeacid
Coca-Cola made headlines this week with a new television advertising campaign. It begins with a voice-over: “We’d like people to come together on something that concerns all of us – obesity”. The ad then…
The shoulder-charge ban will encourage tackles rather than ‘big-hit’ collisions.
AAP
The Australian Rugby League (ARL) Commission’s decision last week to ban the shoulder charge from all competitions from 2013 has divided fans. Some applaud the decision in the name of improving player…
Swimming isn’t the best way to settle that full stomach but it’s unlikely to cause you to drown.
Jaypeg
The old saying that you should wait at least 30 minutes after eating before you swim is based on the idea that after a big meal, blood will be diverted away from your arms and legs, towards your stomach…
If you don’t have time for hours of exercise every week, short, intense efforts might work instead.
Michael Lokner
Less than 40% of Australians achieve the minimum amount of physical activity recommended by government and professional organisations. This contributes to the fact 60% of Australians are overweight or…
Australian cyclist Matthew White admitted to taking drugs during his time riding for Lance Armstrong’s US Postal Service cycling team.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
Federal Sports Minister Kate Lundy’s recent announcement of an independent review of Cycling Australia appears sensible given the local fall-out from the Armstrong case.
The minister sees this review…
Research shows sports sponsorship works to improve brand recall and positive attitudes among children and adolescents.
Over the weekend, Australian children and their parents witnessed some of the country’s finest sportsmen display feats of strength, skill and endurance in the Australian Football League (AFL) and National…
There is currently no evidence to show helmets help prevent concussion or more serious head injury.
AAP
We’ve heard a lot about concussion this AFL season, with claims that too many knocks to the head can cause mental illness, calls for more research into the possible link between football concussions and…
Too much water can lead to a condition called hyponatremia that can cause death.
ERIO/Flickr
Drinking enough water is very important during long periods of physical activity or recreational pursuits. But there are rare instances when too much fluid intake can be harmful, and even lead to death…
Gambling companies sponsor and advertise at grass roots sporting clubs throughout Australia.
MRHSfan
I really enjoyed sitting down with my kids and watching the Olympic Games. In the process of watching amazing sporting triumphs we also learnt multiple ways to gamble, all at the tap of a finger.
During…
South Korea’s World Cup football team at a training center near Azadi Stadium in the Iranian capital Tehran.
AAP
As the AFL season draws closer to the grand final, clubs are already looking to off-season training opportunities to prepare players for 2013. Several high-profile clubs are forking out big money to send…
If you don’t change the way you run, ditching your sneakers is a recipe for injury.
Steven at
The human species is one of the most efficient terrestrial animals. We adapted to run on dry riverbeds and grasslands, but development of modern society has strained the evolutionary process.
Footwear…
Depending on their age, children should accumulate between one and three hours of physical activity a day.
Kymberly Janisch
OBESE NATION: It’s time to admit it – Australia is becoming an obese nation. This series looks at how this has happened and, more importantly, what we can do to stop the obesity epidemic.
Here, Jo Salmon…
Rugby player Nate Myles (far right) shouldn’t have returned to the field after suffering a concussion.
AAP
“He got a free trip to Disneyland.” That’s how Wally Lewis described the knockout of Nate Myles, from the Gold Coast Titans, during a tackle two weeks ago. Rugby league is a tough game with tough players;…
Children aren’t suited to adult-style fitness programs using exercise bikes, treadmills and rowers.
Axel Bu hrmann
With one in five Australian preschool-age children now overweight or obese, it’s no wonder kids' weight is so often in the media spotlight.
While the causes of obesity are complex and multifactorial…
Exercising at a moderate intensity is enough to reduce your blood pressure and cholesterol.
Flickr/dangerouslyfit
You don’t need to follow the “no pain, no gain” mantra to reap the health benefits of exercise, a new study shows.
Military-style boot camps that deliver fast-paced, high-intensity training (and chastise…
Last year’s Australian Open women’s runner-up Li Na in action at the Sydney International this week.
Australia’s summer of tennis is a great opportunity to see the world’s best players up close, hitting hard and serving big. Many elite players hit first serves at over 200km/h with great precision and…
New Zealand is celebrating the All Blacks' victory over France in the Rugby World Cup.
Over the course of the tournament The Conversation has brought you stories about all aspects of the game.
And with…
The All Blacks' haka is culturally important for everyone in New Zealand.
AAP/AFP pool/Phil Water
RUGBY WORLD CUP – When New Zealand’s All Blacks take on France in the final tonight, they will be proud to perform a haka. They’ve taken some criticism for it in the past, but, as André Brett of the University…
Bryce Lawrence is one of the Rugby World Cup referees who has won few friends in the tournament.
AFP/Marty Melville
RUGBY WORLD CUP – The Wallabies may have the consolation of winning third place in tournament, but their progress has been far from controversial. The Rugby World Cup has been plagued by accusations of…
Diving is an embarrassment to the world game.
seriouslysilly
The year is 1990. For 85 grueling minutes, Italian crowds have watched West Germany battle Argentina in the World Cup Final.
The score is tied, 0-0. The collective breath is held.
Suddenly, the Germans…
All Black Richie McCaw has been accused of routinely cheating in his approach to the game.
AAP
RUGBY WORLD CUP – The athleticism of the players has impressed in this tournament, but is there a whiff of unsportsmanlike behaviour in the air? Brian Stoddart of La Trobe University investigates.
A few…
New Zealand defeated Tonga in the opening game of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
AFP Photo/Franck Fife
RUGBY WORLD CUP – In the latest of The Conversation’s series on the Rugby World Cup, former Wallabies player, James Holbeck and Professor of Sport Science at Victoria University, Damian Farrow, discuss…
Some AFL teams spend the off season at high altitude.
kangaroos.com.au
You might have heard about athletes and other sportspeople absconding to high-altitude locations for training.
Indeed altitude training has become the training-method-du-jour for sporting codes around…
The time trial is critical to Evans' chances in the 2011 Tour de France.
AFP/Pascal Pavani
Following the 18th stage of the 2011 Tour de France last night, the top six riders are within less than four minutes of one another: Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck, Frank Schleck, Ivan Basso, Damian Cunego…
Climbing mountains is all about fighting gravity.
Nicolas Bouvy/EPA
This is the second in a two-part series about the science of Le Tour de France. Part one is here.
After 1,916 kilometres of the 2011 Tour de France we’re starting to see some of the favourites make their…
Since mandatory bike helmet laws were introduced in 1991, researchers, cyclists and campaigners have debated the law’s role in cyclist safety and the desirability of bike riding.
A new analysis reveals…
If helmets protect against brain injury, why not wear them?
Convincing more Australians to get on a bike would undoubtedly deliver health improvements that come with reduced waistlines. But ditching bike helmets isn’t the answer.
The health benefits of more cycling…
The life expectancy gained from cycling to work outweighs the risks of ill health from pollution and injury.
With epidemics of diabetes and obesity threatening to bankrupt state health budgets, governments need to broaden their strategies to encourage physical activity.
Allowing cyclists to ride without a helmet…
