It’s in the way you do it: lessons for public park exercise groups

Recent criticism of the use of public spaces for group-based exercise programs seems driven by opinion, not data. It also appears to be confounding the exercising with the management of public spaces…

4 March 2013

Phtvs7tz-1362104546 — Jane Fonda was wrong – you don’t need to “feel the burn” to reap the benefits of exercise. Image from shutterstock.com

Monday’s medical myth: no pain, no gain

By Peter Milburn, Griffith University

The value of regular physical activity to a person’s well-being is unequivocal. But how much exercise do we need to maintain health, improve fitness or lose weight? And where is the line between healthy…

8 January 2013

M5mhghh8-1355961268 — Just like clothing or food, exercise goes through fashions. Alison/Flickr

How your resolution to exercise more this year could be a recipe for injury

By Neil Tuttle, Griffith University

If I’m honest, I never really liked running, but every new year when I was in high school, I made the resolution to try out for the track team. We started training before snow was off the streets of Detroit…

17 December 2012

Yh57b247-1355456835 — Heart rate provides real-time measurements of cardiovascular responses to exercise. samwebster

Beat surrender: using heart rate to monitor fitness and training

By Jeremiah Peiffer, Murdoch University

Whether the intent is to increase athletic performance or enhance fitness in the face of an ever-expanding chronic disease epidemic, a structured exercise program is essential. The ability to monitor…

17 September 2012

Z69d49sf-1347514436 — Young athletes are not small adults. JosephB

Monday’s medical myth: young athletes can train like adults

By Peter Milburn, Griffith University

Public health experts, educators and the media constantly remind us that children should put down the video games and get active. But how much activity is really necessary to maintain health? And how much…

13 June 2012

4rr4qs37-1339548318 — We need further research to determine whether concussion can cause mental illness. Ed Yourdon

Do football concussions cause depression?

By Gavin Davis, The Conversation and Michael Makdissi, University of Melbourne

A number of retired sports professional have claimed that mental health problems they developed later in life, such as depression and dementia, may have been caused by concussions sustained during their…

29 August 2011

Pic_-_nsw_u-15s — Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton (front row far right) in the 1994 NSW under 15 soccer team that won the Australian championships. Roy Hay

A-League: Kewell and Emerton come home

By Ian Syson, Victoria University and Roy Hay, Deakin University

Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton’s recent signings for Australian clubs have, in the blink of an eye, skyrocketed interest levels in the coming A-League season. Their return represents the closing of a…

23 May 2011

4584368387_d5067d671c_b — It’s important to change your running style to adapt to running without shoes.

Sole survivors: the secret to barefoot running

By Robert Lockie, University of Newcastle

There’s a growing interest in barefoot running, especially in relation to running long distances. Research articles, opinion pieces, and websites have argued both for and against the efficacy of running…