Can trying to meet specific exercise goals put us off being active altogether?
Exercise practitioners are taught to help us set goals to get active. But the way we set goals may be unhelpful, or worse, make it even harder for us to exercise.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Exercise
Displaying 1 - 20 of 142 articles
Could too much sitting be bad for our brains?
The brain is a glucose-hungry organ. If this energy supply is disrupted, it can impair and even damage brain cells.
Electrical stimulation can help people who are too weak to exercise
The ancient Greeks knew the medical benefits of electrical stimulation. Now researchers are trying it for people who are too ill to get physically active.
Exercise can be punishing – but here’s how to stop thinking of it as a punishment
Try thinking of exercise as fun and something to enjoy with friends.
The yoga paradox: how yoga can cause pain and treat it
New research shows yoga can improve back and neck pain, but can put strain on the body in some poses.
Is it OK to run in heat of 30℃ or more?
Yes, as long as you take the right precautions.
From India with love — how yoga got its stretch back
From the shores of India to a gym on the high-street — the evolution of modern yoga.
The steps that can help adults heal from childhood trauma
Trauma can be passed down from generation to generation. What steps should adults take to try and break the cycle?
We asked children why they don’t get enough exercise – here’s what they said
It's not all child's play.
Whole body vibration: a genuine therapy or just another ‘weight loss’ fad?
Whole body vibration therapy is undertaken by standing, sitting, lying or doing exercises on specifically designed equipment that oscillates at relatively high frequencies.
Adrenaline zen: what ‘normal people’ can learn from extreme sports
Why extreme sports can change your life for the better.
Busting three myths around elite sports performance
To what extent do hours of practice, development squads and role models really make a difference?
Q&A: How often do we need to go to the gym? (And other exercise questions answered)
Dr James Brown answered questions on Facebook Live from how much exercise you need to what you should eat afterwards.
Why men need to think about their fertility too
Thinking of having a baby? It's not all down to women to get healthy in preparation.
Physical inactivity is hurting the health of people in countries like Kenya. There’s a solution
Regular physical activity energises you to perform daily chores, deal with stress better and improves your quality of sleep.
Why sitting is not the ‘new smoking’
New research shows not all sitting is bad for our health, so long as you're active at other times of the day.
Struggling with your New Year’s resolutions? Here’s how you can hang on in there
Old habits die hard.
Australia needs to make sport a more equal playing field: here’s why
There is much work to do if Australia is to eradicate various barriers to participation in sport.
Less pain, more gain – improving health and fitness with minimal exercise
New research on sprint interval exercise and cardiovascular fitness suggests doing less exercise may actually be better for us.
How wearable devices are reinventing our cities as open-air gyms
Physical exercise was once primarily an open-air activity, until gym training and monitoring took hold. Digital devices and augmented reality now offer the freedom to head out into the city again.
Top contributors
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Professor of Health Sciences, University of South Australia
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Professor and Laboratory Head of Physical Activity, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
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Associate Professor in Nutrition, Deakin University
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Professor, School of Allied Health Sciences, Griffith University
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Associate Professor in Exercise Physiology and Research Associate of Institute of Sport Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL), Victoria University
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Simon Rosenbaum is a Friend of The Conversation.
Society For Mental Health Research Early Career Fellow, UNSW
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Professorial Research Fellow: Physical Activity and Health, CQUniversity Australia
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Alfred Deakin Professor, Deakin University
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Research Fellow, Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living, Victoria University
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Sport Science Research Fellow, Victoria University
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Lecturer in Physical Education, University of Newcastle
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Lecturer in Prevention and Research Fellow in Public Health, University of Sydney
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Research Fellow in Physical activity and workplace health, University of Sydney
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Research Fellow in Physical Activity and Health, Rhodes University
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Healthy Ageing, The University of Queensland
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