Although it’s not possible for parents to completely shield their kids from screens and junk food, in the home they have a unique opportunity to establish healthy behaviours.
New research shows that if you pay people for achievable increases in their daily physical activity, they will continue to be more active for months after the rewards are withdrawn.
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Getting enough exercise to offset the health impacts of sitting might be easier than you think, new research shows.
Smartphones make great citizen research tools. We take them everywhere and they have the functions (GPS, accelerometers, camera, audio, video) to sense, share and mobilize data between consenting citizens.
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We blame electronic devices for our increasingly sedentary behaviours. So why not harness them to study our movement patterns and tackle urgent health crises?
There’s good evidence drinking coffee before exercise can marginally improve your performance.
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Many people drink coffee for that extra bit of energy to go about their day. As well as sharpening our minds, there’s evidence caffeine can give us a physical boost, too.
If your exercise routine compromises other aspects of your life, you may have a problem.
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In the weeks and months following mass trauma, such as the shootings in Christchurch, participating in physical activity can help individuals and communities deal with stress, anxiety and grief.
Secondary school students typically spend less time doing physical activity than they did in primary school.
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The transition from primary to secondary school can be tough for children socially and emotionally. Students also do less physical activity in secondary school, and need help with this transition too.
There has been a tenfold increase in the worldwide prevalence of childhood obesity over the past four decades.
Uninviting, car-dominated streets, like this one in Melbourne, reduce our experience menu by discouraging beneficial activities like walking and sharing places with other people.
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If the menu of potential activities that do us good is made to look uninviting or challenging, we are more likely to choose the easier but less healthy option.
Teenagers should try to include a combination of aerobic activities (swimming or walking), strength training (sit ups or weight training) and flexibility training (yoga or stretching).
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Just what role does exercise play in weight loss? Plenty. While word has spread in recent years that physical activity isn’t all that important, a doctor debunks that myth.
In poorer communities, shared spaces tend to be poorly maintained and utilitarian.
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We wear our surroundings like a cloak. Lower-income communities often live in environments that discourage healthy, outdoor activities. This perpetuates their poorer health and traps them in poverty.
Before you go for seconds after your meal, have a glass of water and wait five minutes before checking in with your hunger again.
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A new study has found breaking old and forming new habits is key in keeping weight off.
Physical activity improves memory, problem-solving and decision-making ability. Active children have better executive functioning, including planning, self-regulation and the ability to perform demanding tasks with greater accuracy.
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Sport and other physical activity is vital to the developing bodies and minds of children; for those with disabilities it can be hard to access and is yet even more important.
It isn’t enough to just tell us to Be Active or Move It.
Arek Adeoye
The government’s new exercise campaign encourages us to get 30 minutes of physical activity a day. But while ads can get us to change our attitudes, they’re unlikely to change our behaviour.
Encouraging physical activity in the playground, in classrooms and before and after school can help.
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Compulsory sport and physical education at school will improve children’s memory, attention and ability to concentrate, not just boost fitness. The evidence is in.