Many of us have heard of “Kegels” or pelvic floor exercises, and probably have a vague sense we should be doing more of them. For many women, our social media news feeds are full of ads for the latest gizmos and gadgets for exercising our pelvic floors. There are brands with game-like apps including Perifit and Elvie, and […]
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in decreased levels of physical activity, which has implications for physical and mental health. Physical activity can also be an important tool for recovery from the collective trauma experienced and exacerbated throughout the pandemic, especially for equity-seeking communities. During the pandemic, high levels of stress, isolation and inequity have had a disproportionate impact […]
To the joy of many, indoor gyms are reopening across Australia as coronavirus restrictions continue to ease. They officially reopen in New South Wales on June 13, in Tasmania two days later, and in Victoria on June 22. They are already open in the Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. However, […]
While there are many debates about which type of diet is best for weight loss and health, it’s often not the weight loss which is the biggest challenge, but rather avoiding weight regain afterwards. This can lead to cycles of dieting and weight gain, or “yo-yo” dieting, which can cause people to have a less healthy relationship with food, worse […]
Many of us exercise to feel better. While some of us get “runners’ highs” after a workout, unfortunately some of us leave the gym feeling nauseous. Though this is usually only temporary, it can still be uncomfortable. Fortunately there are a few good explanations for why this may be happening – so if this happens […]
When parents in the UK were suddenly forced to become teachers to their kids in lockdown, physical education (PE) was largely an afterthought. As many PE lessons are now delivered by outside professional coaches, few primary schools had the in-house experience or skills to create and suggest content to help parents. Instead, many turned to fitness […]
The diverse, non-human life forms that live in our guts – known as our microbiome – are crucial to our health. A disrupted balance of these contribute to a range of disorders and diseases, including obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease. It could even affect our mental health. It’s well known that the microbes living in our […]
The coronavirus pandemic has forced many of us to work from home, often in less than ideal circumstances. Many employees had little choice in the decision, limited time to prepare, patchy technology skills, and inadequate home workspaces. Some managers neglected remote workers, while others zealously monitored them. And yet some people thrived. Having tried it, […]
If you’ve had a surgery postponed due to the pandemic, or one is on the horizon, there may be some work you can do right now to prepare and to help improve your postoperative outcome. Prehabilitation, a strategy that uses exercise to improve patients’ functional capacity before surgery to help improve outcomes, is increasingly recommended […]
Most of us have heard that too much sitting is bad for you. Studies show sitting increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and mortality, Type 2 diabetes and cancer. With Americans more sedentary than ever, that’s particularly alarming. Even before COVID-19, many of us had managed to engineer physical activity out of our lives. But now, the pandemic has made things worse. Going […]
During the COVID pandemic, lockdowns and school closures brought about significant changes to children’s opportunities to be active. While the precise rules varied around the world, most countries experienced some level of restrictions for a time. Unsurprisingly, when everything is closed and the guidance is to stay at home where possible, activity levels go down. For children, […]
In the current pandemic many parents of young children are finding themselves spending more time in the role of caregiver than usual. Keeping young children physically active and miminizing screen time while parents manage work schedules may be a serious challenge. But even before families became more confined to home due to closures and social distancing, children […]
