Search results for #fitness-training
How Behavioural Science Helps You Choose the Right Gym
A gym can look impressive and still be hard to keep using. Behavioural research and Australian stories point to a simpler test: can you reach it easily, enjoy the session, ask for help and return after a break? Julie Dickson's experience and an Auslan-led Queensland gym show how support can...
Move Well Brisbane: What the $5.6m Plan Adds
Gina used Brisbane's former Growing Older and Living
Dangerously (GOLD) activities program to try circuit training, canoeing and more. Rhonda attended council yoga for a year and looked forward to returning each week. Brisbane City Council is now spending $5.6 million on Move Well Brisbane, with more free and low-cost...
Do Virtual Walking Challenges Work—and How Do You Keep Going Afterwards?
Virtual walking challenges can help people move more while they are running. A large app study found participants averaged 23% more steps during competitions, although badges and points alone appear to make a smaller difference. Making your goal public can create accountability, Facebook groups can offer encouragement and fundraising for...
Virtual Fitness Challenges: A Flexible Way to Get Active Anywhere
Virtual fitness challenges let Australians walk, run, ride or complete an activity goal on their own schedule while still gaining structure, progress tracking and a shared purpose. They can be especially useful for beginners, busy parents, shift workers and people who live far from organised events. Here is how they...
Group or Solo Exercise? New Research Says Both Can Work
A 2026 meta-analysis of 71 studies found group and individual exercise programs produced broadly similar results. Group formats showed a small functional advantage, while social connection may depend more on how a group is designed than simply exercising beside other people.
Why Some Men Over 50 Keep Exercising After the Program Ends
A 2026 Curtin University study followed Australian men after they completed the AFL-linked Aussie-FIT program to see who stayed active and why. The answers were less about motivation and more about structure, routine and social connection. Men who kept moving usually had regular group activities, clear plans and a sense...
Why Self-Confidence Matters More Than You May Think for Exercise
Most people do not stop exercising because they are lazy or unmotivated. They stop because they slowly lose trust in their own promises. Mental fitness coach Maya Raichoora draws a useful distinction between external confidence and quieter self-trust, the kind that helps you keep showing up on cold mornings and...
Can Four Minutes a Day Lower Diabetes Risk? What New Australian Research Found
A new Australian-led study suggests that less than four minutes a day of vigorous movement, spread across everyday life, may be linked to a substantially lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. The research shifts the conversation away from formal workouts and toward small, intense bursts like climbing stairs or carrying...
How to Start Exercising When You're Completely Out of Shape
If "just start walking" advice has failed you twice, the problem usually isn't the exercise — it's the lack of structure. Australia has two large, free, beginner-built community programs most adults have never heard of: parkrun and Heart Foundation Walking. Both are scheduled, volunteer-run, and full of walkers. This piece...
Push-Up Challenge and Mental Health — What Research Shows
Every June, tens of thousands of Australians take on the Push-Up Challenge — a 24-day event pairing daily push-up targets with mental health facts. A University of Melbourne study tracking over 42,000 participants found the challenge led to significant reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms, and made participants twice as...