Melbourne University Sport Courts

Social Prescribing: Why Your GP Might Prescribe a Walk

01 May 2026 · 5 min read

Australian GPs are turning to an unexpected treatment for loneliness, chronic pain, and low mood: community activities. Social prescribing connects patients with walking groups, Parkrun, sport clubs, and volunteering instead of — or alongside — medication. With one in three Australian adults experiencing loneliness, and the RACGP now calling social...

The awkward, necessary hurdle of making new friends at 60

01 May 2026 · 5 min read

Making new friends in your sixties isn't as simple as the brochures make it look. New Monash University research shows kinless older Australians face the highest loneliness rates, and the friction of joining a new group keeps a lot of people on the couch. Pickleball courts, walking netball matches and...

Push-Up Challenge and Mental Health — What Research Shows

01 May 2026 · 6 min read

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...