Endorsed by sporting organisations, physical activity providers and education bodies, the statement is a commitment to help all Australians bring out their best through physical activity.

Average temperatures in Australia are already high by international standards, but what happens when they continue to rise? How much heat can our bodies withstand?

Chef Amber Kaba has struggled with alcoholism, but it was the recent suicide of a mentor and friend that is driving her to help address a mental health crisis facing the hospitality industry.

Women are roughly three times more likely to spend money on exercise classes than men. Why?

The 'medicine' used to treat obesity is largely unregulated, a University of Sydney expert says.

Gym classes often involved being yelled at by an enthusiastic instructor, but that can be tough to follow if you're deaf.

I did something recently that scared me. I registered for the Medibank Melbourne Marathon ... and I have my work cut out for me.

Australia’s first review of cancer rehabilitation services has found that just one in 200 patients have access to exercise services that could aid their recovery.

This is despite the fact that exercise and rehabilitation can aid recovery, even during intensive treatment.

The study, led by La Trobe University, examined 31 hospital-based cancer rehabilitation services. The researchers are now urging health providers to boost rehabilitation programs and make them standard in cancer care.

Lead researcher and PhD student Amy Dennett said there were few rehabilitation services for cancer survivors in Australia compared with those available to people with other chronic diseases.

A simple running app may become the first tool that measures the activity level of indigenous Australians across the nation, according to champion marathon runner Rob de Castella.

Objective The current Australian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults engage in regular muscle-strengthening activity (e.g. strength or resistance training). However, public health surveillance studies describing the patterns and trends of population-level muscle-strengthening activity participation are sparse. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence, trends and sociodemographic correlates of muscle-strengthening activity participation in a national-representative sample of Australians aged 15 years and over. Methods Between 2001 and 2010, quarterly cross-sectional national telephone surveys were conducted as part of the Australian Sports Commission's 'Exercise, Recreation and Sport Survey'. Pooled population-weighted proportions were calculated for reporting: [i] no muscle-strengthening activity; [ii] insufficient muscle-strengthening activity, and [iii] sufficient muscle-strengthening activity. Associations with sociodemographic variables were assessed using multiple logistic regression analyses. Results Out of 195,926 participants, aged 15–98 years, only 10.4% (95% CI: 10.1–10.7) and 9.3% (95% CI: 9.1–9.5) met the muscle-strengthening activity recommendations in the past two weeks and in the past year, respectively. Older adults (50+ years), and those living in socioeconomically disadvantaged, outer regional/remote areas and with lower education were less likely to report sufficient muscle-strengthening activity (p<0.001). Over the 10-year monitoring period, there was a significant increase in the prevalence of sufficient muscle-strengthening activity (6.4% to 12.0%, p-value for linear trend <0.001). Conclusions A vast majority of Australian adults did not engage in sufficient muscle-strengthening activity. There is a need for public health strategies to support participation in muscle-strengthening activity in this population. Such strategies should target older and lower educated adults, and those living in socioeconomically disadvantaged, outer regional/remote and areas.

The study found the increase in Australian marathon times correlated with increases in obesity rates and high blood pressure both year-on-year and, to allow for the effects of these conditions not being immediate, with a three-year delay.

Andersen said that, while he understood the importance of fitness activities to improving physical health, it was concerning that marathon runners were becoming, on average, less well equipped to run the gruelling race, and yet still making an attempt.

"Yes, it's good that more people do sports, and generally, it's also good that more people run marathons. But, running a marathon in itself isn't healthy. It's too much."

Since 1990, the number of obese adults in Australia has tripled. Can a region built on the sugar industry turn down the sweets?