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September

Warwick Parer, managing director of Southern Highlands Addiction Retreat, in the bushland surrounding the luxury facility.

Even $10,000-a-week rehab is no guarantee of getting clean

A luxury industry has grown around helping wealthy drug addicts kick their habit, but patients say recovery takes more than money.

  • Julie Hare
After years grappling with childhood trauma, Rebecca Huntley tried MDMA therapy.

I took ecstasy at 50 and it changed my life

I got divorced, my father died, I cut ties with my mother, turned fifty, bought my first home of my own and did MDMA for the first time. This is an extract of the book that resulted.

  • Rebecca Huntley

August

Amy Castano (left), who runs boutique gym in Sydney with Jono Castano (right) is a firm believer that it is possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle with only two days of sweating a week.

How to stay fit even if you only work out on the weekend

Take heart weekend warriors. Experts say you can get the same mind and body benefits even you cram workouts into two days.

  • Gus McCubbing

This off-grid Himalayan walk will re-boot you from $1225 a day

Crawling not running towards the end of the year? Book this six-day trek in remote north-eastern India for a reality check, and a nature-fuelled recharge.

  • Fiona Carruthers

The uncomfortable truth about Dad bod

New fathers often find themselves with extra upholstery. Although polishing off your kids’ meals doesn’t help, that’s not the real culprit.

  • Luke Benedictus
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July

Exhausted? Something more restorative might allow the stress to decrease.

The five best exercises to beat burnout and stress

Knowing what type of exercise to focus on when needed is key to allowing the stress chemicals to move through you more effectively.

  • Boudicca Fox-Leonard
Hit your 30s? Here’s what you need to do to avoid the 4 per cent decline.

This is the ‘golden’ decade for turbocharging your health

Diet and exercise improvements are beneficial at any age, but experts say there is an optimal period to build lean muscle and drive up cardiovascular stamina.

  • Lucy Dean
Lorna Jane Clarkson at Sydney’s Park Hyatt.

Activewear queen Lorna Jane on why debt is a downer

The fitness advocate and athleisure pioneer celebrates 35 years in business this year – with no plans to stop.

  • Lauren Sams
Generic weighted armored vest exercise

Supercharge your workouts with a weighted vest

They’re suddenly everywhere and no wonder. It’s the one piece of gym kit that will get you fit faster while making you feel like an action hero,

  • Luke Benedictus

June

Young men at home exercising.

How four minutes a day can boost your fitness

Exercise snacking, where you fit several simple micro-workouts into your day, is an ideal solution for busy execs.

  • Luke Benedictus
Mixing up your walking routine can have a big impact.

Six reasons walking is still the ultimate exercise

There are few other forms of exercise that nourish our bodies quite as well as walking, and the protective benefits are lifelong.

  • Joanna Hall

May

British runner Russ Cook became the first man to run the length of Africa earlier this year.

What type As are doing when they want a real challenge

Running 42.2 kilometres continuously will always be impressive. But for a rising number of extreme exercisers, it is no more than a starting point.

  • Euan Black
Could backwards running become a huge sporting craze?

The surprising health benefits of running backwards

It’s one thing to run a marathon in reverse – competitors either laugh or take offence. But over much shorter distances, it can improve your stamina.

  • Luke Benedictus
Morning might not be the perfect time to work out.

Why you might want to skip the morning workout

A new study appears to show that people who exercise in the evening are 28 per cent less likely to die than morning fitness people. But experts are still divided.

  • Alexander Nazaryan

At $74,760 per runner, is this the world’s most expensive marathon?

You have to watch out for ice cracks and polar bears, and many run in life vests. But so far, 534 people have completed this mind-boggling race.

  • Chris Wright
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An Equinox fitness centre in Manhattan. The fitness chain has offered high-end memberships for years. Its newest one includes high-touch exercise, nutrition and sleep coaching.

Could this gym’s new $60,820 membership really help you live longer?

US fitness chain Equinox’s latest offer includes high-touch exercise, nutrition and sleep coaching “based on members’ unique biodata” taken from blood tests.

  • Dana Smith
Michael Ramsey in his Byron Bay Strong Pilates studio.

The ex-F45 franchisees who created an international Pilates phenomenon

Since 2019, Strong Pilates co-founders Michael Ramsey and Mark Armstrong have opened 56 studios worldwide and there are many more to come.

  • Luke Benedictus

April

Goldman Sachs executive Ambrose, also known as “G-Dog”, left, with his personal trainer.

Why everyone in finance is getting ripped

A Goldman managing director is not exactly a man of the people, but some will find Ambrose’s fitness experience more relatable than that of other influencers.

  • Chris Bryant

March

“A lot of the time, I can be in a situation where I’m like, ‘Wow, this person is really attractive,’” says personal trainer Roberto Hued, “but immediately I remember my setting.”

Is he ever ‘just a personal trainer’?

Male fitness instructors have had a reputation for being flirts and girlfriend stealers. How true is it?

  • Gina Cherelus
If you’ve never worked with heavy weights, a daily kettlebell routine could cause injury.

Four things that viral fitness fads get dead wrong

Popular online exercise challenges, such as the 75 Hard or the 12-3-20, may get you in shape in the short run. But they may not be sustainable, healthy habits.

  • Talya Minsberg

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/fitness-trends-1msa