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Articles by Tim Olds
What’s just the right height for a footballer?
It’s a Darwinian jungle out there in sportsland. Players with the right stuff are selected, and those without it end up on the sidelines. If you haven’t got what it takes, they won’t take what you’ve got. This certainly applies to skill, grit, stamina and strength, but also to body size and shape. What researchers call the “Law of Morphological Optimisation” tells us that athletes who have the right bodies for their sport are the ones who succeed.
World Cup: So, what’s just the right height for a soccer player?
It’s a Darwinian jungle out there in sportsland. Players with the right stuff are selected, and those without it end up on the sidelines. If you haven’t got what it takes, they won’t take what you’ve got. This certainly applies to skill, grit, stamina and strength, but also to body size and shape. What researchers call the “Law of Morphological Optimisation” tells us that athletes who have the right bodies for their sport are the ones who succeed.
World Cup: What's just the right height for a soccer player?
Credit: Gillingham Town from Pexels It's a Darwinian jungle out there in sportsland. Players with the right stuff are selected, and those without it end up on the sidelines. If you haven't got what it takes, they won't take what you've got. This certainly applies to skill, grit, stamina and strength, but also to body size and shape. What researchers call the "Law of Morphological Optimization" tells us that athletes who have the right bodies for their sport are the ones who succeed.
World Cup: what’s just the right height for a soccer player? Original
It’s a Darwinian jungle out there in sportsland. Players with the right stuff are selected, and those without it end up on the sidelines. If you haven’t got what it takes, they won’t take what you’ve got. This certainly applies to skill, grit, stamina and strength, but also to body size and shape. What researchers call the “Law of Morphological Optimisation” tells us that athletes who have the right bodies for their sport are the ones who succeed.
World Cup: what’s just the right height for a soccer player?
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When the outcome is compositional: A method for conducting compositional response linear mixed models for physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep research
Citation: Miatke A, Stanford T, Olds T, Fraysse F, Maher C, Martin-Fernandez JA, et al. (2026) When the outcome is compositional: A method for conducting compositional response linear mixed models for physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep research. PLoS One 21(1): e0340373.
The Thunder and Cavaliers have big leads; now they're playing for something more
The East is a runaway. The West is a bigger runaway. And the NBA hasn't seen anything quite like this in nearly 40 years. While all the attention is on your NCAA brackets last week (by the way, here are some tips for the men's and women's tournaments), it's safe to go ahead and pencil in Cleveland as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and Oklahoma City as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
The association between reallocations of time and health using compositional data analysis: a systematic scoping review with an interactive data exploration interface | International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity | Full Text
This systematic scoping review was undertaken using the framework outline by Peters et al. (2015), in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews. A scoping review methodology was chosen given the considerable heterogeneity anticipated among the included studies with regard to the populations studied, health outcomes, time-use behaviours and types of reallocations.
Structured school days can keep kids healthy. How can we maintain it over school holidays?
Every parent knows kids spend their time differently when they’re on holidays. Our new research found out just how differently. During the school term, kids get up around 7am, get into their uniforms, make their way to school, eat food from their lunchboxes or canteens, play at recess and lunch, have PE lessons, sit and get bored or excited in class, and then head home. Their day is highly structured. However during school holidays, all this goes out the window.
Is child obesity really going to shorten lives? Original
Rising life expectancy is one of the great success stories. If you were born in 1870, you’d expect to live until you were 30. But if you were born today, you’d expect to live to 72, and the UN predicts it will continue to rise to 82 years by 2100. life expectancy is currently 84. There is the occasional blip – world wars, famines, pandemics (even COVID seems to have knocked a year or so off life expectancy globally) – but over time, it just goes marching on.
Tool helps find the best balance of good grades and well-being
Credit: Shutterstock For students, as for all of us, life is a matter of balance, trade-offs and compromise. Studying for hours on end is unlikely to lead to best academic results. And it could have negative impacts on young people's physical, mental and social well-being. Our recent study found the best way for young people to spend their time was different for mental health than for physical health, and even more different for school-related outcomes.
How much time should you spend studying? Our 'Goldilocks Day' tool helps find the best balance of good grades and well-being
For students, as for all of us, life is a matter of balance, trade-offs and compromise. Studying for hours on end is unlikely to lead to best academic results. And it could have negative impacts on young people’s physical, mental and social well-being. Our recent study found the best way for young people to spend their time was different for mental health than for physical health, and even more different for school-related outcomes.
Children’s fitness at risk, but moms are getting more physical
Parents will have to keep an eye on their children’s screen time or they may suffer long-term ill health post lockdown 13 September 2021 - 20:27 By Tim Olds, Carol Maher and Verity Booth For most of our lives, the rhythms of our days are governed by crystallised routines: we get up, have breakfast, go to school or work, have lunch, dinner, watch TV, go to bed. For families, weekly routines often revolve around children’ sport or active hobbies. Then there are times when our routines are upended.
Kids' fitness is at risk while they miss sport and hobbies — but mums are getting more physical
For most of our lives, the rhythms of our days are governed by crystallised routines: we get up, have breakfast, go to school or work, have lunch, dinner, watch TV, go to bed. For families, weekly routines often revolve around kids’ sport or active hobbies. Then there are times in life when our routines are upended. Mostly these are life transitions like starting school or retiring. Less often, disruption stems from individual crises like sickness or job loss. Even rarer are social upheavals.
Moving beyond more: towards a healthy balance of daily behaviours
Increasing physical activity has long been a target of policies and interventions worldwide and requires system-wide multisectoral solutions. The papers in this Lancet Series on physical activity 1 van Sluijs EMF Ekelund U Crochemore-Silva I et al. Physical activity behaviours in adolescence: current evidence and opportunities for intervention. , 2 Martin Ginis KA van der Ploeg HP Foster C et al. Participation of people living with disabilities in physical activity: a global perspective.
Obesity Has Become The New Normal But It's Still A Health Risk
Exercise is good for you, no matter what your weight. Pressmaster/Shutterstock Tim Olds, University of South Australia Nike’s London store recently introduced a plus-sized mannequin to display its active clothing range which goes up to a size 32. The mannequin triggered a cascade of responses ranging from outrage to celebration. One side argues that the mannequin normalises obesity and leads obese people to feel that they are healthy when in fact they are not.
You’re not Barbie and I’m not GI Joe, so what is a normal body?
We live in a world of improbable bodies; they populate our television screens, magazines and billboards. If you’re like most Australians, you might sometimes get the feeling your body isn’t normal. But don’t fret — it’s all the virtual bodies around us that aren’t. Pick up a Barbie doll and have a good look at her. Which part do you think is the most anatomically improbable? No, you’ll have to look lower.
4 ways to get your kids off the couch these holidays
Parenting / 29 December 2019, 08:00am / Tim Olds, Amanda Watson and Carol Maher Kids put on weight over the holidays. Picture: Pixabay The sun’s shining and there’s a trampoline in the backyard. Yet your kids want to spend their summer holidays lying on the couch playing computer games all day. So what can you do to help your school-aged kids stay active and healthy this summer?
4 ways to get your kids off the couch these summer holidays
The sun’s shining and there’s a trampoline in the backyard. Yet your kids want to spend their summer holidays lying on the couch playing computer games all day. So what can you do to help your school-aged kids stay active and healthy this summer?
Interactive body map: physical inactivity and the risks to your health
Carol Maher, University of South Australia and Tim Olds, University of South Australia This interactive body map highlights the health risks associated with inactivity.CC BY-NC To use the map, click on any of the coloured dots on the body, or choose a specific disease from the dropdown menu. Physical inactivity has consistently been shown to be one of the most powerful, modifiable risk factors for all causes of death and disease, alongside smoking and obesity.
Obesity has become the new normal but it's still a health risk
Nike's London store recently introduced a plus-sized mannequin to display its active clothing range which goes up to a size 32. The mannequin triggered a cascade of responses ranging from outrage to celebration. One side argues that the mannequin normalizes obesity and leads obese people to feel that they are healthy when in fact they are not. The other side argues the representations are inclusive, combat fat stigma and encourage fat women to exercise. Both arguments have some merit.
Obesity has become the new normal but it's still a health risk
Nike’s London store recently introduced a plus-sized mannequin to display its active clothing range which goes up to a size 32. The mannequin triggered a cascade of responses ranging from outrage to celebration. One side argues that the mannequin normalises obesity and leads obese people to feel that they are healthy when in fact they are not. The other side argues the representations are inclusive, combat fat stigma and encourage fat women to exercise. Both arguments have some merit.
Science says: Here's how your friends affect your health
Think about your 5 closest friends. What do they care about? Do they love the gym? Friends can have a big influence on your health. Think about your 5 closest friends. What do they care about? Do they love the gym? Long walks on the beach? Maybe they smoke, or are overweight. You should choose your friends wisely, because they can have a big influence on your health. Growing evidence suggests disease spreads through social networks.
User Engagement and Attrition in an App-Based Physical Activity Intervention: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Citation Please cite as: Loading authors... Download: Published on 27.11.19 in Vol 21, No 11 (2019): November Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at http://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/14645, first published May 09, 2019.
Use of time in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Longitudinal associations with symptoms and quality of life using a compositional analysis approach
Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Hayley Lewthwaite , Tim Olds , Marie T. Williams , Tanja W. Effing , Dorothea Dumuid Hayley Lewthwaite, Tim Olds, Marie T. Williams, Tanja W.
A source of systematic bias in self-reported physical activity: The cutpoint bias hypothesis
To view the full text, please login as a subscribed user or purchase a subscription. Click here to view the full text on ScienceDirect. Fig. 1 Panel A: Distribution of minutes of activity across MET levels from 2.15 to 4.05 for the Unadjusted (zero variability, shaded bars) and Best Guess (added variability, dark line) analyses.
Development of a Compendium of Energy Expenditures for Youth
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity20085:45 https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-5-45 © Ridley et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2008 Received: 16 May 2008 Accepted: 10 September 2008 Published: 10 September 2008 Abstract Background This paper presents a Compendium of Energy Expenditures for use in scoring physical activity questionnaires and estimating energy expenditure levels in youth.
Too fat, too thin? How do you work out your ideal weight?
While controlling one's weight is good, maintaining an ideal body shape is equally important to stay healthy Public health authorities are forever telling us how much we should weigh, but one essential element is missing: shape. Let’s start with a little quiz. Below is a series of 3D laser scans of bodies, each seen from the front and the side. A 3D laser scanner is a miracle machine that creates a digital statue of your body painlessly and in a matter of seconds.
Weighing children at school has more pros than cons
While there are benefits and downsides of measuring kids’ height and weight at school, the pros outweigh the cons. But some reports have confused the purpose of the scheme, which is intended to generate data to inform obesity research and policy responses, rather than provide feedback on the individual child’s health status. Let’s start at the beginning at look at the difference between screening and surveillance, and what the Deakin team has proposed.
Weighing kids at school has more pros than cons but the reasons may surprise you
While there are benefits and downsides of measuring kids' height and weight at school, the pros outweigh the cons. But some reports have confused the purpose of the scheme, which is intended to generate data to inform obesity research and policy responses, rather than provide feedback on the individual child's health status. Let's start at the beginning at look at the difference between screening and surveillance, and what the Deakin team has proposed.
Weighing kids at school has more pros than cons but the reasons may surprise you
A Deakin University proposal to measure the height and weight of all Australian school children has understandably generated controversy. Some commentators have labelled it misguided, fearing it could encourage kids to “pursue weight loss at any cost”. While there are benefits and downsides of measuring kids’ height and weight at school, the pros outweigh the cons.
I go to the gym every day. Why can’t I lose weight?
Liz is a typical 50-something woman, fit, 70 kg, 30% body fat. She goes to the gym every day, and runs for 35 minutes on the treadmill at 10km/h. But, as she tells me rather often, she can’t lose weight. So what’s going on here: is it Liz, or is it the universe conspiring against her? Let’s start by considering the body as a store of energy. The body can be divided into two components. One is fat mass, and the rest of the body is called fat-free mass.
I Go To The Gym Every Day. Why Can’t I Lose Weight?
Some people reward themselves for exercise with food, stymying weight-loss efforts. www.shutterstock.com Liz is a typical 50-something woman, fit, 70 kg, 30% body fat. She goes to the gym every day, and runs for 35 minutes on the treadmill at 10km/h. But, as she tells me rather often, she can’t lose weight. So what’s going on here: is it Liz, or is it the universe conspiring against her? How do you actually ‘lose weight’? Let’s start by considering the body as a store of energy.
I Go To The Gym Every Day. Why Can’t I Lose Weight?
Some people reward themselves for exercise with food, stymying weight-loss efforts. www.shutterstock.com Liz is a typical 50-something woman, fit, 70 kg, 30% body fat. She goes to the gym every day, and runs for 35 minutes on the treadmill at 10km/h. But, as she tells me rather often, she can’t lose weight. So what’s going on here: is it Liz, or is it the universe conspiring against her? How do you actually ‘lose weight’? Let’s start by considering the body as a store of energy.
InnerSelf Newsletter: May 20th, 2018
Welcome... Our InnerSelf welcomes your inner self.This week we bring you articles to assist in stepping out of the conditioning of our culture and explore different perspectives. We look at pain and how to move beyond it, we reflect on reincarnation, and we look at moving beyond the way of the ego to the path of spiritual will.
I go to the gym every day. Why can't I lose weight?
Liz is a typical 50-something woman, fit, 70 kg, 30% body fat. She goes to the gym every day, and runs for 35 minutes on the treadmill at 10km/h. But, as she tells me rather often, she can’t lose weight. So what’s going on here? Is it Liz, or is it the universe conspiring against her? How do you actually ‘lose weight’? Let’s start by considering the body as a store of energy. The body can be divided into two components. One is fat mass, and the rest of the body is called fat-free mass.
Why even gym rats have trouble losing weight
Liz is a typical 50-something woman, fit, 154 pounds, 30 percent body fat. She goes to the gym every day, and runs for 35 minutes on the treadmill at 6 miles per hour. But, as she tells me rather often, she can’t lose weight. So what’s going on here: is it Liz, or is it the universe conspiring against her? Let’s start by considering the body as a store of energy. The body can be divided into two components. One is fat mass, and the rest of the body is called fat-free mass.
How to lose weight: Why some can’t shift kgs despite going to gym
But, as she tells me rather often, she can’t lose weight. So what’s going on here: is it Liz, or is it the universe conspiring against her? HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY ‘LOSE WEIGHT’? Let’s start by considering the body as a store of energy. The body can be divided into two components. One is fat mass, and the rest of the body is called fat-free mass. It’s mostly water, but there’s also bone and muscle protein. Fat contains much more energy (and thus requires more energy to burn).
I go to the gym every day. Why can’t I lose weight?
Liz is a typical 50-something woman, fit, 70 kg, 30% body fat. She goes to the gym every day, and runs for 35 minutes on the treadmill at 10km/h. But, as she tells me rather often, she can’t lose weight. So what’s going on here: is it Liz, or is it the universe conspiring against her? How do you actually ‘lose weight’? Let’s start by considering the body as a store of energy. The body can be divided into two components. One is fat mass, and the rest of the body is called fat-free mass.
Is walking enough exercise? We asked five experts
We humans need to exercise in order to stay healthy. Exercise protects against disease and early death, and keeps us mobile and able to perform daily tasks. Walking is an easy, free and enjoyable form of exercise. But is a nice stroll enough to confer the life-saving benefits we know come from exercise? We posed this question to five specialists in the field. Four out of five experts said yes Here are their detailed responses:
I go to the gym every day. Why can't I lose weight?
How do you actually 'lose weight'? Let's start by considering the body as a store of energy. The body can be divided into two components. One is fat mass, and the rest of the body is called fat-free mass. It's mostly water, but there's also bone and muscle protein. Fat contains much more energy (and thus requires more energy to burn). Like most of the adult population, Liz wants to lose weight. To do this, she has to go into energy deficit: energy out must be greater than energy in.
International variability in 20 m shuttle run performance in children and youth: who are the fittest from a 50-country comparison? A systematic literature review with pooling of aggregate results | British Journal of Sports Medicine
International variability in 20 m shuttle run performance in children and youth: who are the fittest from a 50-country comparison? A systematic literature review with pooling of aggregate results Free Statistics from Altmetric.com Request Permissions If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service.
Time-Use Patterns and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adolescents
Time-Use Patterns and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adolescents Monica Wong, Tim Olds, Lisa Gold, Kate Lycett, Dorothea Dumuid, Josh Muller, Fiona K. Mensah, David Burgner, John B. Carlin, Ben Edwards, Terence Dwyer, Peter Azzopardi, Melissa Wake, on behalf of the LSAC’s Child Health CheckPoint Investigator Group Pediatrics Jul 2017, 140 (1) e20163656; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2016-3656
Time-Use Patterns and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adolescents
Time-Use Patterns and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adolescents Monica Wong, Tim Olds, Lisa Gold, Kate Lycett, Dorothea Dumuid, Josh Muller, Fiona K. Mensah, David Burgner, John B. Carlin, Ben Edwards, Terence Dwyer, Peter Azzopardi, Melissa Wake, on behalf of the LSAC’s Child Health CheckPoint Investigator Group Pediatrics Jun 2017, e20163656; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2016-3656
Fad diets | New Philosopher
Articles Writers’ Award XIV: The Future It seems that we’re all thinking of the future: a record number of people from the UK to Argentina took… Not eating things There’s never been a better time in history to be the kind of person who enjoys not eating things. In… A recipe for disaster Western industrial civilisation is eating itself stupid.
The lure of cycling: tips from a middle-aged man in Lycra
I confess, I’m a MAMIL (Middle-Aged Male in Lycra). In fact, at my stage of life, I’m a SMILEY (Senior Male in Lycra/Elastane, Yo). Like most forms of physical activity, cycling is good for you. Just two hours of easy cycling each week – or one hour flat out – will reduce your odds of dying by 10%. These stats may not be as good as some other sports such as tennis, but let’s face it, tennis clothes are really dorky. Lycra is cool, but more on that later.
Interactive Body Map: Physical Inactivity and the Risks to Your Health
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Physical inactivity has consistently been shown to be one of the most powerful, modifiable risk factors for all causes of death and disease, alongside smoking and obesity. This interactive body map brings together scientific evidence on the links between lack of physical activity and disease. This is the first in our package on the benefits of exercise.
Being Motivated To Exercise Gets You Started, But It'd The Routine That Keeps You Going
Here we review the best science about how to start an exercise habit, and how to keep it going. What type of exercise, and how much? The government tells us we should get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week, and preferably 300 minutes. Moderate physical activity is generally described as exercise at least as intense as brisk walking – things like swimming, household chores and mowing the lawn all count.
Here are all the ways being inactive can make you sick or kill you
Physical inactivity has consistently been shown to be one of the most powerful, modifiable risk factors for all causes of death and disease, alongside smoking and obesity. Physical inactivity has consistently been shown to be one of the most powerful, modifiable risk factors for all causes of death and disease, alongside smoking and obesity. This interactive body map brings together scientific evidence on the links between lack of physical activity and disease.
Interactive body map: physical inactivity and the risks to your health
Physical inactivity has consistently been shown to be one of the most powerful, modifiable risk factors for all causes of death and disease, alongside smoking and obesity. This interactive body map brings together scientific evidence on the links between lack of physical activity and disease. To use the map, click on any of the coloured dots on the body, or choose a specific disease from the dropdown menu. You can also filter by disease or condition type.
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