Sport isn’t only about winning – it has lessons to teach us about life

Fixating on results can make us miserable, as some of the top sports stars have discovered. It’s the intrinsic joy of what we do that brings the best rewards

‘Afterwards I would feel blissful’: how exercise convinced a psychotherapist to become a personal trainer

Therapists and gyms are working both brain and body as the full benefits of fitness are increasingly recognised

Shock of the old: 12 torturous and orgasmic exercise fads

Want to get fighting fit? Try a vibrating belt or a rocking saddle – almost as effective as riding a horse!

A new start after 60: I learned to surf – despite the alligators

Kerrie Houston Reightley has always been athletic, and thought she would be able to pick up surfing. Months of ‘crashing and burning’ ensued, but her competitive nature kept her going

‘I wanted to be who I was before’: how skateboarding helped me handle grief

A bad injury and the death of her much-loved grandfather left Marianne Eloise afraid to get back on her board. Here, she reveals how a weekend skate retreat helped her to move on and learn some new tricks

Brexit, lack of cash, politics: has the UK cycling revolution run out of road?

Bike sales boomed during the pandemic, but now cycle shops are going bust, sales of ebikes are sluggish and there’s a downturn in ‘active travel’

Don’t cheer the scale: doctors and dieticians untangling body size from health

Healthcare professionals, from advanced sports dieticians to general practitioners, are increasingly trading a focus on weight for other, more robust health measures

Embrace the climb! How stairs can super-charge your fitness in seconds

They’re everywhere, they’re free and low-impact. No wonder more and more people are ditching long runs – and taking the stairs instead

Soap operas, late-night snacks and naps: How NBA players get their rest

Basketball players criss-cross North America during the season. Getting a good night’s rest is vital if they want to stay on top of their games

‘It takes over your life’: Britain’s world champion strongwomen on the joy of pulling trucks and flipping tyres

Three UK women have won six out of the last seven World’s Strongest Woman contests. They explain how they broke into the world of super strength