Lead Articles - Try it

We are Australia we have a (female) bobsled team!

Dianna Henry — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:00:00 GMT

If you describe yourself as an ambitious, fit athlete with a hunger to win, you could be our woman! The Australian Women’s Bobsleigh team is currently looking for new recruits! After competing at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics, team Pilot Astrid Loch-Wilkinson needs new recruits as brakewomen, to compete in Europe and North America, towards the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

Astrid will be hosting a series of ‘open days’ to recruit for the vital role of ‘breakwoman’ to help push the team to Olympic glory. The brakewomen plays a major role in the initial push of the bobsleigh, reaching speeds of 40km/h before jumping onboard the sleigh. The success of the run depends on the success of the push and seconds gained at the top can equate to podium finishes at the bottom.

Testing out 5 ways to keep active in the great outdoors – by Magda Biniaszewski

Dianna Henry — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:00:00 GMT

I get bored easily but I like to keep my body moving regularly especially now that winter has raised its ugly head. Like many women, I make the occasional appearance in the gym but getting myself into the gym mode takes time and lots of effort. Plus there’s the stuffy air, unflattering lycra outfits and all those vain men flexing what they think are muscles in front of the mirror.

So one day last year when a friend suggested spending a Sunday afternoon learning to sail on Sydney harbour for a bargain price, I jumped at the chance. The sailing lesson was organised by Club 02.

Club 02’s philosophy to exercise matches my own. The club offers its members an opportunity to try a large variety of outdoor activities at discounted rates. Margaret O’Brien, Club 02’s founder, told me she started the company because she also found that getting to the gym was a chore, but to her, being outdoors is not a chore at all.

An astonishing 70% of Club 02’s members are females. ‘Sydney women are so proactive and willing to go out and do things. It’s a good fit for busy women,’ says Margaret.

52 Week Challenge - Week 2 - race walking

Dianna Henry — Thu, 27 May 2010 14:00:00 GMT

This week’s 52 Week Challenge was race walking. I’m very glad to have tried it because it is one of those things that I have always seen on TV during the Olympics and never really understood. I can tell you now that there is not much similarity between layperson walking and race walking! My ‘coach’ was a friend Belinda (another ex-lawyer!) who used to compete.

The belly and the yoga mat … a match made it heaven?

Dianna Henry — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:00:00 GMT

If you’ve ever been pregnant you know too well the ridiculous situations you find yourself in, whether it’s bending down to pick up a tired toddler or trying to paint your toes. So to imagine contorting your pregnant self into impossible yoga poses might be a bit of a stretch! But if you can get your head (and your body) around it, could yoga mean a smooth pregnancy and natural childbirth? According to some professionals and mothers who have first-hand experience, the answer is yes…with exceptions.

Jumping on the bandwagon by Eliza Matthews

Dianna Henry — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Jumping on the bandwagon, so to speak, is a common phenomenon among those of us who like watching and participating in sport, but will only ever win a finisher’s medal. In fact, it’s also not uncommon among those who do show a ridiculous amount of sporting prowess (Lance Armstrong’s budding marathon career, anyone?).

But the bandwagons on which we mere mortals jump tend to ebb and flow with the fashion of the day. In the ‘70s it was jogging. (Or “yogging”… If you, like Ron Burgundy, are of the ilk who believes the “j” is silent.) In the ‘80s it was aerobics. The ‘90s saw the rise of the spin class and yoga.

Roller Derby - What's it all about?

Dianna Henry — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Last weekend I watched "Whip It", a movie about roller derby starring Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page. I'd also seen a few roller derby clubs on twitter. So I decided to get and touch and find out what it's all about!

My first step was making contact with a club on Twitter @bcr_rollerderby (turns out the lady I was tweeting with goes by the name of "Zombietron"). So Zombietron passed on my query to the Brisbane City Rollers Secretary "Hit N Run". This was feeling just like the movie!