About a fortnight ago I was given a Fitbit for my birthday. I’ve had it strapped to my wrist ever since, counting the number of steps I take and performing a whole lot of other functions which I don’t fully understand. Trying to increase the tally of steps each day has become quite addictive, to the extent that I am pushing myself to spend more time on the hoof. But can you have too much of a good thing? How should one regulate one’s training regime to ensure getting the best out of all that effort without overdoing it?

An elite athlete might train as much as ten to 14 times a week to get into peak shape for an event. But for the rest of us, it’s important to take into account the type of training we do and what we want to achieve. Our experts believe the key thing is to balance exercise and relaxation, setting realistic goals and ensuring we leave long enough between sessions for our bodies to recover.

A less ambitious way to get plenty of exercise is to share your life with a dog. But how to make sure they live a healthy and fulfilling life? Our expert has the lowdown on how to keep your hound fit in both mind and body.

The contents of our food waste bins could power our houses, thanks to the wonders of biogas. This is a mixture of gases produced by microbes that live on organic raw materials that can be stored in secure containers and used when needed. We’ve known about this for thousands of years, but it is now being used increasingly in community initiatives. You can read all about it here.

This week we also looked into 18th-century suicide inquests to consider the plight of elderly people with dementia in the Georgian era; we heard from an expert in planetary geoscience on his five favourite geological structures in the solar system; and we heard the story of the women behind the first domestic violence refuges in the UK.

Meanwhile, from our colleagues around the world, a look forward to the Canadian election next month, an assessment of the new roadmap to peace in Mali, and a look at the nasty little beetle which is killing America’s ash trees.

You can keep up with our coverage of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan here. And do try to make time to listen to our podcast, The Conversation Weekly, which is all about the origins of the Taliban this week.

Jonathan Este

Associate Editor, International Affairs Editor

You probably won’t need to train as much as Jakob Ingebrigtsen to get in shape. VALDRIN XHEMAJ/ EPA

How often should we exercise to get in shape?

Matthew Wright, Teesside University; Jonathan Taylor, Teesside University

The amount of exercise you need to do depends on your training goals.

Golden years. tetiana_u/ Shutterstock

Five ways to help your dog live a longer, healthier life

Jacqueline Boyd, Nottingham Trent University

Many of the advice given to humans works for dogs, too.

The food waste households create could be turned into a source of sustainable energy. Lukasbieri/Pixabay

We could power households from the scraps in our food waste bins – here’s what is stopping us

Ananya Mukherjee, University of Surrey

Biogas is often overlooked as a source of renewable energy, but it could be a solution to dealing with the 9.5 million tonnes of food waste created by the UK every year.

Many elderly ended up in workhouses as they were unable to work normal jobs and therefore cover the costs of living. Chronicle/Alamy

What 18th-century suicide inquests tell us about growing old in Georgian England

Ella Sbaraini, University of Cambridge

The quality of life for the elderly in Georgian England was so bad many chose suicide.

Ligeia Mare on Titan. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI/Cornell -

The five most impressive geological structures in the solar system

David Rothery, The Open University

From the tallest cliff in the solar system to its largest impact basin, geological processes on other worlds are very similar to those on our own planet.

 

Featured events

EXPLORATHON '21

University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, AB24 3FX, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Aberdeen

Beyond 6 Characteristics: EDI for the Modern University

Lancaster University, Lancaster , Lancashire, LA1 4YW, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Lancaster University

WayWORD Festival

King's College, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, AB24 3FX, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Aberdeen

Embodied Inquiry book launch: In conversation… with Sophie Woodward, Jennifer Leigh and Nicole Brown

Online, Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Southampton

More events
 

Contact us here to have your event listed.

For sponsorship opportunities, email us here