The London Marathon was staged for the 42nd time on Sunday 2nd October. Thousands of club and recreational runners shared the streets of the capital with a host of elite runners to complete, for many, their ultimate physical challenge.

British Athlete Dina Asher-Smith has called for more research into the effect of periods on female athletes. The 2019 World 200m champion made the statement following pulling up in the European Athletics Championship final because of cramping calves. She attributed the cramps to “girls stuff” linking the incident to her menstrual cycle.

Jimmy Anderson will once again lead England’s pace attack as they take on South Africa at Lords. This is his first Test match since his 40th birthday, yet despite his advancing years, the end of his career doesn’t seem to be coming any time soon.

“The modern health and wellness industry is characterised by an abundance of baseless or exaggerated claims and widespread pseudoscience”. This is one of the key messages from a recent article published in the very well-respected scientific journal Sports Medicine. Much of the frustration is pointed towards the rise of social media, which allows messaging to go unchecked and the power of influencers and celebrities to spread mis and disinformation due to poor scientific understanding.

Christmas marks a time of year when diet and exercise habits can fall by the wayside, often replaced by excessive eating and drinking. Celebrations and events get in the way of those regular runs, staff holidays halt gym classes and even everyday activity such as walking sometimes tail off.

The wider health implications of lockdown are becoming increasingly understood. The Chief Medical officer Professor Chris Whitty, said when questioned about the impact of lockdown 2.0, “there are no good solutions. All the solutions are bad”. Countries and regions across Europe have approached lockdowns with different levels of severity. While gyms have been asked to close in England, it has been striking that the health authorities have repeatedly pushed the importance of exercise and continued to champion its benefits, allowing people to leave their homes to maintain some level of activity.

Premier League players returned to training in small groups this week as part of the ongoing Covid-19 return to play protocols. The improvement in the weather offered a pleasant backdrop for coaches, players, and a limited number of sport scientists to be out on the training ground. It also gave media teams a valuable opportunity to capture content for the many behind the scenes training videos being produced to satisfy fans’ thirst for content.

The current health pandemic has focused many minds on protecting themselves, their families, their neighbours and for those serving in government, their country. At an individual level, everyone has been called to play their part. The advice issued here in the UK, as with much of the world centres around social distancing in order to “flatten the curve”. It is hoped this will reduce the speed of viral spread so our health system is able to protect those most vulnerable.

Handshaking hit the Premier League headlines this weekend. A number of managers told the media that players have been instructed to stop shaking hands in light of continued concern about coronavirus.

The proven benefits of an active lifestyle are many and varied. Those who maintain an active lifestyle continually report physical, mental and emotional advantages compared with matched groups of less active individuals. Conversely links between sedentary lifestyles and illness are overwhelming with obesity and diabetes now at the heart of public health messaging.