Wellbeing | The Runway

Wellbeing is essential to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as it directly impacts operational readiness, performance, and overall morale. When ADF personnel are physically fit, mentally resilient, and emotionally balanced, they can fulfil their duties effectively, make sound decisions, and enhance team dynamics. Prioritizing wellbeing creates a supportive environment, recognizes the sacrifices of personnel, and improves job satisfaction and retention. It also proactively addresses mental health challenges, reduces stress, and promotes psychological resilience among ADF members. By investing in the wellbeing of its personnel, the ADF ensures readiness, cohesion, and the overall success of military missions.

Intermittent fasting fails to live up to its weight-loss hype in new study

Intermittent fasting shows no meaningful weight‑loss advantage over standard calorie‑reduction diets, according to a meta‑analysis of 22 trials; though research suggests it may still offer metabolic benefits beyond weight loss.

Is a Few Minutes of Meditation Better Than More?

Meditation beginners benefit most from short, consistent sessions, with 5–10 minutes several days a week improving mood and resilience. Longer sessions can help later, and mixing meditation types boosts long‑term engagement and well‑being.

Tonga from a Spartan Aircraft

The Affective Side of Certainty

Certainty is an affective meta-cognitive state that shapes goals and behaviour. Humans and animals seek or avoid certainty for emotional reasons, trading rewards for information, and using certainty to regulate affect within shifting goal contexts.

Cordon Bleu Food Plate

These four salads are tasty and substantial meals

These recipes show how simple ingredients can be combined thoughtfully to create filling, flexible meals that offer practical ideas for making everyday food more satisfying without adding extra cost or complexity. .

Negative facial expressions interfere with the perception of cause and effect

Negative facial expressions make it harder to judge cause and effect in social situations. They draw attention but drain mental resources—reducing accurate prediction; while positive expressions allow clearer pattern recognition.

Growing up near busy roads linked to higher risk of depression and anxiety

Long-term exposure to traffic noise during childhood and adolescence is linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety later, suggesting everyday environments can quietly shape mental health risk, especially through sleep disruption and chronic stress.

Fruits and vegetables preserve cognition in mice fed a Western-style diet

Adding enough fruits and vegetables helped protect memory in mice eating a high-fat diet, suggesting food quality can buffer the brain against obesity-related cognitive decline, even when weight gain is not fully prevented.

Extreme heat exposure is linked to higher prevalence of depression and anxiety

Extreme heat can lead to higher rates of anxiety and depression. The effects persist over time and hit vulnerable communities harder, signalling that heat is not just a comfort issue but a public health risk.

war cinema

Why most of military life rarely makes the screen

Military movies tend to portray training and combat scenes but by-pass the routine, repetition and administrative work that defines daily service. The meaning of these mundane activities for personnel is built slowly through shared experience.

This company is rethinking PTSD treatment for veterans — with VR

The treatment works on blood flow and oxygen delivery supporting brain function. Instead of relying on traditional talk therapy or exposure-based models, virtual reality gameplay is used to regulate the brain’s blood flow under stress.