Fitness

We live in spa country. There’s really no excuse to drown in stress with these tranquil, blissful oases all around us. We’ve got some of the best spas in Melbourne and beyond with Daylesford and Sorrento bringing the goods. Breathe out, relax your shoulders and get booking. Here is Urban List's guide to the best spas in Melbourne and Victoria for 2025.

We took it upon ourselves to track down Melbourne’s best pilates classes, all guaranteed to improve posture, shape your booty and engaging muscles you've long forgotten about!

Attention all gym junkies, Melbourne has some new gyms on the scene who are definitely showing their bulk compared to the chains. There are also plenty of small, boutique gyms that offer a more personalised approach than the giants. Maybe 2025 is the time for a change, whether that be joining a gym or swapping yours for a small business. Either way, we’ve got the scoop on Melbourne’s best boutique and independent gyms right here for you.

From 4WDing amongst exotic animals to tackling river rapids, there’s no shortage of active experiences in Melbourne to fill your calendar with. 

We’ve sussed out everything you need to know to ensure you’re ready to hit the the ground running in 2025.

Melbourne yoga studios have stepped up their game over the years. It used to be you just needed to do some basic stretches alongside some ambient tunes. But now we’ve got Bikram yoga, rooftop yoga, gorgeous Zen palaces and secret rooftop lofts, beer yoga, yoga sound baths and everything in between. If you want to know the best place to get your stretch on in Melbourne, assume Child’s Pose and get reading.

This running rookie and his recent adventure of a lifetime are proof that a desire for positive change and a bit of initiative can take you a long way. 

No, it's not just you—eBikes are everywhere right now.

Whether it's hitting the waves for a sunrise surf or rugging up for a pre-work 5km, going ‘all in’ in the mornings is how our in-house early birds get those endorphins flowing right from the get-go. 

With one of the biggest days on Sydney’s event calendar just around the corner, join Urban List's City2Surf Run Club as we train to look and feel our best—from the start line all the way through to the inevitable kick ons.

Dig out the CamelBak you bought in 2001, invest in some super tough band aids, and drop your adventure pin on any of Australia's best hikes and walks. 

Get familiar with KICRUN, an eight-week, uber inclusive run club from Kic founders, Laura Henshaw and Steph Claire Smith and the legends at New Balance.

Eliminate barriers of resistance—and find a gym that hits all the right notes. 

If the new year has left you re-setting your goals and searching for more motivation, it might be time to switch it up in favour of a fitness routine you’ll actually keep.

Here’s what the motivational Instructor taught us to help you smash your fitness goals in 2024. 

Pronto Pilates has expanded from its slick Melbourne studios to treat us pilates devotees across Perth and Brisbane. 

New Balance and the Australian Open have come together in a unique co-branded range of tennis kit perfect for helping you serve this summer.

As we brace ourselves for a scorcher of a summer, nothing seems more enticing than a refreshing dip in the pool. 

With the average Aussie generating a staggering 540 kgs of waste a year, it’s time to get savvy with sustainability around the home. Waste Sorted is fighting the battle against mindless landfill teaching West Aussies how to be a GREAT Sort and do better than the bin. 

The answers to all your questions and curiosities before you jump into your big e-bike purchase.

Reaching bold new heights, the timeless pastime of running became all the rage when Victoria was into lockdown after lockdown. Securely confined to the 5km radius, it was almost the perfect formula for novice joggers, limiting the obligatory sense that you don’t need to punch out double digits km’s straight out of the gates. 

The crew at Kathmandu have a heap of new high-quality gear to help you do whatever you want this summer—whether that’s sweating it up on the beach, boogying at festivals, hitting the park for a picnic, or going bush. 

As the weather warms up across the country, even us extreme homebodies are itching for adventure. We want sun, fresh air, and breathtaking natural beauty that makes us forget our worries. Ready to hit the trails and become reacquainted with mother nature? 

The wheel deal.

We asked dietitian, Mary du Heaume to spill the digestively-soothing tea on the best things you can do today to potentially improve your gut health. This is what she said.

Staying socially connected IRL is a fantastic way to boost your mental health and balance the winter blues. It doesn’t mean stacking your social calendar solid until September, but rather making socialising a priority alongside other self-care rituals like exercise.

We’re leaving anxiety behind in 2023 and focusing on embracing this new year stress free, so we’ve put together a how-to on breathwork to set you up for success.

We reached out to  HBF Dietitian, Mary du Heaume, to fill us in on exactly what a dietitian does, who they do it for, and how it might benefit you.

We’ve teamed up with private health insurer, HBF to suss out how you can make the most of your health insurance. Take note.

As part of The Well, in partnership with HBF, we’ve wrapped up some top tips on how to keep your body moving throughout the day to support your overall wellbeing and keep it feeling its best all week long. 

Here’s our breakdown of the potential benefits of ice baths and how to get started to support your recovery game and overall wellbeing. 

A life coach provides support, guidance, and accountability, helping you make meaningful changes in your life that lead to your idea of success.

Your weekend—sorted.

Ready to commit to your wellbeing? Welcome to The Well, your go-to destination for all the inspiration you need to live the best version of yourself through evidence-based health tips from health professionals. In partnership with private health insurer, HBF, we’re helping you tap into a few things you could be doing right now to get the most out of 2023 and beyond.

With no magical frozen lakes to skate on in Melbourne this winter (though it’s damn cold enough, am I right), the closest thing we’re going to come to a winter wonderland is an ice-skating rink. 

To get your motivation moving, and to celebrate the launch of the FuelCell Propel v4 running shoe, we’ve teamed up with New Balance to take a dive into what gets Urban List’s biggest running fans laced up on the regular. 

Going Indoor rock climbing and bouldering has never been easier in Melbourne. Thanks to the flurry of interest in the sport a couple of years ago off the backs of films such as Free Solo and The Dawn Wall there's now some world-class indoor climbing around town. 

Looking for 2023 to be a bit less boozy, we’ve got you! And no, you don’t have to go cold turkey (if you don’t want to). 

As part of The Run Up, we chatted to Michael about his journey—what keeps him coming back to running time and again despite the challenges, what it’s like to represent your country on the global stage, and what it is that makes him run happy. 

As part of The Run Up, a project to unearth the stories of some of Australia's most passionate runners to get you motivated to lace up, we chatted to Green about why he values running so highly and the role it has played in his past as well as shaping his future. 

As part of The Run Up, a project to unearth the stories of some of Australia's most passionate runners to get you motivated to lace up, we chatted to Bell about what sparked a passion for this extreme sport, what motivated her to tackle a world-first challenge, and how the physical act of running ties in crucial to her mental and overall wellbeing.   

From community and structure, to how life has changed in the whirlwind eighteen months since that first run, we chat with Wintle about his run up into a new passion. 

The first-of-its-kind private wellness and social club, Saint Haven, will be landing in Collingwood in March 2023. Saint Haven will be a members-only hub that integrates all the holistic health facilities you could need into one mega-luxe location.

Ushering in a new empire of wellness, the well-established Australian float and infrared sauna experts, City Cave is finally arriving in Melbourne. With a blitzkrieg-type approach, the City Cave team is boldly opening up four venues simultaneously; a store for each corner of the city with one in Ivanhoe, West Melbourne, Carnegie and Braybrook. 

We delved into the world of mindfulness and meditation apps and here's what we found. 

From walking to cooking to a simple thank you, this module of Reason Reason is all about gratitude. 

Sometimes the best thing to do is stay home. 

A sweaty shred, strength training or hitting the pavement, it's up to you. 

From a Gelato tour to taking it slow with your fave hobbies, there are plenty of options to leave the hangover at the pub. 

We share tips on how to implement achievable goals, ahead of Reason Season with Rob and Lachlan from Funny Business. 

Join us for Reason Season to craft healthy daily habits and routines.

Get your flippers ready and slip into your scuba suit, Wonder Reef is finally here.

Join us for a four-week course to help you establish healthy habits and improve your overall wellness. 

You’ve got Azalea Banks’ 212 blasting through your headphones, you’ve just clocked your fastest km to date, and you’re rounding out your morning run with an epic view of the sunrise. Feels good, doesn’t it? 

Stock up on all your hiking essentials and nab yourself the latest Merrell hiking shoes in the exclusive Australia-only pre-release of the Moab 3 range. 

Truth be told, ‘90s-style has been making a comeback for years, and it’s filled the scrunchie-sized hole in our hearts. From graphic tees to bucket hats, this era has pretty much taken over our wardrobes—and it’s here to stay.

To help you get moving this autumn—and ensure you’re looking your finest when you reach peak perspiration—we’ve rounded up the best new gear from Hype DC. 

At what point does a kayak become a canoe? We don’t know, and we don’t want to know. As long as we don’t capsize and destroy our iPhone 11 Pro, we’re happy (okay, okay, we were bluffing—it’s an iPhone 6).

Here’s a heap of beauty and wellness gift ideas for someone in your life who could use some ‘me time.'

Following recent events, if you have found yourself re-prioritising your self-care and wellness, we feel you. To ensure the opportunity to pause, reflect and re-assess isn’t put to waste, we’ve teamed up with Vital to try five emerging wellness trends, so you can leverage our newfound motivation. 

We’re pretty spoilt with hiking choices in Victoria. While some tracks are best explored in spring or autumn (Mackenzie Falls, we’re looking at you), others are home to flora, fauna and pristine swimming areas that flourish in warmer weather.

Get around H&M's latest collab dedicated to days spent at the beach and in the surf. 

The Mornington Peninsula has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

If you’ve got your own routine or you’re looking to switch things up with something new, you’ve come to the right place—our list of 12 of Melbourne’s best workouts has something for your mind, body and soul.

The City of Melbourne has announced over 40 kilometres of cycling lanes after the rise in bicycle sales and use during the pandemic.

If your time in iso has been jam-packed with takeaway eats, cocktails and endless Netflix binges—us too—then we have just the thing to get you moving and ready for Euro summer 2021.  

Since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in Australia, mountain bike and road bike sales have gone through the roof around Melbourne.

Walking is our kind of vibe. It technically counts as exercise, gets your heart rate up, takes you along some seriously stunning routes, and most importantly, is one of the most legit reasons to wear activewear to brunch. So, yeah, it’s pretty great. Because we’re certain walking is just about everyone’s cup of tea, we’ve whipped up this handy little guide to Sydney’s absolute best walks that tick off the holy trinity of walking route essentials: they’re pretty AF, they’re near good cafes, and dogs are more than welcome.

For many women, workout anxiety is a very real thing. Whether you have your period or you’re one of 37 per cent of Australian women who deal with bladder leakage, working up a sweat can be a stressful time when it should be the very opposite. 

Stress and anxiety can really start to take a toll on our bodies during a time when our physical and mental health has never been more important.

You can’t go to your favourite group sweat session right now and the outdoor gyms have been shut down from Princess Park right across to Elwood, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get that heart rate up a notch or two from home with some of your favourite trainers and studios offering up their services online.

In the wake of COVID-19 and physical distancing, we’re stationed at our laptops while working from home and scrolling our phones to feel connected more than ever before.

Life has been shaken up for pretty much everyone in the past few weeks. You might be working from home already, your weekly trip to the supermarket is all of a sudden inducing some serious anxiety and you’re definitely getting to know your housemate better than ever. There are ways to keep the balance in your life though, and Melbourne’s yoga and meditation cohort are helping you do just that by taking their classes online. 

Unless you're rusted onto your usual work out routine or gym, you're generally continually looking around for the next best thing in fitness.

Depending on what time you rise out of bed to shake the cobwebs off, it might be bloody dark and the street lights probably won’t get the job done.

Back in February 2018, it was announced that a new inland surf park would be built in Tullamarine. Now, 18 months later, we’re about to dip our toe in the water for the first time.

The daily grind of the working week can have you feeling many different things, for the most part, that you haven’t moved nearly enough. Check out our round-up of the best workouts to do on your lunch break.

When it comes to unplugging from the grind and finding that elusive zen state, we have one favoured method: float tanks. These sensory deprivation tanks allow you to hit pause and detach from the many distractions of everyday life for 60 sweet minutes, so what's not to love?

There is an extra incentive to get involved in yoga emerging in Melbourne where instructors are running their classes in studios so aesthetic, you will forget you are even exercising. So dig up those dusty yoga pants of yours and prepare for the ultimate stretch session within one of these Instagram-worthy spaces.

Ever wanted to experience skydiving but not particularly keen at the thought of hurtling towards the ground at 250km per hour? Luckily for us sensible adrenaline chasers, Essendon Fields just scored a state-of-the-art indoor skydiving centre.

If the only thing you’ve been climbing lately is stairs, it’s time to check out some of Melbourne’s indoor climbing venues. 

The Nike c/o Virgil Abloh running collab Athlete In Progress is set to drop next month. We caught up with Nike designer Jarrett Reynolds to unpack the story behind the collection.

​Working out in winter comes with pros and cons. Con: when the mercury dips, resisting the siren song of your duvet in favour of a sweaty sesh ain’t easy. Pro: if you put in the hard yards now you’ll be in peak form for summer and all of its skin-baring shenanigans. Decisions, decisions.

Nike’s iconic marathon shoe has copped a scientific, athlete-approved upgrade and is said to actually make you run, on average, faster.

The irony that a public pool is named after a sitting Prime Minister that disappeared, feared drowned, is not lost on any Melburnian.

The Nike Free is nothing new in the running shoe world.

Breathe in, breathe out—if you’ve been skimping on your “I’m going to stop gobbling takeaway like a human trash can” resolution, then Super Bloom Festival might give you the kick in the butt you so desperately need. 

Let's face it—there is no denying the benefits of regular exercise and the rush of post-workout endorphins. But when the winter chill kicks in, it can be hard to pull yourself out of bed let alone smash out a few pull-ups at boot camp. 

This year’s edition of the Melbourne BikeRave is promising to be very shimmery—the theme is Gold. BikeRave wants its Melbourne riders to become a “shiny simmering mess” as they ride along the river into the sunset and we couldn’t be more into it. 

Held in jaw-dropping locations all around the world, wellness festivals bring together like-minded people, promoting holistic, mindful living. 

At the end of every year, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) release the Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends, a list of projected fitness trends for the following year. The 2019 forecast has recently been published, and there are some interesting differences from the 2018 survey. Most notably, it seems like 2019 is the year to finally forge some good habits.

Summer: the three months of the year we get as a reward for sticking through arctic rain, Game of Thrones-esque winter and snot season. If you’ve spent the last six months hitting the snooze button and ordering UberEats to the front door, here are the latest summer fitness classes to try while the days are long.

If you’re an extremely organised soul and already looking to fill your 2019 event calendar—then we have an event that you’re going to need to write down.

A true disruptor on the scene, Performix House raises its protein shake-filled glass to the concept of mind-body connection.

DJ and founder of HBFIT, Hannah Bronfman asks Dua Lipa about her new adidas collab, maintaining those abs and her next album.  

Tucked into Collingwood’s industrial backstreets—not the graffiti-lined, hipster kind—you have to be looking for Urban Climb to find it (even then you’ll probably need help from our mates at Google). 

Spanning more than five metres wide and three metres high, this huge illuminated beauty is nothing short of stunning.

It must be unsettling to rock up to a yoga class in Melbourne and, you know, just do yoga. What, no dogs? No beer? No creepy clowns in a sauna toasting jaffles?

Choose between hitting the bar or sweating up a storm on the barre is a thing of the past thanks to nightclub-esque workout classes, the latest fitness trend that is quickly becoming the healthier way to get lit.

Each pair is made from 11 plastic bottles. Yes, really.

Team Timbuktu is a line of activewear, leggings and crops, and raincoats, all made from recycled single-use plastic bottles, discarded fishing nets and other ocean nasties.

Alright, we hope everyone has been practising their deep thinking and downward dogging, because it’s that time of the year again – International Yoga Day.

​We’re going to hit you with the hard truth first—if you want to be healthy AF well into your grey nomad days, regular exercise is a must. But before you go clicking away, we’re here to tell you about a new approach to fitness and health that will have you happy to come back for more, day after day (after day). We’re serious, read on…

These days, all it takes to turn your phone into a bona fide fitness coach is a double tap and swift download from the App store. With the boom of digital fitness, there’s no shortage of fit-tech designed with the sole focus of helping you get active and sweaty. Whether you’re an endurance runner, testing out the waters with your first HIIT session or looking for new ways to get bendy on the mat – you can bet, that there’s a fitness app for that.

​Melbourne is quickly becoming the wellness capital of the world. With a new fitness studio opening every week, our ‘yoga and brunch’ culture is on the rise and with good reason. Melbournites love to move and with the weather cooling down, running The Tan ain’t exactly the most pleasant way to start your day. Keep the motivation levels high (your future summer self will thank you) by checking out these new studios.

While it might seem crazy to some, lovers of running and masochists alike will travel great distances to run great distances. Like laughter, running is universal, and marathons have a history that goes way back in time. When you run a marathon, you aren’t just running a race—you’re contending with distance and with your own mind. But you’re also running in the footsteps of millions of people who’ve run these distances before you, for reasons spanning from necessity to insanity.

She loves pasta, just like you. 

 If you’ve tried to become a gym bunny but it’s just never going to happen, there’s still plenty of cheap (and fun!) ways to get fit.

It’s time to rally up your most coordinated troupes and dust off your favourite pleated blue skirt and bloomers because the cooler months have come in like a wrecking ball, which means social netball is here to give your knees and ankles hell.

Plogging, the combo of “plocka upp” (Swedish for picking up) and jogging, is the latest fitness craze for the growing conscious community who are looking to save our earth from the chokehold of rubbish and plastic pollution that is clogging up our cities, waterways and oceans.

What if we told you that there was a genuine (GENUINE) way to make fitness fun?

We’re fortunate to live in the most bike-friendly city in the country, which means it’s time to give public transport the flick and make better use of your calves and wallet on Melbourne’s ripper bike trails.

These days it seems like everyone is training like an athlete, but most of us are missing a crucial (and maybe the best) piece of the puzzle, making us less Serena Williams and more, well, injured. It turns out, recovery is just as important in training, so next time you CBF with that HIIT class or feel your results have plateaued, skip the workout and book in for a recovery sesh instead. Yes, you just got permission to chill. Here are 8 of the best training recovery hacks that you’ll want to try out.

As we approach the business section of the year, the back-to-work feels can pretty heavily impact that ambitious new years resolution to get fit and healthy… for once.

We’re all about following relatable, positive and uplifting sources of fitness and healthy living.

You need someone to pull you out of your slump, and who better to join you on the rack then your partner?

Hoorah! Essential Oils are fast becoming more popular than Kylie Jenner’s lips. We've broken down everythang you'll ever need to NOES about them.  

After spending Christmas waxing lyrical about “new year new me” while stuffing our faces with Lindt ball after Lindt ball, January offered a whole of promise. But, much like our brand new active wear (purchased for the promised “new me”), our aspirations of having a killer rig by “this time next year” are already taking a hit.

Bikini season is basically here which means it’s getting hot and heavy in the exercise department, quite literally (looking at you, 40+ degree days).

Seriously, is there anyone these days who isn’t constantly crazy busy? Between work, life admin, socialising and everything else, we’re all actually doing pretty well just to keep all the balls in the air. Congrats, guys.