Exercise and Sleep Quality

Exercise and Sleep Quality – Sleep Series Part 4

Gillian White, MSc., PhD (Candidate), University of Toronto, Graduate Department of Exercise Sciences Sleep Stats And General Information – Sleep Series Part 1 Sleep Physiology – Sleep Series Part 2 Sleep And Health – Sleep Series Part 3 Exercise and Sleep Quality – Sleep Series Part 4 There is lots of research that shows improved

woman and man spinning

Improve Fitness To Lengthen Healthspan

By Sara Thompson, M.Sc. in Exercise Science Neural specificity is how well the brain can distinguish one stimulus from another. Or in other words, how well an individual can visually recognize the differences between various images. This response occurs in a part of the brain called the ventral visual cortex and can be measured by

Sleep Stats and General Information

Sleep Stats and General Information – Sleep Series Part 1

Part 1 of Sleep Series – Sleep Stats and General Information Sleep is not just a rest for our brain and body but is absolutely essential to our health and function. Sleep deprivation has similar effects of alcohol on how our brain and body functions and, if prolonged enough, can actually result in death. 50-70

woman on dock

The Exercise Effect On Daydreaming

Julia C. Basso, PhD Do you ever wonder what your brain does while you daydream?  The majority of adults daydream at least once a day and for many of us, this behavior occurs periodically through the day.  Daydreaming often occurs during our downtime or when we have a moment to rest.  From an outside perspective,

Lengthen Healthspan Through Exercise

Julia Basso – PhD Youth is a sought after thing.  Doctors, scientists, and many others among us are actively seeking the elusive fountain of youth.  The ultimate question is:  how do we keep our bodies and minds young?  One of my favorite movies, Death Becomes Her, stars Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn.  In it, these

balance training

25 Minutes Of Exercise Can Improve Knowledge

Sara Thompson – M.Sc. in Exercise Science In my previous article, I discussed the use of exercise to improve physical and cognitive function in individuals with hypertension. In this study, Junior and colleagues (Junior et al., 2017) measured improvements in physical function in older individuals with normotension (normal blood pressure) and hypertension (high blood pressure)

A Poor Diet Impairs Memory, But Exercise May Help

Julia C. Basso, PhD Obesity is a worldwide epidemic.  Since 1980, obesity rates have nearly doubled, with 35% of adults over the age of 20 classified as overweight and 11% classified as obese.  It is theorized that the increase in obesity is due to the modern lifestyle, which is characterized by highly available, energy dense

Mom putting son to sleep

A Better Night’s Sleep: The Statistics

Gillian White – MSc, PhD (C), University of Toronto, Department of Exercise Sciences Sleep is not just a rest for our brain and body but is absolutely essential to our health and function. Sleep deprivation has similar effects of alcohol on how our brain and body functions and, if prolonged enough, can actually result in

woman running

The Process Of Movement Between The Brain And Body

Julia C. Basso, PhD Did you ever wonder how we move?  The ability to move is an interconnected process between the body and brain.  As I have discussed before, the motivation to move is regulated by the reward circuitry of our brain.  But what actually happens when the brain gets the signal, “ok, let’s get

spin class

Parkinson’s Disease & Cycling Benefits

Catherine O’Brien Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a disease of the nervous system that is characterized by impaired motor function. This impairment can manifest in various ways including tremor, bradykinesia (slowed movement), rigid muscles, impaired posture, loss of automatic movement and impairment of speech and writing ability (Mayo Clinic, 2015). According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation,

sleeping with cell phones

Trouble Sleeping? Break This One Habit.

Gillian White – MSc, PhD (C), University of Toronto, Department of Exercise Sciences Text, email, call, search, Siri, music, camera, social media. Calculator (what? Don’t act like you don’t use it too..) – these days, we use our phones for nearly everything. If you aren’t reading this article on your phone right now, I’m willing

treadmill

Exercise Treatment For Post-Concussion Syndrome

Catherine O’Brien As discussed last week, Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS) is marked by a series of persistent cognitive, psychological and physical symptoms following a concussion. There is some variance in the definition for PCS and there is a lack of consensus regarding the length of symptom presentation needed to diagnose PCS. While the Diagnostic and Statistics