Walk in the Park

Is it as Simple as a Walk in the Park?

Gillian White , BSc, MSc, PhD (candidate) Department of Exercise Sciences, University of Toronto Is it as Simple as a Walk in the Park? Earlier this summer, I ran a trail half marathon. I like running, but the course is challenging with 1600m vertical change so you really need to train well. Unfortunately for me,

Meet Master Tennis Player Jacob Zylberberg

Meet Forever Fit Science master athlete Jacob Zylberberg. Zylberberg is a 67 year old tennis player who earned Gold in Singles and Silver in mixed doubles at the 2015 Huntsman Senior Games.  One of his favorite things about the game is playing with his wife Gail.  He offers tips on staying active and how play

Marathon pacing

Who Takes the Cake at Pacing During the Marathon?

Evan Stevens The other talk in the session that did not tread on familiar ground was about pace and prediction of performance differences that go along with age, experience, and sex in the marathon. Pace is something very difficult to predict and hold without a GPS watch or with some frame of reference. External factors

Exercise Now, Stay Fit Later

Evan Stevens The next few studies were about the effects of creatine supplementation and resistance training in aging adults. We know that aging decreases bone density as well as muscle strength while increasing fat deposition. Working out can prevent this, and the fitter you are when you are younger, the easier it is to be

immune system

Get Outside and Exercise – Your Immune System Will Thank You

Evan Stevens The first talk of the session presented some interesting findings from their study. The researchers wanted to know the effect location had on exercise in the elderly, primarily on the immune system. They had senior subjects (age range 66-80) do a moderate workout on a cycling bike either in a blank office, an

Athleticism

Athleticism – It’s Nature Over Nurture

Evan Stevens    This was a hugely interesting session presented by the large Japanese contingent at the ECSS. The whole session was about how our genes contribute to our athletic performance, and how that can further be used to understand health. What came out of the talks was that if you want to be a

Alpine Skiing: A Form of HIIT

Evan Stevens This study looked at the applicability of HIIT for use in patients with increased risk of Cardio-respiratory events in cold, winter climates. The researchers wanted to look at how HIIT could be used to improve cardio-respiratory risk (CRR) factors through alpine skiing; an activity common in northern and colder climates where running and

Beta-Alanine For A Competitive Advantage

Evan Stevens The third talk discussed the possible additive benefit of beta-alanine and interval training on cycling time trial performance. Beta-alanine is a precursor (and rate-limiting substrate) to carnosine synthesis. Carnosine is an important dipeptide found in muscle fibers and can act as an antioxidant. This can increase the amount of time a muscle cell

Combat Heart Problems and Diabetes with HIIT

Evan Stevens Exercise can be used to treat (if not cure) type 2 diabetes mellitus. We know from past studies that endurance exercise can increase insulin sensitivity  up to three times it normally is in a diabetic person, as well, strength training seems to improve insulin sensitivity (to a lesser extent mind you). However, if

Fat, Carbs, Protein and Recovery. Is There A Silver Bullet?

Evan Stevens The first talk in this session was very similar to the talks that made up the first GSSI nutrition talk. Namely, they explored how the major macronutrients can be used in various amounts to maximize training and promote exercise recovery. The main theme, however, was that we need to account for the individual

Exercise in the Elderly: Balance and Running

Evan Stevens The first talk in this second session was about how balance training can be used to augment neural plasticity in older individuals. As we age, we lose muscle mass and balance ability. The loss of balance comes from a decrease in inhibitory control. We will have increased cortical excitability, which means we have

Woman picking out vegetables in grocery store

Nutrition Takeaways: Gatorade Sport Science Institute

Evan Stevens The main theme of this session was protein supplementation before bed to improve muscle protein balance and synthesis. We have known for a long time that protein taken a short time after exercise improves muscle protein synthesis. This is the process of repairing and building muscle after it has been stressed during exercise.