All Posts in Category

Neurological / Psychological

Depression: How Does Exercise Help?

  INTRODUCTION Depression is a condition affecting approximately 268 million individuals, worldwide.1 This makes such a condition highly prevalent, and worthy of review. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, often accompanied by a lack of interest/pleasure participating in activities. Many of you reading are likely to know somebody in your…

Sarcopenia: The Importance of Exercise Selection and Stability

  Demographics are steadily shifting towards an aging population, worldwide; by 2050, it is estimated that 25% of the global population will be of advanced age.1 Such knowledge should behoove one to preemptively consider interventions to manage health. In this author’s previous posts, information was provided regarding advanced age (i.e., 65+), sarcopenia, and general interventions…

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Co-Morbidities: The Value of Exercise

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized as a multisystem inflammatory condition, which affects 1% of the population.1 The condition is further complicated by co-morbid diseases which includes cognitive dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, fatigue, and depression.1(1)2 As an aggregate, such illnesses can systematically diminish an individual’s health and quality of life. Thus, it is imperative to consider interventions,…

Parkinson’s Disease: Stimulating Dopamine With Exercise

Parkinson’s disease (PD), as mentioned in this author’s previous posts, is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder where neurons that make the neurotransmitter dopamine, responsible for human movement, are destroyed.1,2Such a multisystem disorder, by necessity, requires a multifaceted approach in managing its underlying causes and physical manifestations. One particularly appealing low-risk and low-cost intervention is…

Alzheimer’s Disease: Management With Exercise

The World Alzheimer Report (2016) stated that approximately 47 million people suffer with dementia, worldwide.1 Furthermore, said statistic was predicted to increase in excess of 131 million by the year 2050, while the population of individuals aged 65 and older continue to rise across the world.1(1) In this author’s previous posts, nutritional and sleep hygiene interventions…

Why Emotional Support Is Important

Motivational interviewing (MI) insists that the interviewer, and the client’s social network, provide empathy and emotional support during stages of behavioural change.1 However, although social support is viewed as beneficial, the delivery of such support is often ineffective. As such, the following will explore constituents of effective emotional support and solutions to improve the same….

Can Online Social Support Help Us Lose Weight?

Obesity is an epidemic estimated to effect more than one third (36%) of adults in the United States.1One driver behind such an epidemic is the chronic overconsumption of food. In this author’s last post, cognitive and behavioral recommendations were briefly explored to facilitate liberation from conditioned hypereating (CH) and consumption of ultra-processed food and drinks…

Warm-Ups and Performance

A warm-up can be defined as preparatory exercise to improve competition or training performance (Fradkin, Zazryn, & Smoliga, 2010). However, have warm-ups been supported by evidence as being effective? If so, to what degree are they effective, and why are they effective? The following sections will explore the aforementioned questions to gain insight and appreciation…

Neuromuscular Dysregulation and Electrolyte Deficiencies

The human body communicates, interacts, and coordinates with itself and the external environment through a dense network of electrochemical conduits, colloquially known as the nerves or nervous system (NS) (Kenney, Wilmore, & Costill, 2012). Virtually all tissues, organs, motor, and sensory systems are fully integrated with the NS; like a conductor in an orchestra, the…

Exercise and “Hitting the Wall”

Movement is the product of many systems working together in a highly coordinated and harmonious fashion. Such systems include the sensorimotor, musculoskeletal, and energy systems (Page, Lardner, & Frank, 2010). When functioning optimally, the coalescence of such systems can produce meaningful and effective motions, such as running. Over time, however, fatigue is expressed as a…