Racial Disparities in Concussion Recovery among Collegiate Athletes in the United States
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is the premier landscape for amateur athletics in the United States. Contrary to the notion that sport participation in the United States is equitable, it has been observed that college sport participation is more prevalent among individuals with specific geographic, social, and financial advantages. This disparity in participation may […]
The Importance of Cardiorespiratory Fitness, A 10-Year Update
This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) policy statement “The Importance of Cardiorespiratory Fitness in the United States: The Need for a National Registry.” In my teaching and lecturing, I have often commented that the field of exercise physiology is a very young area of science. Much of the foundations […]
Do Sports Medicine Physicians Exercise More Regularly than Primary Care Physicians?
It is well established that regular physical activity is beneficial for the human body and mind. Many studies have outlined the effects of aerobic exercise and resistance training for longevity and optimization of the health span. There are well-established guidelines for physical activity, such as Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans by the U.S. Department of Health and […]
A Perspective on Anti-Obesity Medications
An internet search of “anti-obesity medications (AOMs)” will land over 63+ million hits in under a second. The surge in the popularity of AOMs is fostered by various media outlets (news, social, marketing, research) adding to increased patient demand. Trilliant Health/STAT reported that in 2022, ~3.6 million Americans were taking an AOM and estimate that […]
Brain Metastases and the Importance of Skilled Exercise Trainers
Research in the field of exercise oncology has created a large and consistent body of knowledge regarding the benefits of physical exercise throughout the cancer continuum. In this regard, several international organizations, in particular the American College of Sports Medicine® (ACSM), have published recommendations based on the existing evidence that justifies the need for appropriately […]
Prostate Cancer: A Survivor’s Perspective
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and for men living in the U.S., one in eight will be diagnosed with the disease at some point, including more than 200,000 this year. If you are an African American man, the likelihood is one in five, and if you have a family history of prostate cancer, the […]
Exercising a New Path: Insights from the ACSM Roundtable on NAFLD and Physical Activity
The growing prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, is quite astounding. With one in three people affected worldwide, NAFLD is a substantial public health issue that demands attention. Characterized by excessive fat deposition in the liver, NAFLD is typically found in the setting of metabolic dysfunction. If uncorrected, NAFLD can progress to advanced […]
Cold Water Immersion: Friend or Froze?
The Good Athletes today have a variety of cryotherapy options available to them. Cold water immersion (CWI) is the most studied cryotherapy application and the most commonly used modality for athletes at all competition levels in post-recovery regimens. CWI is thought to affect pain pathways through alpha and c-fibers, limit the inflammatory process and cell damage, expedite metabolite removal and improve energy […]
Optimal Race Weight for Endurance Sports: A Complex Issue
Sports performance is simple and definite. Someone wins, and someone else loses or comes second. Therefore, it is tempting to think in binary terms about other aspects of sports performance. The laws of physics predict that an increase in power-to-weight ratio will increase the speed of a body moving against gravity. If body fat (or […]
Physical Activity Guidelines Midcourse Report: A Q&A with Federal Lead Katrina Piercy, PhD, FACSM
Dr. Katrina Piercy, FACSM, is the director of the Division of Prevention Science within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), having taken on the role in January 2022. Piercy earned a Ph.D. in exercise physiology and nutrition from Virginia Tech (in the department now […]
