2027 ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP Accreditation and Certification Requirements

The ACSM’s Committee on Certification and Registry Boards (CCRB) is entering the final phase of its multi-year certification update plan to strategically elevate the role of health fitness professionals in healthcare. Originally announced in November 2020, the CCRB’s initiative introduced a series of progressive changes to the eligibility requirements for the ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist® […]

Fighting for Professional Relevance: Programmatic Accreditation Must Lead the Way

The health fitness industry is at a crossroads. Fitness influencers—who lack formal exercise science education and/or a health fitness certification—often share misleading or oversimplified advice on program design, nutrition, and health/well-being. This type of content can perpetuate misinformation, undermine evidence-based practices, and most importantly, erode public trust in qualified exercise professionals. That erosion of trust […]

GSSI Pre-Conference

The Physiology of Hydration: More Than Water Alone

This session explores the physiology of hydration through an integrated lens—examining how carbohydrate, sodium, flavor, and fluid interact to influence intake, absorption, retention, and performance. We’ll review current research on fluid balance, osmotic drivers, and palatability, highlighting mechanisms that underpin voluntary intake and thermoregulation. Attendees will gain insight into individualized strategies, including sweat profiling and timing approaches, to optimize euhydration and mitigate performance decrements associated with >2% body-mass loss. Practical applications will be linked to laboratory- and field-based research, ensuring translation from bench to field. This pre-conference equips you with evidence-based tools to support athlete hydration across diverse environments and sporting contexts. 

Divider line green, blue, black
  • Session 1: Sweating the detail: New insights on hydration considerations for athlete performance
    • Lewis James, PhD, Associate Professor in Human Nutrition in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University
  • Session 2: Functional ingredients in fluid replacement beverages for athletes
    • Lindsay Baker, PhD, Director at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute
  • Session 3: The hydration toolkit: Practical approaches to athlete support
    • Floris Wardenaar, PhD, Associate Professor at the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University