By Jordan Robertson Posture is a necessary component in the success of any movement-based activity in daily living. Whether simply bending over to pick up a box from the floor or running a marathon, movement efficiency depends on postural quality (1, 2, and 3). According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) poor posture [...]
By Tommy Kirkham, Cardiovascular disease is among the most lethal conditions in the world, and coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type and is the leading cause of death for both men and women in Canada and the United States (Lee et al. 2016)(HealthlinkBC 2015). Following diagnosis and especially after surgery or percutaneous [...]
By Gena Krikler, Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is caused by deposition and build-up of fatty materials inside the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. Eventually these deposits can block those arteries and cut off the blood supply completely, which causes myocardial infarction (a heart attack) (1). CHD has long been [...]
By Jordan Robertson, Many individuals today enjoy running as a source of recreational fitness, while others use running as a form of competition. Both sets of individuals may find that they have more than just their love of running in common. Many distance runners frequently experience low back pain as a result of consistent compressive [...]
By Tommy Kirkham, As winter continues in British Columbia, more and more athletes will venture up to the mountains to enjoy various Nordic sports from skiing and snowboarding to ice climbing and mountaineering. An important aspect to remember about higher elevation is the reduced atmospheric oxygen pressure. That is to say that high altitudes are [...]
Increasing your participation in exercise, comes with a direct increase in health benefits conferred; we all know this to be true. However the extent of our health is not solely dependent on our exercise regime. The way we pace out our weekly exercise regime can significantly change our overall health. In particular, athletes labeled as [...]
By Gena Krikler, Sleep is important for overall health, and for the normal functioning of many systems. Although there is no clear understanding of why sleep has evolved in animals, it is evident that it is very important for humans to sleep between 6-10 hours per night to maintain their health. The adverse effects of [...]
By Tommy Kirkham Coronary bypass surgery is a procedure performed on patients who have a blockage or blockages in their coronary arteries caused by atherosclerotic plaques induced by coronary artery disease or from a myocardial infarction (heart attack) (Mayo, 2014). Coronary bypass surgery is performed if the blockage induces symptoms of chest pain, shortness of [...]
By Emma McIver, Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, once said “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.” For the most part we seemed to have embraced the concept of moderation in terms [...]
By Andrew Golin, Movement is one of the most distinctive characteristics of human life. Body motion is facilitated by specialized cells called muscle fibers and is controlled by our nervous system (1). Three broad classes of muscle fibers exist: skeletal, cardiac and smooth. Skeletal muscle fibers are multi-nucleated long fibers that have a cross [...]