Physical Activity Researcher

The Dialogical Self in Christian MMA - Dr Teemu Pauha (Pt 2) - Meaningful Sport Series

Being a professional mixed martial arts practitioner and a devout Christian presents a potential contradiction that seems to require 'identity work' to bring these two identities into some sort of harmony. What have the researchers, church leaders and martial artists themselves said about this dilemma? Is MMA just like football or any other sport and a separate life sphere from religion, or something that is inherently incompatible with the Christian faith?
In this second part of our conversation with Dr Teemu Pauha, we focus on these intriguing questions, drawing on our recent collaborative article ‘Strong and courageous’ but ‘constantly insecure’: dialogical self theory, intersecting identities, and Christian mixed martial arts. In addition to exploring a case study of Ron Waterman (a former UFC fighter), we discuss dialogical self theory as a potential avenue for studying identity intersections and meaning in sport.
Dr Teemu Pauha is a University Lecturer at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki. His research has explored the religious and national identities of young Finnish Muslims and the role of religion in intergroup relations. Teemu is a long-term martial arts practitioner and is interested in the questions of how sporting practices might relate to spiritual life.

Applying for Research Funding: What Works and Why? Dr Arto Pesola (Pt2)

Dr Arto Pesola has a PhD degree in Exercise Physiology from the Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Jyväskylä. His field of science is the causality of reduced muscle inactivity time on health outcomes in an RCT setting.
Arto has been a highly visible expert in Finnish national TV and radio channels giving expert opinions on health hazards of sedentariness and on promotion of everyday physical activity. Invited by the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Arto was an expert member in the committee formulating national recommendations for reducing sitting and sedentary lifestyle in Finland in 2015. Fibion was the first commercial product to implement the new recommendations. In Fibion, Arto has developed the scientific analysis algorithms and is working to ensure that the Fibion product and marketing are based on the newest scientific findings.
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This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Monitoring
Learn more about Fibion: fibion.com/research
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Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely -
Discover new Fibion SENS Motion: https://sens.fibion.com/

Applying for Research Funding: How to Combine Basic and Applied Research - Dr Arto Pesola (Pt1)

Dr Arto Pesola has a PhD degree in Exercise Physiology from the Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Jyväskylä. His field of science is the causality of reduced muscle inactivity time on health outcomes in an RCT setting. Arto has been a highly visible expert in Finnish national TV and radio channels giving expert opinions on health hazards of sedentariness and on promotion of everyday physical activity. Invited by the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Arto was an expert member in the committee formulating national recommendations for reducing sitting and sedentary lifestyle in Finland in 2015. Naturally, Fibion was the first commercial product to implement the new recommendations. In Fibion, Arto has developed the scientific analysis algorithms and is working to ensure that the Fibion product and marketing are based on the newest scientific findings.
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This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Monitoring
Learn more about Fibion: fibion.com/research
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Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely -
Discover new Fibion SENS Motion: https://sens.fibion.com/

Movement Cultures: Sites of ‘Spiritualities of Life‘? - Dr Teemu Pauha (Pt 1) - Meaningful Sport Series

Especially in Europe, a growing number of people choose not to be affiliated with organised religion. But does it mean that they reject everything religious? And does sport have something to offer for spiritual life, at least for some?
In this episode, Dr Teemu Pauha helps us to explore the fuzzy lines between contemporary 'religious', 'spiritual' and 'atheist' identities and some of the key characteristics of new 'spiritualities of life' that are formed outside of organised religion. With the focus on embodiment and everyday life, these new spiritualities also sometimes find their expression in physical cultures such as martial arts. We explore various cultural characteristics of martial arts practices and Teemu shares what he sees as some key considerations for sports researchers when studying the spiritual in sport.
Dr Teemu Pauha is a University Lecturer at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki. His research has explored the religious and national identities of young Finnish Muslims and the role of religion in intergroup relations. Teemu is a long-term martial arts practitioner and has also recently worked on the topic of religion and sport (which will be the focus of the second part of our conversation).
 

/Republication/ How to Use the 3 Types of Reminder Strategies in Sedentary Behaviour Interventions? Dr Dori Rosenberg

Highlights of the podcast - this is republication of episode published earlier.
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Dori Rosenberg, PhD, MPH, has conducted extensive research into measuring and intervening on physical activity and sedentary time. Her research incorporates a multi-level and patient-centered perspective to help ensure individuals can be more successful in making healthy lifestyle choices by understanding: individual resources, characteristics, motivation, social norms and lives, and community environments.
Many people face substantial barriers to engaging in physical activity, so Dr. Rosenberg has examined practical approaches to helping people sit less as an alternative strategy to health promotion. She is currently testing the effects of sitting reduction on cardiovascular and metabolic health outcomes through a large randomized controlled trial. In the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) epidemiologic study, she is assessing physical activity and sedentary time with novel devices so she can examine associations with cognitive, functional, and physical resilience. Through this, Dr. Rosenberg is helping to build an evidence base for the health effects of sedentary time.
Dr. Rosenberg currently serves as co-chair of the Physical Activity Special Interest Group at the Society of Behavioral Medicine.  She is also affiliate associate professor in the Department of Health Services at the University of Washington School of Public Health.
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This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Monitoring
Learn more about Fibion: fibion.com/research---

Surprising Reasons that Prevent General Practitioners from Being Active During Work Days - Dr Richard Mayne (Pt2) - Practitioner´s Viewpoint

Dr. Richard Mayne, also known as “The Moving Medic” is a general practitioner and an academic clinical fellow at Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. He previously completed an MSc in sport and exercise medicine and now undertakes research in sedentary behaviour and physical activity. He is passionate about helping people to sit less and move more in order to live longer, happier and healthier lives. He can be followed on social media (twitter, instagram) via the handle: @themovingmedic, as well as online at https://themovingmedic.net/ 
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This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Monitoring
Learn more about Fibion: fibion.com/research
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Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely -
Discover new Fibion SENS Motion: https://sens.fibion.com/

Encouraging Inactive People to Exercise More Requires a Thoughtful and Considered Approach - Dr Richard Mayne (Pt1) - Practitioner´s Viewpoint

Dr Richard Mayne, also known as “The Moving Medic” is a general practitioner and an academic clinical fellow at Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. He previously completed an MSc in sport and exercise medicine and now undertakes research in sedentary behaviour and physical activity. He is passionate about helping people to sit less and move more in order to live longer, happier and healthier lives. He can be followed on social media (Twitter, Instagram) via the handle: @themovingmedic, as well as online at https://themovingmedic.net/ 
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This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Monitoring
Learn more about Fibion: fibion.com/research
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Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely -
Discover new Fibion SENS Motion: https://sens.fibion.com/

Flourishing and Languishing in Sport - Dr Kurtis Pankow (Pt2) - Meaningful Sport Series

A complete mental health is not merely about the absence of mental illness. Yet, surprisingly few studies in a sport context have focused on understanding what contributes to positive mental health and high levels of well-being. Drawing on the Mental Health Continuum model (Keyes, 2002), Dr Kurtis Pankow recently completed a PhD dissertation that sought answers to this question. In this podcast, we explore the three empirical studies that formed the dissertation.
Key topics of the conversation include: How do coaches and athletes find balance? Can we find "too much" meaning in sport? And should we be concerned if athletes wish to spend time off from sport?
Dr Kurtis Pankow recently defended his PhD dissertation titled “Exploring Flourishing in Canadian University Sport” at the University of Alberta, and now works as a postdoctoral researcher at Queens University on a project focused on student mental health.
You can follow Kurtis on Twitter @K_Pankow.
The first part of the conversation is available here.

How to Become Successful in Social Media as a Health and Fitness Professional? Dr Tom Walters (Pt2) - Practitioner's Viewpoint

In this episode we talk about social media. Dr. Tom Walters is running one of the world´s largest social media accounts dedicated to physiotherapy and rehabilitation called @rehabscience on Instagram. His account has around 740 000 followers. So in this episode we talk about how to create content that people will respond to on social media? What is the benefit of having a social media account as a healthcare professional and we also find out which posts have generated positive or negative feedback. 
Dr. Tom Walters is a board-certified orthopedic physical therapist who specializes in pain education, therapeutic exercise, and manual therapy. He completed a bachelor of science in exercise science at Montana State University and a doctorate in physical therapy at Chapman University. 
Dr. Walters has worked in a number of clinical settings including outpatient orthopedics, clinical biomechanics, neurological rehab, and sports medicine as a physio in Cirque du Soleil’s Performance Medicine department.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Walters served as a full-time assistant professor of kinesiology at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California from 2012-2019 and taught a variety of courses including biomechanics, motor behavior, pain science, therapeutic exercise, human physiology, and gerontology.
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This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Monitoring
Learn more about Fibion: fibion.com/research
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Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely -
Discover new Fibion SENS Motion: https://sens.fibion.com/

Exercises Prescribed by Physio: The Why Is as Important as How! Dr Tom Walters (Pt1) - Practitioner's Viewpoint

Dr. Tom Walters is a board-certified orthopedic physical therapist who specializes in pain education, therapeutic exercise, and manual therapy. He completed a bachelor of science in exercise science at Montana State University and a doctorate in physical therapy at Chapman University. Following his formal PT training, Dr. Walters completed a residency in orthopedic manual physical therapy and a fellowship in advanced lower quarter functional biomechanics.
Dr. Walters has worked in a number of clinical settings including outpatient orthopedics, clinical biomechanics, neurological rehab, and sports medicine as a physio in Cirque du Soleil’s Performance Medicine department.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Walters served as a full-time assistant professor of kinesiology at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California from 2011-2019 and taught a variety of courses including biomechanics, motor behavior, pain science, therapeutic exercise, human physiology, and gerontology.
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This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Monitoring
Learn more about Fibion: fibion.com/research
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Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely -
Discover new Fibion SENS Motion: https://sens.fibion.com/

Flourishing and Languishing in Sport - Dr Kurtis Pankow (Pt1) - Meaningful Sport Series

 There have been many stories in the media about athletes’ struggles during and after their careers, and sport psychology scholars have dedicated extensive efforts to understand athlete mental health in the past few years. Yet, rather than only focusing on mental ill-health, Dr Kurtis Pankow has argued that we also need to focus on understanding what contributes to well-being in sport. And this is what he has done in his PhD work.
Specifically, keeping in mind the topic of this podcast, we connect the question of what constitutes well-being with existential psychology and meaningfulness.
Dr Kurtis Pankow recently defended his PhD dissertation titled “Exploring Flourishing in Canadian University Sport” at the University of Alberta, and now works as a postdoctoral researcher at Queens University on a project focused on student mental health. In this podcast, we hear about the findings of his PhD work as well as reflection on where we are and where we might be going in terms of understanding mental health and well-being in sport.

/Republication/ It‘s Complex - Why Naïve Suggestions Don‘t Work in Behaviour Change - Dr Stuart Biddle

Highlights of the podcast - this is republication of episode published on 9th of August 2019.
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Professor of Physical Activity & Health Dr Stuart Biddle from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. His main research interest are in health effects, psychology and behaviour change related to sedentary behaviour and physical activity.
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This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Monitoring
Learn more about Fibion: fibion.com/research

All Older Episodes Now Available on All Podcast Apps! - Quick Extempore Bonus Episode

Quick extempore bonus episode - latest new related to the podcast.
Good news for listeners of our podcast!
Close to 100 older episodes available now in all podcast apps.
There are episodes with great guests, so check them out, if you haven't listened them already.

Women's Careers in Mountaineering - Prof. Emmanuelle Tulle (Pt 2) - Meaningful Sport Series

Historically, mountaineering has been a masculine space where women have been marginalised if not completely excluded. Yet, like in many other physical cultures, women's participation has recently been increasing.
What allowed women to develop careers in mountaineering? How do men and women draw on gender narratives to make meaning of their experiences on the mountains? And finally, does women’s presence in the mountaineering constitute a disruption of the masculine culture and are women-only clubs needed?
The conversation you are about to hear is the second part of our recording session with Professor Emmanuelle Tulle from Glasgow Caledonian University. She is one of the leading scholars in theorising how older people make sense of and manage the process of bodily ageing from a cultural perspective. 
The first part focused on Prof. Tulle's earlier work on Veteran runners and sport in later life more generally. Since we focus on a different topic in this second section, it is not necessary to listen to that previous part before this one.
Articles we discuss in the podcast include: 
Becoming a hillwalker: incorporating history in understandings of physical activity
[Article on Women's Careers in Mountaineering under review - link to be added later]
 

Future Technology and Intelligence of Strength Training Equipment | Fascinating Facts of Neuromuscular Fatigue and its Recovery - Dr Heikki Peltonen (Pt2)

In this episode we are talking with Dr Peltonen about the themes related to his PhD dissertation:
Isometric Force-Time Parameters in Monitoring of Strength TrainingWith Special Reference to Acute Responses to Different Loading Resistances
Training monitoring has been a common trend in endurance sports and activities over the past several years through the use of heart rate monitors, pedometers, cycling monitors etc. Nevertheless, athletes and enthusiasts, even the same ones as in endurance sport, train in the gym without any accurate training monitors most trainees still keep a training diary by pen and paper. New miniature technologies and their lowered prices enable the development of new innovative monitoring solutions, however these solutions need valid parameters to follow adaptations in strength training as well. One possibility is to utilize isometric strength testing through in-built devices or retrofit sensors. The physiology of the human body reacts to strength training in severalways, and thus neuromuscular adaptation via stress and fatigue is a multifaceted phenomenon from the aspects of time and complex causal dependencies. Therefore, one justifiable theoretical framework is that the performance outcome is the sum of all these physiological changes with performance technique, both in terms of improvement and impairment, due to a single-session of gym exercise and regularly repeated gym sessions (i.e. strength training). However, monitoring via only one training-specific parameter may overestimate the effect of this specific training and overlook or hide other aspects of changes in physiology of the trainee. Training specificity is a well-known and longstanding principle in the field of sport and exercise science (Baker et al. 1994).
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This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Monitoring
Learn more about Fibion: fibion.com/research
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Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely -
Discover new Fibion SENS Motion: https://sens.fibion.com/
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Unexpectedly Exercise Reduces Cancer-Related Fatigue | Empowerment of a Marathon Project - Dr Mary Kennedy (Pt2) - Practitioner's Viewpoint Series

Dr. Mary Kennedy is a physical activity and nutrition specialist, researcher, author and coach.
Dr. Kennedy is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for Nutrition Research at Edith Cowan University. Her research focus is integrating exercise and nutrition into standard healthcare practice. In her doctoral research she has been studying the implementation barriers to integrating exercise as medicine in oncology.
She is also passionate about coaching people to run marathons.
She has served as a technical assistant for the scientific committee responsible for the creation of the 2008 National Physical Activity Guidelines. Additionally, she has served on the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) Exercise is Medicine Education Committee and is currently the Physical Activity Advisor for the American Institute of Cancer Research. In addition to her national level policy work, Mary is a physical activity and nutrition researcher and consultant.
 
The links to the ACSM exercise oncology program directory and the current exercise guidelines are below:
Directory: https://www.exerciseismedicine.org/cancer_exercise.php
Guidelines: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2019/11000/Exercise_Guidelines_for_Cancer_Survivors_.23.aspx
 
 
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ACSM exercise oncology program directory and the current exercise guidelines:
Directory: https://www.exerciseismedicine.org/cancer_exercise.php
Guidelines: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2019/11000/Exercise_Guidelines_for_Cancer_Survivors_.23.aspx
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This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Monitoring
Learn more about Fibion: fibion.com/research
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Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely -
Discover new Fibion SENS Motion: https://sens.fibion.com/
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Running to Run - Prof. Emmanuelle Tulle (Pt 1) - Meaningful Sport Series

Athletes often become acutely aware of ageing in ways that people who are not involved in sport do not. But how do athletes construct meaning in sport in later life and how do they maintain their bodily capital? Emmanuelle Tulle's fascinating research on Veteran/Masters runners helps us to answer these questions. We also discuss the gendered construction of running careers in later life and the problems associated with the increasingly medicalised understandings of physical activity and ageing. What are the alternative narratives that we can individually and collectively construct about ageing and PA/sports? 
Emmanuelle Tulle is Professor of Sociology at Glasgow Caledonian University. Her scholarly work has focused on theorising how older people make sense of and manage the process of bodily ageing from a cultural perspective. You can find out more about her work here. 

Physical Behavior and Its Association to Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes. Dr Annemarie Koster (Pt2)

Annemarie Koster is an Associate Professor at the Department of Social Medicine at Maastricht University.
After receiving her PhD degree in 2005, she obtained an American fellowship at National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Aging (NIA) in Bethesda, MD, USA. Within the Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography, and Biometry with Dr. Tamara B. Harris, she continued her research in the field of aging.
From 2006 until 2011, Dr. Koster worked at NIA and her research focused on causes and consequences of obesity, changes in body composition, and physical (in)activity in old age.
In 2011, she returned to Maastricht University and where she is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Social Medicine. Additionally, she is a member of the Management Team of The Maastricht Study (http://www.demaastrichtstudie.nl/), the largest observational study worldwide on type 2 diabetes. Her current research focuses on objectively measured physical activity and is aimed at understanding the health consequences of physical inactivity and obesity. Moreover, Dr Koster and her group are particularly interested in the health effects of sedentary behaviour.
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This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Monitoring
Learn more about Fibion: fibion.com/research
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Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely -
Discover new Fibion SENS Motion: https://sens.fibion.com/
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Eating Disorders in Athletes: Physician´s Viewpoint and Insights. M.D. Dusty Narducci (Pt2) - Practitioner's Viewpoint Series

MD Dusty Narducci is a graduate of The Burnett School of Biomechanical Sciences where she received her Bachelors in Molecular and Microbiology from the University of Central Florida.
She obtained her medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean and Family Medicine Residency at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. She completed a Sports Medicine Fellowship at The Mayo Clinic and has a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in Sports Medicine as well as a Faculty Development Fellowship at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
She is completing her Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) degree through the IAEDP. MD Narducci serves as Team Physician for the Department of Athletics at the University of South Florida as well as Head Team Physician for Saint Leo's University.
In this second part of the podcast we are discussing the development and recognition of eating disorders in sports. We also talk about overcoming eating disorders. 
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This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Monitoring
Learn more about Fibion: fibion.com/research
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Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely -
Discover new Fibion SENS Motion: https://sens.fibion.com/
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Skateboarding in the Olympics: David Meets Goliath? Drs Brian Glenney & Paul O'Connor (Pt2) - Meaningful Sport Series

This is the second part of our conversation on skateboarding in the Olympic Games (see part 1 here). For the first time, skateboarding is included on the Olympic arenas this summer. What is going to happen? What kind of new Olympic narratives will be created and who will be the heroes and the zeroes? Can skateboarding maintain its subcultural identity or will it be subsumed under the broader Olympic narrative?
In this episode - partly recorded from the beach - Drs Brian Glenney and Paul O'Connor take us on a journey to understand the meanings and values associated with skateboarding and the tensions associated with the inclusion in the Olympics. We also discuss the health and well-being dimension of participation in physical cultures and questions about social justice and inclusivity.
Dr Brian Glenney is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Norwich University and Dr Paul O’Connor is lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Exeter. Much of our conversation draws on their recent article "When Myths Collide: Skateboarding and Olympics Narratives".
Additional resources for further inspiration that were mentioned in the conversation include: 
Example of pure fun skateboarding:
Worble and Cobra Man’s “Worble III” Video
https://youtu.be/kWhyPZgiXI8
 
Zion Wright from team USA making the case for skateboarding in the streets (cued to spot 47:50)
GODSPEED by Davonte Jolly
https://youtu.be/ZYAzo5OdqHM?t=2870
 
Professional Skateboarder and Trans activist Leo Baker's new Mercedes advert
(of additional interest is that Leo Baker is also a playable character in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater videogame)
Leo Baker Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQq60MADh1y/
 
Since we jump in from the middle of the conversation, it is a good idea to start with Part 1 published a week earlier. 

Measurement of Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity Among Kids and Youths with Autism. Dr Patrick Jachyra

Dr Patrick Jachyra is working as a post-doctoral fellow at Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in University of Toronto.
His research explores, for example, physical activity participation among young people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Young people with ASD are less likely to be physically active compared to their peers, and increasingly become even less active during adolescence in both scholastic and community contexts.
The combination of declining physical activity, side effects of medication treating core symptoms of ASD, and highly sedentary behaviours position young people diagnosed with ASD to experience reduced psycho-social development and well-being.
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This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Monitoring
Learn more about Fibion: fibion.com/research
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Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely -
Discover new Fibion SENS Motion: https://sens.fibion.com/
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