Physical Activity Researcher

Announcement Related to the Rest of the 2022 - Irregular Publishing Schedule

Dear listeners,

So it happened that both of the podcast hosts became parents on the very same day!

Recordings have been swapped to diaper changing and lullaby singing. This means that the Meaningful Sport Series will be paused until about the end of the year.

Regular episodes and Practitioner`s Viewpoint Series will be running but with less episodes. Some ...

People with disabilities face more barriers to physical activity—but technology is offering new hope. In this episode, we explore one of the world’s first exercise apps designed specifically for people with multiple disabilities.

Dr. James Haley, a health psychologist from the University of Chichester, joins host Dr. Olli Tikkanen to discuss how co-designed mobile health interventions can support individuals with complex needs. Dra...

Announcement Related to the Rest of the 2022 - Irregular Publishing Schedule

Dear listeners,

So it happened that both of the podcast hosts became parents on the very same day!

Recordings have been swapped to diaper changing and lullaby singing. This means that the Meaningful Sport Series will be paused until about the end of the year.

Regular episodes and Practitioner`s Viewpoint Series will be running but with less episodes. Some ...

Jesse Cook is a PhD candidate in the Dr. David Plante Sleep Research Laboratory and studies biological, psychological and sociological factors that connect with unexplained excessive sleepiness.

He was first drawn to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research through the connection between sleep health and AD, and the prevention, detection and potential treatment implications of this connection.

Cook believes sleep health disparities across...

Jesse Cook is a PhD candidate in the Dr. David Plante Sleep Research Laboratory and studies biological, psychological and sociological factors that connect with unexplained excessive sleepiness.

He was first drawn to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research through the connection between sleep health and AD, and the prevention, detection and potential treatment implications of this connection.

Cook believes sleep health disparities across...

Jesse Cook is a PhD candidate in the Dr. David Plante Sleep Research Laboratory and studies biological, psychological and sociological factors that connect with unexplained excessive sleepiness.

He was first drawn to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research through the connection between sleep health and AD, and the prevention, detection and potential treatment implications of this connection.

Cook believes sleep health disparities across...

Jesse Cook is a PhD candidate in the Dr. David Plante Sleep Research Laboratory and studies biological, psychological and sociological factors that connect with unexplained excessive sleepiness.

He was first drawn to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research through the connection between sleep health and AD, and the prevention, detection and potential treatment implications of this connection.

Cook believes sleep health disparities across...

In this second part of our conversation with Dr Leah Ferguson, we continue exploring self-compassion and flourishing in sport. Specifically, we discuss gendered perspectives on self-compassion and eudaimonic well-being, the need to move away from binary perspectives on gender and considering a broader range of cultural identities, and the importance of using appropriate language when discussing self-compassion with athletes and coa...

Many athletes believe that they should be self-critical and hard on themselves to reach their full potential. Yet, what if an opposite perspective, focused on self-compassion, would actually be much more conducive to flourishing and meaningful experiences in sport? These and other questions are explored in this episode with Dr Leah Ferguson.

Questions explored in this podcast include:

- What is self-compassion and how is it differe...

In this second part of our conversation with Professor Rylee Dionigi, we continue exploring the Masters sport phenomenon from a socio-cultural perspective. Ageing-as-decline discourse is nowadays challenged by active, healthy and successful ageing discourses. What are the opportunities but also potential problems associated with these competing discourses? What are the implications for exercise and health promotion with older adult...

Opportunities for involvement in sports in later life have increased significantly and many sports around the globe have competitions and categories for Masters/Veteran athletes. At the same time, researchers have explored the experiences and meanings of being an older athlete, showing tensions in individual experiences as well as in shifting social discourse surrounding sport and ageing. We have shifted from ageing-as-decline to a...

Why do endurance athletes perform better after exhaustion, while power athletes decline? How does muscle coordination impact warm-ups and performance? In this episode, Dr. Daniel Boullosa and Dr. Olli Tikkanen dive deep into the science behind exercise physiology, muscle activation, and evolutionary adaptations in sports performance.

Dr. Boullosa shares findings from his studies on how endurance-trained and strength-trained athlete...

How can heart rate variability help athletes optimize training? What role does post-activation performance enhancement play in endurance and power sports? In this episode, Dr. Daniel Boullosa and Dr. Olli Tikkanen explore cutting-edge research on athlete monitoring, fatigue management, and neuromuscular readiness.

Dr. Boullosa discusses the significance of heart rate variability (HRV) in assessing recovery, readiness, and overall t...

How does fatigue help protect our bodies, and why does it matter for athletes? Can understanding evolutionary biology improve training and recovery? In this episode, Dr. Daniel Boullosa and Dr. Olli Tikkanen discuss the science of fatigue, performance optimization, and personalized training strategies.

Dr. Boullosa explains how different types of athletes respond to endurance and strength exercises, highlighting the role of warm-up...

"How can advanced health monitoring devices support an aging population?" In this insightful episode, Dr. Olli Tikkanen sits down with Steve Seo, a biomedical engineer and CEO from South Korea, to discuss the role of wearable technology in healthcare, especially as populations age. Steve shares his journey from aspiring to be a doctor to working in biomedical engineering and explains how wearable devices like Fibion are helping to ...

"Is walking to school really enough to tackle childhood obesity?" In this third episode, Dr. Olli Tikkanen and Dr. Rob Noonan explore the complex issue of childhood obesity and the social factors that contribute to it. Dr. Noonan shares surprising findings from his research, showing that while children from deprived areas are more likely to walk to school, they are also more likely to struggle with obesity. This challenges the ...

"How do you change a society's values when capitalism rewards consumption and individualism?" In this second part of the episode, Dr. Olli Tikkanen and Dr. Rob Noonan dive deeper into the societal drivers behind health inequality, focusing on the UK and comparing it to other nations like the Scandinavian countries. Dr. Noonan explains how the core values of a society - competition, productivity, and consumption - shape not only i...