Category: PLD Opportunities

This webinar will delve into the impact of the menstrual cycle on female athletic performance, a topic that has gained increasing attention in the past decade among exercise professionals and in elite sporting settings. We will review existing research to gain a comprehensive understanding of how the menstrual cycle affects exercise performance and what we do and don’t know from current literature. The discussion will also focus on debunking common myths surrounding menstruation, providing exercise professionals with valuable insights to better support athletes and individuals in managing their training and performance throughout the menstrual cycle.  Lastly, we will consider potential flags to look out for when considering working with female athletes. 

Presented by Hannah Dower, AES

We know a lot about how kids use their time during the school term, both at school and at home, but very little about how they use their time on holidays, when it is harder to access and assess them. The few studies that have been done suggest that on holidays kids are less active, spend more time in front of screens, and more time sedentary. Diet quality also declines, and caloric intake increases. 

As a result, weight increases and fitness declines faster during holidays than during the school terms. In one US study, the entire annual increase in children’s weight occurred over the summer holidays. Some studies suggest that the declines are worse for kids from disadvantaged families, increasing the gap between the rich and the poor.

These effects may be due to the lack of structure that kids experience during the holidays. At school, there are (ideally) programmed activity periods, healthy tuckshop food, and minimal screen time. During the holidays, sporting competitions often stop, there is open access to food in the home, and kids often have unsupervised screen time. The structured day hypothesis may explain relative declines during the holiday period.

Studies have also shown that in general kids who engage in programmed activity during the summer break — holiday camps, activity days, sports — do better than kids who do not. There is a strong holiday camp culture in Europe and North America, but not in Australia. We should also look at empowering parents to keep kids active during the endless summers, and perhaps even at shortening the summer holiday period.

Presented by Professor Tim Olds

ESSA are proudly presenting a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course for ESSA Exercise & Sports Science Professionals. 

The Standard Mental Health First Aid course teaches participants how to provide initial support to another adult who may be experiencing a mental health problem or mental health crisis, until professional help is received, or the crisis resolves. Course participants learn about the signs and symptoms of common mental health problems in adults, how to recognise and respond to an emerging or worsening mental health problem and the treatments and supports available.

Using a practical, evidence-based action plan, course participants learn how to approach someone they are concerned about and initiate a conversation about those concerns. Participants also learn how to offer initial support and information and how to encourage the person to seek professional help or other supports. Adults who complete the course become Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAiders), equipped with the knowledge, confidence, and skills to provide someone with mental health information and support when it matters most.

This Standard Mental Health First Aid course is delivered in a Blended Online format. You will need to complete eLearning materials online prior to attending the online course on the scheduled day. 

This virtual workshop will summarize the existing literature on resistance training (RT) for people with chronic heart failure (CHF). The benefits of RT in people with CHF will be described and common methods to establish an individual with CHF’s RT capacity will be provided. Recommendations for RT exercise prescription in people with CHF will be made. A discussion of the safety considerations for RT in people with CHF will be discussed. 

The American Heart Association (AHA) has just published a new guideline on resistance training (RT) and Neil Smart was invited to present a specific session on RT for people with chronic heart failure (CHF) at the recent AHA Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia, USA, Nov 2023. Both the updated AHA guideline and Professor Smart’s presentation were part of a 4-part symposium entitled “Resistance is not Futile’ and subsequent panel discussion. These recent works provide the ideal, timely opportunity to provide an update to ESSA professionals.

Presented by Professor Neil Smart, AES, AEP