Exercise is Medicine - Tuesday June 9th in Kingston, Ontario

Tuesday, April 28, 2009 Posted by Travis Saunders

When I was in high school, there was a poster outside the gym that said "If exercise were a pill it would be the most prescribed medicine in the world". Despite the corniness, that poster was absolutely correct - exercise does amazing things for the human body. If you live in Quebec, Ontario, or Northern New York State, and are a health care practitioner, graduate student, or a member of the public who would like to learn more about the relationships between exercise and health, you have the opportunity to hear some of the world's top health researchers in Kingston, Ontario on June 9th of this year.

The one day symposium is called "Exercise is Medicine", and is being hosted by the Centre for Obesity Research and Education (CORE) at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Sessions run from 12:30pm until 5:00pm, and topics include:

    * Exercise and Health.... Is More Always Better?
    * Physical Activity for People with Diabetes
    * Physical Activity for Weight Loss and Prevention of Weight Gain and Regain
    * Physical Activity Guidelines: Scientific Basis and Implications
    * Physical Activity, Fitness, and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases and Mortality

Speakers for the event include Tim Church, Ron Sigal, John Jakicic, Steve Blair, and William (Bill) Haskell. It's no exaggeration to say that these are among the biggest names in exercise physiology, and Peter and I have gone out of our way to hear even one or two of them speak at conferences in the past. To have all of these researchers together in one location is almost unbelievable. I don't want to oversell this, but this is a big deal, and if you are a grad student or healthcare practitioner who lives within driving distance of Kingston (Toronto & Montreal are roughly 3 hours away by car or train, and Syracuse, NY and Ottawa are both within 2 hours) this is an amazing opportunity. I should mention that this symposium is completely free, and meets the accreditation criteria of The College of Family Physicians of Canada and has been accredited for 3.25 Mainpro-1 credits (I have no idea what that means, but it sounds like a good thing).

Although the session is free, registration is necessary, and spots are limited, so if you plan on attending it's in your best interest to sign-up in the near future (from what I hear the initial response has been pretty intense, so I wouldn't wait too long if you plan to attend). To register, fill out the form which is available on the CORE website or by clicking here.

For those who live a little further away (e.g. Windsor, Quebec City, or Buffalo) and would like to stay the night in Kingston but are of limited financial means, St Lawrence College offers single and double rooms for affordable rates in the summer, and their contact info can be found here. And if you're really desperate for a place to stay send me an email and I'll see if I can find anyone who will put you up for a night. No promises though.

Did I mention that this session is free? Peter and I are already signed-up, and we hope to see you there!

Travis

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