UM Personal Training

By Adam Toffan, M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS,  CSEP-CEP , Assistant Fitness Training and Assessment Coordinator, UM Recreation Services     We’ve all felt the effects of a bad sleep (feeling lethargic, overly hungry, lack of focus, motivation). Does poor sleep hygiene also affect our mental health, and susceptibility to depression and anxiety?  Research shows that sleep is heavily linked to mental health — so much so that researchers suggest that medical professionals analyze a person’s sleep hygiene (a set of behavioural and environmental recommendations that promote healthy sleep) before delving into a diagnosis of depression. Seventy-five per cent of people living with depression have difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep. Prevalence in young adults (21-30 years old) is a little over half, and increases with age, up to 90 per cent in people aged 55-64. Depression affects what’s called sleep architecture. People living with depression have less short-wave activity (SWA) ea...

By Adam Toffan, M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS,  CSEP-CEP , Assistant Fitness Training and Assessment Coordinator, UM Recreation Services     In conjunction with Bell Let's Talk , we're emphasizing mental health with our content this month. Today I want to share some information regarding the relationship between nutrition and mental health. Nutritional psychiatry is a new and rapidly emerging field of nutrition and mental health. There's been a steady increase in epidemiological studies investigating the relationships between dietary patterns and mental states in the past decade.  The first thing we can do to improve or maintain our mental health is make our diets balanced and more natural. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have shown that the more one eats a highly-processed diet, the more one is at risk for developing psychiatric symptoms, such as depression and anxiety. Many aspects of a balanced and natural diet can help our mental health.   Carbohydrates...

By Adam Toffan , M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS,  CSEP-CEP , Assistant Fitness Training and Assessment Coordinator, UM Recreation Services Depression is the leading cause worldwide for disability—and that was before our lives were upended by a global pandemic. Increased rates of depression Aside from the direct physical effects of COVID-19, people are living with poor mental health more than usual. Inactivity can be both a symptom and a contributor to poor mental health. Conversely, an active lifestyle can be both a symptom and contributor to resilience that helps us cope with stress. Research has documented the effects of exercise on mental health for decades. Yet, it's an often-neglected intervention with regards to mental health.  The benefits Physical activity has been shown to have multiple effects that contribute to mental health. Some of the benefits of exercise include improved sleep, stress relief, improved mood, increased energy, increased alertness, improved self-esteem and cognit...

by Adam Toffan, M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS,  CSEP-CEP , Assistant Fitness Training and Assessment Coordinator, UM Recreation Services Whether through exercise or from your occupation, shoulder and neck tightness is something most of us have to deal with at some point. Folks often look to massage to help alleviate the tension, but there are a few things you can add to your time in the gym that can further assist you.  The one I want to talk about in this post is hanging. Hanging is one of the best upper body stretches you can do. In fact, this is something you may want to consider incorporating into your daily routine.  There are many other benefits to hanging. They include increased grip strength, improved posture, Glenohumeral joint stability and Thoracic spine mobility. If you find you lack overhead reach range of motion, this is also a great exercise for you. However, hanging isn’t for everyone. If you have a shoulder injury from acute impact, you need time and caution to recover...