Use it or lose it! Wait, that never is something you want to hear! Read the text article by Jeffrey Hord titled "Use It or Lose It: The Dynamic Nature of Skeletal Muscle" to learn how to combat a loss in muscle. "Skeletal muscles come in a variety of sizes and shapes so that they suit the particular function that they perform. Some of these muscles work virtually all of the time while others are necessary only part of the time."

Read the weekly text article by Will Deaver titled "DEPTOR: New Kid on the Block" to learn about a new protein that may play a role in regulating insulin sensitivity. "The DEP domain containing mTOR-interacting protein, or DEPTOR, is a relatively new protein that our lab has focused on for its potential roles in muscle physiology. DEPTOR is a negative regulator of mTOR, a keystone protein responsible for muscle protein synthesis and cell growth."

Read the weekly text article by Anita Mantri titled "Do Oral Contraceptives Impair the Osteogenic Response to Exercise?" "Since the introduction of “the pill,” its use as a form of birth control and contraception has steadily increased in women of child-bearing age as seen in reports from the CDC. When the pill first came out in the 1970s, its use was very limited out of caution about the unknown effects of adding extra hormones to the body."

Do you know someone who is currently fighting cancer or who has fought cancer in the past? Read the weekly text article by Mr. John Seawright titled "The Walk of Life: Cancer and Physical Activity" and be inspired to get up and walk! "For men, the probability of developing cancer at some point in life is equivalent to flipping a coin; 1 in 2; for women, it’s slightly better at 1 in 3. Take a coin out of your drawer and think of your father. Now, flip the coin. Let’s do...

Reflect on your grade school PE teachers. Your first thoughts probably consisted of the amount of time the teachers let you play tag. However, the quality of their preparation affects the students in a very interesting way. Read the weekly text article by Mr. Jiling Liu titled "How Do Preservice Teachers Understand Effective Teaching in Physical Education?" "Effective teaching (ET) in physical education (PE) happens when students have positive changes in thinking, behavior, and em...

Read the weekly text article by Ms. Jami Lobpries titled "Exploring the Conflicting Gender Roles in Marketing Professional Female Athletes" "Two months removed from the 2012 Olympic Games, the majority of the fame, spotlight, and national attention for the female Olympic athletes subsided. In fact, the majority of these women often do not have viable professional leagues to return to post-Olympics. Gender disparities continue to exist in the sports world, particularly in..."

Read the weekly text article by Mr. Yang Lee titled "Prospective molecular and genetic strategy is close to conquering muscular dystrophy" "Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most prevalent and severe type of muscular dystrophy, affecting 1 in every 3500 newborn boys, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute."

Losing muscle mass? Check out this weeks article "Powering Skeletal Muscle Growth" by Ms. Jacqueline Perticone for an intervention to maintain your muscle health! "Loss of muscle mass with advancing age, disease or lifestyle has a profound influence on healthcare and society. Our laboratory uses hindlimb suspension in rodents to better understand loss of muscle mass occurring with disuse in an effort to design specific interventions that may be suitable to maintain muscle hea...

Can blood pressure medications do more than just lower blood pressure? Read the weekly text article by Mr. Jeffrey Hord titled "Blood Pressure Medication to Prevent Muscle Loss?" to find out. "Our bodies attempt to maintain a constant internal environment but achieving this consistency can be made much more difficult when we alter our external environment, such as going from walking upright to being bedridden for five days in the hospital. This change in the external environment a...

Read the weekly text article by Ms. Kaleigh Camp titled "Does Bone Remain Impaired Following Recovery after Reduced Energy Availability?" "What is “reduced energy availability”? “Energy availability” refers to the post-exercise energy that can be used for metabolic processes (energy intake minus exercise energy expenditure). Reduced energy availability can actually approach deficit due to a low caloric intake, a vigorous exercise regimen, or both.  The...