Speakers have free health advice for all

  • By MAGGIE KIELY

  • Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 7:00 a.m.
  • Text size: A A A


The public is invited to a free event Friday in which experts and researchers in sports medicine and health-related fields will be extending their knowledge in easy-to-understand presentations.


Eight speakers have been recruited for the Huffines Discussion at 1 p.m. at Rudder Auditorium on the Texas A&M campus. Organizers said they hope to make the event an annual one.


Tim Lightfoot, an endowed professor of kinesiology at Texas A&M and the director of the Huffines Institute for Sports Medicine and Human Performance, said the purpose of the discussion was to connect experts with people who could use the information in their everyday lives.


In an effort to attract people who typically shy away from expert-panel events, the speakers were asked to limit talks to 18 minutes and come prepared with information that could be presented in layman's terms, Lightfoot said.


Topics aren't just geared toward people interested in sports or sports medicine, he said, but anyone with a general interest in health or fitness.


Speakers include a former pro football player and an astronaut, and they will cover topics such as exercising as a senior citizen and the calls sports officials make.


"We really want to encourage people to come out and give it a try," Lightfoot said. "These people have such great stories to tell. It's not just about presenting data."


The featured speakers and topics will be:


* Molly Bray will speak about how eating at specific times of the day can affect someone's weight and how to balance out energy intake. She holds a doctorate in human and molecular energy and is a professor in the epidemiology department at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.


* Frank Booth, the creator of Researchers Against Inactivity-related Diseases, will talk about the influence exercise has in preventing diseases such as Type 2 diabetes. Booth recently received the 2011 Honor Award from the American College of Sports Medicine for his continued contributions to sports medicine and exercise sciences.


* Kevin Hughes, a professional comedian, will talk about what he's learned from personal experience when it comes to staying in shape later in life.


* Richard M. Linnehan is an astronaut who has spent more than 58 days in space. He'll be discussing what it's like to exercise on the outskirts of Earth.


* Michael Reid's presentation is titled "Muscle Weakness, Fatigue and Free Radicals: Of Cowboy Hats and Elephants."


"Elephants and cowboy hats -- I don't know how he's going to incorporate the two, but I'm really excited to find out," Lightfoot said.


Reid is the chair of the department of physiology at the University of Kentucky.


* Steven Riechman is an assistant professor in health and kinesiology at Texas A&M whose research focuses on skeletal muscle adaptations to a variety of factors including aging and exercising.


But for his speech, he'll talk about how cholesterol can help people become stronger.


* Jon Wertheim, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, will talk about the calls professional sports officials make toward the end of games and how bias may play into those decisions.


* Ty Warren, the former New England Patriots defensive lineman who is from Bryan, will talk about the relationship between sports medicine and professional athletes.

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