Elaine Evans

'I never expected to lose 100 pounds': Student leans on friends, U of T staff to achieve fitness goals

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 20:55:27 +0000

'I never expected to lose 100 pounds': Student leans on friends, U of T staff to achieve fitness goals

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 12/18/2019 - 15:55

Cutline

Nirupan Sivakumaran (left) poses with friends Tom Yun and Cassidy Bereskin after losing 100 pounds in less than a year at U of T's Goldring Centre, where he worked with a nutritionist and personal trainer (photo courtesy of Nirupan Sivakumaran)

Elaine Evans

Topic

Our Community

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Fitness

Trinity College

Undergraduate Students

When Nirupan Sivakumaran first decided to visit the gym at the University of Toronto’s Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport, he never imagined how drastically his life would change.

Sivakumaran, who was a student at Trinity College, had been overweight for as long as he could remember. He had attempted various workout plans throughout his life but had never found one that stuck. The day he walked through the doors at the Goldring gym, he weighed in at 280 pounds.

“Anything high impact would hurt me,” he says.

Through sheer determination, Sivakumaran kept at it, using the low impact elliptical day after day – and eventually shed 100 pounds in under a year.

He was encouraged by staff at the Goldring Centre and made full use of the diet and exercise resources available to students. You could find Sivakumaran front row at every nutrition seminar, notepad and pen in hand.

“He was extremely driven toward his goals,” says Eric Williamson, a lead nutritionist at the Goldring Centre. “He had his eyes set on the prize and didn’t let anything stand in his way. I found it very inspirational.”

Sivakumaran also caught the attention of Kurtis Haupt, a strength and conditioning supervisor and personal trainer at Goldring. Together, they developed a plan tailored to Sivakumaran’s specific needs.

“Sivakumaran showed up every time eager to improve and to learn about his body,” says Haupt. “He committed to his journey with 110 per cent and spent endless hours each day on the elliptical and eventually moved on to weights.”

Nirupan Sivakumaran before his weight-loss journey, with Tom Yun and Cassidy Bereskin (photo courtesy of Nirupan Sivakumaran)

Spending his days at the Goldring Centre surrounded by Varsity Blues and other athletes provided an extra layer of motivation for Sivakumaran. “Being in that environment makes you want to go harder,” he says.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the 100-pound milestone that hit him the hardest. “When I reached 199 pounds, it was a symbolic victory,” he says. “I was now in the one hundreds. It was a huge mental shift. I hadn’t seen those numbers on a scale since middle school.”

Sivakumaran is still wrapping his head around his transformation. “Its not just about me losing weight,” he says. “It’s a whole identity shift. My weight was ingrained in who I was. Suddenly I’m this fitness guy and it’s a lot to process – a lot for me, a lot for my friends and family.”

He adds that he couldn't have succeeded in his weight-loss journey without the support and mentorship of his friend and fitness mentor, Toshimi Kan. Kan is a student at the University of Tokyo and was previously on exchange at U of T.

Sivakumaran’s journey isn’t over. In fact, he’s more committed than ever. “I never expected to lose 100 pounds,” he says. “I was just focusing on the day-to-day. I don’t know what’s going to happen a month from now. All I know is that I will continue to give 100 per cent each day.”

Meanwhile, new friends like Haupt continue to support him and cheer him on.

“His journey is a great reminder that help of any kind can go a long way for those willing to listen and take action.”

How much exercise do you need? Not much if you're diligent, U of T researcher says

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 15:33:28 +0000

How much exercise do you need? Not much if you're diligent, U of T researcher says

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 02/27/2019 - 10:33

Cutline

Jenna Gillen, who recently joined U of T's Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education as an assistant professor, says breaking up prolonged periods of sitting with exercise "snacks" can lower blood sugar (photo by Makeda Marc-Ali)

Topic

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Health

Research & Innovation

Jenna Gillen is helping change the way we think about exercise.

A recently appointed assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE), Gillen has been interested in exercise and nutrition for as long as she can remember.

Her research is helping to answer several important questions, including: How much exercise is required to improve health?

A surprisingly small amount, if you’re willing to work hard, she says.

“Breaking up prolonged periods of sitting with short – less than five minutes – repeated exercise ‘snacks’ can lower blood sugar throughout the day,” says Gillen.

Examples for healthy adults include: walking for two minutes every 30 minutes and brief bouts of stair-climbing.

“Similarly, performing one structured exercise session after a meal can immediately lower the rise in blood sugar from breakfast, lunch and dinner,” says Gillen. “Best of all, once regular exercise becomes a normal part of your weekly routine, muscle becomes more sensitive to blood sugar and is capable of consuming more of it – even on days when you’re not exercising.”

On March 5, Gillen will be sharing her expertise at the faculty’s annual free public symposium Optimizing Nutrition through Exercise. Other speakers include Daniel Moore, an assistant professor at KPE, and Jennifer Sygo, a nutritionist for the Toronto Raptors.

Gillen recently spoke to KPE’s Elaine Evans about her research interests and findings.

Tell us about your research.

I am interested in understanding how exercise and nutrition impact carbohydrate and fat metabolism, and identifying lifestyle strategies to improve metabolic health. This ranges from conducting studies in healthy adults to those at risk for, or afflicted with, metabolic disease. We are interested in practical questions relating to the importance of exercise dose (intensity vs. duration), mode (aerobic vs. resistance), and timing (before vs. after a meal) on key measures of health and performance.

What do you hope to achieve?

I hope to contribute to our understanding of how different exercise and nutritional strategies impact metabolism, health and performance. We know regular exercise reduces your risk for many chronic diseases, but there are still many unanswered questions regarding the best strategy. I am particularly interested in optimizing guidelines for women, and also hope to test some of our strategies in a community setting to determine their effectiveness in the real world.

Your research is challenging some norms in the world of exercise.

My research has questioned some ideas regarding the amount of exercise required to improve health. We’ve shown that brief but intense exercise – known as high-intensity interval training –can lead to many health benefits that we normally associate with longer durations of moderate-intensity exercise. Many individuals cite a lack of time as a barrier to regular exercise, so it’s important to identify time-efficient options that are still effective. Our work shows that if you’re willing to work hard, you can get away with a surprisingly small amount of total exercise.

Why did you want to be part of the KPE faculty?

We have such a multidisciplinary faculty with a wide range of expertise. I see many opportunities to build on existing collaborations with exercise physiologists, and also to develop new connections with researchers interested in psychosocial aspects of physical activity. I think we are able to better address important research questions with the collective expertise we have in this faculty.

What will you be teaching?

I will be teaching a new course called Lifestyle and Metabolic Disease. A major focus is for students to learn how lifestyle strategies incorporating exercise and nutrition can help to prevent and/or treat metabolic disease. By learning the underlying physiology, students will be able to critically evaluate health claims that we are often presented with for scientific accuracy.

U of T alumna Jayna Hefford inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame

noreen.rasbach — Wed, 14 Nov 2018 19:14:11 +0000

U of T alumna Jayna Hefford inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame

noreen.rasbach Wed, 11/14/2018 - 14:14

Cutline

Team Canada's Jayna Hefford scores against the U.S. team in Salt Lake City during the XIX Winter Olympics in 2002 (photo by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Topic

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Hockey

Varsity Blues

Most Canadians would find it hard to discuss women’s hockey without mentioning Jayna Hefford. Consider her achievements: Hefford is among just five players in the world to win a gold medal in four consecutive Olympic Games. She ranks second of all-time in Team Canada history with 267 games played, 157 goals scored and 291 points. Throughout her career, Hefford played in 12 world championships, winning seven gold medals and five silver medals.

That’s why the University of Toronto’s alumna’s induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame this week didn't come as a surprise – except maybe to her. “I was so humbled,” said Hefford. “It’s certainly one of the greatest honours in my hockey career. It is the result of many years of hard work and it encompasses so many people. I think this is why it is so important and was more emotional than I had envisioned.”

Hefford’s friend and former teammate Vicky Sunohara was thrilled to hear the news. “It was just a matter of time,” said Sunohara, who is currently the head coach of women’s hockey at the University of Toronto. “The respect that people have for Jayna speaks volumes. You could interview so many players over so many generations who have played with her and they would only have great things to say about her.”

The game came naturally to Hefford. She learned to skate at age six and by 1994 she was a member of Ontario's championship team in the women's under-18 tournament. The following year, she joined Team Ontario as captain to take home gold in the Canada Winter Games. Looking back, Hefford can’t remember a time in her life without hockey and she can even pinpoint the exact moment she decided to make it a career.

“The first time I watched the Canadian women’s team on television was definitely a pivotal moment for me,” she said. “That was when I decided that was what I wanted to accomplish, too.”

During her time at the University of Toronto she was an all-star member of the Varsity Blues women’s hockey team. She took home the title of Ontario Women's Interuniversity Athletic Association's top scorer and earned rookie of the year. While she admits that being a student and an athlete can be challenging, she says she wouldn’t change a thing. “It’s such an incredible experience,” she said. “I loved my time with the Varsity Blues. I loved being able to complete my education and also play hockey every day. And I admired my teammates for their commitment to both athletics and academics.”

After leaving U of T with a bachelor's degree in physical education, Hefford snagged gold in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Women's Championships. The accolades continued to pour in for Hefford. She was the tournament’s top scorer in 1999 and 2000. In 2004 and 2005, she won the Directorate Award for Top Forward.

“She’s really one of the most mentally tough players I’ve ever played with,” said Sunohara. “She was always very even-keeled. You can’t get under Jayna’s skin. She was a great teammate and a great leader – she led by example.”

When women’s hockey was added as an official Olympic sport in 1998, Hefford was asked to be a member of Team Canada. The team brought home a silver medal that year in Nagano. There would be four more Olympic Games – and four more gold medals – in Hefford’s future. She and Team Canada took home gold in Salt Lake City, Turin, Vancouver and Sochi. This string of victories made her one of just three women in history to win four consecutive Olympic gold medals in women’s hockey.

Hefford had such fond memories of her time on the ice at U of T that she returned as a coach when Sunohara took over the team. “It was nice to be back where I competed and in a program that strives for excellence in all capacities,” she said.

Off the ice, Hefford and Sunohara were just as well-matched. “I think we complemented each other well,” said Sunohara. “We saw eye to eye. I tend to get excited and caught up in the game and she has a much calmer persona.”

Now that she has hung up her skates professionally, Hefford is focused on her role as interim commissioner of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League as well raising her three kids with partner (and former Olympian) Kathleen Kauth. She is also a professional speaker on the topic of focusing on change and adaptability, resilience and creating successful cultures.

While her busy schedule means she doesn’t get to play as often as she would like, she continues to fuel her passion for the game by being involved in the hockey world every day. And if her kids decide to follow in her skate steps, she has some advice for them: “I would tell them that if they have a passion for the game and are willing to work hard, then they will have some of the best experiences of their lives through the game. It has given me so much, I’m very grateful for that.”