DR.

SARAH GAIRDNER

KPE190 - INQUIRY IN
KINESIOLOGY AND
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
INQUIRY IS THE PROCESS
OF TRYING TO COME TO
AN UNDERSTANDING
ABOUT A PROBLEM, AN
ISSUE OR A
PHENOMENON.

CAN WE CONSIDER, AND

CHALLENGE, THE WAYS
IN WHICH QUESTIONS
AND PROBLEMS ARE
FORMULATED? THE
PURPOSE AND USE OF
RESEARCH? THE MANNER
IN WHICH CONCLUSIONS
ARE REACHED?
A STORY
HOW COULD EXERCISE BE USED IN
THE TREATMENT OF EATING
DISORDERS?
 SINCE EXERCISE HAS
HISTORICALLY BEEN
REGARDED AS A SYMPTOM
OF THE DISORDER ITSELF,
IT HAS BEEN EXCLUDED
FROM THE CARE OF
PATIENTS WITH AN.
 PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT
POWER/AUTONOMY
MUSCULOSKELETAL/CARDIO-METABOLIC ISSUES
RE-FEEDING SYNDROME
 “IN ADDITION TO MODEST INCREASES IN
STRENGTH AND FITNESS, THE EVIDENCE
INDICATES THAT NUTRITIONALLY SUPPORTED
EXERCISE ENHANCES QUALITY OF LIFE,
PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING, AND PATIENT
SATISFACTION, WITHOUT NEGATIVELY
COMPROMISING WEIGHT GAIN OR EATING
DISORDER SYMPTOMS.”

(MOOLA, GAIRDNER & AMARA, 2013)

 LEPTIN IS AN ADIPOSE-DERIVED HORMONE WITH ESTABLISHED ROLES IN ENERGY BALANCE THAT CAN IMPACT
THE RESPONSE TO REFEEDING AFTER MALNUTRITION. ALTHOUGH THE AMOUNT OF CIRCULATING LEPTIN HAS
TRADITIONALLY BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE AMOUNT OF ADIPOSE TISSUE, CONTROVERSY EXISTS AS TO
WHETHER THIS RELATIONSHIP IS CONSTANT IN BOTH HUMANS AND ANIMALS AND OVER A WIDE RANGE OF
BODY COMPOSITION. OUR OBJECTIVE WAS TO EVALUATE WHETHER THE LEPTIN – BODY FAT RATIO IS
CONSTANT IN THE RANGE OF HEALTHY TO LOW BODY MASS IN FEMALE WISTAR RATS. EIGHT AD LIBITUM FED
(C) AND EIGHT FOOD-RESTRICTED (FR) RATS WERE COMPARED OVER A PERIOD OF FOUR WEEKS. FR RATS
ATTAINED THE TARGET 75% OF BASELINE BODY MASS AFTER THE FIRST TWO WEEKS, WHICH WAS MAINTAINED
FOR THE REMAINING TWO WEEKS. SERUM LEPTIN AND IGF-1 (ELISA) AND BODY COMPOSITION (DXA) WERE
MEASURED AT BASELINE (T0) AND ONCE WEEKLY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE STUDY (T1–T4). THE LEPTIN –
BODY FAT RATIO WAS REDUCED DURING THE TWO-WEEK PERIOD OF WEIGHT LOSS (T0 = 0.036 ±
0.016 (NG·ML–1)·G–1 VS. T1 = 0.010 ± 0.004 (NG·ML–1)·G–1 AND T2 = 0.015 ± 0.007 (NG·ML–1)·G–1, P <
0.05). LEPTIN CONCENTRATION PLATEAUED AT ITS NADIR (~0.24 (NG·ML–1)·G–1) AT FAT MASS < 22 G. IGF-1
WAS CORRELATED WITH LEAN MASS (R = 0.45, P < 0.05) AND FAT MASS (R = 0.58, P < 0.05), REGARDLESS OF
BODY MASS. WE CONCLUDED THAT THE LEPTIN – BODY FAT RATIO WAS REDUCED EARLY IN FOOD RESTRICTION
AND THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THESE TWO VARIABLES WAS ABSENT AT LOW BODY FAT.

(GAIRDNER & AMARA, 2012)

THE LIVED EXPERIENCE
 WHILE THE ATHLETIC BODY IS FREQUENTLY CONCEPTUALIZED AND GAZED UPON AS A VALOURIZED AND
PRODUCTIVE MACHINE, THERE IS OFTEN LITTLE CONSIDERATION GIVEN TO THE FLESHY SPORTS BODY, OR THE
BODY AS A MATERIAL REPRESENTATION OF ITS TEMPORAL IMMERSION IN A SPORTS CONTEXT. CONSIDERING
THE BODY AS A FABRIC WOVEN DEEPLY IN/THROUGH SPORT ALLOWS FOR GREATER EXPLORATION INTO HOW
ONE’S ATHLETIC CORPOREALITY IS BOTH FORMED BY, AND CONCURRENTLY FORMS, THE SOCIAL FABRIC OF THE
SPORTS ENVIRONMENT (PINK, 2011). CONCEPTUALIZING THE BODY IN THIS MANNER IS PARTICULARLY
RELEVANT WHEN EXAMINING THE RETIREMENT TRANSITION FROM ELITE SPORT, WHEREIN ATHLETES OFTEN
HAVE THEIR SOCIAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND CORPOREAL HISTORY MATERIALLY (RE)WRITTEN THROUGH THE
EXITING PROCESS. USING SENSORY DATA GATHERED ON THE TRANSITION PROCESS OF SIX RETIRED ELITE
SPORTSPEOPLE (VANNINI, WASKUL, & GOTTSCHALK, 2012), I DISCUSS HOW THE RETIREMENT BODY PROVIDES
INSIGHT INTO THE WAYS IN WHICH OUR PHYSICALITY IS ATTACHED TO THE ATHLETIC SENSE OF SELF AND HOW
THE BREAKDOWN OF OUR MATERIAL SELF CHALLENGES OUR EPISTEMIC ROOTS. THE UN-WEAVING OR
UNBECOMING OF ONE’S ATHLETIC SELF, WHICH ENSUES DURING RE-SOCIALIZATION PROCESSES, HAS THE
CAPACITY TO DESTABILIZE THE EXISTENTIAL FOUNDATIONS UPON WHICH INDIVIDUALS ARE BUILT AND
CHALLENGE THE CORE IDEOLOGICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF CONTEMPORARY ELITE SPORT.

GAIRDNER, 2015
 INTERDISCIPLINARY LENS

MOOLA, F. J., GAIRDNER, S., & AMARA, C.

(2015). SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE BODY AND
ACTIVITY: INVESTIGATING THE ACTIVITY
EXPERIENCES OF CANADIAN WOMEN LIVING
WITH ANOREXIA NERVOSA. MENTAL HEALTH AND
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, 8, 44-55.

GAIRDNER, S. (2019). WHEN THE ATHLETIC BODY

FADES: SPORTING EXIT AND IDENTITY
TRANSITIONS. IN THE SUFFERING BODY IN
SPORT (VOL. 12, PP. 179-193). EMERALD
PUBLISHING LIMITED.

TAMMINEN, K. A., DUNN, R., & GAIRDNER, S.

(2020). TIME TO RE-EXAMINE INJURED ATHLETES’
EMOTIONAL RESPONSES. IN SPORT INJURY
PSYCHOLOGY (PP. 96-107). ROUTLEDGE.

BASTAS, D., VINCELLI, J., DE, R., BENIA, E.,

GAIRDNER, S., BRANDÃO, L. R., & AVILA, L.
(2022). IMPACT OF DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS ON
ADOLESCENT ATHLETES: NAVIGATING AN
INVISIBLE DISABILITY. RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN
THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS, 6(5), E12779.
THIS COURSE
• Thursdays 3-5pm, ES1050, office hours following lecture.

• Tutorials: Tuesdays @ 3-4, 4-5, 5-6pm.

• sarah.gairdner@utoronto.ca
 KNOWLEDGE ANALYSIS

THIS PAPER, 2,000-2,500 WORDS, WILL

REQUIRE STUDENTS TO CONDUCT AND
INTERPRET A LITERATURE REVIEW ON A
SUBJECT PERTAINING TO ILLNESS (OF THEIR
CHOOSING). STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED
TO THICKLY DESCRIBE HOW THEY MIGHT USE
EXISTING KNOWLEDGE TO FORMULATE AND
CONDUCT THEIR OWN RESEARCH ON THE
SUBJECT. THE PAPER REQUIRES STUDENTS TO
UNPACK SCIENTIFIC ASSUMPTIONS IN
PUBLISHED RESEARCH, AND HOW THESE
ASSUMPTIONS DIRECT KNOWLEDGE ON THE
SUBJECT. THIS PAPER IS TO BE SUBMITTED VIA
QUERCUS, ON OR BEFORE, OCTOBER 20TH,
2022 @ 11:59PM.

WORTH: 30% OF MARK

 MIDTERM PAPER

STUDENTS WILL BE ASKED TO CONDUCT A

LITERATURE SEARCH AND IDENTIFY PEER-
REVIEWED ARTICLES FROM THE DIFFERENT
DISCIPLINES WITHIN KINESIOLOGY AND
PHYSICAL EDUCATION THAT ANALYZE THE
SAME TOPIC THROUGH THEIR SPECIFIC
MODES OF INQUIRY. STUDENTS WILL
IDENTIFY THE BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS OF
EACH MODE OF INQUIRY AND DISCUSS
WHAT CUMULATIVE KNOWLEDGE THEY
PRODUCE ABOUT THE TOPIC IN QUESTION.
THE FORMAT OF THE ASSIGNMENT WILL BE:
SIX PAGES, APA, DOUBLE-SPACED, 12-PT
FONT, TIMES NEW ROMAN. THIS
ASSIGNMENT IS TO BE SUBMITTED, VIA
QUERCUS, ON NOVEMBER 17TH, 2022 @
11:59PM.

WORTH: 35% OF MARK

 FINAL EXAM

THE FINAL EXAM WILL CONSIST OF A MIX OF

SHORT AND LONG-ANSWER QUESTIONS,
COVERING THE ENTIRE TERM’S CONTENT.
THE DATE OF THE EXAM WILL BE DETERMINED
BY THE REGISTRAR’S OFFICE.

WORTH: 35% OF MARK

QUESTIONS?
 READ THIS:

PRICHARD, D. (2018). CHAPTER 22, "IS SCIENCE GETTING CLOSER TO THE TRUTH?"