Exercise programs at Queen’s School of Kinesiology and Health Studies (SKHS) help adults with mobility impairments and developmental disabilities stay active, and support people preparing for or recovering from cancer treatment. They also give students practical experience adapting exercise to individual needs, and to research its benefits.

A recently announced donation of exercise equipment from Family and Children’s Services of Frontenac, Lennox, and Addington, supports three programs and labs at SKHS, strengthening their work with adults from the surrounding areas.

One of the recipients is Revved Up, an inclusive exercise program that provides weekly physical activity opportunities for adults in the community who experience mobility impairments and/or developmental disabilities. Students involved in the program, through a course or the Certificate in Disability and Physical Activity, are paired with participants, helping them execute their exercise programs. Students learn how to design exercise programs for people experiencing disabilities, deepen their understanding of what it means for persons to live with disability and chronic disease, and learn what makes good leaders and mentors. Students enrolled in the certificate spend over 160 hours working in the gym before completion.

Built on leading-edge research and educational practices, Revved Up reflects a commitment to evidence-based programming. In 2023, co-creator Dr. Amy Latimer-Cheung received a $2.5 million SSHRC Partnership Grant for the Canadian Disability Participation Project 2.0, which advances and shares innovative strategies to support high-quality participation in sport, exercise, and play for people with disabilities.

The recent donation of exercise equipment builds on that funding, ensuring that the range and amount of equipment available can effectively support Revved Up programming and accommodate participants. In addition to the benefit to members, students will expand their skills, learning how different pieces of equipment can be used in practice, by users with varying abilities.
 

Building student confidence and skills

The SKHS also hosts the Undergraduate Teaching Lab, where students apply their classroom learning through hands-on experiences in lifestyle and exercise assessments and exercise prescriptions. Students develop practical skills by learning to assess, design and progress individual exercise programs, and support individuals with diverse health and physical activity needs. An additional space within the lab has been outfitted with the donated equipment, providing students with more opportunities to practice these skills and build confidence in applying their knowledge.  

“The new equipment allowed us to create a dedicated space where students can practice skills, learn from feedback, and build confidence before putting those skills into practice alongside community members in Revved Up and our community-based research projects," says Dr. Nicole Beamish, Assistant Professor, SKHS. "Creating that bridge between classroom learning and community experiences helps prepare students to work thoughtfully and effectively with community members.”
 

The School of Kinesiology and Health Studies celebrated the donation, offering tours of the facilities.

Strengthening cancer research at Queen’s  

The donation of the additional equipment is also supporting important cancer research through Dr. Brendon Gurd’s Queen’s Muscle Physiology Lab and its community‑based cancer pre‑habilitation and rehabilitation research program. Through this program, students assist community members referred by the Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) as they prepare for and recover from cancer treatment. The lab can now accommodate more participants, including individuals with co-existing health conditions that may make beginning an exercise program difficult.  

"Research suggests exercise can provide important benefits for people preparing for or recovering from cancer treatment, but prehabilitation is not yet widely available” says Adrianne Kamerman, a Master of Science student involved in the Assessing Delivery Approaches for Prehabilitation Trials (ADAPT) study.  

Access to exercise programs is a challenge among the local community adds Laura Nixon, a fellow Master of Science student conducting research in the Queen’s Muscle Physiology Lab.

“Through our lab, we have the opportunity to support people in the Kingston community who might not otherwise have access to these services,” she says.  

Students in the lab are also researching the benefits of exercise. That research includes the ADAPT study, which explores approaches to delivering prehabilitation interventions that incorporate exercise, nutrition, and psychosocial support. The research team has developed practical resources to support patients and coaches throughout the prehabilitation process.  

One study that motivates work being done is the CHALLENGE trial co-chaired by Dr. Christopher Booth, Professor of Oncology at Queen’s and medical oncologist at KHSC. It found that structured exercise programs after surgery and chemotherapy can reduce risk of recurrent or new cancer, improve quality of life, and extend patients’ survival. Researchers at the Queen’s Muscle Physiology Lab are applying learnings from trials such as this one, and are expanding them to the pre-habilitation context.

Learn more about the learning, research, and community engagement opportunities offered at the School for Kinesiology and Health Studies, on their website.