Dr. Miriam E. Nelson, a nutrition and exercise expert, will lecture on "Strong Women" Monday, Nov. 5 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Wong Auditorium. A question-and-answer period will follow her talk.
The event is sponsored by the MIT Women's League; Health Education at MIT Medical; and the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation.
Nelson's research on strength training and its benefits for women of all ages was first published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1994. Her research showed that after a year of strength training twice a week, women's bodies were 15 to 20 years more youthful. They had less fat and more muscle; bone loss was prevented or reversed; their strength and energy were dramatically increased; and they showed surprising gains in balance and flexibility.
Nelson's first book, "Strong Women Stay Young" (1997) translated her research into a practical, do-at-home program. She has published three other books: "Strong Women Stay Slim," "Strong Women, Strong Bones" and "Strong Women Eat Well." Each offers programs that can be followed at home, combining good nutrition strategies with proper exercise for women who want to live long, vigorously active and healthy lives.
Dr. Nelson is the director of the Center of Physical Fitness and associate professor of nutrition at the School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. She is also associate chief of the Human Nutrition, Exercise Physiology and Sarcopenia Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts. She is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, a Bunting Fellow at Radcliffe College and the author of a monthly column for Prevention magazine.
The lecture is free and open to the MIT community. Anyone with questions may contact the Women's League office at x3-3656 or wleague@mit.edu.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on October 31, 2001.
