(January 15, 2025), Starkville, MS -- Dr. Zachary Gillen, assistant professor of exercise physiology, will keynote the 2025 Empower Health and Wellness Speaker Series in Columbus, MS. The talk, entitled "Optimizing Physical Training: The Importance of Balancing Physical and Mental Well-Being", will take place on February 7th at 7:00pm at the Lyceum at Lee on 1815 Military Road in Columbus, MS.
The Empower Series is a part of the Allegro Health and Wellness Initiative which is run through a partnership between Allegro Health and the Columbus Soccer Organization (CSO). The Initiative seeks to use "education, research and collaboration to help coaches and parents better serve the well-being of their athletes".
The initiative has educational modules for parents and coaches designed by MSU kinesiology faculty member and US Soccer licensed coach Dr. Gregg Twietmeyer. The modules address topics such as "Weather, Hydration and Rest", "Intrinsic Motivation", and "Injury Prevention and Warmups".
The Empower series applies those principles to a broader audience to promote physical fitness, health and well-being across the lifespan and across the general population.
The Columbus Soccer Organization's Director of Coaching Dr. Tom Velek was very excited to land Gillen for the first Empower Lecture. "Given ever growing competitive pressures, mental health and well-being are burgeoning concerns at all levels of sport and society. Dr. Gillen's exercise science expertise will empower coaches, athletes and parents to better understand the science behind, rest and recovery as well as the dangers of overuse injury and over-training. Excellence -- both on the field and off -- requires a balanced approach to exercise, rest, recovery and competition. Dr. Gillen's insights in this regard will encourage health and well-being across the Golden Triangle."
Tickets to the lecture can bought at www.columbusmssoccer.org.