The purpose of the current study was to predict both general and sport-specific quality of life using measures of grit, hardiness, and resilience. Seventy-five adults (74 men, 1 woman) who are wheelchair basketball athletes participated in the current study. Twenty-six percent of the variance in life satisfaction was accounted for. Both hardiness and resilience accounted for meaningful variance, as indicated by their significant beta weights. Twenty-two percent of the variance in sport engagement was predicted; resilience and grit accounted for meaningful variance, as indicated by their significant beta weight. The regression results indicate that athletes reporting the highest levels of grit and resilience tended to also be the most engaged in their sport, and athletes with high levels of hardiness and resilience reported the highest quality of life. The descriptive results support an affirmation model of disability for the current sample of wheelchair athletes in that they reported moderate to strong levels of resiliency, grit, hardiness, sport engagement, and a high quality of life.

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Irisin is a hormone which mimics the favorable metabolic effects associated with regular exercise, by converting subcutaneous white fat into brownish fat, in rodents. Thirty‐three human subjects (16 runners, 17 nonrunners) were measured for: resting energy expenditure (REE), body composition, VO2 Peak test, [irisin]p, and plasma metabolic profile. Nine female nonrunners then participated in a 10‐week supervised 5 km training program and tested after the race. Two runners underwent 18F‐FDG‐PET scans to quantify brown fat. No gender or age (28 ± 10 years) differences noted between matched cohorts. Runners averaged 58 ± 26 miles/week for 13 ± 6 years and had lower bodyweight (63 vs. 88 kg; P < 0.001), BMI (21 vs. 30 kg/m2; P < 0.0001), triglycerides (58 vs. 123 mg/dL; P < 0.01), total (white) fat (14 vs. 32%; P < 0.0001), and had higher VO2 Peak (63 vs. 34 mL/kg‐min; P < 0.0001) and HDL (65 vs. 48 mg/dL; P < 0.01) compared with nonrunners. [Irisin]p was lower in runners versus nonrunners both before (179 vs. 197 ng/mL; NS) and after (207 vs. 226 ng/mL; NS) the VO2 Peak test. Significant (P < 0.05) positive correlations were noted between [irisin]p versus BMI (r2 = 0.15), triglycerides (r2 = 0.40), and total body fat(g) (r2 = 0.24) with a significant negative correlation between [irisin]p versus respiratory quotient (r2 = 0.33). Total lean mass significantly correlated with REE (r2 = 0.58) while total fat mass inversely correlated with VO2 Peak (r2 = 0.64). Nonrunners had lower [irisin]p after completion of the training program (194 vs.181 ng/mL; pre‐ to post‐training; P > 0.05). Neither runner selected for 18F‐FDG‐PET scans had brown fat. Runners demonstrated significantly healthier metabolic and body composition profiles compared with nonrunners. None of these favorable exercise effects were positively associated with [irisin]p..

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