BY:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to acknowledge Dr. Moira Petit for her contributions toward the design and implementation of the studies reported in this thesis and for providing the necessary lab space and equipment for data collection. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Mindy Kurzer, the primary investigator of the Women in Steady Exercise Research (WISER) study, for whom I was a research assistant under. My work with the WISER study provided me access to my study population and to the data used in my analyses. Also, Dr. Steven Stovitz was the physician who assisted with many aspects of the studies and provided much support of my research. My committee provided much mentorship, expertise and knowledge along with great amount of time and energy into reading and providing feedback of this thesis, and for this I am grateful. They helped me acquire many of the necessary skills and intellect that I will need to continue on in a research career. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my gratefulness to the women who participated in these studies. Without their help and cooperation, none of the work presented in this thesis would have been possible. i