Are you Tough Enough?

When preparing for a race, a competition or just everyday exercise, mental preparation plays a vital role in the training process. Mental toughness is the psychological edge that an athlete uses to cope with the demands of training and performances at an event. It allows the athlete to remain consistent, determined, focused, confident and in control under the pressures that they face. Athletes...Read more

Engagement

SIRC Newsletter now available online: Engagement With London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics still in everyone’s minds, it’s important to leverage this momentum to get more people engaged in sport. Sport has always promoted inclusion within the community; it supports participation and fun regardless of your gender, religion, ability, ethnicity, age or disability. Sport provides an avenue for...Read more

High Tech Exercise

With today's technology, there are many ways to measure the physical work you do, whether it be sports, workouts or your daily footsteps. Measuring your activity, regardless of what you're doing, delivers instant feedback that can keep you accountable to your fitness goals . Don't be intimidated by some of the high-tech equipment that's available, even basic, easily collected data can be very...Read more

Maintaining your Summer Fitness Gains

Many of us have been taking advantage of this hot summer to exercise and further our training goals, so with fall just around the corner, how can we maintain the fitness gains we worked so hard to attain? Consistent commitment to any exercise training involves a lot of motivation, effort and hard work that we don't want to see decline over the winter months. Long-term exercise training has many...Read more

Coaching and Constructive Feedback

The goal of great coaching is to guide, inspire and empower athletes to develop to their fullest potential. Much of coaching depends on the ability of the coach to communicate criticism in a way that fosters trust and positive outcomes. Providing constructive feedback can be one of the most challenging skills for coaches to master but when done properly can yield great results. Every athlete and...Read more

Running with the Pack

Running alone certainly has its perks - having quiet time to unplug is a big one. But if you want to improve as a runner, one of the best ways to do it is to run with a group. Group runners tend to run more frequently, as encouragement from friends can overcome the urge to back out of a workout. Some friendly competition along with a supportive environment encourages you not only to show up, but...Read more

Music for Motivation

Everyone has those days. It's filled with stress and things just dont’t seem to go your way. On those days it just seems more appealing to stay in your pajamas rather than working out. So why not use music as a motivational tool to get your body moving. The idea that music motivates you during exercise is not new, but what is interesting is that recent studies have indicated that music can...Read more

Group Exercise vs Going Solo

Think of your favourite form of exercise. Do you like to do it with a group or alone? Team sports are pretty obvious however most sports from cycling and running to kite surfing and downhill skiing can be considered group activities. Check out the following list of benefits to working out with others. If you thrive in groups this list is for you; if you are a solo artist maybe it will tweak your...Read more

What’s on your playlist?

Now that you’ve made that resolution to have a fitter 2010, it’s time to lace up your trainers and get moving. A great way to get into the exercise groove is to listen to music, which will help to motivate you through our workout. Music can help you ignore the aches and pains or fatigue and also help regulate your pace. Science now tells us that songs with the right characteristics can increase...Read more