Packing a healthy lunch!

The kids are back in school and with that parents resume the job of packing lunches. Healthy lunches and snacks are essential in providing the required nutrients and minerals a child will need to keep up the energy they need to learn and play at school. Every child has different energy needs which can change from day to day over time. Most schools will send uneaten food home so the parent will...Read more

Physical activity for the new mom

Postpartum exercise isn't always easy for a new mom to accomplish. As caring for a newborn takes priority, changes to daily habits, energy levels, and physiology often lead to decreased participation in structured sports and physical activity. How and when do I get started? For the average woman, resumption of physical activity (except for light walking and/or stretching) is recommended only...Read more

Preventing Burnout in Children

Burnout in sport is defined as “physical/emotional exhaustion, sport devaluation, and reduced over-training and by competing too often. This is an important issue in youth sports because it often leads to dropping out of sport completely. Participation in sport offers many benefits to children and with so many people leading sedentary lifestyles, it's becoming even more important to keep our kids...Read more

Let kids play!

Most experts agree that Canadian children need to increase their physical activity . We also know that organized sport can help achieve that. However, concentrating on one sport or putting too much focus on winning may lead to kids dropping out of sport altogether. A recent survey has shown that the main reason that kids drop out of sport is that they just aren't having fun anymore. While...Read more

Sport for Life

SIRC Newsletter now available online: Sport for Life Participation in sport and physical activity is extremely important for the development and the health of your child. We all know this, yet obesity rates are climbing and children spend more time in front of screens than they ever have before. For this and many other reasons, SIRC supports the sport for life movement and its principles for Long...Read more

Nutrition Strategies for Young Athletes

Young athletes need plenty of energy . They need it to grow, to play and to compete. When it comes to active children or teenagers, it can be easy to skimp on nutrition - we all lead busy lives and snacks, high sugar drinks and fast food are usually quick grab-and-go items. Whole grains, dairy, lean meats and fresh fruits are what the body needs to be at its best. Carbohydrates - Good quality...Read more

Coaching: How to deal with life’s littlest challenges!

Children are encouraged to participate in sport because physical activity and play can be a great outlet to help the body get out excess energy and release endorphins. Children will test, explore their environment, and act impulsively sometimes but as a coach it's important to be able to recognize when there is a problem more significant than normal development . If you have a challenging child...Read more

Get the Warm up Low-down for Kids

When playing sports, warming up is a must and with kids there's an entirely different approach to coaching them through warm up drills . The value of a warm up created for children is that it raises the body temperature and heart rate, prepares the muscles and joints for activity, and helps to prevent injury. However, most people aren't aware that proper warm up also sets the mood and pace for...Read more

Coaching Young Athletes

As a coach, there is always a chance that you will spot exceptional talent in a young athlete. When this happens, it can be easy to forget that that talent is wrapped inside the body and mind of a child. Kids think differently than adults, especially when they are younger. Abstract thinking doesn't really start developing until adolescence, so it can be quite a challenge as a coach to effectively...Read more

Start2Finish Battles Child Poverty

“ Poverty is the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution refers to being unable to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter.” (Wikipedia) What is most troubling about poverty is that as Canadians we think that poverty refers to other people in...Read more