Diversity in Sport

SIRC Newsletter now available online: Diversity in Sport The Canadian sport community has the opportunity to embrace our uniquely diverse population and actively strive for a multicultural and socially inclusive environment. Proactive sport organizations adopt a broad view of diversity and value it to its fullest extent. Ideally, this means going beyond merely removing barriers to participation...Read more

What exactly are electrolytes?

Electrolytes are electrically charged particles that help the body function normally. The importance of electrolytes in the human body is so great that we quickly react to an electrolyte deficiency. Athletes in particular are susceptible because electrolytes are depleted during perspiration . Some of the more familiar electrolytes include potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium. These minerals...Read more

Recovery Nutrition - Carbs and protein

Recovery nutrition should be an important goal that is placed at the top of any serious athletes training priorities. Immediately after training, muscles are primed to absorb nutrients such as carbohydrate (restores muscle glycogen) and protein (repairs damaged muscle fibres), both of which are essential for rapid recovery from intense exercise. Proper nutrition is an essential part of the...Read more

Treating Tendon Injuries

Tendon injuries are common in the sport community and can affect amateur and professional athletes alike. Tendon injuries are most often the result of gradual wear and tear to the tendon from overuse, incorrect movement or aging. As debilitating as they can be, the good news is that when treated properly , minor to moderate tendon injuries can heal on their own. While almost any tendon can...Read more

Coaching - "Invisible" Disabilities

Participation in organized sport activities has been shown to increase self-confidence, social skills and peer acceptance. Young people with "invisible" disabilities (e.g. learning, emotional/behavioural, and speech/language) can often be overlooked because they have no outward physical characteristics that suggest they have diverse learning needs . As a coach, there are many ways to foster an...Read more

The power of plyometric training

Plyometrics (jump training) are exercises designed to produce fast, powerful movements that enhance explosive muscular performance. Many of you may have already used these techniques and not known they are called plyometrics. Plyometric exercises may include; jumping, bounding, hopping, arm pushing, and "catching and throwing" weighted objects such as medicine balls. These are movements that...Read more

Conquer competition anxiety and harness it for success

Everyone of us has experienced anxiety at one point in our lives, sweaty palms, 'butterflies' in your stomach, your heart starts to pound and you think "I can't do this." Anxiety in athletes usually occurs during high stress moments, competitions, performance evaluations, and fears of re-injury. The good news is there are many ways in which an athlete can take these feelings and use them to their...Read more

Icy Recovery

Cold therapy is a technique that is very popular in multiple sports and disciplines with many high-performance athletes claiming it as an essential part of their training. Cold water immersion is used as recovery method where exposure to cold is believed to help alleviate the soreness of small tears that occur in muscles fibres followed by intense or repetitive exercise (DOMS) . Ice baths are...Read more

Introducing the 'sunshine' vitamin!

Canadian winters mean short days and bundling up against the cold, so getting the required amount of sunlight for absorbing Vitamin D can be difficult. Vitamin D (sometimes called the 'sunshine vitamin') is unique in that it requires the skin to be exposed to ultraviolet-B radiation for optimal absorption. Because it is present in very few foods and many people use sunscreen to protect themselves...Read more

Beet the competition

A handful of studies performed over the past several years have found that consuming beet juice may lower the oxygen cost of exercise, due to the high concentration of nitrates found in beetroot . As a result, many athletes are consuming beetroot juice as a way to enhance performance . So, how does it work? A compound called ' nitric oxide ' (NO) is a compound that is made in the body but can...Read more