GPS Not Just For Your Car Anymore!

Technology is advancing at a rapid pace these days and there are applications available for almost everything. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are now considered standard equipment in cars and vehicles to help you get where you are going.

Recently, SIRC has discovered that more and more journals in the SIRC Collection are including articles on ways to use a GPS to help you in your sport and fitness training. From running, skiing, cycling, and walking to rowing, soccer and tennis, a GPS can provide a multitude of information to coaches and athletes to improve their training.

A GPS can help you:

• track speed and distance
• track an athlete in team sport
• simulate a race course
• even monitor heart rate when connected to other applications

These are only a few of the ways a GPS and technology in general can help you in your training. There are more innovative ways to use technology to push the envelope and achieve your next personal best.

Check out the following resources to help jump start your GPS training :

• GPS Applications in Sport
• Athletic Sports and GPS
• Get Back in Shape With GPS for Fitness and Training

Be sure to visit SIRC for even more great resources on GPS and training.

SIRC Newsletter - Healthy Holidays!

Check out the latest SIRC Newsletter -Healthy Holidays!

For 11 months of the year we watch what we eat and stick to our exercise routine. Then the holiday season rolls around and the wheels fall off. Tempted by wonderful goodies every time you turn around and overloaded by a hectic holiday schedule it is easy to let your healthy habits slip, overindulge, neglect your workouts and become stressed. But with a little moderation, organization and motivation it is easy to keep on track and have a healthy, active holiday season straight through to the New Year!

http://www.sirc.ca/newsletters/december09/index.html

Toronto Info Session a Great Success!

On January 28th the Toronto Regional Office of SIRC held an information session for SIRC members who were interested in learning how to better work with the SIRC Collection and SIRC Services to help them and their organization. We had a full house with representatives from a variety of organizations including the Ontario Badminton Association, Ontario Basketball Association, ParaSport Ontario, Cricket Canada, the Ontario Association of Triathletes, ROWONTARIO , the Sport Alliance of Ontario and the Ontario Ringette Association.
Attendees learned how to post jobs on the SIRC Career Page , advertise conferences and events on the Conference Calendar and submit a press release to the Press Release service.
Following this Amanda Street-Bishop and Brandie Adams, SIRC’s Information Specialists, led the group through the members’ area including a tutorial on the SportDiscus™ Database. The group was interested in finding articles on topics ranging from Sponsorship to Injury Prevention.

Armed with the knowledge of how to search the SIRC Collection, the session then moved on to the hands on portion. Attendees completed a scavenger hunt through the various SIRC Resources. Congratulations to Stephanie Wade of Triathlon Canada, Rebecca Norton of Coaches of Canada, Lizze McArdle of Sport4Ontario and Matt Kennedy of the Ontario Blind Sports Association who won our scavenger hunt competition.

Thanks to everyone that attended including some new members to SIRC: Christopher Lowcock of the Ontario Disc Sports Association and Chloe Greenhalgh of Dragon Boat Canada.

How you can be fit and healthy for free!

There are great tips out there for those people who want to be fit and healthy for less. The fitness industry is a billion dollar business. There are never ending ways to spend money on equipment, clothes, supplements, classes and other gadgets when there is really no need. For most people exercise and maintaining a healthy diet is all that is needed. Although relying on your own willpower can be a hard thing to do, it is possible!

• Join a community club
• Take the stairs
• Check out books and DVDs from the library
• Start a walking group with friends
• Listen to Podcasts
• Download free Apps to keep you motivated
• Watch for promotions from local fitness centres to try something new
• Look up your favourite activity online. Popular publications often offer free classes or strength training tips on your computer
• Volunteer to substitute for a local team

There are numerous articles in the SIRC Collection that can help you get fit and healthy for less. Check out past newsletters and online resource section for full text documents on a variety of topics including overtraining, healthy holidays, get fit, sports parents, and cycling.

Some references from the SIRC Collection on frugal fitness include:

• Froeber, J. (2010). 20 Ways to Get Healthier for Free!. Health (Time Inc.), 24(1), 85-89.
• Lander, D. (2008). BUILD A HOME GYM WITH A LOW BUDGET AND LIMITED PACE. American Fitness, 26(2), 9.
• Weber, C. (2010). CREATE YOUR ULTIMATE HOME GYM FOR LESS. Men's Fitness, 26(1), 113-117.
• Mejia, M. (2009). IF YOU BUILD IT…. Splash, 17(6), 24-25.

Additional Links to physical fitness include:

• PHE Canada
• Participaction
• Healthy Canadians
• Physical Activity – Healthy Living

Get active on vacation!

It’s never too early to start thinking about your summer vacation. This year why not try to make it an active holiday. With the sport tourism industry growing by leaps and bounds, many people are jumping on the bandwagon and centering their holidays around participating in a sporting activity. Whether you enjoy cycling, sailing, running, hiking, climbing, or any other activity there are many businesses that can help you enjoy your vacation while getting a great workout.

Some vacation ideas include:

• Cycling in the Netherlands (bike and barge)
• Cycling in Quebec
• Rock Climbing on Mount Olympus
• Running and volunteering in Gambia
• Sailing in British Columbia
• Hiking in Peru
• Multisport (hike, bike, and kayak) the Dalmation Coast (Croatia) family tour

These are only a few of the wide array of sporting vacations that are available to individuals as well as families. In order to make sure that you get the most out of your holiday be sure that you get some training in. For tips on training and conditioning for any of these sports and more check out the many resources in the SIRC Collection.

Second Open House Another Success

On April 29, 2010, SIRC’s Toronto Regional office held its second Open House, with over 150 books on display from both the SIRC Ottawa office and the SIRC@Sport4Ontario collection. Many people from the Provincial Sport Organizations (PSO) in the Sport Alliance building came down to peruse the collection and partake in the free lunch.

What was different about this open house is that there were computer stations set up around the room in order to hold one on one training sessions with individuals wanting to learn how to properly search the Sport Discus Database and also set up saved searches and alerts. Many of the PSOs participated including lacrosse, golf, basketball, ringette, Coaches Association of Ontario and triathlon. Linda Kirk, the Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Triathletes was looking for the latest information on Long Term Athlete Development from a Canadian perspective. She was able to set up a search and alert so now she will be receiving links to articles directly to her email.

Congratulations to our door prize winners Keeley MacLean from Coaches Association of Ontario, Chris Driscoll of the Ontario Lacrosse Association and Erin Hamilton from the Sport Alliance of Ontario. Look for the next SIRC road show to take place in the fall. Till then, sign out a book or two,” ask a librarian” or better yet visit one of SIRCs two libraries, you won’t be disappointed with the information available.

Is There An App For That?

Well, there sure is! It doesn’t matter what information you need access to, or what activity you want to track, there must be an App(lication) for that. And if you own an iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, iPod Touch, Android or Mac, you are already probably a convert to the App world. We are now able to do things that were thought impossible even a decade ago.

But believe it or not many people have yet to jump on the App bandwagon. Now there is fitness at your finger tips. So if you want to take a first step towards a fitness application, MapMyFitness may help you, as they have one of the fastest growing online fitness-oriented social networks and training applications out there. Millions of runners, walkers, hikers and cyclists use their online training tools.

MapMyFitness actually has a suite of websites including MapMyRide.com, MapMyRun.com, MapMyTri.com, MapMyWalk.com, MapMyHike.com, and MapMyMountain.com – something for everyone! Among other things, you can map your route and track your results just for yourself or compare them with your friends. The good thing is that you don’t have to be an elite athlete or be into serious recreational activities in order to use the functions. If you move, you can use it! Maybe all you want to know is how far you walked the dog each night or the route you and your kids took on your bike ride. A very unique idea to getting someone motivated towards some fitness goals is in the MapMyWalk app that has designed a few challenges for spring, where you can complete your goal over a specified period of time, such as walking a marathon in 30 days. What a great idea!

Of course, depending on your needs, there are many other popular Apps to consider. Here is just a small sampling.

• RunKeeper
  
• Fitness Pro
  
• Interval Timer Pro
  
• British Military Instructor
  
• Gym Technik

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 benefits for the human body:

• increased aerobic power
• lower body fat
• muscle strength
• endurance
• and an increase in flexibility 

 One of the most important factors that influence fitness gains is the exercise dosage which refers to the intensity, frequency and duration of your workouts.  Studies have shown that fitness gains can start to decline in just 1 to 2 weeks after training stops.  While this may seem a little discouraging, studies also show that if you continue to exercise at a reduced volume but at higher intensities you can maintain your fitness gains.

Tips for staying active:

• Choose activities you enjoy, this will help you stay motivated
• Prepare for inclement weather by wearing the appropriate clothing, reflective clothing if exercising in the dark
• Use this opportunity to try something new, like archery or a dance class
• If weather keeps you indoors, try active play video games
• Get online and see what's going on in your community
• Be creative with your workouts, try a hula hoop, running up and down your stairs, or mall walking
• Allow for proper recovery, this is a big factor in maintaining enthusiasm for exercise

Just because summer is winding down doesn't mean giving up all that hard work.  With a little motivation and creativity we should all be set to tackle another summer when it comes around again.  

References from the SIRC Collection: 

1. Block P, Kravitz L. Tailoring Nutrient Intake to Exercise Goals OPTIMIZE MUSCULAR FITNESS GAINS WITH PERIODIZATION-SUPPORTIVE NUTRITION. IDEA Fitness Journal. September 2006;3(8):40;48-55.
2. Cross-train for big fitness gains. Backpacker. May 2009;37(4):44.
3. Karp J. A primer on periodization training: how to help clients optimize fitness gains by varying training loads and rest periods. IDEA Health & Fitness Source. May 2000;18(5):23-26;28-29.
4. Fitzgerald M. Recovery-based training: sure, training is important, but make no mistake about it - your fitness gains happen during the recovery phase. Follow these 10 tips for elevating the recovery process and spiking your results. Triathlete. January 2003;(225):76-78.
5. Swank A. Clinical Applications. Maintaining Your Fitness Gains: When Less Really Is More. ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal. July 2012;16(4):35-36.

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 effective to help you get the job done. 

Measuring your workouts can be motivating:

• By monitoring the distance and intensity of your workout, you can determine if you need to push a little harder or give your body a break.
• It can help track your long-term goals.  If you end up further along than you thought, it can give you the confidence boost you need to keep pushing forward.
• Data doesn't lie.  Maybe you can't see the results of your work when you look in the mirror or step on the scale, but the information you gather can tell you that you are moving faster or longer than you did the month before.
• Technology is fun!  With apps, pedometers and GPS units, monitoring your movements can keep your interest in your chosen activity.

Some fun gadgets to help you out:

• If you have an iPhone or iTouch, the Pedometer Ultimate GPS+ app has a lot going for it.  It can record your time, location, distance, elevation, speed, pace and heart rate.  Multiple activities can be monitored, including walking, roller skating, skiing, ice skating and snowboarding.
• Map My Run - is a fun, free website that tracks your distance, time, nutrition and calorie counts.  It also has a community set up and challenges that you can set for yourself.
• For the casual and professional athletes, Garmin has an impressive selection of gadgets to choose from.
• My Swimming Times - is a highly rated Android app to track swim times and swimming race standards.  You can share your race times with your family and friends by connecting it to Facebook, Twitter and email.

Keep in mind that you don't need to measure every workout.  There seem to be a lot of people who are hooked on their gadgets, who get obsessed with data and end up losing the pleasure they can get out of exercise.  It's good to have an idea of where you are in attaining your fitness goals as this information can go a long way, but sometimes it's good to lose the gadgets and just have fun.

References from the SIRC Collection: 

1. Crosby J. Measurement is Motivation. Rowing News. June 2012;19(5):24.
2. de Geus B, De Simet S, Nijs J, Meeusen R. Determining the intensity and energy expenditure during commuter cycling. British Journal Of Sports Medicine. January 2007;41(1):8-12.
3. Daffy M, Hoskins N. move a little, lose a lot. Health (Time Inc. Health). March 2004;18(2):82-85.
4. Karp J. Distance Running: How Much Mileage is Enough?. Modern Athlete & Coach. July 2010;48(3):20-23.
5. Pedometer Step Counts and Aerobic Fitness. Pediatric Exercise Science. November 2006;18(4):503-504.