Technology – The Bigger Picture

This past November, SIRC had the pleasure of attending the Petro-Canada Sport Leadership Conference hosted by the Coaching Association of Canada, in Ottawa. This event is where top coaches, sport administrators, coach educators, leaders in the corporate community, and sport scientists come together to connect, learn, network, and celebrate together.

One of the sessions was about social media and the bigger picture. One of the three presenters was Dr. Linda Duxbury, a professor at Carleton University. Her presentation was not so much about social media, but the bigger picture behind it. She spoke about how technology is supposed to make our lives easier and more efficient. Her studies have shown quite the opposite. Our time in work has increased, thanks to laptops, blackberry’s and other portable devices, but this is a poor measure of productivity. Our work load has also increased, where our leisure time has decreased. This can only mean one thing; technology is hurting our quality of life.

Dr. Duxbury also brought up that we need to establish email etiquette. Just like phone etiquette, email etiquette is just as important since many of us communicate via email on a daily basis. But is email causing us more stress? It only takes 50 emails per day to cause stress to the average person. People are sending and receiving an average of 71 emails per day, with some receiving upwards of 200. This can only mean, people are sending and receiving work related emails outside of work hours. With access to work through mobile devices, workers are finding it increasingly difficult to “switch-off” from work. Studies have shown that there is a need for organizations to educate their employees, about the importance of strategic unwinding post work to optimize the quality of leisure time and prevent them from becoming fatigued and burnt out.

For more articles on quality of life and general well-being, please see the January 2010 SIRC Newsletter.

For more information about Dr. Duxbury’s study on work-life conflict please see:
Duxbury, L. and C. Higgins (2009), Key findings and Conclusions from the 2001 National Work-Life Conflict Study. Health Canada; Ottawa, Ontario.
(http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/occup-travail/balancing_six-equilibre_six/index-eng.php)

Reference from the SIRC collection:

(2010). Email stress can wipe out benefit of holiday. Occupational Health, 62(9), 4.

Cropley, M., & Millward, L. (2009). How do individuals 'switch-off' from work during leisure? A qualitative description of the unwinding process in high and low ruminators. Leisure Studies, 28(3), 333-347.

Track World Continues to Run with State-of-the-art Technology

The 2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics start this weekend in Daegu, South Korea, and Team Canada is sending 32 athletes, 13 of which are making their first appearance at a World Championships. The venue, Daegu Stadium, previously hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2003 Universiade.



Sport and technology continue to join forces, as this major sporting event on the global calendar will benefit from state-of-the-art technology with high-definition electronic signboards and high-tech unmanned equipment, including the sand arranger at jumping pits and the radio controlled throwing event implement retriever.



Of particular anticipation for these World Championships is the implementation of the new Video Distance Measurement (VDM) system. Previously, officials measured the horizontal jumps with the Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM) system which computes the jumpers distance via a light signal exchange from a module placed in the sand pit. Used for the first time ever at the track championships, the VDM utilizes two high-definition video cameras placed in the stands, overlooking the landing pits. When the jumper leaves a mark in the pit, the cameras capture a series of images of that mark, placing a cursor to the right point, and then the computer calculates the distance. This information is immediately validated and distributed to the results service, scoreboards and TV. The benefits of the VDM are that it produces a result much faster (saving 15 seconds per jump), the risk of human error is reduced, the system offers complete accountability (video archives), and the VDM enhances the visibility and excitement of the sport by making the jumping pits less cluttered with people and equipment.



The IAAF World Championships in Athletics has never been staged in mainland Asia, although it has taken place twice in Japan. Over 2500 athletes from 207 countries will compete over nine days starting on Saturday, August 27.



Contact SIRC for more information on sport and technology!



Photos courtesy of the International Association of Athletics Federations

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.