Knowledge Nuggets

NUTRITION Peak performance depends on proper fueling and hydration. However, research from Ireland found that across many sports, athletes at the club and university level have inadequate nutritional knowledge and misunderstand the effects of dehydration. Bringing the classroom into the locker room may support performance and safeguard the health of your athletes.    

VIDEO The Traditional Games and Physical Literacy Teacher Mentorship Project was designed by the Aboriginal Sport Circle and Sport for Life to build capacity to deliver quality physical education experiences in First Nations schools. This video shares experiences from ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ on Vancouver Island, highlighting student outcomes . The project was funded by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada through a funding program that has inspired many...

Blog June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day. This week’s blog reviews the sport-related Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and provides practical tips for sport organizations committed to engaging Indigenous communities.  

Nutrition Do you have what it takes to eat like a professional Soccer player? Research suggests to compete at a professional level you would need 3,200 calories and 200 grams of protein per day. Throw some more chicken and steak on the BBQ for your next World Cup 2018 game!

Mental Training When athletes experience failures and setbacks, not only are they often harsh and self-critical, but there is a risk of other consequences, such as loss of funding and support systems. Skills to help navigate difficult emotional experiences can be critical to success. Nurturing self-compassion in athletes enables them to treat themselves kindly, balance...

Training Take the polar plunge! Recent peer reviewed research suggests that cold water immersion before running and cycling in a hot and humid environment can improve your endurance and performance. Lowered heart rate and decreased time to exhaustion were identified as some of the possible benefits.

Recovery Sleep affects more than just how much coffee you need in the morning. A recent study found that adolescents and young adults that regularly exercised performed better on working memory tasks compared to non-exercisers. However, the advantage disappeared if the regular exerciser had less than 6.5 hours of sleep. The findings suggest both healthy...

Best Practice The Responsible Coaching Movement, coordinated by the Coaching Association of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, is a call to action to ensure that athletes, especially minors, are protected from abuse, harassment, and other safety risks. The first of a three-part blog series, this week’s blog discusses the “Rule of...

Athlete Development Athletes are often encouraged to use social media to engage with fans and share information about their lives to leverage marketing or sponsorship opportunities. However, little research exists on the relationship between social media and performance. Social media – athlete confidence booster or Achilles heel?

How to… Research has shown that 43% of what we do every day is performed out of habit – good or bad. To help you stick to new healthy habits, try these three tricks – visual reminders, tech reminders, and social reminders.