Knowledge Nuggets

With the holidays quickly approaching, many parents are looking for ways to incorporate physical activity into their holiday gift giving. The Active for Life team has put together their picks for active toys and games that will make all the kids on your list happy while encouraging skill development and a love of movement.

The holiday season is a wonderful time of year when family and friends get together to celebrate the joys life brings. For some, however the holidays can be a stressful time planning and/or attending social events, finishing up the year’s work, trying not to overeat those holiday treats or trying to fit in that last...

Teaching Moment Researchers know that certain genes are associated with obesity. However, having a genetic predisposition to obesity doesn’t determine whether or not you become obese. Choosing to live a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and regular exercise, regardless of genes, can prevent excessive weight gain.

SIRC Blog Core strength and stability training is performed by most if not all competitive athletes these days. In fact it is one of the few training forms that is effective for all sport disciplines. The core is central to all athletic movement, whether it is generated from the area or passes through it. It...

Did You Know? Losing weight is more than counting consumed calories or trying to burn calories through exercise. One reason there isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” approach to weight loss is that each individual has a unique microbiome that may affect the way in which we absorb calories.

Did You Know? In addition to having important water safety skills, children who learn to swim early on in their lives reap loads of developmental benefits. Find out more about how and why early swimmers were more developed cognitively and linguistically than their non-swimmer peers. 

Did You Know? The influence parents have on their children includes physical activity levels and sedentary time. When parents increase their time spent active, their children experience a rise in their own physical activity level. The same goes for time sedentary time. Healthy habits involve the whole family!

Nutrition On days you exercise, you generally burn more calories than you would on rest days. Other activities, in addition to muscle recovery, mean that you shouldn’t necessarily be cutting back on calories on rest days, though. 

What do you think? A recent study explored issues surrounding segregated sport for people with impairments and addressed the question of whether or not segregated sport perpetuates inequity. It appears that different sport streams, both integrated and segregated, can meet the individual needs of athletes and be experienced in positive ways that support athlete development...

SIRC Blog For athletes at high levels, the ability to control one’s mind in the moments leading up to performance is a key element of pre-performance preparation. Music has been used by many athletes as a way of addressing pre-performance states in a variety of ways. This recent study looked at the use of music...