Would you pay to offset your carbon footprint in sport?
A study of professional athletes’ willingness to pay for offsetting greenhouse gas emissions reveals a promising intersection between sports participation and environmental sustainability efforts with a majority of participants showing readiness to financially support green initiatives. Key strategies include raising environmental awareness, demonstrating event sustainability, leveraging social influence, and collaborating with environmental organizations. These strategies…
Identification of “sleeping” talent in elite ice-hockey using psychological characteristics
In sports, some athletes currently under-perform compared to others, but end up excelling later in life, while some who currently perform well, end up under-performing later on. In other words, current performance is not necessarily a good predictor of potential in sports. This makes it a major challenge for scouts, who are responsible for spotting…
How much sleep do high performance athletes need?
Elite or high-performance athletes often demand an immense focus on health factors outside of sport, such as nutrition and recovery. A recent study conducted on male and female high-performance athletes found that approximately 8.3 hours of sleep were necessary to feel rested. Despite this, an overwhelming majority, 71%, fail to meet this requirement.
Balancing Act: Navigating weight cutting in sports for athlete well-being
Weight cutting in sport sounds harsh because it is. As a U19 national champion wrestler with international experience and a mixed martial artist, I have first-hand experience losing weight in a short amount of time to compete in my desired category. And I can tell you that it is both mentally and physically daunting. My…
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in elite athletes
Mental health and mental health disorders affect people from all walks of life. Elite athletes face unique challenges in dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with an estimated 1 in 8 experiencing this condition. This recent study explores the complexities of diagnosing and treating PTSD in athletes, highlighting best practice models for mental health…
Does massage therapy impact sport performance?
Massage therapy is a highly popular practice among modern athletes, ranging from the community to professional level. Despite its popularity, a recent study found that its application had no significant negative or positive effects on motor performance, except for enhancing flexibility. However, there may still be benefits for various psychological states, including decreases in depression,…
Napping and increased performance
Sleep plays a crucial role in all aspects of activity, particularly in sports. A recent study on 291 adult male participants revealed that combining a regular night of sleep with a nap resulted in enhanced cognitive and physical performance, as well as reduced perception of fatigue.
Bolstering learning for children with neurodevelopmental disorders
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication, interaction, and other behaviours. A recent study suggests that exercise programs designed to enable children with ASD to participate can significantly improve their physical literacy and motor skills, offering a potentially valuable framework for physical activity programming for children with ASD.
Optimizing gender-specific performance
Optimizing performance in soccer requires collaboration among coaches, physicians, nutritionists, and exercise physiologists to provide tailored recommendations. A recent study offers valuable insights into essential factors, including hydration status and training load structure, crucial for optimizing body composition and health.
Rugby and fueling for success
In a study observing professional male rugby players, it was found that although players appear to meet their fuelling requirements in their pre-game and post-game meals, they do not meet the suggested daily carbohydrate fuelling needs. With athletes demonstrating relatively low carbohydrate intake compared to sports nutrition recommendations, it is important to ensure that a…