Building a culture of excellence in high performance sport

Highlights In sport, culture can determine a team’s focus and how members communicate and deal with conflict. Culture also establishes norms of acceptable behaviour and directly influences functioning and performance. Own the Podium, alongside partners the Canadian Paralympic Committee and Canadian Olympic Committee, identified sport culture as an important performance factor for Canadian athletes to…

Job insecurity

For coaches, job insecurity can lead to reduced job and life satisfaction, decreased well-being, and burnout. Sport organizations can support the well-being of coaches through employment opportunities that are contractually secure and by limiting the number of temporary coaching contracts.

Pandemic mental health

Physical activity may help to alleviate the negative mental health effects experienced by older adults while social distancing, according to new research. During the pandemic, older adults who were more physically active reported fewer depressive symptoms than those who were less active.

Holistic approach to athlete development

A holistic approach to athlete development considers the interconnections between different spheres of an athlete’s life, and recognizes their impact on performance. Whether athletes are struggling with the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, relocation, injury, or the end of a relationship, coaches and IST members can support them in evaluating the impact across the spheres…

Benefits of extracurricular activity

Research from UBC finds teens, especially girls, report better mental health when they spend more time in extracurricular activities, like sports and art, and less time in front of screens. Less than two hours per day of recreational screen time (e.g. browsing the internet, playing video games, and using social media) was associated with higher…

How exercise boosts mental health

There is uncontested evidence that physical activity boosts mental health. But how? According to University of Toronto professor Catherine Sabiston, body temperature, a break from routine, and a sense of connectedness are just a few of the ways that exercise can lift your mood.

Late-night snacks

Having too many late-night snacks may be affecting your behaviour at work. Employees who reported eating too many late-night snacks were less likely to go the extra mile for colleagues or complete work-related tasks the next day.

Mental health paradox

Improving mental health is a great motivator to being physically active, but stress and anxiety can stand in the way—a paradox that has been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers at McMaster University have created an evidence-based exercise toolkit for mental health that is freely available to all.

New and expecting mothers

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health and physical activity levels of new and expecting mothers. Finding ways to stay active during the pandemic (e.g., going for walks or participating in online fitness classes) can reduce mothers’ feelings of depression and anxiety, benefitting both mom and baby.

LGBTQI2S inclusion

The effects of COVID-19 are significantly impacting the physical and mental health of the LGBTQI2S community. For sport organizations, participating in LGBTQI2S inclusive training opportunities, using gender-neutral language in policies and communications, and creating sanctions for anti-LGBTQI2S behaviour are just a few ways to be more inclusive of LGBTQI2S people and communities both now and when we return…