Report Card on Physical Activity for Adults

We flunked! The new ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Adults assigned us a ‘D’ grade in “overall physical activity.” Only 16% of adults living in Canada are active enough to meet the recommended guidelines of at least 150 minutes of heart-pumping physical activity each week. Read the full report here.

MATCH: Spotlight on a Canadian Study on Sport Participation

In this day and age, everything is at our fingertips. However, the investigation of complex behaviours is still a process that takes time. The intricate nature of sport and physical activity behaviour, especially amongst children and adolescents, is an area that many Canadian policy makers, administrators and other sport system stakeholders are trying to better…

Is There a Role for Weight Training in the Physical Development of Children?

Once considered a fringe activity, weight training has grown in popularity in the last 20 years due to its benefits for improving health, physical fitness, and performance.  Weight training is often included in high school physical education classes and promoted for young athletes as a supplement to sport training.  However, various myths regarding weight training…

Physical literacy and life-long participation

The development of physical literacy is essential to life-long participation in sport and physical activity. Learn how teachers and parents (and program leaders, coaches, and others!) can be allies in ensuring students develop the “motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life” in the…

NBA sleep deprivation

Sleep loss reduces physical performance, eye-hand coordination, and attention span. Chronic sleep loss contributes to higher risk for cancer, heart disease, dementia and depression. A recent article from ESPN examines the impacts of competition and travel schedules on the sleep patterns, and ultimately the health, of NBA athletes.

Parents and Teachers – Allies in Physical Literacy

With students settled into new classes with new teachers, many families find themselves considering how to best support student success across the school day. Physical literacy is becoming an integral facet of Physical and Health Education curricula across the country, and parents are likely to see this term more often on report cards, course outlines,…

Physical Literacy Allies

Physical literacy is a central component of physical education curricula across the country. But the concept may be unfamiliar to many parents. Today’s SIRC blog helps demystify the concept so parents can be allies with teachers in supporting student success.

Hacking Exercise for Health

Interested in updating your workout regime with the latest strength and conditioning science? A new massive open online course (MOOC) from McMaster University launches today, designed to provide insight and practical tips to apply evidence-based techniques to achieving your health and fitness goals. Learn more about Hacking Exercise for Health.

Healthy School Lunches

Healthy school lunches provide children with essential vitamins and minerals for healthy growth and development, and the energy and nutrients they need throughout the day for learning and active play. Health Canada recommends engaging children in planning their meals to make it more likely that they eat and enjoy their food. Looking for tips? Check…

Game and Activity Databases

Are you a teacher looking for new ideas to activate your students during class, recess or after school; or a coach looking to refresh your practices? The Playworks Game Library and Active for Life Activity Database let you search activities by age, skill, group size, and more!