Many Skiers And Snowboarders Forgo Safety For Fashion

20 February 2010---Many skiers and snowboarders choose to go without a helmet while practising their sport, placing fashion before safety, according to a commentary by a St Michael's Hospital neurosurgeon.

The commentary calls for skiers to shun the cultural stigma associated with wearing helmets, to encourage helmet use as a routine part of the ski and snowboard culture.

Head injuries in these two sports are the most frequent cause of hospital admission and death. Research shows that about 120,000 people in North America suffer head injuries while skiing or snowboarding each year. Recent studies show that helmets help reduce the risk of head injuries by up to 60 percent.

"Despite compelling evidence that shows wearing a helmet significantly reduces the chance of head and brain injury, there are still those who argue that helmets are not fashionable or part of the ski culture," explains Dr Michael Cusimano, a neurosurgeon at St. Michael's Hospital.

"We have established the safety benefits but now we must find ways to integrate helmets so it becomes another piece of standard equipment for people on the slopes. It is time for everyone who has a stake in skiing and snowboarding to do their part to make the slopes safer."

According to the authors, a shift in attitude toward helmet use is necessary to quash cultural stigmas. "Resorts have two reasons for promoting helmets – one, it keeps their customers safer and two, they are also seeing a discount in their insurance premiums when the slopes are safer places," says Dr Cusimano.

"Role modelling can also have a powerful effect on what people sense as normal. Ski patrollers and instructors understand that helmets lessen the risk of traumatic brain injury and view themselves as role models for the public; however, most do not wear helmets regularly."

"We are on the brink of changing the culture in skiing and snowboarding towards helmets," he says. "What we need is action by various stakeholders so wearing a helmet no longer becomes a fashion decision but rather common sense."

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Many Medical Shows Don't Depict Proper First Aid For Seizures

16 February 2010---Watching TV shows might not be the best way to learn what to do when someone has a seizure. Researchers in a study found that on-screen doctors and nurses responded inappropriately to seizures almost half the time.

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NFL Player Designs Customised Shoe To Aid Haiti Relief Efforts

7 February 2010---NFL player Reggie Bush and adidas has teamed up to create a custom designed shoe to help deliver aid to the people of Haiti.

The Reggie Bush Help Haiti shoe, an adiZero Ace 2 running shoe personally customised by Bush, is inspired by the national colours of the Haitian flag and includes a "Help Haiti" inscription on the heel to generate awareness for the need of assistance to the Caribbean nation.

"The devastation in Haiti is stunning," said Bush. "Many organisations and high-profile individuals have given their overwhelming support to Haiti. Partnering with adidas and Mercy Corps to design this shoe is just one way to raise awareness, raise money and do my part to help the people of Haiti."

In addition, several of Bush's Super Bowl XLIV game-worn items will be auctioned off at ebay.com following the game. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to Mercy Corps.

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Female Athletes At Risk Of Injury Due To Inappropriate Training Programmes

28 January 2010, Edmonton, Alberta---Female athletes experience more musculoskeletal injuries and medical conditions compared to male athletes, according to exercise physiologist Vicki Harber in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta.

According to her, depending on the sport, there can be a two- to six-fold difference in such injuries between male and female athletes. That's because many training programmes developed for female athletes are built on research using young adult males and don't take the intrinsic biological differences between the sexes into account.

Musculoskeletal injuries, particularly knee and shoulder injuries, are most prevalent, with increased probability of re-injury. Harber noted that many of these injuries are preventable. Building awareness about appropriate support for young female athletes and changes to training programs are critical to help them reach their athletic and personal potential, injury-free.

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Give Your Eardrums A Break At The Gym

23 January 2010---If you're the sort of person to plug into an iPod during your gym workout, you might want to rethink that habit.

That's because University of Alberta researcher Bill Hodgetts' research has found that gym users tend to turn up the volume to potentially unsafe levels.

He found that his study participants, while in a gym-like setting, listened at potentially dangerous levels while working out. This practice is likely due to the presence of background noise.

However, Hodgetts says it isn't the listening level that's risky, it's also how long a person listens at that level. According to him, almost half the participants listened for a length of time during exercise that put them at risk for hearing loss.

So does that mean listening to music in a gym is a no-no? Not exactly.

The solution is simple: get better earphones, particularly those that "seal" the ear canal, acting as an earplug and thus reducing background noise.

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How High Can A Climber Climb?

11 January 2010---The maximum time an athlete can continue climbing to exhaustion may be the only determinant of his/her performance.

Until now, performance indicators for climbing have been low body fat percentage and grip strength. Now, a new study carried out with 16 high-level climbers reveals that the time it takes for an athlete to become exhausted is the only indicator of his/her performance.

Vanesa España Romero, researcher at the University of Granada explains how "these findings could help trainers or athletes in the design of sport climbing training programmes".

The study analysed the physiological parameters that determine performance in this sport at its highest level. The participants, eight women and eight men, were divided into an "expert group" and an "elite group".

The researchers assessed the climbers with body composition tests, kinanthropometry (length of arms, hands and fingers, bone mineral density and bone mineral content of the forearm), and physical fitness tests (flexibility, strength of the upper and lower body and aerobic capacity).

The results showed no significant differences between expert and elite climbers in the tests, except in climbing time to exhaustion and in bone mineral density, both of which were higher in the elite group.

According to experts, a fundamental characteristic of sport climbing is its "vertical dimension", making it unique given its postural organisation in space, and the effect a gravitational load has on movements.

In short, to complete a climb successfully, athletes should maintain their effort for as long as possible to improve their chances of reaching the top.

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A Negative PE Teacher Can Cause Lifetime Of Inactivity

8 January 2010---Humiliation in physical education class can turn people off fitness for good, according to a researcher.

Billy Strean, a professor in the University of Alberta's Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, says a negative lifelong attitude towards physical activity can be determined by either a good or a bad experience, based on the personal characteristics of the coach or instructor.

For example, negative experiences may come from a teacher who has low energy, is unfair and/or someone who embarrasses students.

During his research, Strean heard from individuals who opened up about negative experiences with coaches and instructors, some from many years ago.

One participant wrote, "I am a 51-year-old-woman whose childhood experiences with sports, particularly as handled in school, were so negative that even as I write this my hands are sweating and I feel on the verge of tears. I have never experienced the humiliation nor felt the antipathy toward any other aspect of life as I do toward sports."

Strean hopes to raise awareness of such experiences so those who instruct children in sport will realise they have the ability to create either a fun and playful experience or an experience of humiliation.

Strean has tips for coaches and teachers, including putting attention on fun, connecting with friends and learning, and, until kids enter their teens, minimising attention on outcomes.

Strean also found study participants had better experiences from minimally organised games such as street hockey, compared to the more organised activities. He suggests adults try not to over-organize sports and allow the children to explore sporting activities on their own, with minimal rules and no scorekeeping.

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Mike James Loves Being A Dad

28 December 2009---NBA star point guard Mike James discusses his life on and off the court. He opens up about his family, career, and soon-to-be-released memoirs in an interview with CelebrityBabyScoops.

Mike and wife Angela also discuss balancing their family life with their busy schedules.

From the beginning, Mike notes, “I love being a dad!” Mike and Angela are the proud parents of four daughters, Jadon, Amaya, Michal, and McKinley. With four energetic and talented girls, ages ranging from 1 to 9, there is never a dull moment, as seen on a 2008 episode of Supernanny.

Angela says, “We decided to participate in Supernanny because Mike was leaving for the basketball season and it was the first time the family had been separated. I wanted to get some tips from an expert on the best way to handle this for the girls.”

Outside of the home, Mike and Angela have their hands full. Mike’s memoirs Fight For Your Dreams will hit stores next February and is a project that is near and dear to his heart. “It is an inspiring story about my life growing up in Amityville and the struggles and perseverance needed to accomplish my dreams of being the best I can be”.

Mike adds “I am hoping to encourage young people everywhere that they can be anything they want in life with hard work and perseverance.” Angela, who loves to cook, is currently working on a pilot for a cooking show set to air in spring 2010.

In the midst of their hectic lives, Mike and Angela demonstrate the importance of giving back to their daughters, through the Mike James Foundation. Mike started the foundation in 2005 with Angela’s assistance to provide opportunities for kids growing up in environments similar to Mike’s hometown of Amityville, NY. Mike says, “It's about getting these kids to believe they can be anything they want to be”.

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Yao Ming Shoots Down Shark's Fin Soup

21 December 2009---NBA star and Shanghai Sharks owner Yao Ming has again urged his fellow Chinese to say no to shark's fin soup.

To stop the overfishing of some species amid growing demand for the dish, the Houston Rockets centre appeared in a TV ad aimed at wealthy Chinese which urges them to stop ordering shark's fin soup.

"We have species that need our attention and protection," Yao told reporters at a press conference launching the campaign. "They are endangered by excessive hunting by humans and deprived of habitats due to human greed."

The ad shows Yao pushing away a bowl of shark's fin soup that is served to him in an upmarket restaurant.

"If you could see how shark fin is made, could you still eat it?" a voice asks as Yao looks at an aquarium in the dining room where a bleeding shark flails after its fin has been cut off.

One by one, sharply dressed diners push their bowls away as Yao says: "When the buying stops, the killing can too."

WildAid President Steve Trent told reporters a recent survey in China found that two-thirds of respondents did not know shark's fin came from sharks.

However, a study indicated that a quarter of shark's fin samples sold at Hong Kong markets were unfit for human consumption. The high mercury levels commonly found in shark's fin increased the risk of infertility and brain damage.

Growing demand for shark fin - driven mainly by Chinese consumers - had caused populations of some shark species to collapse by as much as 99 percent, WildAid said.

"With China's leadership, we can save the world's sharks," Trent said. "With Yao's help, this will happen a lot quicker."

Yao has been a spokesman for shark preservation since 2006 and bought the Sharks basketball team in July.

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PE Teachers Play Key Role In Making You Like Sports

12 December 2009---Physical education (PE) teachers must encourage social interaction and avoid making comparisons between their students, according to a new study

The study analysed the factors that influence whether or not we have a "good vibe" towards PE. This ‘vibe’, technically defined as 'dispositional flow', is "an optimum psychological state that allows people to confront a task with the best possible psychic conditions".

It is a state in which people become totally absorbed by what they are doing, to an extent where they exclude every other thought or emotion.

"If a person manages to reach the flow state whilst performing the physical activity, he/she will obtain high levels of enjoyment, and entertainment, and will want to perform it more to experience these sensations again", David González-Cutre, main author of the study and researcher in the University of Almeria.
 
The investigation showed that the motivational climate transmitted by teachers, the relationship and responsibility goals, and the perceived competence are associated with enjoyment.

"The fundamental objective of physical education is to manage to make pupils play sport outside school hours and throughout their life. To achieve this, the person teaching physical education must focus on effort and personal improvement and not so much on comparison" González-Cutre points out.

Other recent studies have also confirmed that pupils who play sports outside school hours reflect better flow in PE classes.  

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Physical Fitness Improves IQ Score

6 December 2009---Young adults who are fit have a higher IQ and are more likely to go on to university, reveals a study carried out at the Sahlgrenska Academy and Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

The study shows a clear link between good physical fitness and better results for the IQ test. The strongest links are for logical thinking and verbal comprehension. But it is only fitness that plays a role in the results for the IQ test, not strength.

“Being fit means that you also have good heart and lung capacity and that your brain gets plenty of oxygen,” says Michael Nilsson, professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy. “This may be one of the reasons why we can see a clear link with fitness, but not with muscular strength.

By analysing data for twins, the researchers determined that it is primarily environmental factors and not genes that explain the link between fitness and a higher IQ.

“We have also shown that those youngsters who improve their physical fitness between the ages of 15 and 18 increase their cognitive performance,” says Maria Åberg, researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy. “This being the case, physical education is a subject that has an important place in schools, and is an absolute must if we want to do well in maths and other theoretical subjects.”

The researchers have also compared the results from fitness tests during national service with the socio-economic status of the men later in life. Those who were fit at 18 were more likely to go into higher education, and many secured more qualified jobs.

The study involved 1.2 million Swedish men doing military service born between 1950 and 1976. The research group analysed the results of both physical and IQ tests when the men enrolled.

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Too Much Physical Activity May Lead To Arthritis

4 December 2009---Middle-aged men and women who engage in excessive physical activity may be damaging their knees and increasing their risk for osteoarthritis.

The study involved 236 asymptomatic participants who had not reported previous knee pain. They included 136 women and 100 men aged 45 to 55.

Subsequent MRI analysis by two musculoskeletal radiologists indicated a relationship between physical activity levels and frequency and severity of knee damage. Specific knee abnormalities identified included meniscal lesions, cartilage lesions, bone marrow edema and ligament lesions. Abnormalities were associated solely with activity levels and were not age or gender specific.

"The prevalence of the knee abnormalities increased with the level of physical activity," said Dr Christoph Stehling, M.D., research fellow in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco. "In addition, cartilage defects diagnosed in active people were more severe."

The findings also indicated some activities carry a greater risk of knee damage over time.

"This study and previous studies by our group suggest that high-impact, weight-bearing physical activity, such as running and jumping, may be worse for cartilage health," Dr Stehling said. "Conversely, low-impact activities, such as swimming and cycling, may protect diseased cartilage and prevent healthy cartilage from developing disease."

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Say Hi To Lyo And Merly

24 November 2009---The official mascots for the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (Singapore 2010), Lyo (pronounced as Leo) and Merly are ready to blaze the trail.

As mascots, Lyo, a lion cub, embodies the values of excellence and friendship, while Merly, a merlion, personifies excellence and respect. Through their acts and stories, they will promote the Olympic Values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect.  

Welcoming Lyo and Merly to the Singapore 2010 family, Mr Goh Kee Nguan, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee, said, “As mascots for Singapore 2010, Lyo and Merly have to appeal to the international community and the youth. At the same time, they must also possess a strong Singapore’s identity. As the host city for the inaugural YOG, we hope to share our culture with friends around the world.”

From August to September 2009, the public were invited to name the mascots. About 375 entries were received from more than 20 countries. Lyo was named by Sean Pang, while Tung Chi Jun picked the name for Merly. Both Singaporeans, Sean and Chi Jun were amongst the first to meet Lyo and Merly in person.

Lyo is short for “Lion of the Youth Olympics”. A fun-loving sports lover, he hopes to inspire young people to keep fit and enjoy sports for life. He symbolises youth's boundless energy, their determination to live life to the fullest and zeal to strive for excellence.

Merly got her name from “mer” (meaning the sea) and “l y” stand for liveliness and youthfulness. A passionate advocate of the environment, she believes everyone has a role to play in working towards a sustainable future. She wants to encourage young people to play an active role in their communities and promote respect for one another.

Both Lyo and Merly will appear at many upcoming Singapore 2010 events to help create buzz and excitement for the Games. 

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More Than 50% Of Cheerleading Injuries In US Due To Stunts

16 November 2009---Although integral to cheerleading routines, performing stunts can lead to injury. Stunt-related injuries accounted for 60 percent of cheerleading injuries in the US from June 2006 through June 2007, according to a new study.

The study focused on general cheerleading-related injuries, cheerleading stunt-related injuries, cheerleading fall-related injuries and surfaces used by cheerleaders. Data showed that 96 percent of reported concussions and closed-head injuries were preceded by the cheerleader performing a stunt.

"Only spring floors and 4-inch thick landing mats placed on traditional foam floors provide enough impact-absorbing capacity for two-level stunts," explained Shields. "There is a greater risk for severe injury as the fall height increases or the impact-absorbing capacity decreases, or both."

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 Playing Sports Benefits Teenagers

10 November 2009---It has been found that playing team sports can have beneficial effects on both teenage boys and girls, according to a study.

Teen girls who played team sports said they fought less, were depressed less often and didn’t smoke as much. They showed 10 percent lower rates of fighting, 30 percent less depression, 50 percent less smoking and 10 percent less unhealthy weight loss habits compared with non-athlete girls.

Male athletes who played team sports also reported less depression and smoking. They showed 30 percent lower rates of depression and 20 percent less smoking.

“Sports team participation appears to have both protective and risk-enhancing associations,” said the study’s author, Susan M Conner from the Injury Prevention Center at University Hospitals' Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.

Some differences were also found. The boys who played team sports reported binge-drinking rates that were 40 percent higher and fighting 30 percent more often than non-athletes. The girls showed no link to drinking.

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Young Tennis Players Who Play Only Tennis More Prone To Injury

9 November 2009---Young athletes may find it a good idea to diversify their participation in sports, and not stick to only one sport.

Researchers who analysed 3,366 matches in United States Tennis Association junior competition found that players who specialised in only tennis were more likely to withdraw from tournaments for medical reasons, typically injuries.

"But one injury you rarely see in kids is tennis elbow," Jayanthi said. "That's because they learn to hit the ball correctly."

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Supervised Strength Training More Effective

15 October 2009---Half of Swedish elite volleyball players suffer at least one injury per season. One important reason may be that most players perform injury-preventing strength training without supervision.

All Swedish elite-level teams were invited to participate in the study, and 158 players returned the questionnaire that had been mailed out near the end of the volleyball season.

'I have a feeling that more athletes really stick to the programme and focus on the task if there is a coach present. Many players may feel that the strength and conditioning training is the boring part of their sport, which makes it tempting to "cheat" when nobody is watching,' says Augustsson.

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Exercise Improves Body Image For Everyone

10 October 2009---The simple act of exercise and not fitness itself can convince you that you look better, a new University of Florida study finds.

"We believed the gap would be much bigger, but what could be coming into play is the rise of body image issues among men," she said. "We're seeing more media portrayals of the ideal physique for men rather than the overriding emphasis on women we did in the past."