30 January 2006

a sleep mat for monitoring sleep quality

Want to win? Sleep on it@ASC

The sleep mat is a small piece of foam covered in plastic material that is placed under the athlete’s bed sheet. Within it are approximately 50 sensors that are activated when they are pushed on by body movement. When the sleeper moves position, the sensors detect the movement and send the information to a computer for analysis.

Australia's Beijing Athlete Program

The business of winning@ASC

The Beijing Athlete Program is aimed at attaining sustained high performance success in targeted sports — those that offer the best potential to win medals — leading into the Beijing Olympics, Paralympics and beyond.

Initially 21 sports were identified for inclusion in the Beijing Athlete Program:

* Group 1 (significant ASC investment) — rowing, swimming, hockey, cycling, athletics, basketball, sailing, water polo, soccer, volleyball, gymnastics and canoeing
* Group 2 (multi-medal or potential multi-medal) — diving, archery, shooting, triathlon and skiing
* Group 3 (increased potential through Asian linkage) — judo, table tennis, badminton and taekwondo.

Another three sports — baseball, softball and equestrian — have since been added on the basis of their medal potential.

10 January 2006

Yoga for low back pain

Yoga May Be More Effective Than Self-Care for Chronic Back Pain@medscape

Yoga was more effective than a self-care book for improving function and reducing chronic low back pain, and the benefits persisted for at least several months