Web Alert

Abstract

Adaptive Sports USA https://adaptivesportsusa.org/ Description: Individuals with disabilities may often be looking for safe and supportive outlets for physical activity from general health goals to aspirations in elite-level competition. Adaptive Sports USA's mission is to “empower individuals with a disability through access to competitive sport(s) opportunities.” The organization helps to provide an outreach network from the regional to international level in support of the “adaptive sport-minded community.” They provide resources in education, coaching expertise, and competition opportunities through all stages of an adaptive athlete's development to encourage those athletes to “learn, compete, and grow.” The web site highlights specific sports from archery to track and field, including information on athlete classification. There also is a calendar of upcoming competitive events. Additionally, there is an area outlining the chapters that exist across the United States with associated links where those interested in adaptive sports can reach out to get involved as either an athlete or volunteer. Cost: Free to explore the web site, US $50/year for an individual membership, US $225/year for a chapter membership. Noom https://www.noom.com/ Description: Noom is a new weight-loss app designed to encourage lasting healthy lifestyle changes. Its focus is different from the typical calorie counting approaches to dieting and instead targets the psychology of our eating habits. The app allows users to log their meals and track their weight and activity in addition to providing support via a one-on-one coach and peer group of other Noom users. There are daily tasks and lessons focused on self-awareness and identifying trends and pitfalls in our daily dietary routines. The company highlights that its users have lost significant weight and kept it off through breaking old destructive habits and replacing them with healthy ones. Through healthy habits, their users can reduce the risk of chronic health problems and “foster healthier relationships with themselves in the process.” Cost: The app is free to download, subscriptions range from US $59 per month to US $199 per year plus tax. Right to Play USA https://www.righttoplayusa.org/ Description: Right to Play is an international organization aimed at protecting, educating, and empowering children “to rise above adversity using the power of play.” The organization recognizes children as among the most vulnerable people in the world with many children fighting to merely attend school as they try to avoid violence, child labor, early marriage, illiteracy, and inequality. Through play, children can be empowered to stay in school and out of work and be kept safe from exploitation and abuse. More specifically, the ability to attend school gives girls the power to make healthy decisions about their bodies and futures. The group has a broad definition of play including poetry, dance, art, and music and has a stated impact of transforming the lives of 2.3 million children each year. Cost: The web site is free to explore. Association for Applied Sport Psychology https://appliedsportpsych.org/ Description: The Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) has a wealth of resources for athletes, coaches, and nonsport performers (dancers, musicians), business professionals, and tactical occupations (military, police, firefighters). Founded in 1985, the AASP is the leading organization for sport psychology consultants and professionals. The web site includes a plethora of information about applied sport psychology, graduate training, professional development, and certification. In particular, the AASP blog contains interesting articles as educational resources and tools for coaches, parents, athletes, and other performers. The group also offers regular webinars on a variety of topics. Additionally, there are links to publications, and a “student center” for those in various related educational programs. Cost: The web site and blog are free to access; the webinars are available for on-demand purchase of up to US $50. Move Your Way https://health.gov/moveyourway/ Description: Move Your Way is a great resource within the health.gov web site. Specifically, it includes tools, videos, and fact sheets with tips to make it easier to be more physically active. Based on the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, Move Your Way makes the information very understandable and usable for adults to implement changes in their activity habits, and also for parents to encourage their children to get moving. Of particular utility is the interactive activity planner that lets you plan your week of both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities to strive to meet the physical activity guidelines. Cost: Free.