With the weather warming up, I am sure all you avid golfers are dusting off the clubs and getting ready to hit the range to fix that slice. As previously mentioned, golf has apparently taken over hockey as the most played sport in Canada. This is noticeable here in Toronto as I’ve seen the price of a round of golf skyrocketed over the last few years. The courses have also become more and more busy and many golfers are heading further outside of Toronto to find new golf courses to try. Don’t forget to check out sportaholik.com to find any golf leagues, players or golf games to join up with.

Here’s some quick resources to get you started:

• Toronto Driving Ranges
• City of Toronto Golf Courses
  
• The Bogeyman’s Top 10 as reviewed by the Toronto Star
• The Golf Guide provided by Toronto.com
• Interactive Map of Golf Courses in the GTA

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BlogTo has been running their series of “best lists in Toronto” for some time now including previously posted Top 10 Fitness Clubs in Toronto. Their list of the 5 Best Sneaker Shops in Toronto should help get the right footwear for whatever sport you play.

Learn more about finding the right kind of athletic shoe as something as simple as proper footwear can make all the difference in performance and injury prevention.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, time to get outside and be active.  You can find games, players and leagues at sportaholik.com.

Gyms tend to have a bad reputation when it comes to dealing with their customers. We’ve all heard the horror stories about trying to cancel a gym membership or discovering hidden fees. Did you know there is a 10 day cooling off period after you sign up for a gym membership? Yes, you have 10 days to change your mind and walk away from the contract. Also, Toronto gyms must provide the option of renewing your membership monthly (i.e. no long term contracts required). For more tips on your rights at Toronto gyms check out Jee-Yun Lee’s report for CityNews. Better yet, play a sport instead!

Further to the Brandon’s earlier post of online resources to help you get and stay fit, lifehacker has a few more listed, including making your resolutions specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Find specifics on SMART goal setting, and more online resources to help you stick with it, at lifehacker. Happy 2008 Toronto!

Here we are just about to welcome in the new year and we can all start to think about our New Year’s resolution. Contrary to popular belief, I actually heard that #1 New Year’s resolution is not to get into shape (or lose weight) but to get into financial shape. I think that goes without saying but personally as far as sports is concerned I hope to workout more consistently, play more squash and golf, and maybe even give snowboarding another shot.

Well here’s some pretty cool websites that will help you meet the #2 New Years resolution to shed a few pounds, brought to you by TechCrunch: Christmas Recover Web 2.0 Style

If you are like me, you have problems with staying motivated and sticking to your workouts. Could be anything from stress, too busy or just plain laziness. Sitting on the couch and watching football or hockey sounds like a great idea to me!

I found this on the Men’s Health website which I go to frequently to get tips and new workout plans. A few that I rely on:

3. Track the benefits.
Keep a job-performance journal on the days you exercise and the days you don’t. You’ll find that you do more on the days you exercise, despite taking time out for your workout. Just make sure you compare days that are similar in workload.

10. Join a gym that’s close to home.
“The gym has to be within 10 minutes of your house or your office, or on a straight line between the two points,” says Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S, Men’s Health fitness advisor. “Otherwise you won’t use it as much as you need to or want to.”

and one more from me:

11. Get a workout partner
Nothing beats having someone to workout with to help with motivation, spotting and confidence at the gym. Not only that, if you are competitive, it helps you push yourself especially if you are similar fitness shape or he/she is a little better.

Check out the rest of them here: 10 Ways to Stick to your Workout

Enjoy your workouts and stay active!

The other day was fantastic weather here in Toronto so I took the opportunity to take a jog along a route that I have enjoy. If you live around Yonge and Bloor in downtown Toronto, this may be for you. It provides a good mix of everything: Jog through forests, under viaducts, up an down stairs, through parks, over highways, and along city streets.

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I start off at Bloor and Jarvis and head down to Rosedale Valley Road via a set of stairs on the north-west(ish) corner of Bloor Street East and Mount Pleasant Road. At the bottom of those steps (Rosedale Valley Road) there is a nice wide paved path that is separate from the road. Head east along Rosedale Valley Road under the bridges for Mount Pleasant, Sherbourne and Bloor until you almost reach Rosedale Valley Road and the Bayview extension. From there head up a set of steps into Wellesley Park (on your right side). Follow the path in Wellesley Park until you meet up with Amelia Street. Where that meets Sumach Street head south towards Riverdale Park West (enter at the corner of Sumach and Winchester) and run through the park (you’ll no doubt be weaving in and out of families with kids). At the end of that path head down the set of stairs and continue following the paved path, then going across the bridge that spans Bayview and the DVP. Descending from the bridge follow the path up to Broadview Avenue and take a break on a park bench - watching the streetcars go by. After your break, head back the way you came, over the bridge, up the stairs, through the park, until you reach Winchester street again (Winchester and Sumach). Head West on Winchester, across Parliament and around the loop (Winchester becomes Ontario Street) until you reach Carlton Street. Jog west again, along Carlton, until you hit Jarvis. At Jarvis head north (the sidewalk is relatively wide in some places) until you reach Bloor. This Toronto jogging route takes approximately 1 hour complete (that includes a short rest up at Broadview). Enjoy!