re-posted from ScrumQueens:

Sky Sports has confirmed that it will broadcast thirteen live games from the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

There will be nine pool games live, including all of England’s matches, highlights from the remaining games as well as full coverage of the third place play off, semi-finals and the World Cup Final being played at The Stoop in west London.

Asides from England’s pool games, Sky has selected some of the top games from the other pool stages to show live.

On day one they will broadcast Wales V Australia, New Zealand V South Africa and England V Ireland – three of the most exciting clashes on the day.

On the second day of action there will be full live broadcasts from the games between France and Scotland, England and Kazakhstan and the most highly anticipated match of the pool stages, New Zealand and Australia.

On day three the matches being shown are New Zealand V Wales, Australia V South Africa and England V the USA.

Both semi-finals, the third place play off and the World Cup final will also be shown live though full details of those broadcasts and where they will feature are to be announced.

Other countries who show the World Cup (for example the Rugby Channel in New Zealand will show the Black Ferns games) will also take the Sky feed and commentary.

The IRB is also planning to simultaneously stream the same games that Sky has selected live.

Sky Sports Coverage (live games in bold)

MATCH DAY 1: FRIDAY, AUGUST, 20

No. Kick-off Group Match Venue/Pitch

1. 12.00 C Canada v Scotland Surrey 2

2. 14.00 A Wales v Australia Surrey 1

3. 14.15 B USA v Kazakhstan Surrey 2

4. 16.15 A New Zealand v South Africa Surrey 1

5. 16.30 C France v Sweden Surrey 2

6. 18.30 B England v Ireland Surrey 1

MATCH DAY 2: TUESDAY, AUGUST, 24

No. Kick-off Group Match Venue

7. 12.00 A Wales v South Africa Surrey 2

8. 14.00 C France v Scotland Surrey 1

9. 14.15 C Canada v Sweden Surrey 2

10. 16.15 A New Zealand v Australia Surrey 1

11. 16.30 B USA v Ireland Surrey 2

12. 18.30 B England v Kazakhstan Surrey 1

MATCH DAY 3: SATURDAY, AUGUST, 28

No. Kick-off Group Match Venue

13. 12.00 C Scotland v Sweden Surrey 2

14. 14.00 A New Zealand v Wales Surrey 1

15. 14.15 C France v Canada Surrey 2

16. 16.15 A Australia v South Africa Surrey 1

17. 16.30 B Ireland v Kazakhstan Surrey 2

18. 18.30 B England v USA Surrey 1

The World Cup semis and final will also be shown. See here for the full list.

Today is a great day because it is The Girl’s Birthday! Now we won’t say how old she is getting…but its another year closer to 30!

The Girl

You Are My Sunshine
My only sunshine.
You make me happy
When skies are grey.
You’ll never know, dear,
How much I love you.

Don’t forget to enter the July Free Rugby Raffle, you can win a limited edition The Girl tshirt!

Water is the most important nutrient in the body and our body is about 65% water so it is also the most prevalent. We need water on a daily basis in order to live and survive. We will die without water. We can go up to 3 months without food. We can survive about a week without sleep. We will be dead in 4 days if we don’t have water. That number could be even less if we are in a hot area or sweat a lot. Hopefully it is clear that water is VERY important and we need to be consuming water at all times in order to assure proper hydration.

Water has many uses in the body. It acts as a solvent, it controls thermoregulation (maintaining body temperature), gives structure to cells, used for lubrication in our joints and helps to conduct electrical current for our neurotransmitters (messages from our brain to various body parts). Since these things are all over the body we need a lot of water and since this happens on a daily basis we need to ensure that we have enough water for these things to happen.

The average adult female needs about 72 ounces of water daily for normal hydration. The average male needs 96 ounces of water daily for normal hydration. This is the average sedentary “I don’t bust my ass in the gym, on the pitch or sweat my butt off on a daily basis because I hate to sit on the couch” type of lifestyle that is Rugby. The more you sweat on a daily basis then the more you need to replenish. Sweating profusely means another 32 ounces or more. If the temperature is high then sweat loss will be even greater and water replenishment demands will also increase.

On a daily basis we need to drink plenty of water as this is our major source of water intake. However, we do get water from more sources other than just plain water. We can get water from any liquid and food source. Chicken, lettuce, bananas, vegetables, fish, and nuts all have water in them. Any food has water in it. Only oil does not have water in it. If we eat a steak there is water in it. That is the juice that we are tasting. We will use the water as part of our daily need. Every liquid is also water based so our body will process the liquid and use the water. We can get water from sources other than water but we still need to attempt to drink water for a quantifiable consumption of water. Alcohol, carbonated and caffeinated drinks have water in them also but with the processing need to derive the water these beverages can only be considered for half of their intake. Meaning if you drink a 12 ounce soda it will only be considered 6 ounces for your daily need.

An easy way to check whether or not you are hydrated properly is thirst. If you are thirsty then you are already at the early stages of dehydration. Drink some water at this point because continuing to sweat and work hard will cause you to become more and more dehydrated. Sometimes in the middle of a game it can be difficult to consume the water needed to stay hydrated. Therefore, it is very important to ensure proper hydration before the game. Do not do this by consuming massive amount of water before a game. That will cause bloating and slow your performance. Water must be consumed daily to allow the body to get acclimated to increased water and become accustomed to being fully hydrated. Drink plenty of water every day. Make it a habit and you are sure to improve your sports performance.

Anyone in the San Diego area is welcome to drop in at our studio at 2949 Garnet Ave. 3rd floor, Pacific Beach, CA. We would love to put you through our workout. Please feel free to call or email Spencer Aiken,CSCS (951) 296-7993 email:spencer@truefitness.biz

Article written by Spencer Aiken, CSCS, CEO, TrueFitness

from Joann:

My name is Joann Chang and I am a current University of California, Irvine (UCI) medical student conducting research with Dr. David Kruse, the Medical Director of the Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center, on women’s rugby injuries and associated risks.

To date, there has been very little research conducted on women’s rugby injuries and the data that we gather from this research could help improve the safety of coaching, drills, practices, techniques, and matches and will also help to inform athletic trainers on the sideline about injuries that they should be well-versed to care for.

I have created an online survey at https://spreadsheets.google.com/formResponse?formkey=dGZPNE5Ec1prM0owaHZoTmdsem8yTkE6MQ&ifq for current and past club women rugby players, which will take about 10-15 minutes of your time. Please forward this email to the rest of your team and alumni so that they may participate and help us learn more about women’s rugby injuries.

Thank you.
Joann Chang, MSII
University of California, Irvine School of Medicine
Belmont Shore Women’s Rugby Team

Fat is not bad! Fat is actually needed by the body everyday to be healthy. Eating fat will not make you fat. Not eating any fat will actually cause you to store body fat. Now that we got that out of the way let’s begin to look at fat in our diet and why we need it.

Fat is actually very important in our diet. The muscle that is our heart runs off of fat. Without fat in our diet our heart would stop beating. Cardiac muscle runs exclusively off of energy created from fat. For that reason alone we must have fat in our diet. But fat also plays several other key roles in the body. Fat is the substance that makes up the cell membrane of every single cell in the body (the membrane is like the outer surface of a balloon, it is what allows the cell to have structure and allow in or out certain nutrients and compounds). Fat is also important in thermoregulation, the maintaining of our body’s temperature. Fat pads and protects our vital organs. Fat also plays a role in the transport of cholesterol and in helping to maintain muscle tone.

The body needs two specific kinds of fat in our daily diet. These are known as essential fats. Omega 3 and Omega 6 are the two essential fats that are body needs every day. We get Omega 3 and 6 from foods such as salmon, avocados and almonds. If we do need get enough of our essential fats then our body does not run at its optimal performance level. For this reason most people are wise to take a fat supplement such as fish oil. This ensures you get your Omega 3 and 6 without eating too much fat in your diet. Health professionals advise that at least 10% of your daily diet comes from fat. This is the amount that will limit the overeating of saturated fats while still allowing the possibility of eating enough of the vital Omega 3 and 6 fats

What we do not need in our diet is a lot of saturated fat. Saturated fat, in laymen’s terms is completely filled with Hydrogen and therefore is bulkier, is solid at room temperature and does not travel well in the blood stream. It tends to block arteries so therefore it is a cause of heart attacks and strokes since the blood cannot get through. Saturated fat comes in processed foods, dairy, fried foods, milk chocolate, and meats. Avoiding saturated fat altogether is not the answer but limiting your intake is the smart thing to do.

Trans fats are a partially and chemically altered fat through the process of hydrogenation (adding hydrogen). Trans fats are not essential in any way in the diet and are not used to promote a healthy body. Trans fat should be avoided in the diet with only trace amounts being allowed for optimal health promotion.

We need fat. We cannot avoid fat to be skinnier. Not eating fat to be skinnier is like purposely not reading for fear of learning will increase the size of our brain and make us weigh more on a scale. It just doesn’t make sense. Too much bad fat (saturated and trans) will make us fat especially if we lead a sedentary lifestyle. If we are active and watch our overall fat intake then we are on the road to a healthy lifestyle.

TrueFitness now offers online training for anyone throughout the world looking to improve. Anyone in the San Diego area is welcome to drop in at our studio at 2949 Garnet Ave. 3rd floor, Pacific Beach, CA. We would love to put you through our workout. Please feel free to call or email Spencer Aiken,CSCS (951) 296-7993 email:spencer@truefitness.biz

Article written by Spencer Aiken, CSCS, CEO, TrueFitness