Guest blogger and GPO Supervisory Librarian Valerie Furino writes about U.S. Government publications that can help you achieve your Olympic ambitions.
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics are wrapping up, and they have been entertaining and full of surprises. Many people watch the Olympics and dream of the magical moment of being awarded a medal (preferably gold). However, that dreamy medal was earned through years of training and preparation. If you want to give living the life of an Olympian a try, you’ll need to work hard. You need to eat like an athlete – you need to train like an athlete – and you’ll actually need to GET to the Olympics – grab that suitcase! Think you’ve got what it takes? Let’s find out.
Get into Competition Shape
First, let’s examine eating habits. This should be easy – athletes are known for devouring lots of calories. This handy chart illustrates typical calories burned, depending on a person’s weight – note that the Olympic sports ice hockey, ice skating, and skiing are all included. (If all the activities on this chart were Olympic sports, I’d be a gold medalist shoo-in for “Operate Snow Blower” after this winter!) However, you need to eat the right kind of calories. You’ll need fuel to power you through those salchows and Axel jumps. Nutrition.gov provides a great starting place on various nutrition topics, including meal planning, label reading, and dietary supplements.
Image: Winter Health Challenge from ChooseMyPlate.gov (February 2014).
From there, you can navigate to ChooseMyPlate.gov (or buy the What’s on Your Plate?: Choose My Plate -English Language Version or the Spanish language version, Que Hay en Su Plato?: Mi Plato) which contains helpful advice on what to eat. No matter your circumstance – college student, vegetarian, pregnant – you’ll find great tips on nutrition and some helpful recipes.
OK, nutritional standards have been established. Now let’s move on to physical training. Depending on your sport preference, you’ll need to exercise specific muscles – for example, cross-country skiing requires a well-developed abdomen, arms, and lower back, while snowboarding needs a strong core and shoulders. Health.gov is a good place to start, as it provides general information on both nutrition and activity. It provides a helpful link to Let’s Move!, a well-known initiative supported by First Lady Michelle Obama that encourages physical activity. The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition has a fantastic site loaded with activity and nutrition tips. If you’d like all your information in one publication, try the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans; if you’re more a visual person, check out some videos . All these resources are useful tools to get you in shape – or at least keep you towing the line on your fitness New Year’s resolutions.
Getting to the Games
You’ve trained and you’ve been keeping excellent eating habits – you’re now ready to get to the games, whether as an athlete or a spectator! (Hey, it takes a lot of climbing to get to your seat in an Olympic stadium.) Besides the United States, the Olympics have been held in some beautiful and exotic places – London, Beijing, Athens, Vancouver, and Torino. If traveling out of your home country, be sure to check if any vaccinations are required. Also check for any travel alerts. Do you have a current passport? Need a visa to travel to the host country? These convenient U.S. State Department sites will guide you.
After taking care of logistics, spend some time reading up on the host nation. The World FactBook updated annually by the CIA (you can also buy the World Factbook print edition complete with wall maps) and the Library of Congress Country Studies series (many also available in print from our Foreign Country Studies collection) are two excellent resources to help guide you through your host country. And this handy worldwide wireless guide from the Federal Communications Commission will help you figure out how to use your phone while traveling abroad!
How can I get these publications?
- Click on the Links: For the free resources, click on the links above in the blog post.
- Visit a Federal Depository Library: Search for one of these publications in a nearby Federal depository library. (Librarians: You can find the records for most of these titles in the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications or CGP.)
- Shop Online Anytime: You can buy any of the eBooks or print publications mentioned above—with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.
- Shop our Physical Fitness collection
- Shop our Diet & Nutrition collection
- Shop our World Factbook print edition collection.
- Shop our Foreign Country Studies collection.
- Shop our Travel, Tourism and Recreation collection.
- Shop our Citizenship & Travel Forms collection which includes the International Certificate of Vaccination (Yellow Card) forms.
- Order by Phone: You may also order print editions mentioned in this blog post by calling our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.
- Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions mentioned in this blog post by visiting GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.
About the Author: Valerie Furino is a Supervisory Librarian for the Government Printing Office’s Library Services & Content Management (LSCM) Division.