The continuous urbanisation of our living medium, along with professional stress and increased social pressure with regards to looking fit, relate well with the appearance of certain illnesses (leading to weight gain in a paradoxal manner). For a large number of adults, either young or not, management of the situation is done by engaging in sporting physical activities such as long distance running, known for its positive influence on body functionality as well as anxiolityc effect. The purpose of this study is to underline the positive effects of using technological devices - for practitioners of physically engaging leisure activities - towards increasing functional capacity as well as motivational support. The research methods employed consisted of: literature reviews, observation, data recording and processing through an electronic device, case studies. The subject for this research was an knowledgeable adult male, in good health, that focused on running in his spare time, with an ultimate goal of finishing a marathon. He underwent a 6 month training program, during which his partner, coach and psychologist were the device mentioned below. The Polar V800 Multisport GPS Watch posesses a series of qualities (continuous display of values, setable personalised zones as well as alerts, immediate feedback upon exercise completion as moral support) that prove extremely useful as far as leisure activities are concerned. The general conclusion of the study is that any person interested in their personal physical and mental well being, that choose to train their body through running, may easily substitute a coach with an electronic device such as the one in this paper.

The pathology of autism dates back to the 1900s, being framed within the broad sphere of neuropsychological conditions. So far, the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has passed through various pathologies, from socio-emotional disorders to schizophrenic disorders. The clear distinction between childhood autism and childhood schizophrenia was only made in the early 1980s. ASD is one of the most common invasive developmental disorders; defined as a neurological condition characterised by a distortion in the overall development of a person, it affects 1 in 150 children and 4 to 5 boys per girl. The autistic triad brings together qualitative anomalies in social interactions (in verbal and nonverbal communication), restricted interests and stereotypes. The 1980s and 1990s highlight the role of behavioural therapy and the use of highly controlled learning environments as a primary treatment for the forms of autism and related conditions. Promising studies on the role of oxytocin or certain amino acids involved in neurotransmission, especially in regulating stress and its emotional consequences, are currently in progress. Until now, the two therapies have remained primordial along with physical therapy and speech therapy. The purpose of this paper is to present some of the means that can contribute to the pre-integration of children in mainstream education, being also a starting point for future applied research. At the same time, the paper is helpful for the parents of children with ASD, who are given the opportunity to work themselves in the absence of a specialist or financial possibilities.

The high degree of applicability of various software in high performance athlete training, allows for a more detailed analysis of any technical aspects. It also underlines any deviations, thus improving execution through the addition of specific restructured means. Any trainer whom owns a current generation smart-phone or tablet may download an application known as Coach's Eye for a modest sum. Keeping in mind one must be able with one's fingers, the software may be employed in order to underline various flaws in technique that may appear throughout a certain event. These errors may be addressed at a later time by applying more or less conventional means. This paper contains a sequential technique analysis, accomplished with the Coach's Eye software, for one of the most highly rated javelin throwers of Romania. The athelete's level of performance (78.90m), requires specialized technique assistance which in turn means repeated video footage analysis. To this end several videos were created of events that occurred in the 2012 competitive period. With the help of the Coach's Eye software, various video frames of technical importance were acquired, of the moments prior and after release. The resulting biomechanical analysis of the athelete's movements covered the period prior to and after technical corrections were made during consecutive competitive years. The conclusion we reached was that in spite of existing software limitations, the use of various applications equates to a step forward concerning proper technique assimilation as early as the event specialization period. At the same time the use of such software is an important approach regarding high performance athlete training. While in the learning and consolidation period, observing and analysing video footage of various executed exercises allows us to track errors more efficiently and stop them before becoming an automatic feature for the athlete through careful application of corrective exercises.

The paper addresses some general issues related to Nordic walking, a leisure sports activity with many positive influences on the body and mind, but unfortunately almost unknown in our country. The study has started from the hypothesis that if Nordic walking is systematically practiced, it will have multiple beneficial effects on the individual's health and social relations. But to prove it, we need theoretical arguments and concrete evidence coming to support this assumption. To this purpose, we used bibliographical documentation and we conducted a research in Campina, between 8 and 29 December 2013, on a group affiliated to the Association for Health and Performance, made up of practitioners of weekend tourism in Breaza-Nistoresti region. The participants in Nordic walking, 21 subjects aged 22 to 64 years, responded to an 18-item questionnaire designed to identify, among others, their perception about the natural conditions and those created for the practice of leisure sports activities, the dimension and use of their free time, about Nordic walking in general, they also being asked to give their reasons for practicing this sport. The collected data were processed and interpreted, our findings underlying some relevant aspects related to Nordic walking, which might be both necessary and interesting, as we have to do with a sports discipline at its beginning in our country.

Sports in general are conditioned by effort management during training. High performance athletics even more so. Certain means and trials that closely simulate event conditions are employed. This helps conserve the athelete's energy and speeds up healing implicitly. By using a data management program (SPSS - Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), we will be able to outline tendencies, generate charts and tabulated reports in order to achieve a better prediction for performace during events, based on relevant trials. The subjects of our research were 25 athletic throwers (javelin, shot put, discus), that were part of the group representing Romania. Events held about 3 weeks prior to any major competition were taken into account, and by using advanced analysis means, the SPSS application managed to calculate the correlation parameter between results achieved then and during the closest competition, while underlining the predictive value of such data. After data processing, statistical but not causal dependencies were found between certain trials and the throwing distance achieved during the closest competition, thus arguing the fact that some tests are simply not significant for the predictive pattern. In certain situations, the utility of the various preparation trials with regards to the athletic event is not more significant than correctly ascertaining the athelete's training level, state of being (fatigue or preparation), predicting the rate of progress for effort capacity, limiting in order to prevent injury as well as preparation to achieve a sportive form. In conclusion, the SPSS application, while underlining the usefulness of trials for a predictive pattern, may be considered a valid instrument for measuring future performance, only when the other factors are not detrimental to it.