IonX Recovery Gear Recognized Internationally as a Safe and Effective Tool for Athletic Performance and Recovery

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The need to recover is the most neglected aspect of any athlete's workout routine. To perform at their prime and stay healthy, athletes across all levels must allow their bodies to recuperate from a hard workout or injury. IonX(TM) Recovery Gear, a new line of athletic apparel that recently launched internationally by Canterbury of New Zealand in North America, has been recognized by the National Center for Sports Safety (NCSS), the authority in sports safety, as an all-natural fabric and technological advancement that can accelerate an athlete's ability recover more quickly.

The patented IonX BaseLayer technology uses negative ions embedded in the fabric to create a near-perfect environment for the body, helping both amateur and professional athletes stimulate muscle activity, sustain high-intensity workouts and recover from exercise.

Serious About Recovery

According to the NCSS, more than 3.5 million children ages 14 and under receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year. Sports injuries are often caused by overuse of muscles and insufficient recovery time after injuries.

"Whether you are an elite athlete, weekend warrior or participating in high school athletics, hits, nicks and soreness can be physically draining," said Matthew Thomas Lemak, senior vice president and acting executive director of the National Center for Sports Safety. "In football season, or in other contact sports, kids now have the ability to play year round, and that means they are more prone to injury. It's important we do everything we can to protect kids from injury and help them stay safe while competing, and recover naturally when training."

To help facilitate this effort, the NCSS has developed the PREPARE program, a national effort designed to equip coaches and trainers with the guidance to avoid preventable injuries and reduce risks for youth athletes. The program is intended to raise the standard to help keep young athletes safe and healthy. Through PREPARE, participants learn about how IonX can be used to naturally aid performance and recovery.

"We see the benefit of the IonX fabrics as an incredible technological breakthrough in the athletics market," continued Lemak. "We recommend use of products similar to this to all of our affiliates, coaches, and past enrollees to help benefit their athletes during the training and recovery process. However, we feel IonX is on the cutting edge of this technology."

About IonX Recovery Gear

IonX uses Ionized Energy Fabric(TM), a new type of material that, through a proprietary, patented process, has a negatively charged electromagnetic field built in to the structure of the fabric. When worn during a workout, this fabric improves the delivery of oxygen to the muscles through the bloodstream, which in turn increases output and accelerates recovery.

IonX Recovery Gear harnesses the benefits of negative ions through the natural process of ionization. When worn close to the skin, IonX products provide two key benefits -- an improved level of energy and performance, as well as a faster rate of recuperation. IonX stimulates muscle activity and power output by increasing the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the muscles, as well as activating chemicals that improve muscle function and block pain. It allows athletes to sustain longer and harder workouts by trapping electrolytes and transforming them into usable energy. IonX also accelerates recovery from an injury or soreness by increasing blood flow, preventing the build-up of metabolic waste that causes muscle fatigue, and increasing the metabolic properties of tissues, which reduces inflammation and pain.

"Helping athletes improve their on- and off-field performance for more than 100 years, Canterbury of New Zealand, the world renowned rugby, soccer and sailing company, demonstrates its commitment to innovation for the entire sports industry with the development of IonX. This establishes a new apparel category for working out and recovery," said Hap Klopp, director of Canterbury of New Zealand in North America.

Worldwide acclaim for IonX

IonX is being featured prominently in Europe by several world-class athletes, and elite teams playing in the International World Rugby Championship, including this year's winners representing South Africa.

The technology quickly gained a following during the tournament and became a point of acclaim and controversy as advantages associated with some teams using IonX were highlighted. In fact, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was consulted to determine the extent of the technology and its natural ways of stimulating and sustaining energy, while helping athletes recovering more quickly. The organization examined IonX and gave it a clean bill of health for use competitively.

In the United States, world-class athletes, including Detroit Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya and PGA golfer Jim Furyk, have used IonX to recover from injury.

"While competing in the 2007 British Open, I wore the Canterbury of New Zealand IonX BaseLayer to help me physically," said Jim Furyk, professional golfer on the PGA tour, presently ranked as one of the top 10 golfers in the world. "I'm convinced the IonX BaseLayer can continue to help me perform better and recover more quickly from my sore back. Since that tournament, I've been using IonX during my training regiment, as well as the most recent championship series."

IonX Recovery Gear is currently available online (http://www.canterburynzusa.com) and in select stores and catalogs throughout the United States.

About the National Center for Sports Safety

The National Center for Sports Safety (NCSS) was founded to promote the importance of injury prevention and safety on all levels of youth sports through education and research. The NCSS focuses on decreasing the number and/or severity of injuries through developing and teaching sports safety courses and collecting, analyzing and researching injury data.

In 2004, the NCSS in conjunction with the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA), launched a comprehensive sports safety course called PREPARE. The course, which is available online at http://www.SportsSafety.org, is targeted at volunteer coaches and parents, many of whom have no formal training and need the basics in sports safety education. PREPARE covers everything from minor blisters and ankle sprains to life-threatening head and neck injuries. In approximately two-three hours, coaches and parents learn vital skills that could help save a child's life.

About Canterbury of New Zealand

Canterbury of New Zealand was established in 1904 to manufacture and supply rugby jerseys to the New Zealand All Blacks. The company is now the world's largest and most technically advanced rugby brand and outfits many of the world's top rugby teams including the South African, Australian, Japanese, Irish and Scottish national teams. Beyond rugby, Canterbury has established itself as the market leader in sports performance apparel with Canterbury BaseLayer and other technical sports equipment now being worn by leading International athletes in the fields of golf, cricket, football, hockey and many more sports.

http://www.CanterburyNZ.com.