Lifestyle Factors

“The way you choose to live”

Some of these factors have a positive and/ or negative effect on your health and well being, physically and

mentally

Component Why its needed? Examples of food

CARBOHYDRATES Main source of energy as food breaks down into sugars

Bread, pasta, potatoes

FATS Second source of energy, slower release

Butters, margarines, oils(saturated and unsaturated)

PROTEIN Help rebuild and repair skin and cells in the body

Fish, eggs, meat, milk

VITAMINS Help with maintaining healthy skin and bones

Citrus fruit e.g. oranges

MINERALS Help with maintaining healthy skin and bones

Milk (calcium)Vegetables e.g. cabbage (iron)

FIBRE Helps with digestion to break food down, regular movement of removing waste

Brown bread, bananas, cereal

WATER Helps to rehydrate the body, need to take in

Wise to drink between 2 – 6 pints throughout a day

Alcohol and PerformanceAlcohol and Performance

The following all contain 1 unit of alcohol:

The recommended maximum weekly allowance is:

Females 14 Units

Males 21 Units

½ pint of beer or lager 1 glass of red or white

wine 1 pub measure of spirits

Small quantities of alcohol do not do much harm to the body,but consumed in larger amounts, it does damage your health.

Co-ordination, Judgement & Balance

Alcohol and sport do not mix. Even in small amounts, performance can be affected in the following ways:

Reactions

Energy Stores

Heat Loss & Dehydration

Eventually, regular heavy drinking over a prolonged period will lead to Kidney and liver damage.

Alcohol and PerformanceAlcohol and Performance

Smoking and PerformanceSmoking and Performance

There is no ‘safe’ level of smoking. Every cigarette damages the body as they contain 3 dangerous substances:

As a result of smoking, the functioning of the heart is affected which will in time cause permanent damage

Nicotine is an extremely addictive poison which increases the smoker’s heart rate and blood pressure. It will eventually cause heart disease.

Nicotine:

Classes of substance and their uses….

NARCOTICS

ANABOLIC AGENTS

DIURETICS

BETA BLOCKERS

BLOOD DOPING

STIMULANTS 1 These are painkillers which help mask pain so people can play through injury

2 These help with rapid weight loss (due to losing fluids) and can also flush out other drugs taken

3 This is when red blood cells are taken out the body, frozen and reinjected to boost oxygen levels

4 These are steroids which increase muscle growth, making a person stronger and have more endurance

5These speed up reactions making us more alert, reducing the feeling of fatigue

6 These help reduce nerves and anxiety, which helps lower the heart rate

Classes of substance and their uses….

NARCOTICS

ANABOLIC AGENTS

DIURETICS

BETA BLOCKERS

BLOOD DOPING

STIMULANTS

1 These are painkillers which help mask pain so people can play through injury

2 These help with rapid weight loss (due to losing fluids) and can also flush out other drugs taken

3 This is when red blood cells are taken out the body, frozen and reinjected to boost oxygen levels

4 These are steroids which increase muscle growth, making a person stronger and have more endurance

5 These speed up reactions making us more alert, reducing the feeling of fatigue

6 These help reduce nerves and anxiety, which helps lower the heart rate

Can you give examples of the sports performers who would be tempted to use these drugs or methods of substance abuse?

All drugs have physical side affects on your health and well being, predominately affecting blood pressure, liver and kidney damage as well as the mental affects.

UK Sport and National Governing Bodies are responsible for making athletes aware of which drugs are banned substances as well as the testing conditions. Failure to pass a drugs test or refusing to take one can result in being banned from the sport.

You may want to research a sports performer and discuss the affects and consequences of their ‘drug abuse’.

SLEEP – why is sleep important? How many hours sleep should you try to have each night? Think about the reasons why people struggle to sleep properly.

STRESS – What factors cause people to become stressed? How does this affect a person from training and preparing for competition? Remember these can be positive or negative! What are the symptoms of someone being stressed