Lifestyle Influences • The following factors can have can affect fitness:

• SMOKING • ALCOLHOL • EATING DISORDERS • DRUGS • STRESS

• These can all be harmful as they can damage our health and have a negative effect on sporting performance or on sport as a whole (cheating)

SMOKING

120 000 people die every year from smoking related diseases, but there are still around 450 young people taking up smoking everyday in the UK.

• Smoking is harmful to you at any age and has serious consequences for the components of fitness.

• Smoking: increases the likelihood of heart malfunction. increases the likelihood of blockages in the veins and

arteries. causes damage to and reduces the capacity and efficiency

of the lungs. reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. negatively affect the process of gaseous exchange.

• smoking can also harm others through passive smoking.

Stimulants

• Stimulants reduce pain, increase reaction speed and raise aggression

• They are highly addictive and have side effects including high blood pressure, strokes, heart and liver problems. They can also increase the risk of injury as pain is suppressed, causing the athlete to continue to train or compete

• ALCOHOL

• Drinking alcohol is a socially accepted activity.• It can induce feelings of well-being and lack of

responsibility.• It is a form of ‘escape’. • Can lead to aggression, reduced muscle glycogen, kidney

and liver damage and lack of motivation. • Alcohol is a diuretic drug, which means that it increases

the loss of fluid through urination.

• EATING DISORDERS • Eating disorders are illnesses that make people binge or

starve themselves because of a compulsion to be thin. Eating disorders can have a very serious effect on general health and well-being. They will also affect performance in sport:

• The most common types of eating disorder are:

• ANOREXIA NERVOSA • BULIMIA NERVOSA • COMPULSIVE EATING DISORDER

• ANOREXIA NERVOSA - is a kind of self-imposed starvation. Anorexics are obsessed with their appearance imagining that they are too fat.

• BULIMIA NERVOSA - this refers to uncontrollable eating and to related thoughts, behaviours and poor self image. Binge eating is usually followed by feelings of self disgust and vomiting.

• COMPULSIVE EATING DISORDER - this usually takes the form of uncontrollable over-eating. People with compulsive eating disorder do not normally make themselves vomit after eating or become obsessed with exercise. 20% of obese people may have this disorder.

• PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS • Are drugs that can improve performance. • Usually taken with the intention of gaining unfair advantage.

They include:

• STIMULANTS ( Amphetamines )• Make people feel high and up for it. They increase the

activity of the cardiovascular system and the central nervous system. Reduce the effects of tiredness and make competitor more aggressive.

• NARCOTIC ANALGESICS • (pain killers) used to suppress pain from athletic injuries so

that a performer can still compete. Heroin. Morphine and codeine are three examples. Covering the pain can lead to worsening of the original injury.

• ANABOLIC STERIODS • Accelerate the growth and repair of muscle this means

they help athletes ‘bulk up’ for explosive events. This can cause heart and blood pressure problems, excess aggression, male characteristics in females and loss of fertility.

• DIURETICS • Increase water loss from the body by urination. In boxing,

judo, wrestling and weightlifting, competition is limited by weight category and therefore quick weight loss can be important, but sodium and potassium is lost as well. This substance can also mask other drugs.

• PEPTIDE HORMONES, MIMETICS AND ANALOGUES • Similar to steroids in that they can increase muscle

production. Also used to increase the production of red blood cells to improve oxygen transport. They can cause infertility and blood pressure problems. Most common types are Erythropoietin (EPO) and Human Growth Hormone (H.G.H)

• BETA - BLOCKERS • These are taken by performers to help them relax because

they counteract the effect of adrenaline. Used particularly in events such as shooting, archery snooker and darts. Can cause low blood pressure, insomnia, depression and lack of mental ‘edge’

• BLOOD DOPING - after training at altitude an athlete can remove haemoglobin rich blood from his body and freeze it prior to re-injection before a competition.This can increase the bodies red blood cells by 20%. The main danger is increased blood density and blockages.

• STRESS - stress or anxiety and arousal can act both as motivators and depressors of performance levels. Stress levels can be managed in any of the following ways.

Setting easy targets to begin with. Mental rehearsals and positive imagery. Verbal reassurance from coach and/or supporters. Relaxation - both physical and mental - in order to reduce

stress levels.

Drugs in Sport

GCSE Revision - Drugs in Sport

• Drugs come in a number of forms. They can be medical, recreational or performance enhancing. Many of these are prohibited in sporting competitions, if they are thought to have a positive effect on performance.

Drugs: Any chemical introduced to the body which affects how the body worksDoping: Some athletes take illegal substances to enhance their performance, an activity known as ‘doping’.Performance Enhancing drug: Are drugs taken by some sportspeople to try to gain an advantage and enhance their peformance.

Performance Enhancing Drugs

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have a list of banned substances, as do most other governing bodies of all different sports. The

following drugs are on the IOC's list:

Anabolic agents (steroids)

• These are used by athletes who want to bulk up and increase their muscle mass. They also allow the athlete to train harder

• They have many side-effects, including high blood pressure; heart disease; infertility and cancer. They can also cause women to take on male characteristics such as facial hair!

Diuretics

• Athletes use diuretics for one of two reasons. Either to loose weight quickly (such as a boxer or jockey needing to meet weight) through the effect of increased urination, or to clear traces of other substances from their urine

• They cause dehydration which can seriously affect your performance in a negative way!

Narcotic analgesics

• These are pain killers which athletes use to mask pain from an injury or overtraining

• These are highly addictive and cause withdrawal symptoms when you stop using them. Constipation and low blood pressure are other side effects

Peptide hormones

• These include EPO (Erythropoetin) which works a bit like blood doping. Most other peptide hormones have similar effects to anabolic steroids

• They can cause strokes and abnormal growth patterns

EPO (Erythropoietin) red blood cells - gives more energyHGH (Human Growth Hormone) - build muscle

EPO - risk of stroke or heart problems.HGH - abnormal growth, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis etc

The drugs on the previous slides are completely banned from use under the IOC. However, other substances are restricted, usually meaning they have a genuine medical use in some cases. In order to use one of the following drugs in competition (with the exception of alcohol) you must have a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) certificate.

Beta blockers

• These are used to lower the heart rate, but also have the effect of reducing anxiety and steadying shaking hands

• They're banned in some sports where they may cause an advantage, such as shooting

Corticosteroids

• These are used to reduce pain and inflammation from injuries and also in inflammatory conditions like asthma

• They can side-effects including diabetes and brittle bones

Local anaesthetics

• These are usually in the form of an injection to an injured area to reduce pain

• They may be allowed in some sports for medical purposes

Blood Doping http://videos.wisegeek.org/videos/517653049.htm

• Blood doping involves:• Removing red blood cells from the athlete and freezing them• Over the next few weeks the athletes body makes more

red blood cells to replace those removed• A few days before a competition the athlete injects the

stored red blood cells back into their body• This means they now have the capacity to carry more Oxygen

which improves cardiovascular performance• This has possibly dangerous side effects such as allergic

reactions, kidney damage, stroke and transfer of viruses and infections

Alcohol

• Alcohol is sometimes used by athletes to calm nerves.

• It can however reduce coordination, judgment and reactions. Long term use has more serious side-effects such as liver, kidney and heart failure

Cannabis

• Cannabis reduces concentration and coordination

• reduces lung capacity – bad for stamina events

• risk of heart disease and lung cancer• illegal

Caffeine

• Caffeine found in coffee, chocolate and 'energy' drinks

• a mild stimulant causing tiredness unless taken repeatedly

WADA

Drug Testing

• Drug testing is monitored closely to make sure results are accurate and athletes are protected. Tests can be performed at any time, in or out of competition.

• Urine samples are taken and divided into two samples - A and B

• The A sample is then tested• If a positive result is found, sample B is then tested• If this is also positive the athlete faces as much as a

lifetime ban• Refusing to take a drugs test is taken as failing a drugs test