Task 81. Discuss your athlete's response to:
a) Extreme temperature During exercise, heat is produced as a waste product as the body converts food into energy. One's body temperature can be elevated above the typical temperature with the extra heat produced. In order to maintain homeostasis, the blood vessels in your skin dilate to allow more blood flow to the surface of your body where it disperses the heat through sweating. Sweat evaporation and breathing out warm air helps cool your body thus maintaining a steady temperature. b) Humidity or altitude (training) The air is thinner at high altitudes resulting in fewer oxygen molecules per volume of air. Every breath that is taken at high altitudes delivers less of what working muscles require. Athletes use high altitude training to prepare for events as it allows their body to produce extra red blood cells. When they compete at lower elevations it is then to their advantage due to their changed physiology. As humidity increases, you'e less able to cool yourself down by sweating. The air is is only able to hold so much water vapour at a certain temperature and once is reaches its limit, your sweat drips off instead of evaporating. Since you can't cool down by sweating, your internal temperature starts going up and the ambient temperature feels hotter than it actually is. 2. How can athletes train to minimise the impact of environmental conditions: Athletes can train at high altitudes as it is a great way to improve fitness and endurance by enhancing the body's ability to take in and transport oxygen.The body acclimates to the lack of oxygen by increasing the mass of red blood cells. The, when athletes attend competitions at lower altitudes they will remain to have a higher concentration of red blood cells for 10-14 days, which gives them a major advantage. |