Lifestyle Factors Affecting Performance

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Medical history

Work demandsStress

Sleep

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Level ofactivity

Weight Gender CultureDiet

Sleep

There are two factors surrounding sleep that affect an individual’s participation and performance in physical activity. – The first is the length of sleep, with recommended hours for an

individual being 6-8 hours a night. Too little or too much sleep will result in the body becoming tired and lethargic.

– The second is the quality of sleep that an individual has, with the best results in alertness coming from those who experience an interruption free sleep.

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StressStress is usually talked about in negative terms. People complain that they have too much stress or are ‘stressed out’; sports people claim the stress of competition is too much for them.

Too much stress in out lives over a long period of time can seriously damage our health, causing things like coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, ulcers, impotence, substance addiction, mental health problems, and suicidal tendencies.

Sport is a source of stress for some people. This is related to the experience of the individual, the importance placed on the competition, the quality of the opposition, the size of the crowd, or previous events.

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Medical HistoryThese are a serious consideration in a person playing sport, as if a person exercises inappropriately with a medical condition it can make the condition worse; in the case of heart disease it may lead to their death.

Having said that, there is virtually no medical condition which does not benefit or improve through regular exercise.

Before a person plays sport or exercise they should be screened by a medical professional such as a GP

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Level of ActivityPhysical activity is a very important factor in maintaining a healthy wellbeing and often determines an individual’s commitment to a training programme as their previous physical activity levels will influence their ability and comfort to participate.

Physical activity does not mean going to the gym for two hours every day, and although it does cover sport such as football and swimming it also includes walking and other activities such as gardening.

Physical activity requires the heart rate to be raised slightly and breathing to be increased.

It is recommended that adults carry out thirty minutes of moderate physical activity, at least five times per week. The thirty minutes can be broken up in to smaller chunks of ten minutes throughout the day.

It is recommended that this is increased for children and young people to sixty minutes per day.

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Work DemandsThe amount of hours worked will have an impact an individuals ability to commit to physical activity. Working long hours leaves little time for extra activities, and for some people, they would rather spend their free time socialising with friends rather than participating in sport or physical activity.

Work demands may also put additional stress on an individual, which could further deter their participation.

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DietThe way in which people eat has become a focus within the media, with reports that over a third of the population of adults are obese, 22% of this are males and 23% females.

This is four times greater than twenty five years ago. This shows that there has been a significant change in our diets and not for the better.

At present there is a vast range of foods available, from the supermarket to fast-food chains. Often the foods that are cheaper to purchase contain a lot of saturated fat and simple carbohydrates and lack important nutrients for a healthy body.

Obesity is fast becoming one of the biggest killers in the UK. It is important that people are educated and understand what a healthy diet consists of and the benefits of healthy eating.

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WeightAn individuals weight will have an impact on their ability to participate in physical activity. Based on healthy guidelines, there are four main categories of weight: – underweight, – healthy weight, – overweight – obese.

In general, those who are underweight or overweight are likely to have more health risks associated with them compared to those who are of healthy weight. These health risks may inhibit their ability to participate fully in physical activity.

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Gender

Traditionally, there has been a gender battle between men and women and their ‘place’ in the sporting world. This attitude is fading, but the Victorian viewpoint that a woman’s place is in the home is still prevalent in some areas of today’s society. Even now, media coverage of women’s sport often emphasises what a women looks like instead of what she has achieved.

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CultureCulture can restrict individuals from participating in physical activity and sport due to race and religion. This could be due to clothing requirements restricting movement, or religious beliefs stopping some from training or playing at certain times to fulfil their religious duties.

For example praying Many Asians’ are of Muslim faith, which limits female participation in sport for example. Or it could be due to racism, instilling fear in them inhibiting them from being able to participate.

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