Parihaka poem

Hypothesis

Hypothesis
My hypothesis is that eating before swimming will effect your speed. I believe this to be true because when you swim or exercise, your body burns energy faster so you will become more slow when it runs out.

Planning my fair test
I am to find out if eating before swimming will effect your speed.
The one thing I am going to change is the type of food that each person is going to eat each swim.
The food I am going to use is
-A piece of bread with butter and a bag of chips
-A banana, almonds and some water
The things I am going to keep the same are;
-The pool
-The lengths (2)
-The amount of time in the water
-The amount of time in the water

Experiment procedure
Equipment needed
-6 people
-1 pool
-3 stopwatch’s
-1 bag of chips
-A piece of butter
-Butter
-Almonds
-Banana
-Water bottle

I am going to be performing my experiment once.
I am going to measure the results by there times.

Instructions
1. Get food
2. Get people ready to swim there first 2 laps (control)
3. Time them
4. Get their food ready
5. Wait 10 minutes for there energy to boost back up again
6. Get them to eat the food they have been asked to eat
7. Get them to swim there second set of laps
8. Time them

Science fair research report

 Does eating before swimming affect your speed?

Why I have chosen to do this question.

When I go swimming I usually have a something to eat before hand. I am usually in the middle of a length (and I am trying to go as fast as I can) I get a stitch and it really slows me down. I was wondering if it is because I had eaten before hand?

Which foods give you energy?
Yoghurt
Almonds
Dried fruit
Oatmeal
Bananas
Orange Juice
Pasta
Salmon and beans.

How does your body turn food into energy?
Our bodies digest the food we eat by mixing it with fluids (acids and enzymes) in our stomach. When the stomach digests food, the carbohydrates (sugars and starches) in the food break into another type of sugar, called glucose. The stomach and small intestines absorb glucose and then release it into bloodstream nce in the bloodstream, glucose can be used immediately for energy stored in our bodies to be used later. However bodies need insulin in order to uses or store glucose for energy. Without insulin, glucose stays in bloodstream, keeping blood sugar levels high.

What is protein?
There are many forms of protein, which all play an important role in the function of the body. For example, collagen is a protein and is vital for the strength, elasticity and composition of our hair and skin. Proteins are made up of long chains. There are 22 different types of amino acid and the body needs all of them to function properly. Amino acids are chemical compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, which combine together into different structures to form the various types of protein that the body requires.

What should you eat before you swim?
Eat easy to digest food, especially if you are preparing to go for a swim, to avoid needing to use the restroom when you least expect it. Such foods include steamed vegetables, fruit and greens. Avoid breads and heavy grains, such as brown rice and pasta. Other easy to digest foods that will provide your body with enough fuel for swimming and lean proteins, such as fish, lean red meat and low fat dairy products. It takes a long time for your body to digest fibre, so it is best to avoid foods such as whole grain cereals. Smoothes are convenient alternative to solid food that will nourish your body with needed vitamins and minerals before you swim, but which will also be easy on your digestive tract. You can make your smoothes with nut milks. Juices or water, and add protein powder and different fruits to give you a boost of carbohydrates along with protein. Protein bars typically have an appropriate balance among carbohydrates, protein and fats that will also provide you with nutritional value that will benefit your energy expenditure. Even though you will burn fat as you swim, you should avoid eating foods heavy in fats before swimming, because they will be difficult for your stomach to assimilate and digest and may cause you to experience indigestion. If you have a balanced diet, your body will have enough glycogen stores for you to use as a source for fuel that you can replenish after swimming.

How is stitch caused?
Contracting the liver or spleen, which squeeze extra oxygen carrying red blood cells into the circulation, may cause stitch. Although there does not appear to be much muscle in the capsule of the spleen, there is direct and indirect evidence that its size does change with exercise. This autotransfusion (which is much lager in some animals) increases exercise capacity but the associated pain may be severe, relieved only by rest. A plausible mechanism for the pain is that high internal pressure in the liver or spleen restricts blood flow, causing hypoxia.


What is your blood flow if you swim after eating?
It is true that blood flow to the digestive tract is increased after eating, engaging in a vigorous exercise activity will preferentially reroute blood flow away from the digestive system in favour of sending it to your working muscles. Therefore, even if you eat before swimming, your muscles should still receive the blood flow they require. Swimming is an activity that utilises many muscles including most of the major muscle groups in the shoulder, arms, hips and legs. As these muscles become active and require additional quantities of oxygen and nutrients, blood flow to these muscles will increase as arteries within them become dilated and blood flow is diverted from other regions of the body. If blood flow were diverted from your muscles to other regions of the body, it would make sense to assume that your swimming speed distance might be reduced.

What is the reason for stitch?
The inner organs are hanging from several ligaments, which, in turn, are fixed to the diaphragm, the muscular plate between chest and abdomen. Liver, spleen, stomach, small intestine and colon from a weight of several kilograms, hanging from the diaphragm. The impact of every step forces the inner organs to move downwards. Additionally the diaphragm moves upwards on every expiration to force air out of the lungs. This continuous up/down stress may cause a cramp in the diaphragm: stitch. Stitch occurs most often on the right hand side because of the liver being the heaviest organ and therefore the one stressing the diaphragm the most.

By Ella

Mask Self Reflection