The difference between being a sports star and a member of the team is so little.
I saw a horse race once where the winner was not declared until the race people had a chance to look at the “photo finish.”
Boy was it close. There was a bout 3 inches difference between first and second place.
What could that second place horse have done in that mile or so of endeavor? What little bit extra could have won that race? How much extra energy or endurance did that horse need? 5%, 10%??
For three inches in a mile race, the horse needed less than 5% more performance to win.
What about a high school track star? How much extra do they need to go to the Olympics?
Probably about 5% more energy; 5% more mental clarity.
Let’s back up in time.
When the high school student [or professional athlete] sat in the dressing room, what were they breathing? When they were at home in their bedroom, what were they touching?
Most people exposed to mold or some pollutants will show somewhere between 5-10% performance loss.
http://www.canarycoalition.org/abby.html
This is due to:
Mold
Molds give off chemicals that mimic natural signal chemicals in the body. These chemicals can cause confusion inside the body. An athlete needs focus not confusion.
http://www.themoldlab.com/mytcotoxins.htm
Mold loves moist buildings. Can you think of anything wetter than a high school dressing room? And many homes have wet basements or attics.
So if you get rid of the mold in the athletes dressing room and home you can gain 5-10% extra performance, right? Well almost.
Store cleansers
We also have to think about regular chemicals in the home that can also interfere with nerve/muscle junctions.
Most high schools try to get rid of mold and bacteria with bleach. Well, bleach won’t kill mold. But that’s the subject of another article. Bleach will burn the lungs and mess up vision and cause disorientation.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002761.htm
Some of the things you buy at the store contain phenols and formaldehyde. Like bleach these cleaners scar the lungs and decrease the person’s ability to breathe efficiently.
http://www.parish-supply.com/chemicals_in_your_closet.htm
Does this contribute to an Olympic destiny? Hardly.
Ozone machines
Some people use ozone machines to disinfect the air in locker rooms. The logic is that ozone is all natural. Well, so is arsenic.
http://www.2bangkok.com/2bangkok/Scams/Ozone.shtml
http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=44567
Ozone has been traced to lowered lung efficiency. The lungs become less elastic and so the amount of air sucked in is less. Now there is something that will decrease athletic ability. Probably more than the 5-10% we have been talking about.
Conclusion
Okay what will clean the environment and not harm the potential sports hero?
Go to your health food store and look for cleaners with tea tree oil [Melaleuca oil] or grapefruit Seed Extract. They kill mold and bacteria but don’t cause changes in the body’s ability to function at peak efficiency. Our company motto is, “If You Can’t Drink It, Don’t Spray It.”
Just changing your cleaning products and cleaning up mold can add that 5-10% performance to an athlete. And that, my friend, is the topic of this article.
