Unit: Improving Performance

This Unit Activity will help you meet these educational goals:
Mathematical PracticesYou will use mathematics to model real-world situations.
InuiryYou will conduct online research in which you will collect in!ormation.
"T#MYou will apply mathematical tools and $nowledge to analy%e real-world
situations.
&'st (entury "$illsYou will employ online tools !or research and assess and
validate in!ormation.
Introduction
In the physical world) stress is the result o! an o*+ect pushing or pulling on another. ,or
e-ample) the chair that you.re sitting on right now is undergoing stress !rom the weight o!
your *ody. The amount o! stress depends on your weight and the materials that ma$e up the
chair.
/ith regard to your health) stress is a way that your mind and *ody react when demands are
placed on them. You might !eel pressured to do well in school or sports. You might *e dealing
with illness in your !amily or !inancial pro*lems. The way that a person reacts to such stress
varies !rom one individual to the ne-t. #ating healthy !oods regularly and e-ercising are two
e!!ective methods to com*at stress. 0ot all stress is *ad. "ometimes we need to !eel stress
to stay active and engaged or even escape !rom dangerous situations.
In this activity) you will investigate how stress levels can *e a!!ected *y diet and e-ercise.
You will see the relationship *etween stress and your *ody) including your cardiorespiratory
system) muscular system) and !le-i*ility. You will also identi!y some alternative methods o!
coping with stress. ,inally) you will study stress in a more traditional sense as it relates to the
!ield o! *iomechanics.
__________________________________________________________________________
Directions and Analysis
To get started) ta$e this stress ui% to see whether you are wound tight as a drum or are as
cool as a cucum*er. The ui% is +ust !or !un) so don.t ta$e it too seriously. It.s not a clinical
diagnosis. 1emem*er that you alone are in the *est position to +udge how you react to
stressors in your li!e. The ui% might give you insight into stressors that you haven.t thought
a*out.
As you wor$ your way through the tas$s) consider using some o! the online resources listed
*elow to help you. Any te-t*oo$ on the su*+ect o! health is also a use!ul re!erence. 1ecord
any re!erences you use to answer uestions in this activity in the 1esources section o! this
document.
(opyright 2 &3'& P4AT5 4earning) Inc. All rights reserved.
'
Physical Education
Unit Activity
Teens 6ealth
U" 7epartment o! 6ealth and 6uman "ervices
(enters !or 7isease (ontrol and Prevention
The American Institute o! "tress
0ational Institute o! Mental 6ealth
American Academy o! (hild and Adolescent Psychiatry
Mental 6ealth America
Task 1: Minimizing Stress Through Exercise
According to the American Institute o! "tress) it is estimated that 89 to :3 percent o! visits
made to primary care doctors in the United "tates are related to a stress-related illness. You
can prevent visits li$e these *y learning to manage and cope with stress. 5ne way is to ta$e
good care o! your *ody. In this tas$) you will do some research a*out stress and e-ercise and
answer some uestions. #ach answer should *e two to three paragraphs long) with a*out 93
to '33 words per paragraph.
a. 7escri*e what stress is and how it a!!ects your *ody. Address physiological !ight-or-!light
responses and how those responses relate to your cardiorespiratory and muscular
systems.
Type your response here:
*. #-plain the physiological process o! how e-ercise can help you !ight stress. #-plain what
endorphins are and the role they play in this process. 6ow can e-ercises that promote
cardiorespiratory !itness and endurance) muscular !itness and endurance) and !le-i*ility
help you !ight stress;
Type your response here:
c. /hat is a stress *all; 6ow does it wor$; /hat are the *ene!its o! using a stress *all; Try
to lin$ your ideas to what you learned in the earlier sections o! this tas$.
Type your response here:
Task : Minimizing Stress Through !iet
You should now understand that moving your *ody) even slightly) can alleviate stress. <ut
e-ercise is +ust one component o! stress relie!. Another is diet. /hat you put into your *ody
can have a signi!icant impact on how your *ody *attles stress. In this tas$) you will study
some high-ris$ !oods and ingredients when it comes to stress and you.ll learn what !oods you
can replace them with to lower your an-iety level. #ach answer in this section should *e two
to three paragraphs long) with a*out 93 to '33 words per paragraph.
&
a. 7escri*e how ca!!eine can a!!ect your stress level. 6ow does it a!!ect your
cardiorespiratory system; Include in!ormation a*out the hormone called adrenalin.
Type your response here:
*. /hat is a com!ort !ood; 6ow does com!ort !ood a!!ect your stress levels; /hat are some
o! the dangers o! com!ort !ood as it pertains to your level o! physical !itness; 7escri*e
how neurotransmitters) such as serotonin) wor$ in relation to stress and com!ort !ood.
Type your response here:
c. 7escri*e a diet that can lower your stress level. /hat does the diet loo$ li$e; /hat $inds
o! !oods and drin$s are in the diet; /hat uantities o! !ood are in the diet; Include your
thoughts a*out how the stress hormone cortisol or the !eel-good neurotransmitter)
serotonin) relate to diet that reduces stress.
Type your response here:
Task ": Minimizing Stress Through #ther Means
<y now) you should $now that stress is something that can *e controlled through diet and
e-ercise. This article descri*es other ways to $eep stress under control. /hich o! the
recommendations in this article do you currently use to manage stress; I! you don.t use any
o! the recommendations) what other techniues wor$ !or you; I! you don.t use any stress-
reduction techniues) write a*out one or more o! the recommendations that you could
!oresee using in the !uture. Under what circumstances might you use the techniues; Your
response to these uestions should *e two to three paragraphs long) with a*out 93 to '33
words per paragraph.
Type your response here:
Task $: Stress an% &iomechanics
In the physical world) stress is pressure or tension that is placed on something.
<iomechanical engineering is a !ield that studies mechanical stress. In one *ranch o! this
!ield) engineers apply their understanding o! statics) dynamics) and !luid !low to solve di!!icult
pro*lems o! the heart and *lood vessels. Thin$ o! your heart as a pump and your *lood
vessels as pipelines. The pump and pipelines need to *e in good wor$ing order so *lood can
carry nutrients and o-ygen to cells o! your *ody.
Imagine that you.re a *iomechanical engineer. You want to determine how much pressure) or
stress) a certain mem*rane can withstand *e!ore *ursting. The mem*rane could *elong to a
*lood vessel or even the human heart. The mem*rane acts li$e a *alloon that.s *eing
in!lated: =ust enough air will su!!iciently in!late the *alloon. Too much air will cause the s$in o!
>
the *alloon to tear) popping the *alloon. In this tas$) you will assign some num*ers to this
situation to !urther your understanding o! mechanical stress.
a. 5ne $ind o! stress is called pressure. Pressure is calculated as !orce divided *y area.
,orce is a push or a pull. It is measured in units such as pounds or 0ewtons. Area is
measured in units such as suare inches or suare meters. The euation !or calculating
pressure is )
F
P =
A
where P is pressure) F is !orce) and A is area.
Use the euation to calculate the average pressure on the mem*rane *elow. #-press
your answer in units o! pounds per suare inch ?psi@.
Type your response here:
*. 6ere.s another $ind o! pressure pro*lem. A !orce o! && pounds presses on a mem*rane.
The average pressure on the mem*rane is &.89 pounds per suare inch ?psi@. /hat is the
area o! the mem*rane in suare inches; The euation !or calculating pressure is )
F
P =
A

where P is pressure) F is !orce) and A is area.
Type your response here:
c. Imagine that the mem*ranes in parts a and * ma$e up the wall o! the human heart or the
wall o! a *lood vessel. <ased on what you $now a*out mechanical stress) what do you
thin$ high *lood pressure over e-tended periods o! time can do to such walls;
Type your response here:
A A &B s. in.
F A C3 l*.
A A ; s. in.
F A && l*.
B
d. "ome !orms o! cardiovascular disease involve the *uildup o! plaue on the inside walls o!
*lood vessels. The *uildup can put added stress on the heart and vessels) reducing or
preventing *lood !low to vital organs o! the *ody.
Imagine that the diagram is a circular cross section o! a *lood vessel. /hat is the area o!
the inside o! the *lood vessel ?i.e.) the pin$ part@ in suare units; 1ound your answer to
the nearest tenth. The euation !or the area o! a circle is A A r
&
) where A is area) D
>.'B) and r is the radius. 1ecall that the radius is hal! o! the diameter.
Type your response here:
e. Imagine that plaue uni!ormly coats the walls o! the *lood vessel in the diagram. <ased
on the diagram) what is the reduced area inside the *lood vessel; 1ound your answer to
the nearest tenth. The euation !or the area o! a circle is A A r
&
) where A is area) D
>.'B) and r is the radius. 1ecall that the radius is hal! o! the diameter.
Type your response here:
!. /hat !raction o! the original area is the area o! the reduced *lood vessel; 6ow might a
calculation li$e this help a *iomechanical engineer wor$ing in the !ield; Include your
understanding o! the cardiovascular system in your answer.
Type your response here:
8
B
9
__________________________________________________________________________
Resources
7ocument any re!erences you used !or this pro+ect *elow) e-cluding the lin$s provided
speci!ically in the activity. At minimum) include a title and a U14 !or any Internet resource.
__________________________________________________________________________
Evaluation
This pro+ect will *e evaluated on a ru*ric that is *ased on the completeness) clarity) and
thin$ing you e-hi*it in the 7irections and Analysis section a*ove.
Points possi*le: '3
Tas$ ': Minimi%ing "tress Through #-ercise: > points ma-imum
Tas$ &: Minimi%ing "tress Through 7iet: > points ma-imum
Tas$ >: Minimi%ing "tress Through 5ther Means: ' point ma-imum
Tas$ B: "tress and <iomechanics: > points ma-imum
Task 1: Minimizing Stress Through Exercise
" points
Task ": Minimizing Stress Through
#ther Means
1 point
a. 1esearch !ight-or-!light response ?' point@ 7iscover other ways to regulate stress
?' point@
*. 1esearch how e-ercise reduces stress
?' point@
c. Investigate how a stress *all wor$s
?' point@
Task : Minimizing Stress Through !iet
" points
Task $: Stress an% &iomechanics
" points
a. 1esearch ca!!eine.s e!!ect on stress
?' point@
Pressure calculations ?parts a) *) and cE F
point each@
*. 1esearch the role o! com!ort !ood in
stress ?' point@
Area reduction calculations ?parts d) e) and
!E F point each@
c. #-plain a stress-reducing diet ?' point@
C