Final Topic !

So I did some more research on my ideas on the udel sites, and some sites I thought to be reliable, and found some interesting things. I will definitly keep my lactic acid and sports drink topics, however, I think I will change my steroid usage topic up. I think I will zero in on Growth Hormone pills. Many athletes think that this steriod is fine to use becuase they are "legal." Little do they know that this steroid can have a bad efffect on your body. I am having the most trouble finidng valid information on sports drinks, but I did find some good ones (in list of sites below) that give me some good information. So finally I have my final topic...so mark it down. It is: Chemisrty in sports: how to become a better athlete.

I posted comments on Sarah's, Laura's, and Alison's blog about valid sites. I also posted more links!

Valid or Not?

Well, when I read this homework post by Mrs. V, I thought to myself that I really didn't know how to check to see if a site was valid. I really have a lack of knowledge for this topic. I do however know that the majority of students choose sites because they are easy to read and short. We never check to see where the information is from; when we find information that we are looking for we tend to just believe it. I know that sites tend to be more valid if they have a .gov or .edu. There are some "phony" .gov or .edu sites, so remember that these kind of sites are not always valid. I remember something from back in the day too. I don't know if this is true, but I remember hearing that you never want a web address that is very long. The shorter the web address is, the better. I also know that you should look and see the qualifications, job, and degrees earned of the person who wrote posted information. So really you don't want a middle school student's work, but rather a college professor's. This is all I know, and I don't even know if it is all true. Let me know what you all think!

My topic

So I decided that my topic would be "how to become a better athlete through chemistry". I am going to focus on three things, lactic acid build up and prevention, steriod usage, and the effects of different sports drinks. I will give an overview of each one of these three mini topics, and then as the project progresses, I will go into more detail on things that I think are important and useful to know. I will also make sure to include the effects all three of these things have on your performance on the field, court, or course. I am starting with latic acid. I found 10 sites of interesting pictures and information. This is all general information, and very interesting may I add. I will probly focus on four or so differnt topics about lactic acid. This first post of websites, as said, is lots of information coming from all differnt directions. I am just skimming the surface, and soon I will get into more detail. Hope You enjoy everything!

Lactic Acid...good or bad?

It is the second day of preseason and your alarm clock goes off. You try to get out of bed but you can't. You are so sore the only thing you want to do is lay there. Once you start moving your muscles, they do however loosen up and you begin to feel better. I bet as you are reading this post, you are thinking "yep, I have been in that situdation." Some say the soreness is because of Lactic Acid (C3H6O3), found by a Sweedish chemist named Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Many blame a bad athletic performance on the soreness caused by lactic acid, but some researchers argue that this is not the case. I always thougt lactic acid was what caused me to be sore, but to my surprise it may not be that. The first thing I will touch base on is if lactic acid is a friend or not. The sites that are posted are very interesting and they relate to this topic which I will continue to research on. Also, if lactic acid is not what causes the soreness, then what does, and how do we prevent being sore? What do you think? Is lactic acid a friend or a foe?