How Student Athletes Can Benefit From Lab Testing
Many parents and students are starting to make preparations for heading back to school, but for elite athletes and those looking to make serious performance improvements, the preparations have never really stopped. Summer leagues, camps, and training have probably been a regular part of the routine over the summer, but what about lab testing?
Lab testing and athletics? You might wonder how those two go together. Any Lab Test Now can become your student-athletes’ partner in training. We offer a variety of tests that can help improve performance and recovery so your athlete can reap all of the benefits of their hard work.
When it comes to tracking your fitness and health progress, there are a lot of avenues you can take. If you’re not sure which way to go, just ask one of our knowledgeable health professionals. Let them know what you want to achieve and they will guide you to the proper tests. Any Lab Tests Now has a few suggestions that can help you get started down the right path toward your fitness goals.
Basic Nutritional Panel
Your diet is a great place to start your journey to better performance. The Basic Nutritional Panel provides you with information about vital and energizing vitamins and nutrients like ferritin levels. Ferritin is an intracellular protein that stores iron and releases it in a controlled fashion. If the levels are low, that could mean your iron levels are low. Remember, iron plays an important role in carrying oxygen to all parts of your body. To athletes, oxygen is fuel! Endurance would likely be affected.
Along with ferritin levels, the Basic Nutritional Panel offered by Any Lab Test Now will check vitamins B12, D, and C along with zinc and homocysteine levels. You’ll also receive a Complete Blood Count, which will give you a decent snapshot of your overall health, as well as a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP). The CMP alone makes this test worth it for the elite athlete. It includes testing for multiple electrolytes and metabolites, which can frequently be abnormal in athletes. It can let you know if you are taking in enough (or too much!) water. Low albumin levels can be a sign of inflammation in athletes. All in all, the Basic Nutritional Panel is a good place to start when considering lab testing for athletes.
Performance Hormones
Hormones play a critical role in athletic performance and are vital to the recovery process. If your hormone levels are out of whack, then your performance could suffer. Some key hormones to watch:
- DHEA-Sulfate – Associated with immune and stress response.
- Free Thyroxine –Abnormal levels are associated with overtraining.
- Cortisol – Called the stress hormone, it’s an important hormone to athletes. Overtraining and insufficient diet can all affect the levels.
Food Sensitivity and Intolerance Testing
Let’s face it, if you’ve got a food allergy, chances are you already know about it. But intolerances are more subtle — and can have a huge impact on athletic performance. An undiagnosed food intolerance can cause inflammation, which can slow down your recovery time. It can impact your breathing and diet, causing you to gain weight. It can even keep you from fully absorbing nutrients if you experience digestive problems. Any Lab Test Now offers a variety of food intolerance tests to choose from.
That’s just a sampling of what Any Lab Test Now can offer athletes. Also consider, that in some cases, you may benefit more with repeat testing, particularly nutritional testing. Visit your local Any Lab Test Now location to get started on reaching your peak performance before the school year starts.
What’s the One Blood Test All Student Athletes Are Required to Have?
It is no surprise that student athletes participate in high intensity workouts. Whether it’s for conditioning, during practice time or game time, an athlete is continuously placed in situations where they need to raise their heart rate and push their bodies to the limit. Because of this, it is extremely important for school athletic directors and coaches to make sure that their student athletes are healthy and that their bodies can endure the physical activity expected of them.
There is one health condition in particular that could hinder a student athlete from truly competing to their best ability. This condition is known as sickle-cell trait. Inherited from a parent, sickle-cell trait can cause red blood cells to sickle and block blood vessels, denying oxygen to muscles and organs. If a student athlete with sickle-cell trait over-exhausts their body due to physical activity, their health could be put in serious danger if their oxygen supply iscut-off.
In order to ensure that this risk never becomes a reality, colleges require their NCAA student athletes to receive a sickle-cell trait blood test. Fortunately, as long as the coaches are aware of the diagnosis and take proper precautions with their diagnosed athletes,those athletes can still enjoy a successful and healthy athletic career. And all the student athlete readers said, “Whew!”
If you are an aspiring athlete and want to check on your health before heading into your college career, especially if attending a Division I or Division II school, contact your local Any Lab Test Now® today and let us help you get the answers you need. Our Sickle Cell Anemia Screen will test you for the sickle-cell trait and give you fast, quality results that you, your doctor, and your coach can use to ensure that your athletic career has a bright and long-lasting future.
Remain at the Top of Your Game – Athletic Testing is Here for You!
With back-to-school announcements approaching quickly, so is the kickoff to the fall athletic season. Sports teams will begin tryouts, mandatory practices and, soon enough, be in full swing for the season. We know that, as a parent, you want your child to remain competitive and healthy while playing the sport they love. Yet there’s always a chance that a young athlete’s immune system and overall performance may fall vulnerable to numerous internal and external factors. Fortunately, Any Lab Test Now offers a timely and convenient method of obtaining the lab tests you need to help take control of your child’s health.
Benefits of Athletic Testing Services
All student athletes are required to have an updated physical on file prior to competing. In addition to a basic physical, you may want more in-depth knowledge on your child’s health so that they can continue to perform at their peak. Any Lab Test Now offers a wide range of lab tests with results typically available in 72 hours or less. No appointment or insurance is necessary for the tests. Not to mention, lab tests are still the most cost-effective approach to uncovering and preventing disease.
After testing, your athlete will receive the information they need, within a prompt time frame, to report back to their primary physician. Whether your soccer star has been struggling to catch his breath on the field and you’re worried about allergies or your cross-country runner is more tired that normal, Any Lab Test Now can help you uncover hidden issues that may be impacting your child’s health and physical performance.
Common lab tests to help monitor an athlete’s overall health, include:
Vitamins, Minerals And Nutrition Lab Tests
Preventing Injury and Improving Performance
It’s crucial for young, competitive athletes to remain attentive to their body’s needs during such a pivotal time in their growth and development. Sometimes, this can be a challenge as ambitious athletes want to focus their full attention on improving their performance on the field, court or track. Fortunately, the variety of tests offered at an Any Lab Test Now location can ensure athletes accomplish both.
Lab tests supply detailed information on specific processes happening within the body. By locating the origin of a problem, an athlete can learn more about their body and educate themselves on how to stay healthy when playing at a competitive level. Preventing long-term injury and/or internal imbalances are pivotal for an athlete’s achievement.
Lab tests also provide scientific data that can set a baseline of where an athlete stands in comparison to the status quo. This allows them the opportunity to set personal health goals and improve their fitness. The smallest change in an athlete’s diet or training could make all the difference in shredding a few seconds off a mile-time or scoring an extra goal.
Competing at the high school level, on travel teams or in front of college recruiters requires dedication to overall fitness and wellness. Ensure your child’s health is on the right track by addressing any sign of potential injury and helping them stay educated about their bodies. If you want immediate answers regarding your young athlete’s health, visit your convenient Any Lab Test Now location to get them tested today.