The better shape you re in, the more oxygen you can get into your lungs and to your muscles. Getting enough oxygen to where it needs to go makes the difference between enjoying eight hours on a bicycle and wishing you were still in bed. If our blood doesn t carry enough oxygen to the exercising muscles quickly enough, we get a cramp, and our muscles feel like they re burning. The burning feeling happens because the muscles start producing lactic acid. Not replenishing key electrolytes, like potassium, chloride and sodium, leads to muscle spasms, or cramps.
Many conditions influence how well our bodies use oxygen.
We ll probably experience some conditions that reduce the amount of oxygen we can get from the air to our muscles. If we breathe car pollution, we ll have trouble breathing because of the carbon monoxide in the exhaust. Some of us might get respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia, which produce mucous that blocks the movement of oxygen from the lungs to the capillaries. Other team members might have allergic reactions that can cause our airways to narrow and result in wheezing. When we climb Mount Kilimanjaro, not only will there be less oxygen available to breathe, but if we don t take enough time to adjust to the altitude, our lungs may collect fluid.