EFFECTS OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITY, ELECTRO PHOTONIC IMAGING TECHNIQUE ON STRESS LEVEL AND MENTAL TOUGHNESS ON LATVIAN TAEKWONDO ATHLETES

Research investigating sources of stress in athletes has identified physical, social, environmental, general life and secondary (emotional/cognitive/goal oriented) events which cumulatively and interactively contribute to allostatic load. The purpose of this study is 1) to compare measurements made with an Electro Photonic Imaging (EPI) technique before and after an outdoor recreation activity on Taekwondo athletes’ stress level, and 2) to find out the effects of outdoor activity on mental toughness in Taekwondo athletes. Forty Taekwondo athletes who will volunteer to participate in the research (15-19 years old, at least for 2 years have participated in national or international competitions) for 5 weeks walking (3 sessions per week /40 minutes) in the nature, in pre-competition phase will be selected. The current athletes’ stress level and mental toughness will be assessed by Bio-Well pro 2.0 camera and the mental toughness questionnaire (SMTQ). In the procession and analysis of the results MS. Excel software and methods of descriptive statistics will be used. Methods are based on scientific literature review of outdoor activities, questionnaire, and then using statistical analysis. The results and conclusion of the study will be according to the analysis.