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The Heart and Lungs
When you exercise (moving constantly)
the muscles being used need an increased supply of oxygen. This means you need
more blood circulating to these muscles in order to supply this oxygen. So the
heart beats faster and stronger to increase the rate of blood circulation.
Through this increase in activity, the rate at which your heart pumps this
freshly oxygenated blood around the body will increase and will result in a
significant increase in how many times the heart beats per minute (BPM). When
you perform this type of activity consistently over a period of time it will
result in an increase in the amount of blood your heart pumps out in one beat
which will result in a lower resting pulse rate, hence making you fitter.
Consistent exercise with adequate rest periods can therefore benefit
your cardiovascular (cv) system (heart and lungs) by lowering elevated blood
pressure and strengthening your heart muscle allowing you to perform tasks for
more extended periods of time.
When exercising generally and more
prominently during CV/aerobic exercise, fats are used to provide some of the
energy to the working muscles (a mixture of fats, carbohydrates and proteins
are used).
Through a prolonged and consistent exercise programme you can
reduce total body weight and produce significant fat loss. However, increased
fat reduction will only occur when exercise is used in balance with
nutritionally sound eating habits.
The Muscles, Bones and
Tissues
When you exercise, changes to the muscles and bones occur as
you alter the intensity, duration and frequency of your exercise programme. As
these factors are increased in a steady, controlled, incremental fashion, your
muscles respond by producing increased muscle strength, by stimulating neural
activity in the nervous system, by increasing lean body mass (larger or more
toned muscles) and by improving bone strength. During exercise the bones are
moved in various ways about the joints, causing the connective tissues of
ligaments and tendons to be stimulated and strengthened.
However, care
should be taken not to overload these tissues as tears, sprains and strains can
occur. Moderate exercise stimulates the production of synovial fluid that
protects the joints.
It is known that a controlled exercise programme can
slow down some of the degenerating effects of aging, loss of strength and
osteoporosis.
The Hormones
The body maintains careful
control over the blood and tissues despite external stresses and this is
achieved by a number of hormones such as adrenaline, noradrenaline and insulin.
Adrenaline is produced to prepare the body for exercise - it speeds the heart
and stimulates breakdown of energy stores (fat and glycogen), which are then
free for use in exercising muscles.
Regular exercise improves the control
of these hormones. There's no doubt that by making healthy lifestyle choices
early in life the common health problems associated with ageing can be
prevented. What is more, the sooner we start, the greater the benefits we are
likely to enjoy.
Be honest with yourself.
The reason some of
us tend to shy away from exercise is because we don't actually enjoy it very
much. We often fall into the trap of seeing exercise as some form of penance,
and this usually bodes pretty badly for the longevity of any fitness programme.
However, our enthusiasm for physical activity will generally take a sharp
upturn if we can learn to mix our exercise periods with our recreation time and
by making the exercise choice that best fits into our lifestyle. Always have
careful regard for nutrition, relaxation, exercise and stress management.
Low impact, total body conditioning should be part of your equation for
a healthier lifestyle.
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Author: Ann Brady
Copyright www.exercise.co.uk
2001
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Copyright Exercise, Fitness & Leisure 2001
No information on this site can be used for commercial purposes without the prior approval
of E.F.L All rights reserved
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