Friday, January 27, 2012

Cardiovascular Fitness


·         Benefits of Cardiorespiratory Endurance Exercise
1. Improved Cardiorespiratory Functioning
·         Response of Our Cardiovascular System During Exercise
1. Increased cardiac output and blood pressure
2. Increased ventilation
3. Increased blood flow to the active skeletal muscles and to the heart
4. Increased blood flow to the skin and increased sweating
5. Decrease blood flow to the stomach, intestines, liver and kidneys
When performed regularly, it causes adaptation
·         It improves:
1. Functioning of the heart
2. The ability of the Respiratory system to carry oxygen to the tissues
3. The capacity of the cells to take up and use oxygen.
·         Thus better in responding into physical activity and reduces effort when your body is at rest.
·         Since your heart is more efficient, it works less
·         A fit person is 10-20 beats per minute lower than sedentary person. About 10 million fewer beats per year.
·         According to Dr. Javaid Nauman of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology
1. Improved heart efficiency is because of the improved heart contraction strength, increased heart cavity size and increase blood volume. Heart pushes more blood into the circulation during each contration.
2. Improved cellular metabolism.
3. Increase in the number of capillaries in the muscle
4. Increase the size of mitochondria in the muscle cells.
5. Prevents glycogen depletion
6. Protect cells from chemical damage – aging and some chronic diseases are because of cellular damage caused by free radicals (organic molecules responsible for aging, tissue damage and some disease)
·         Reduced Riskof Chronic Diseases
1. Cardiovascular Disease
-          Risk Factor For Cardiovascular Diseases
o   Smoking
o   Unhealthy Cholesterol Level
o   High blood pressure
o   Obesity
o   Diabetes
o   Sedentary Lifestyle
-          Endurance exercise has positive effects on the levels of fat (cholesterol triglycerides) in the blood
-          Lipoprotein carries cholesterol to the blood
-          LDL (low density lipoprotein) vs HDL (high density lipoprotein)
-          High HDL + Low LDL = Higher risk of cardiovascular disease
-          Low LDL + high HDL = Lower risk of cardiovascular disease
-          Endurance exercise increases the HDL and decreases triglyceride and LDL
-          Endurance exercise reduces high blood pressure
-          A contributing factor of diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and blindness
2. Cancer
- Speeds up the movement of food in the gastrointestinal tracts and quickly eliminating carcinogens, enhancing immune functions and reducing blood fats.
- Physical activity in the high school and college years may be important for preventing breast cancer in later life
3. Diabetes
- Exercise burns excess sugar and makes the cells more sensitive to the hormone insulin
4. Osteoporosis
- People with denser bones can better endure bone loss that occurs in aging.
5. Better control of body fat
- Regular exercise can increase daily caloric expenditures
- Endurance exercise burns calories directly plus it raises resting metabolic rate for several hours after exercise.
6. Improved Immune System
- Moderate endurance exercise boost immune function but overtraining depresses it
- Fit people get fewer colds and upper respiratory tract infection
7. Improved Psychological And Emotional Well Being
- Improves self-image
- Recreational Sports – Socialize, have fun and strive to excel
- Endurance exercise decreases the secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine (hormones trigerred by emotional stress)
- Exercise can improve mood. Physical structure of the brain – the area of the brain responsible for movement is near the area responsible for thought and emotion.
- Releases endorphin
- Alters neurotransmitters
- Better than psychotherapy
- Exercise can stimulate creativity, clarify thinking, relieve anxiety and relieve outlet for anger and aggression.
·         Immediate and Long Tem Effects of Regular Cardiovascular Endurance
o   Increase level of neurotransmitters constant or slightly increased blood flow to the brain
o   Increased heart rate and stroke volume (amount of blood pumped per beat)
o   Increased pulmonary ventilation (amount of air breathed into the body per minute). More air is taken into the lungs with each breath and breathing rate increases.
o   Reduced blood flow to the stomach, intestines, kidneys and lover resulting in less activity in the digestive tract and less urine output.
o   Increase ATP production
o   Increases blood flow to the skin and increased sweating to help maintain a safe body temperature
o   Increased systolic blood pressure; increased blood flow and oxygen transport to working skeletal muscles and the heart; increased oxygen consumption. As exercise intensity increases, blood levels of lactic acid increase
·         Long Term Effects
o   Improved cognitive functioning and ability to manage stress; decreased depression, anxiety and risk for stroke
o   Increased heart size and resting stroke volume, lower resting heart rate. Risk of heart disease and heart attack significantly reduced.
o   Improved ability to extract oxygen from air during exercise. Reduced risk of colds and upper respiratory tract infections.
o   Increased sweat rate and earlier onset of sweating, helping to cool the body. Decreased body fat
o   Reduced risk of colon cancer and certain other forms of cancer
o   Increased number and size of mitochondria in muscle cells; increased amount of stored glycogen, myoglobin content; improved ability to use lactic acid and fats as fuel. All of these changes allow for greater energy production and power output. Insulin sensitivity remains constant or improves helping to prevent type 2 diabetes. Fat free mass may also increase somewhat.
o   Increased density and breaking strength of bones ligaments and tendons; reduced risk of osteoporosis.
o   Increased blood volume and capillary density; higher levels of high density lipoproteins and lower levels of triglycerides; lower resting blood pressure and reduced platelets stickiness (a factor in coronary artery disease)
·         Developing a Cardiorespiratory Endurance Program
o   Setting Goals.
o   Remember the SMART goal?
o   Frequency of Training
o   Train 3-5 days per week
o   Beginners should start with 3 and work up to 5 days per week.
o   Intensity of Training
o   MaxHR = 208 – (0.7 x Age)
o   Karvonen = (MaxHR – Resting HR x %Intensity) + Resting HR
o   Duration of Training
o   Total of 20-60 minutes is recommended
o   One single session or multiple sessions of 10 minutes
o   Different intensity levels require different directions
o   High intensity activity = 20 minutes
o   Low to moderate intensity activity = 45 – 60 minutes
o   Choosing Sports or Activity
o   Involves rhythmic use of large muscle groups in long periods of time
o   Target Zone
o   F: 3-6x per week
o   I: 55-90% Max HR
o   T: 20-60 minutes
o   T: Cardiorespiratory Endurance Exercises





No comments:

Post a Comment