Cardiovascular System Exercise

Exercises that promote cardiovascular endurance like running, cycling and hiking are great ways to build a stronger heart and lungs, lose weight, increase metabolism, and prevent diseases. When your body is working hard, your heart is the organ responsible for delivery the nutrients your muscles need. As you build cardiovascular endurance, your heart will become more efficient and your entire body will feel the difference.

  1. How it Works

    • As your body begins to work harder to run, your muscles are in greater need of fresh oxygen and need a way to get rid of toxins like carbon dioxide and lactic acid that builds up during exercise. Your heart helps with this, and so do your lungs which is why both your heart rate and breathing rate increase with exercise. Your blood carries oxygen from the lungs and delivers it to the muscles and organs in need, and on the way back through the circulation track, it brings with it the carbon dioxide which is the bi-product of muscle activity. This is deposited in the lungs where it is then exhaled. This cycle entails the basic function of the cardiovascular system during exercise.

    At the Start of Exercise

    • Prior to starting exercise, your cardiovascular system undergoes an anticipatory response, according to Sport-fitness-advisor.com. Your heart rate begins to increase in anticipation of activity to come. So when you are stretching out before your run, you may notice a slight increase in your heart rate as it begins to prepare your body by getting more oxygen to your muscles so it will be ready for exercise. This is much more noticeable prior to a competition such as a marathon, bicycle race, or even a company softball game. You may feel anxious or nervous, but it is in part because your body is preparing.

    During Exercise

    • During exercise, your heart is also responsible for transporting heat from the core to the skin to keep your body from overheating. It also transports and delivers nutrients and hormones that are depleted during exercise. As Sport-fitness-advisor.com tells us, once you've been doing a cardiovascular exercise for a long interval, you reach what is called steady-state heart rate. This is when your heart rate levels off because your exertion levels stay consistent.

    Building Cardiovascular Endurance

    • Strengthening your cardiovascular system through exercise takes dedication. Not only is it important to eat foods that are low in saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, calories, and sugar, but you have to exercise regularly. Running and cycling aren't the only forms of cardiovascular exercise. Weight lifting utilizes isolated muscles, so it does have an affect on your heart rate, though not a consistent, long-term affect. In the end, any exercise is better than no exercise at all, but to target your cardiovascular system in particular you can jump rope for 5 minute intervals, elliptical, run, or bicycle at a steady pace for 20-30 minutes, are join in on a class like aerobics, kickboxing, or boot-camp. Anything that will get your heart rate up to 145-180 beats per minute is ideal to strengthen your cardiovascular system.