Physiological Benefits Of Aerobic Activity Essay Examples
Aerobic activities are also known as physical exercises, which can vary from low to high intensity; such level of intensity depends on aerobic energy-generating condition. The word “aerobic” means the notion of a process of relating to, involving, and requiring free oxygen. The meaning of the word also reflects the action, when oxygen is used in order to meet demands of energy during the period of exercises through aerobic metabolism. As a rule, aerobic activities with intensity from light to moderate, supported with the help of aerobic metabolism, may be carried out for quite long period of time. There are three types of aerobic activities: indoor, outdoor and the combined type. Indoor aerobic activities include treadmill, stair climbing, elliptical trainer, stationary bicycle and indoor rower. Outdoor aerobic activities consist of such exercises as rowing, walking, running, cross-country running, inline skating, cycling and Nordic walking. The combined type embraces activities from both of the above-mentioned types. Physiological benefits of aerobic activities cannot be overestimated; it positively affects the work of all human organs and a body in general.
A heart is a muscular hollow organ of circulatory system, which, by its rhythmic cardiac beats, pumps blood or hemolymph through blood vessels, providing nourishment and oxygen for tissues in human organism. Aerobic activities, if in moderate quantity and after a consultation with specialists, can benefit an organism physiologically. Primarily, such exercises enlarge a diameter of blood vessels; a condition, which gives the possibility for blood to run much more easily through blood vessels. One more important benefit lies in the increase of the amount of blood, which is ejected from heart with its every single beat (Olpin, Michael). The balanced and regular aerobic activities raise the level of strength of heart muscle contraction. It means that a heart does not need to work harder in order to fulfill the same work load. Among cardiovascular benefits, caused by aerobic activity, the significant position is taken by the decrease of resting heart rate; this decrease can come to 10 bpm, in such a way, saving about 262,800, 000 heart beats for the next fifty years of life. During the performance of aerobic exercises, human heart chambers increase their size, making a heart stronger (Olpin, Michael). Although, people should always remember that the exercise stress has to be moderate.
Lungs are organs of air-breathing, which are located in the chest cavity and excluded from the chest cavity by a diaphragm. Lungs are charged with the gas exchange between air in lungs’ cavity and blood, which circulates through pulmonary capillaries. The permanent aerobic exercises affect the human breathing rate. In the course of time, the breathing rate becomes less labored in comparison with the condition of the rate at the beginning of aerobic exercises program. However, the physiological benefits for lungs are expressed in a complex with other improvements throughout an organism (Wolfe, Lisa M.). Muscles become much more effective during the process, which include an extraction of oxygen from blood stream and a deposit of carbon dioxide to blood stream. A heart has the possibility to pump much blood, pushing it out to nourish muscles. All these positive physiological changes reduce efforts, required by lungs. Also, there exists a thought that lungs can increase their size while performing regular aerobic exercises; though, it is not quite true. A capacity of human lungs is the result of a person’s genetics, but swimming is the only exercise, which can cause slight increase of lung volumes (Wolfe, Lisa M.).
Blood pressure is the pressure, provided by blood, upon vascular walls or, in other words, it is the excess of fluid pressure in the circulatory system above the atmospheric pressure; blood pressure is also one of the important vital signs. Aerobic activities can also have a positive influence upon the state of human blood pressure. Chiefly, aerobic exercises lead to the decrease of blood pressure; it means the decrease of resting diastolic, systolic and mean blood pressure and, at the same time, the decrease of diastolic and mean pressure during the maximal work. The other benefit of aerobic activity for blood pressure lies in the reduction of the risk, connected with the development of hypertension and the reduction of medical complications, which can be caused by hypertension. The performance of aerobic activities may also compensate negative effects of some antihypertensive drugs (Hamer, Taylor, and Steptoe).
Paying attention to the above-mentioned facts, it can be said that, in general, , aerobic activity tells upon the state of the whole organism. Though, such improvements can be obtained only on the assumption of several conditions; one of the principal conditions is the consultation with doctors – cardiologists and/or physicians. Doctors will examine the state of a person before the beginning of aerobic activities program and tell, which exercises can be performed and which should be flatly excluded from the plan of coachings. The second condition depends on a person himself/herself; one has to remember that the aerobic exercises in excessive quantity will not improve one’s physiological benefits more, but can lead to the hospital bed. Strong health was always valued earlier and is valued nowadays. “A sound mind in a sound body” is the proverb, which characterizes the combination of the rational attitude towards the performance of various kinds of aerobic exercises and the positive attitude towards people and things around. Movement is life, and the best way to move a lot and live a healthy life is the union of aerobic exercises and balanced feeding.
Works Cited
Olpin, Michael. “Benefits of Aerobic Conditioning”. N.p., 2013. <http://faculty.weber.edu/molpin/exercisebenefits.html>
Wolfe, Lisa M. “How Does the Level of Aerobic Activity Affect Lung Capacity?” Chron. 2015. <http://livehealthy.chron.com/level-aerobic-activity-affect-lung-capacity-9598.html>
Hamer, M., Taylor, A., Steptoe, A. “The effect of acute aerobic exercise on stress related blood pressure responses: A systematic review and meta-analysis”. N.p., 4 April 2015. <http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mark_Hamer/publication/7765035_The_effect_of_acute_aerobic_exercise_on_stress_related_blood_pressure_responses_a_systematic_review_and_meta-analysis/links/00b7d5277acf740d3b000000.pdf>
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