When people think of cardiovascular fitness, they often envision a young man with 6-pack abs and rippling muscles˳ You can find him on infomercials stumping for the latest power drink, diet pill, or hugely expensive workout equipment˳ All touting, “You too will look like me!” In truth, crash diets and unrealistic workout routines have very little to do with fitness˳ True fitness has more to do with physics than physiques˳ So what does Cardiovascular Fitness mean? To answer that question, we need to define it˳
The Centers for Disease Control defines Cardiovascular Fitness as “the body’s ability to uptake, transport and utilize oxygen˳”*1 In other words, does your body use oxygen efficiently? Consider the factors that influence oxygen efficiency˳
* How Oxygen Enters the System
* Oxygen in the Bloodstream
* Ware and Tear on the System
* Heart Strength
How Oxygen Enters the System
Room air only contains 16% oxygen˳ As you inhale, oxygen enters the lungs and moves to the bloodstream through an exchange of gases˳ If you breathe through damaged lungs, however, the percentage of oxygen absorbed into the blood stream decreases dramatically˳ Conversely, carbon dioxide and other waste gases are not exhaled effectively and build up in the body˳
Oxygen in the Bloodstream
Components in the blood called Hemoglobin’s or red blood cells collect oxygen molecules in the lungs and transport them through out the body˳ Hemoglobin exchanges oxygen for carbon dioxide molecules then transport them back to the lungs˳ Along the way, fats, sugars and plaques are also picked up˳ These components are sticky much like sludge and adhere to the vessel walls˳ This narrows the passage causing the walls to become ridged and hard increasing the pressure needed to move the blood through the narrow openings˳ This stresses the heart as it struggles to maintain the increase in blood pressure˳
Ware and Tare on the System
From the moment your were conceived until you die your heart is in motion˳ Beating an average of 80 beats per minute, 4,800 beats per hour, 115200 beats per day, and 42,076,800 beast per year all with out rest˳ After 50 years, your heart will beat an average of 2,103,840,000 times with out rest˳ Preventative maintenance is a key element in keeping the body running smoothly and feeling great˳
Heart Strength
All muscles share one thing in common˳ If you don’t use it: you will loose it˳ If you do not exercise your heart muscle, it can loose muscle tone becoming weak and enlarged˳ Your heart is no longer able to pump effectively˳ As oxygen levels decrease, the body reacts by shutting down circulation to the extremities˳ Symptoms may include confusion, coldness in the extremities and shortness of breath˳
To avoid this domino affect, The American Heart Association along with the American College of Sports Medicine recommends the following guidelines˳ “For adults 18-65 at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity 5 days a week˳”*2 You get to select the activity and when˳
What does Cardiovascular Fitness mean? It is the health of the entire cardiovascular system that ensures the best efficient use of oxygen˳ As with any great endeavor, it all starts with the first step˳ So what are you waiting for?
Getting Started
* Let your physician know you are starting a cardiovascular fitness program˳ Your physician can give you some perimeters to start with and some reasonable goals to work towards˳
* Choose a program or activities that you enjoy˳
Your program should include F˳I˳T˳*3
Frequency (number of times per week)
Intensity (the speed or workload of an activity)
Time (duration of each session)
* Now gather your support team that will encourage you not put you down˳
* Then journal your experiences, successes and your milestones˳ Seeing how far you’ve come will inspire you to keep on going for the rest of your long, happy, healthy, life˳
Source by https://ezinearticles˳com/?Cardiovascular-Fitness-is-About-Physics-Not-Physique&id=1612463
