Physical fitness benefits health in a number of ways. Building strength and fitness helps to reduce the response to stress, increase energy and attentiveness, and regulate sleeping patterns all essential for overall heart health. The new guidelines for Americans are exercising moderately for at least 2 1/2 hours each week with additional health benefits if that number is doubled. It is also recommended that adults incorporate muscle strength-training and stretching two times each week.
Blood Pressure
Physical activity lowers blood pressure, especially in those with hypertension. High blood pressure is a sign of the heart having to work harder to pump blood through the body. High blood pressure is caused by the heart forcing the blood through the arteries, leading to increased pressure, damaging the arteries over time. Physical activity increases cardiac output, which decreases how hard the heart has to work, thereby decreasing blood pressure.
Cardiac Output
Cardiac output is the amount of blood pumped through the heart with each beat. Physical activity helps to increase the amount of blood the heart can pump with each beat. This allows for increased blood flow and circulation throughout the body, especially the skeletal muscles, without increasing the force and pressure against the arteries. Increased circulation helps oxygenate the cells and eliminate toxins. As cardiac output improves, so will physical fitness. Regular physical activity strengthens the heart so that it does not have to work as hard to circulate the blood.
Triglycerides and Cholesterol
High triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels are linked to the onset of coronary artery disease. Physical activity can increase HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol while lowering blood triglyceride (fat) levels. Physical activity helps to lower triglycerides and raise HDL by utilizing fat for energy. With sustained physical activity, the HDL cholesterol carries fats to the liver to be eliminated by the body, lowering the amount of triglycerides circulating in the body.
Energy Consumption
Overweight and obesity contribute to many adverse health outcomes, most notably heart disease. Excess body weight may cause high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, and high triglyceride levels. Regular physical activity improves fitness levels and utilizes energy consumed from calories. This produces heat created by muscles working harder. Increases in lean body mass, such as muscle, can help burn more calories than fat mass. By maintaining a healthy weight through improved physical fitness, cardiovascular problems will likely decrease.
Stress Reduction
Stress causes the body to release hormones to enlist the "fight or flight" response where the body is told it needs to either run or fight. The release of stress hormones trigger responses that cause increases in blood sugar and blood pressure, so that the body has more oxygen and energy to run or fight. Physical activity allows the body to think it is running or fighting utilizing the stress response and reducing blood sugar and pressure. In effect, increases in physical fitness help the body reduce stress thereby ameliorating the negative cardiovascular consequences associated with high blood sugar and pressure.
Tags: blood pressure, blood sugar, Physical activity, activity helps, amount blood, blood pressure