TASK 2 : PHYSIOLOGICAL EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Carefully read and understand the Reading Material no. 3 “Exercise Physiology:
Cardiovascular system” and answer the questions below

1. What are the main functions of the cardiovascular system?

 Circulates OXYGEN and removes Carbon Dioxide.

 Provides cells with NUTRIENTS

 .Removes the waste products of metabolism to the excretory organs
for disposal.
 Protects the body against disease and infection.
 Clotting stops bleeding after injury.
 Transports HORMONES to target cells and organs.
 Helps regulate body temperature.
 To transport nutrients, gases and waste products around the body

2. How is the study of the cardiovascular system important in exercise physiology?

Explain your answer.

The cardiovascular system can be seen as an extensive system with smaller parts
functioning to maintain optimal execution. The lungs, heart, and overall systemic
vasculature (arteries, veins, etc.) are significant factors involved. These parts work as
an integral unit to transport oxygenated or deoxygenated blood around the body. To
summarize in simple terms, the more fit a person is, the better the transfer of oxygen
from the lungs to the minor blood vessels; regular cardiovascular exercise will also
improve the heart's performance as a pump and will increase the efficiency of blood
transport into the surrounding vasculature. The constant flow of blood will also aid in
maintaining the elasticity of your blood vessels. Lastly, the likelihood of plaque or
other blood vessel difficulties is a lot less with a healthy cardiovascular system. In
addition to the improvement of cardiovascular flow for the entire body, cardiovascular
or aerobic type exercise also reduces the likelihood of “no-no” type risk factors or
diseases such as high blood pressure, increased bad cholesterol , obesity, or coronary
heart disease, to name a few. To put it simply, consistently keep active, or suffer dire
consequences! There are also different types of exercises that one can perform to
improve cardiovascular function. The ultimate goal of each is to improve blood flow
around the body. However, the way each type reaches that goal is different, and that
difference is very distinct. As a result, when analyzing these two cardiorespiratory
exercise types, one is definitely better than the other. The two main types of
cardiovascular training are continuous type exercise and high-intensity interval type
training. Ongoing type training is the type of exercise done where there are no rest
periods and the person activities at a low intensity for a certain amount of continuous
time (e.g., jogging for 60 minutes straight). In comparison, interval training is a type
of exercise done with rest periods between each sprint or running interval. Interval
training is typically done at a higher intensity than continuous training because the
person will be able to rest in between each interval (e.g., sprinting for 20 seconds, rest
for 10 seconds, and repeating this pattern 6 times). This type of exercise is also more
common in highly athletic populations. However, anyone (novice or intermediate
athletes) can utilize interval training with effectiveness in their own exercise routine,
albeit at a more suitable and lower intensity. Now you might be wonder, is there
actually a difference in the amount of fat burned between these 2 types of exercises?
Yes, interval training is more intense, allowing for an increased resting metabolic rate
(relative to higher intensity exercise) than low-intensity exercise during continuous
type training. In fact, interval training is a lot more efficient at using fat as fuel
between each interval to restore energy for the muscles being worked. Research has
also found that high-intensity intervals may use less energy during working out.
However, they will burn a lot more fat, making it one of the most efficient burning
methods! In addition to energy restoration during the actual exercise, the recovery
process will constantly use fat as a fuael to aid in aerobic recovery after the exercise
bout ends. In essence, the more intense the interval training is, the longer the aerobic
recovery process will occur after activity.