Cardiovascular exercise, or cardio or aerobic exercise, refers to physical activities that increase your heart rate and breathing rate, causing you to breathe harder and faster. This type of exercise focuses on the cardiovascular system, which includes the heart, lungs, and blood vessels.
- Lungs: When you exercise, your lungs work harder to take in more oxygen and release more carbon dioxide. As you breathe faster and deeper, your lungs increase their oxygen exchange capacity, allowing you to deliver more oxygen to your body’s cells and tissues.
- Heart: Your heart is a muscle that pumps blood throughout your body. During cardio exercise, your heart beats faster and harder to supply oxygen-rich blood to your working muscles. This increased demand for blood flow strengthens the heart muscle, making it more efficient at pumping blood and reducing your risk of heart disease.
- Blood vessels: As your heart pumps more blood, your blood vessels dilate to accommodate the increased blood flow. This dilation helps to lower blood pressure, improve circulation, and deliver oxygen and nutrients to your muscles more efficiently.
Examples of cardio exercises include running, cycling, swimming, dancing, and brisk walking. These activities require continuous movement of large muscle groups over an extended period, elevating your heart and breathing rates.
Walking, brisk or otherwise is considered to be beneficial to the cardiovascular system as well and there is a lot of benefit for those who may struggle to run to start with walking.
Cardio exercise differs from other types of exercise, such as strength or resistance training, which focus on building muscle strength and mass. Cardio exercise can improve your cardiovascular fitness, which refers to your heart’s ability to pump blood and your body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently.
Systems involved in cardio
When you do cardiovascular exercise such as jogging, several physiological systems in your body are engaged to meet the increased demand for energy and oxygen. Here’s what happens:
- Musculoskeletal system: During jogging or other cardio exercises, your leg muscles contract repeatedly, generating the force needed to move your body forward. This activity can help strengthen your muscles and bones, improve your balance, and increase your endurance.
- Cardiovascular system: As mentioned earlier, your heart beats faster and harder to supply oxygen-rich blood to your working muscles. This increased blood flow also helps to remove waste products, such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid, from your muscles.
- Respiratory system: Your lungs work harder to take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. With regular cardio exercise, your lung capacity can increase, allowing you to take in more oxygen with each breath.
- Nervous system: When you exercise, your brain releases endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals that can boost your mood and reduce stress. Your nervous system also helps to coordinate your muscle contractions and maintain your balance and posture during jogging.
- Metabolic system: As you jog, your body uses stored carbohydrates and fats to fuel your muscles. Regular cardio exercise can help to improve your body’s ability to burn fat for energy and regulate your blood sugar levels.
A lot of systems are involved when one is performing a cardiovascular exercise and they work in unison.