When people think of cardiovascular fitness, they often envision a young man with ripped abs and rippling muscles. You can find it in infomercials looking for the latest energy drink, diet pills, or hugely expensive workout equipment. All the while, “You’ll look like me too!” In truth, crash diets and unrealistic exercise routines have very little to do with fitness. True fitness has more to do with physics than physics. 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 take up, transport, and use oxygen.”*1 In other words, is your body using oxygen efficiently? Consider the factors that influence oxygen efficiency.
* How oxygen enters the system
* Oxygen in the bloodstream
* Ware and Tear in the system
*Strength of the heart
How oxygen enters the system
Room air only contains 16% oxygen. As you inhale, oxygen enters your lungs and moves into your bloodstream through gas exchange. However, if you breathe through damaged lungs, the percentage of oxygen absorbed into your bloodstream drops dramatically. Conversely, carbon dioxide and other waste gases are not exhaled effectively and accumulate in the body.
oxygen in the bloodstream
Components of the blood called hemoglobin or red blood cells collect oxygen molecules in the lungs and transport them throughout the body. Hemoglobin exchanges oxygen for carbon dioxide molecules and then transports them back to the lungs. Along the way, fats, sugars and plates are also collected. These components are sticky like sludge and adhere to the walls of the container. This narrows the passageway and makes the walls rough and hard, increasing the pressure needed to move blood through the narrow openings. This stresses the heart in its fight to keep up with the rise in blood pressure.
Merchandise and tare in the system
From the moment you were conceived until you died, your heart is in motion. Beating an average of 80 beats per minute, 4,800 beats per hour, 115,200 beats per day and 42,076,800 beats per year all without a break. After 50 years, your heart will beat an average of 2,103,840,000 times without a break. Preventive maintenance is a key element in keeping your body running smoothly and feeling great.
heart strength
All muscles share one thing in common. If you don’t use it: you will lose it. If you don’t exercise your heart muscle, it can lose muscle tone, becoming weak and enlarged. Your heart can no longer pump effectively. As oxygen levels drop, the body reacts by shutting off circulation to the extremities. Symptoms can include confusion, cold extremities, and shortness of breath.
To avoid this domino effect, the American Heart Association in conjunction with the American College of Sports Medicine recommend the following guidelines. “For adults ages 18-65, at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity 5 days a week.”*2 You can 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?
Starting
* Let your doctor know that you are beginning a cardiovascular conditioning program. Your doctor can give you some perimeters to start with and some reasonable goals to work towards.
* Choose a program or activities you enjoy.
Your program must include FIT*3
Frequency (number of times per week)
Intensity (the speed or workload of an activity)
Time (duration of each session)
* Now assemble your support team that will encourage you not to put it down.
* Then write in a journal your experiences, successes and achievements. Seeing how far you’ve come will inspire you to keep going for the rest of your long, happy, and healthy life.