Cardiovascular Condition Essay, Research Paper

Cardiovascular conditioning can be defined as the efficient transport and utilization of necessary oxygen and nutrients to the tissues of the body. The cardiovascular system needs to be well conditioned to enable the body to deliver adequate oxygenated blood and nutrients to the working muscles, in addition to improving the muscles? capacity to use extra oxygen. Cardiovascular training is the most important style of training both for general health and for overall athletic performance. Exercising can lower stress levels and decrease the levels of depression by stimulating the blood flow to the brain. Cardiovascular conditioning is an alternative medicine in sometimes treating accurences of stress.

According to Elaine Blinde (1999) in the Journal of Sport Behavior, one of the major systems of the body, which is effected by cardiovascular conditioning, is the circulatory system. With proper exercise the heart becomes stronger and is able to use energy more efficiently. Blood pressure will lower because the heart muscle does not have to work as hard to pump the blood. The heart will beat fewer times per minute while it is at rest, but it will be able to deliver a greater amount of blood with each stroke as a result of adequate conditioning. Conditioning has other benefits to cardiovascular fitness as well. It will increase oxygenation of the blood due to the fact that while exercising deep breathing increases the blood flow to the lungs. Under a well-planned conditioning program conditioning can help lower the rate of depression and stress.. Individuals who exercise regularly have a lower rate of depression and stress than individuals who do not participate in an exercise program. Stephan Tomlinson (2000) has shown that one of the most important aspects of conditioning for the heart is the warm-up. Warming-up before intense exercise gradually increases the heart rate and releases a lot of unwanted negative energy. Sudden extreme exercise can cause the heart to demand more oxygen than the circulatory system can provide, resulting in strain on the heart muscle. Warming-up will help to prevent heart attacks that result from abnormal heart rhythms.

During the first one or two minutes of exercise, before the heart has pumped enough oxygenated blood to the working muscles, the muscles are powered by anaerobic energy. In order for these muscles to continue exercise, the body must supply them with continuous supply of oxygen, the more efficiently this is done, the better the cardiovascular fitness level. During cardiovascular conditioning, a program such as interval training can help to relieve some of the discomfort of anaerobic exercise, increasing muscular endurance. Interval training is a good method for competitive runners in which usual aerobic training is mixed with several repetitions of faster running. Not only does this program increase muscular endurance, it also helps to increase the temperature of the muscles. The higher the temperature of the muscle cells, the faster they are able to metabolize oxygen and fuel they need. Cardiovascular helps to increase muscle mass, and as muscle mass increases more fat cells are burned. This training helps in releases energy and causes the blood flow to excerlerate at a higher demand. Causing stress levels in the body to drop.

With proper training, the body?s usage of oxygen can be improved by up to twenty-five percent. Cardiovascular endurance is best improved by training with the right balance of intensity, duration, and frequency. The right intensity is determined by monitoring training pulse. Once exercise is finished the pulse should be taken immediately. According to Myer, Malott, Gray and Tudor-Locke (1999) an adequate beginner?s rate is 120-130 beats per minute; intermediate (after 3-6 weeks of training) 130-140 beats per minute; and conditioned athletes should have a training pulse of 160 or higher. If training pulse is too high the athlete should slow the pace to get the best benefits of the training. The duration of training is determined by monitoring the recovery pulse rate. After a heavy cardiovascular workout, the athlete should wait two minutes and take the pulse, if the duration is appropriate it should have dropped approximately twenty-five to thirty percent of the training pulse. If it doesn?t recover quickly the duration is too long and the time of exercise should be decreased. The frequency of a workout should be a combination of heavy and light exercise. Three times per week (every other day) the athlete should exercise at the highest training pulse. On the other two to three days in between, the intensity should be the same or somewhat easier, but the duration should be one-third to one-half of what it is on heavier days. The easier pace and shorter distance on lighter days helps to clean out work waste products that are produced in the tissues on previous heavy training days. Even the most dedicated person should take one day off per week to rest. After the first week the person will notice a difference in he or she?s life style. They would feel more confident and less stressfull. Resulting in either improvement in grades or work habits. After following the complete schedule or exercise weekly, the person will not only find visual improvements but social improvements also.

One of the best ways to test your level of cardiovascular fitness is to ask yourself how much oxygen you use per minute. Myer, Malott, Gray and Tudor-Locke (1999) explain that the more oxygen used per minute the better condition you?re in (Max VO2). This simply means that if the heart and lungs can supply a large amount of oxygen to the tissues the body is able to go farther, and faster, before fatigue sets in. It is important to take into consideration some key things before you design your conditioning program: your current fitness level, what you hope to achieve, how much time you are willing to spend, what health risks do you have, and how motivated are you to begin your program.

There are a number of different pieces of exercise equipment that can assist you with your conditioning program, though it is important to be sure that the equipment will be used. It cannot work if it is not put to use. According to Blinde (1999) the most common training aids are stationary bikes, rowing machines, and treadmills. A good program for beginners is the walk-jog routine. If you have not been exercising regularly or are recovering from an injury, this is a gradual, progressive program. To begin with walk one hundred paces, and then jog one hundred paces, alternating for ten minutes each day. Gradually walk ten fewer paces and jog ten more, continue on with this pattern until you are jogging for ten minutes straight. Once you have achieved this you can increase your jogging speed until it is within training range.

Based on the research I did for the comparision of cardiovascular conditioning and stress levels in people, my hypothesis is that at the end of my experiment cardiovascular training will minimize the levels of stress in people. I assume that the two will corelate together in finding a solution to lower stress. Based on my research, I found that cardiovasular training excerates the blood and pumps more blood to the brain. This blood flow releases unwanted negative energy and prevents you from thinking about the problem that caused the stress.

Obviously cardiovascular fitness is very important. The cardiovascular system of our body is extremely vital and helps to fuel not only our muscular system but it also fuels our mind.. By conditioning, for an average person, they are decreasing their risk of serious conditions caused by stress, and are also building up their strength and endurance as well. For an stressed out person, cardiovascular conditioning helps them to build their endurance and speed, and helps them to increase their self-esteem by utilizing the oxygen they need more efficiently. It is important to have that base of cardiovascular fitness because it improves many aspects of our life, such as; work habits, appearance, health and mentality.

METHOD:

The method I used in finding the relationship between cardiovascular conditioning and stress levels was that I took a random sample of men and females over the ages of 18.

References

Blinde, Elaine & Taub, Taub, Diane. (1999). Personal empowerment through sport and physical fitness. Journal of Sport Behavior, 22, 181-202.

Monsen, Elaine. (2000). Take food and fitness: Health for a lifetime to heart. Journal of

American Dietetic Association, 100, 286.

Myer, A., Malott, O., Gray, E., and Tudor-Locke, C. (1999). Measuring accumulated health-related: Benefits of exercise participation for older adults. Journal of Gerontology, 54A, M456.

Tomlinson, Stephan. (2000). The research assessment exercise and medical research. BritishMedical Journal, 320. 636-639.