Your cardiovascular system basically contains the heart, blood vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries), and the blood. It takes oxygen from your lungs and helps transport oxygen, nutrients, other substances via the blood to all tissues throughout your body. It also facilitates nutrient absorption from your gastrointestinal tract as well as the elimination of waste products from the tissues. Your heart muscle (myocardium) rhythmically contracts to pump the blood throughout your body. This rhythmical activity is regulated by the nervous system and the endocrine system.
The blood flows from the heart to your tissues through the arteries, while the veins help the blood to flow to the heart from the peripheries. These arteries and veins connect each other by tiny vessels called capillaries, which have walls with one cell thickness. The capillaries help the transfer of nutrients, gases (mainly oxygen and carbon dioxide), and waste products to and from your cells. The walls of the arteries and veins contain smooth muscles. These smooth muscles contract and relax according to the input from the nervous system and the endocrine system. This process helps regulate the cross-sectional area of the blood vessels hence the blood pressure. Your heart muscle contracts and relaxes to generate force and pump the blood. It is also regulated by the nervous system and the endocrine system.
Your blood mainly consists of red cells, white cells, platelets, proteins, electrolytes, and water. It can carry the nutrients, various gases, drugs, waste products to and from the peripheral tissues. The cardiovascular system also helps regulate body temperature (thermoregulation).
If your cardiovascular system is healthy, it is usually adequate to meet the demands of daily life, exercise, and other physical activities. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is among the major causes of death worldwide. Coronary artery disease (CAD) or ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is the main cardiovascular disease in most people. Sometimes, blood cholesterol and lipids can be deposited within the walls of the arteries. This process is known as atherosclerosis and can narrow the lumen of the artery. Atherosclerosis may impair the blood flow through the coronary arteries, which supply the blood to the heart. If the blood flow to your heart is reduced to a critical level, a heart attack (myocardial infarction) can occur. Any ischaemic heart disease can lower your physical ability significantly. However, regular physical activities and exercise can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. They improve the function of the heart and blood flow to the heart as well as other tissues throughout your body.
When a person has a heart attack, he or she is usually referred to a cardiac rehabilitation programme. Exercise science professionals help the patient to increase the fitness, improve nutrition, manage stress, and modify lifestyle. They normally use regular exercise for helping people recover from a heart attack. They ask to begin with a light-intensity exercise for a short duration initially and increase the intensity and duration gradually.
Your cardiovascular system helps improve the performance of the athletic events and sports. It delivers oxygen and nutrients to the working tissues. It also helps remove waste products from the working muscles. These processes are key factors in the success during aerobic physical activities. Your cardiovascular system works with the respiratory, musculoskeletal, nervous, and the endocrine system to achieve your target.
Exercise or athletic events, which last more than three to five minutes depend greatly on the sufficient supply of oxygen to the tissues. Maximal oxygen consumption or VO2max is known as maximum oxygen consumed by the body during the maximum physical effort. Ability to deliver blood and oxygen to the working tissues by the cardiovascular system is the limiting factor in determining the VO2max value. The success of the most aerobic endurance events partially depends on the VO2max. Therefore, the health and fitness of your cardiovascular system are an essential factor for endurance performance success. Most exercise science professionals regularly develop new training programmes, improving biomechanical movement, nutrition, and psychological factors to enhance the delivery of oxygen to the working tissues. This increases athletic and sport performance significantly.
Related Links:
Exercise and Your Muscles
Exercise and Your Skeletal System
Exercise and Your Respiratory System
Exercise and Your Urinary System
Exercise and Your Digestive System
Exercise and Your Nervous System
Related Links:
Exercise and Your Muscles
Exercise and Your Skeletal System
Exercise and Your Respiratory System
Exercise and Your Urinary System
Exercise and Your Digestive System
Exercise and Your Nervous System
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