Chapter 7 Cardiovascular Fitness

Benefits of Cardiovascular Fitness Help you look better Control your weight Give you more energy Build muscle Increases heart strength Improves blood vessel health

Cardiovascular System Made up of your heart, blood vessels, and

your blood

Heart A Muscle Acts as a pump to supply blood to your

body cells. During exercise your heart pumps blood

into your muscles to remove waste products that have been built in the muscle

Table 7.1 in book

Cholesterol A fatlike substance found in meats, dairy

products, and egg yolks. High Levels can be built up in your body

without you noticing. Carried through the bloodstream by

lipoproteins LDL HDL

Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

Referred to as bad cholesterol Carries cholesterol that is most likely to

stay in the body and contribute to atherosclerosis

High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)

Often referred to as GOOD cholesterol HDL’s carry LDL’s out of the bloodstream

and into the liver for elimination from the body

Fibrin A substance involved in making your blood

clot Exercise helps reduce the amount of fibrin

in the blood Too much fibrin can contribute to the

development of atherosclerosis

Arteries and Veins Arteries – Carry blood away from your heart

to another part of your body Veins- Carry blood filled with waste

products from the muscle cells back to the heart.

Aerobic Activity Aerobic – means “with oxygen” Activity steady enough to allow the heart to

supply all the oxygen your muscles need Moderate lifestyle physical activities are

considered to be aerobic because you can do them for long periods of time without stopping

Anaerobic Activity Anaerobic- means “without oxygen” Activity that is so intense that your body

cannot supply adequate oxygen to sustain it for long periods of time

Sprinting, Swimming very fast, and bursts of activity in sports are examples