The Mayo Clinic states that your cardiovascular system is composed of your heart and blood vessels, including your arteries, veins and capillaries--small blood vessels in which oxygen delivery to your tissues occurs. Exercise, such as aerobic activity and strength training, can improve your heart function and the efficiency of your circulatory system, allowing you to deliver more blood to your tissues with each heartbeat. Consider performing regular exercise to enhance and protect your cardiovascular system.
A Lower Resting Heart Rate
According to Len Kravitz, Ph.D., an exercise scientist at the University of New Mexico, regular engagement in aerobic exercise can lower your resting heart rate by five to 25 beats per minute. A lower resting heart due to aerobic training means that your heart has to work less to pump the same amount of blood, which reduces wear and tear on your cardiovascular system and promotes longevity. Kravitz states that aerobic exercise induces a lower resting heart rate as a result of a complex interaction between your nerves and chemicals that are tasked with regulating your heart's pumping rate and the diameter of your blood vessels. He also states that your resting heart rate largely is regulated by your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and that a reduction in your resting heart rate due to exercise stems from an increase in parasympathetic or relaxation activity, along with a slight decrease in your body's sympathetic or excitation activity.
A Stronger Heart
The Mayo Clinic states that regular physical activity makes your heart stronger. A stronger heart is capable of pumping more blood while using less effort, and by working less, the strain on your arteries--the blood vessels that deliver oxygenated blood to your tissues--is reduced, which lowers your blood pressure. Aerobic activity causes your heart to become larger, especially your left ventricle, which is your heart chamber that's responsible for pumping blood to most of the tissues in your body. A bigger left ventricle results in a higher stroke volume, which is the amount of blood your heart pumps per beat. Participating in regular strength training sessions can also make your heart stronger, but instead of making your heart bigger, it causes your heart musculature to thicken. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if you're a cardiac patient, you can boost your aerobic capacity by engaging in strength training sessions three times per week as part of your rehabilitation program.
A More Efficient Circulatory System
Your cardiovascular system, along with your circulatory system, is responsible for delivering oxygen-infused blood to your body's tissues. Blood is carried to your tissues through your blood vessels, which include your arteries, arterioles and capillaries, and de-oxygenated blood is returned to your heart via your venules and veins. According to a 2000 study published in the "American Journal of Hypertension," a three-month aerobic exercise program performed by patients with hypertension or high blood pressure, resulted in capillary changes which reduced study participants' diastolic blood pressure. According to the Anti-Aging Guide 2009, aerobic exercise stimulates capillary growth in your muscles, which allows your body to deliver oxygen to your muscles more efficiently and clear metabolic waste products such as lactic acid. Your improved ability to clear metabolic waste products from your system can reduce the discomfort associated with musculoskeletal conditions such as fibromyalgia and chronic low back pain.
