The lungs are responsible for transporting blood around your body and disposing of the waste gas, carbon dioxide. When you exercise the lungs have to work harder but according to Health Central, physical activity can strengthen limb muscles, thereby enhancing stamina and reducing breathlessness.
The Role of the Lungs
Oxygen is essential for the survival of every cell in your body, and the lungs are responsible for the gas exchange: the process by which oxygen is carried into the bloodstream and around the body and by which carbon dioxide is removed. According to the American Lung Association, your lungs are a vital part of the respiratory system, which ensures you automatically take between 12 and 15 breaths per minute.
How the Respiratory System Works
The right lung is divided into three lobes and the left lung two. When you inhale, air enters your system via your nose or mouth and travels down your windpipe into your lungs. Your nose and airways are covered with tiny hairs called cilia, which are caked in a sticky mucus that traps dust and dirt, preventing them from entering the lungs, per the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
The Gas Exchange
According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the pulmonary artery and its smaller branches carry carbon dioxide-rich blood to the alveoli: air sacs that lie at the end of tiny blood vessels called capillaries, which extend from tubes called bronchioles. Here oxygen is transported from the air into the blood in the capillaries, and carbon dioxide moves from the blood into the air. The pulmonary vein then carries the oxygenated blood to the heart, where it is pumped to the rest of the body.
The Lungs and Exercise
According to the British Lung Foundation, when you begin to exercise your brain receives messages from your muscles telling it more oxygen is needed. Your diaphragm then receives the message that it must relax more frequently, meaning that your breathing rate increases. This results in more oxygen being transported to the muscles you are exercising.
Exercise-Induced Asthma
Asthma can be triggered by exercise, according to the Mayo Clinic, but that should not scare you off physical activity, as it can be managed. Symptoms include coughing and wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and fatigue, and can either start during exercise or after you finish. If you experience any of these symptoms, contact a health care professional before engaging in any more activity.
Other Health Issues
People with serious lung conditions are susceptible to problems with exercising. Exercise will not improve lung function but it can help reduce breathlessness and improve overall health. Health Central suggests that those with viral infections should avoid physical exercise altogether while emphysema patients should walk for up to an hour each day, broken into five to 15 minute intervals. Always consult a health practitioner before beginning a new exercise regime.
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