The beneficial changes within the circulatory system from exercise include making the heart stronger, providing more oxygen throughout the body for improved functioning and helping people to react better to stress while gaining physical benefits. These benefits can be achieved through regular exercise, usually defined as vigorous activity for at least 30 minutes 3 to 5 days a week. The improvements can be seen soon after the start of an exercise program and will continue throughout life with regular exercising. Moderately intense exercise may include everything from jogging and swimming to racquetball and aerobics.
Function
The heart increases in size in response to exercise, which results in thicker, stronger walls. The number of red blood cells increases, and the density of the capillary beds in the muscles surrounding the heart and lungs increases. This boosts the amount of blood pumped around the body per minute so oxygen is delivered faster to the working muscles.
Efficiency
The heart has to perform fewer beats, because the body receives more blood flow from the chambers of the heart with each pump. Since the heart does not have to beat as much, it becomes more efficient. It still supplies the body with the oxygen that it needs with a lower pulse rate. The arterial walls become more elastic to better handle any changes in blood pressure.
Time Frame
The time varies among people, but these positive changes can occur after several weeks on an exercise program, according to Prairie State College Fitness Center in Chicago Heights, Illinois. Specific improvements depend on the different types of activity. The cardiovascular system improves as the person becomes conditioned. There is a faster return to a normal pulse rate after exercise, and the system has an increased ability to absorb oxygen.
Age
Seniors who exercise moderately will also see a decline in the risk of coronary heart disease. A group of postmenopausal women found that their cardiovascular health and quality of life improved following 6 months of a regular tai chi exercise program, according to researchers at Chungnam National University in Daejeon, Korea. The findings, published in the Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing in 2009, showed that the women's total cholesterol levels and risk factors for heart disease had improved significantly.
Recovery
Exercise even improves the cardiovascular function of people recovering from heart disease. A study at the University of Naples Federico II in Italy, and published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation in 2006, revealed improvements in patients with coronary artery disease after they underwent an exercise program. Following a 3-month program in the hospital and 6 months of physical activity at home, the patients had improved cardiovascular capacity and increased peak oxygen consumption. The researchers concluded that long-term exercise training is useful for maintaining and improving conditions for people who have had heart disease.
