Aerobic or cardio-respiratory exercises such as running, walking and swimming increase your heart rate and breathing rate because to do them, your body has to take in more oxygen. These types of exercises use your larger muscles and offer several benefits for your body, some of which directly affect your heart and lungs by making them stronger and more efficient.
Benefits for Your Lungs
Cardio-respiratory exercises require that more oxygen flow through your body while you are working out. You breathe faster and more deeply, which strengthens the respiratory system. Your respiratory muscles, the diaphragm and the intercostals respond to training the same way any other muscles do. They become stronger and operate with greater ease over the course of time. Exercise does not increase lung capacity, volume of air you can inhale or the amount of air you can exhale.
Benefits for Your Heart
Faster, deeper breathing increases your heart rate, giving your heart and blood vessels a workout. Because your heart is a muscle, exercising it strengthens your cardiovascular system so that it can pump more blood through your system without having to beat faster. Even for heart attack survivors, aerobic exercise can condition your heart to help prevent future occurrences. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, recommends that you engage in a cardio-respiratory activity for 2.5 hours per week.
Metabolism and Weight
The American Heart Association says "Good nutrition, controlling calorie intake and physical activity are the only way to maintain a healthy weight." Obesity makes you more susceptible to cardiovascular disease. When you maintain a healthy weight, you ward off some of the factors that increase your risk for heart disease, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Aerobic exercise burns calories and builds your large muscle groups so that they in turn contribute to your weight maintenance plans.
Cholesterol Levels
Lipoproteins carry cholesterol, a material present in your blood's fats, through your body. High-density lipoproteins, also called HDL, bring cholesterol to your liver so your body can get rid of it, while low-density lipoproteins, or LDL, take cholesterol to your cells through the bloodstream. When cholesterol travels to your arteries, it can leave deposits that build up and create clogs that interfere with blood flow. According to the Mayo Clinic, cardio-respiratory exercises raise your high-density lipoproteins, and reduce your low-density lipoproteins. This reduces the buildup in your arteries and helps prevent ailments such as strokes.
References
- "Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism": Variable effects of respiratory muscle training on cycle exercise performance in men and women; Jordan Guenette, et. al.; Mar. 2006
- "Scientific American": "If a person's lung size cannot increase, how does exercise serve to improve lung function?"; Jeremy Barnes; May 2005
- CDC: How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need?
- American Heart Association: Lifestyle Changes; July 2010
- University of New Mexico: "Exercise and Cholesterol Controversy"; Len Kravitz and Vivian Heyward; 1993
- Mayo Clinic: High Cholesterol Definition
