Fitness for life: cardiovascular fitness Image from Wikimedia Commons, James F. Perry, Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike 3.0 license,Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike 3.0 license

Unit objectives Students will: 1) Define cardiovascular disease (CVD) and describe some of the risk factors. 2) Define cardiovascular fitness and describe some ways to measure it. 3) Understand how cardiovascular fitness contributes to lower risk of cardiovascular disease and improved health and wellness. 4) Discuss how the FITT principles can be used to improve cardiovascular fitness. 5) Name the three stages of a safe exercise session and describe each. 6) Understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise.

Textbook reading for Unit 3: Chapters 6 & 7 (pages ) ASSIGNMENTS RELATED TO THIS UNIT: Heart Rates Places to participate in physical activity Calculating Energy Expenditure Activity log Unit 4 quiz

Cardiovascular fitness is the ability of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels to function efficiently when a person exercises the body. Step aerobics image from Wikimedia Commons, USN, public domain; lower, Wikimedia Commons, Benson Kua, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 GenericBenson KuaCreative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Why is cardiovascular fitness important? It will increase your energy level Help you feel and look good Creates body fat loss Helps with stress reduction Improves health Can extend your lifespan Forms more arteries in the heart Clears fats from the bloodstream Lowers chance of atherosclerosis Strengthens the heart muscle Decreases chance of heart disease or stroke Improves self concept

Regular physical activity directly benefits two vital body systems: the cardiovascular system, and the respiratory system. Cardiovascular System: Your cardiovascular system consists of your heart (cardio), blood, and blood vessels (veins, arteries and capillaries). A cardiovascular system that works well consists of... *A heart that pumps efficiently (e.g., more blood pumped with each heart beat). *Blood that carries oxygen to tissues effectively. *Unclogged blood vessels that allow for effective delivery of oxygen.

Respiratory system Your respiratory system includes your lungs and the air passages that bring air, including oxygen, from outside of the body into the lungs. Inside your lungs, oxygen enters your blood while carbon dioxide is eliminated.

Cardiac cycle When you breath in, oxygen is absorbed from the lungs and by the blood stream, and oxygenated blood is sent to the left side of the heart.

Movement of oxygen The right side of the heart is responsible for sending blood to the lungs, where the red blood cells pick up fresh oxygen. This OXYGENATED blood is then returned to the left side of the heart. From here the oxygenated blood is pumped to the whole body supplying the fuel that the body cells need to function.

Arteries and Veins ARTERIES.The left side of the heart forces oxygenated blood away from the heart and into the body through ARTERIES. VEINSThe VEINS carry deoxygenated blood back into the right side of the heart Image from Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Capillaries Are tiny blood vessels that serve as bridges between arteries and veins. This is where food and oxygen are transported from the blood to the cells. Image from Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease includes diseases that affect the heart. Some common conditions related to cardiovascular disease include atherosclerosis (plaque build-up around the arteries) and arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Either of these conditions can lead to a heart attack. A heart attack occurs when the blood supply into or within the heart is cut off or reduced.

CVD Risk factors Your risk for cardiovascular disease is affected by non- modifiable and modifiable risk factors. Non-modifiable risk factors (risk factors you cannot change) include your age, gender, and heredity. As you get older, your risk for heart disease increases. Additionally, men have higher risk than women until women reach menopause (when their menstrual period stops).

Modifiable risk factors (those things you can change) include things like smoking, stress, diet and physical inactivity. Individuals who smoke are at higher risk of heart disease than non-smokers. Similarly, individuals who are chronically stressed are also at higher risk of heart disease than those who are less stressed. Lastly, individuals who are not physically active and/or obese are at higher risk of heart disease than those who are active and have a healthy body fat percentage.

Cholesterol and Blood Pressure are two risk factors that are commonly checked at the doctors’ office. Sometimes, students don't have these tests measured frequently enough. For optimal health, you should have your cholesterol and blood pressure taken on a regular basis. Early detection of cardiovascular disease ensures that proper steps can be taken to help reduce further risks associated with CVD.

Cholesterol is a waxy fat substance in the blood of our bodies. Our bodies need cholesterol to function. Your liver makes all the cholesterol it needs to survive. The other source of cholesterol comes from food. Cholesterol is found in animal products such as meat, eggs and whole milk dairy products. If the level of cholesterol gets too high, it can stick to artery walls and cause serious health problems. 52% of American adults have high cholesterol. Optimal values for total cholesterol are below 200 mg/dl. If your values are above 240 mg/dl, you have twice the risk of a heart attack as someone whose total cholesterol is below 200 mg/dl.

Cholesterol moves through your bloodstream via lipoproteins. Lipoproteins can be low-density (LDL’s) or high- density (HDL’s). Low-density lipoproteins (LDL’s) are often called the "bad cholesterol" because they contribute to plaque build up in the blood vessels (atherosclerosis). To lower total cholesterol and LDL’s, the AHA recommends lowering your intake of saturated fats and cholesterol and increasing your level of physical activity.

High-density lipoproteins (HDL’s), often referred to as the "good cholesterol," are responsible for carrying excess harmful cholesterol out of the bloodstream and into the liver for disposal. HDL’s are typically lower in individuals who smoke, people who are sedentary, and those who are overweight. The best way to increase HDL’s is through aerobic exercise and a healthy diet.

Ways to monitor your heart rate 1.Blood Pressure 2.Heart Rate 3.Resting Heart Rate 4. Recovery Heart Rate

Blood Pressure: The force of blood against the artery walls. Normal blood pressure is around 120/80.The higher # (120) is called systolic - this is your heart contracting to pump blood.The lower # (80) is called diastolic – this is your heart refilling or relaxing between beats.

Blood Pressure Ranges (these values are for adults; teens should be slightly lower) High blood pressure: (140/90 or more) systolic pressure 140 or above, diastolic pressure 90 or above Normal blood pressure: systolic pressure , diastolic pressure Low blood pressure: (90/60 or less) systolic pressure 90 or below, diastolic pressure 60 or below

Heart Rate Heart Rate or Pulse - The pressure of blood on the artery wall due to heartbeat. Take pulse at carotid artery (neck) or wrist: On the neck- place first and second fingers on side of jaw. On the wrist - place 3 inside fingers on thumb side of wrist with palm facing up. Count for 60 seconds, or for 6 seconds x 10, or 10 seconds x 6. Average heart rate is 70 beats per minute.

Resting Heart Rate: The number of times your heart beats per minute while at rest. This number will improve (get lower) with exercise. Always take in bed before sitting up.

Recovery Heart Rate After you exercise, your heart should recover to about 120 beats per minute within five to six minutes, and should be below 100 beats per minute after 10 minutes.

Heart Disease Is the #1 killer in the United States and costs our nation more than any other disease. Every 37 seconds someone in the United States dies from cardiovascular disease. An estimated 81 million adults in the United States now suffer from the consequences of these afflictions.

The main cause of cardiovascular disease is the build-up of plaque (fatty deposits) in the arteries. This is usually caused by lack of exercise and poor diet. Image from Wikimedia Commons, public domain (USDHHS)

Risk Factors for Developing Cardiovascular Disease: Inactivity Smoking Obesity Poor Diet High Stress High Blood Pressure Age Heredity

Training principles: The FITT formula Frequency - How often should you work out? Intensity - How hard should you push yourself? Time - How long should your workouts be? Type – What type of workout?

Frequency is the number of times per week that you perform activity. The Surgeon General recommends that to improve your overall health, you should perform physical activity at a moderate to vigorous level most days of the week for at least 30 minutes. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that to improve your physical fitness, you should exercise at a vigorous level at least three days a week.

Intensity When you are deciding how hard to exercise, you are considering your exercise intensity. Most of the time, exercise intensity is measured by monitoring your heart rate. You want to get your heart rate into your Target Zone for full benefits. This is about beats per minute for someone who is years of age.

Time Another consideration when designing your cardiovascular fitness program is your exercise duration. How long you exercise is dependent upon your fitness goals. You can choose to exercise longer, which will typically be at a lower intensity, or you can exercise for a shorter time at a higher intensity. At least 30 minutes most days of the week is recommended. Both types of exercise can burn similar numbers of calories.

What exercise is best for you? Aerobic vs. Anaerobic exercise: Anaerobic exercise is exercise performed in short or fast bursts in which the heart cannot supply oxygen as fast as muscles use it. A few examples of anaerobic activities are sprinting, playing competitive volleyball, heavy weight lifting, or climbing hills or stairs.

Aerobic exercise: steady activity done at an intensity that raises the heart rate into the target zone. Some examples of aerobic activities that are effective for improving cardiovascular fitness are running, jogging, elliptical, brisk walking, cycling, cross-country skiing, and swimming. Target Heart Rate Zone: where you want your exercise heart rate to be for at least minutes during aerobic exercise. (Your heart rate should reach 60-90% of your max heart rate). Maximum Heart Rate should not exceed 220 minus your age. Typically, exercises that are aerobic will improve your cardiovascular fitness.

On the chart below, aerobic exercise is in the middle, and anaerobic exercise toward the top: Chart image from Wikimedia Commons, Morgoth666, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 UnportedMorgoth666Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Training principles Every safe exercise session should begin with a short warm-up. Both the muscles and cardiovascular system should be worked at a moderate level to prepare the body for a more strenuous bout of exercise. Warm-ups are also used to prevent injury. Once your body is warmed up, you should stretch muscles before starting a more strenuous workout.

After a workout session is completed, you should do a cool-down. A cool-down is a period of time where you slow down and walk or perform slow, static stretches. Your heart rate should slow to 100 beats per minute or less within 10 minutes. The cool-down is a way to gradually slow an exercise bout. Replenish your fluids during and after exercise. If you are thirsty, you are already starting to get dehydrated.