Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 1

Effects of exercise on the

cardiovascular system

FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 2

What you will learn about

in this topic:
1. The short-term effects of
exercise on the cardiovascular
system
2. The long-term effects of exercise
on the cardiovascular system
3. How to measure your pulse
FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 3

Learning objectives
By the end of this presentation you
should be able to:
Understand the effects of short- and
long-term exercise on the
cardiovascular system

Describe the effects of exercise on the

cardiovascular system

Explain how to find a pulse and

measure your heart rate
FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 4

Measuring your pulse

To find out how exercise affects your
heart rate, you will first need to
know where to find and measure
your pulse.

FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 5

A pulse can be found in the:

wrist (radial artery)

throat (carotid artery)
temple (temporal pulse)
groin (femoral pulse)
FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 6

How to find a pulse in your wrist:

Hold your hand in front of you.

With the first two fingers of your other

hand, stroke from the top of your thumb
down the side until your fingers reach your
wrist.

Let your fingers slide downwards onto the

inside of your wrist and gently feel for your
pulse.

Stick your thumb up in the air and turn the

palm towards you.

FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 7

To find a pulse in your neck:

Put three fingers of your left hand

where an Adam's apple would be
if you were male (the bit that
sticks out and goes up and down
when swallowing).

Feel gently to the side of it and

you will find your pulse beating.

FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 8

Now you have found your pulse, use

a watch or clock to count the
amount of beats (pulses you feel) in
one minute.
This is your heart rate, measured in
beats per minute (BPM).

FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 9

Task
1. Measure your resting pulse and
record the results.
2. Now go outside and walk around
the building. Measure your pulse
again and record the results.
Repeat the task but jog instead.
3. Explain what has happened to
your body.
FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 10

Heart rate monitoring

An ECG (electrocardiogram)
machine will show you what your
heart rate looks like.
FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 11

Short-term effects of exercise on

the cardiovascular system
Oxygen and
haemoglobin
combine to form
oxyhaemoglobin

Heart rate
increases
FOR EDEXCEL

Blood vessels
dilate at the skins
surface to release
heat, causing skin
to redden

Blood is
pumped to the
working
muscles

Stroke
volume
increases

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 12

Systems, such
as the digestive
system, are
bypassed

Waste products
exit the body via
pores and
capillaries at the
skins surface

Cardiac
output
increases

Heart beats
harder

Arteries
automatically widen
FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 13

The effect of exercise on heart rate

FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 14

Long-term effects of exercise on

the cardiovascular system
Develops a
stronger heart

Reduced risk of
coronary artery
disease

Can cope with

increased
physical stress
more effectively

Can deliver
oxygen to the
working muscles
more effectively

FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 15

Lower resting heart

rate (transports
sufficient blood with
less beats)

Lower active heart

rate (less stress on
the heart)

Recover from
the stress of
exercise
quicker

Reduces risk
of heart
disease

Increased VO2
FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 16

Tachycardia
Tachycardia is a resting heart rate of
more than 100 beats per minute.
Click to hear a tachycardia
heartbeat.
This can vary as smaller people and
children have faster heart rates than
the average adult.
FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 17

Bradycardia
Bradycardia is defined as a heart
rate of less than 60 beats per
minute, although it is seldom
symptomatic of a problem until
below 50 bpm.
Click to hear a bradycardia
heartbeat.
FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 18

The cyclist Miguel

Indurain, five
times Tour de
France winner,
had a resting
heart rate of 28
beats per minute,
one of the lowest
ever recorded in
a healthy human.
FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 19

Trained athletes tend to have slow

resting heart rates. Resting
bradycardia in athletes should not
be considered abnormal if the
individual has no symptoms
associated with it.
Symptoms can include

FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 20

Heart palpitations
Shortness of breath
Fainting
These can all be due to heart electrical
system malfunctions. These are changes
to the pulse sent by the SA or AV nodes
that make the chambers of the heart
contract at the correct time to make the
heart work efficiently.
FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 21

Exam questions
1. Describe what happens in the
short term to your
cardiovascular system when you
exercise.

FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 22

What you have learnt

in this topic:
1. The short-term effects of
exercise on the cardiovascular
system
2. The long-term effects of exercise
on the cardiovascular system
3. How to measure your pulse
FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009

Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system 23

Learning objectives
You should now be able to:

Understand the effects of short- and

long-term exercise on the
cardiovascular system

Describe the effects of exercise on the

cardiovascular system

Explain how to find a pulse and

measure your heart rate
FOR EDEXCEL

1.2.2 A healthy, active lifestyle and your cardiovascular system

Folens 2009