Regular exercise can:

The Heart

In response to regular cardio-vascular (CV) training, the left side of the heart, responsible for pumping blood around the body, increases in volume and its muscular wall becomes stronger. As a result, each time the heart beats, a greater volume of blood is pumped around the body. This can further lower the resting heart rate because the heart will be required to make less beats to pump the same amount of blood around the body in one minute.

In the same context, during exercise, the heart can pump more blood around the body each minute.

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The Lungs

During cardio-respiratory exercise the lungs must be able to breath in oxygen to exchange into the bloodstream for energy and breathe out the waste product, carbon dioxide. In everyday life we only use a small percentage of our available lung tissue. Regular exercise will encourage the lungs to utilise more of this tissue. Therefore the lungs can be more efficient at sucking air into the lungs and transferring it.

The breathing process will also become more efficient as the muscles that control breathing are trained, they will be able to work harder and for longer periods of time.

The Blood

In order to cope with increased demand, from CV training, to 'transport' more oxygen to the muscles, the body produces more red blood cells, in which oxygen is carried, and the volume of blood also increases.

Blood Capillaries

Blood capillaries are tiny vessels in which the exchange of oxygen, carbon dioxide and other minerals and nutrients takes place with the organs and muscles of the body. Regular aerobic exercise will increase the number of blood capillaries within the body, either by manufacturing new blood vessels or using vessels previously unused by the body. Consequently the exchanges of gases, minerals and nutrients are improved.

There is also an increase in capillarisation in and around the lungs and heart, which allow both these organs to function more efficiently for longer.

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Normalise blood pressure.

Due to the extra capillaries, there are now more avenues through which blood can flow and this in turn means that the blood will exert less pressure on vessel walls.

High blood pressure can also be lowered by reducing salt in your diet and by drinking more water.

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Reduce blood cholesterol/improve blood fat profile.

Cholesterol is a combination of fat and protein, called lipo-proteins carried in the blood (lipids is another name for fats). Cholesterol can be good or bad. Bad cholesterol is when the lipo-proteins contain a higher proportion of fat than protein. These are called Low Density Lipo-proteins (LDLs), as fat is much less dense than protein. Good cholesterol is when the lipo-proteins contain a lower proportion of fat to protein. These are called High Density Lipo-proteins (HDLs). Bad cholesterol, LDLs can stick to the walls of blood vessels during transportation; this accumulation can eventually cause a blockage and lead to further problems (atherosclerosis or atheroma). HDLs, the good cholesterol, act as a sourer inside the blood vessels and clean away the LDLs from the vessel walls.

Regular cardio-vascular exercise causes more fat to be carried as HDL rather than LDL and so improving the blood fat profile and reducing blood cholesterol.

Cholesterol levels can also be reduced by making changes in your diet. Dairy products contain a lot of fats so reducing dairy foods or changing to dairy alternatives will have a active effect on reducing LDLs. Fibre also has a similar effect to HDLs by removing fat deposits from blood vessels.

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Reduce the risk of Coronary Heart Disease.

With greater efficiency of the heart and lungs, a stable blood pressure and a decrease of fatty deposits in the blood vessels the risk of coronary heart disease is dramatically reduced.

Other possible causes of coronary heart disease that can be avoided are smoking, a high fat diet, stress and excessive drugs and alcohol.

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Reduce the risk of Osteoporosis

Studies have shown that women over the age of 35 can loose about 1% of bone mass per year, a figure that tends to be significantly increased after the menopause. Regular muscular fitness training has been shown to increase bone mineral content. The body takes up more mineral salts after the bones have been stressed, as its natural repair response. For example, one study found that women who performed resistance training twice a week for a year significantly increased their bone density. Therefore regular muscular fitness training reduces the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures later in life.

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Reduce fat

An average person performing moderate intensity aerobic exercise for a minimum of 3 times per week should begin to loose weight in body fat. This is due to the body burning the fat stored beneath the skin to use as energy. Weight training at a low intensity will also have a similar effect on weight loss although the fat loss will be less significant.

Care must be taken to not mistake weight loss with fat loss. If an individual over-trains the resulting weight loss can have a greater ratio of lean weight (muscle tissue) lost to fat weight. In other words when stored energy sources have run out, the body will begin feeding on itself - cannibalising its own muscle tissue - to continue functioning. Therefore the lean weight lost may be greater than that of the fat weight. If this is the case then you should revise your exercise programme.

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Increase resting metabolic rate.

The resting metabolic rate is the energy required to maintain the functioning of the body at rest, in other terms increasing the amount of daily calorie expenditure.

Due to a process called reversibility, inactivity causes muscle tissue that is no longer being stressed by exercise or activity to be lost. This process is sped up with age.

Resistance training and weight baring aerobic exercise will preserve muscle mass and has been shown to increase the resting metabolic rate. High intensity training increases muscle tissue, which has high energy requirement.

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Reduce risk of injury and illness

A stronger body is better able to avoid or resist injuries and knocks from falls or other physical activities. It is also able to repair itself more quickly and efficiently and provide a better defence against illness in the form of increased production of white blood cells and antibodies.

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Increase strength

High intensity resistance training causes microscopic damage to the fibres in the muscles, particularly the fibres associated with fast, explosive actions. For example lifting weights, throwing and sprinting. Provided the muscles get adequate rest and nutrition after training the repair process will create extra fibres to adapt to the extra stress being place upon them, leading to an increase in muscle size and a corresponding increase in strength.

This growth of muscle tissue is call hypertrophy. Muscle fibre growth is accelerated by testosterone, which accounts for the general strength differences between men and women (the average male has ten times more testosterone then the average female).

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Increase endurance

Muscular endurance is improved differently to strength as it requires the muscles to contract against moderate resistance over a period of time. Therefore requiring a more efficient way to produce energy.

To compensate for the greater demand for energy to be produced in the muscles, the body manufactures more, larger and more efficient mitochondria - the cellular power stations inside the muscles. As a result the muscles can produce more energy aerobically over longer periods of time, or at higher intensities. Furthermore the production of lactic acid in the muscles (the burning sensation felt in the muscle after heavy exercise) is reduced and so fatigue will be offset for longer.

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Increase flexibility

Quality of life

If the range of movement at joints can be improved and maintained, then the ability to cope with everyday activities will also be improved, e.g. simply reaching for a high shelf or being able pick something up from the floor!

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Improve sports performance

Sports performance can also be improved by increasing range of movement as this allows the muscles to exert more force over an extended period of time. For example, in racket sports, increased flexibility in the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints can improve performance by allowing you to hit the ball harder by applying more force through a greater range of movement.

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Improve posture.

Muscular fitness training can also help to correct muscular imbalances, which can lead to postural problems. For example, weak abdominal (stomach) muscles, strong hip flexors (groin) and tight erector spinae (lower back) muscles can pull the pelvis out of alignment with the spine and cause a hollow back posture, known as lordosis. This creates a great deal of stress on the lower back.

Flexibility training will have a positive effect on posture too. For example, tight pectoral (chest) muscles can pull the shoulders forwards causing a rounded upper back (kyphosis).

Chronic back problems are a major cause of disability in the UK , and it is widely recognised that inflexible pectorals, abdominals, hamstrings, hip flexors and erector spinae muscles contribute to this condition. A regular stretching programme can help alleviate some of the problems associated with back pain.

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Improve confidence and self-image.

Changes in muscle tone, shape and size can contribute greatly to enhance self-image and subsequently improve confidence

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Decrease Stress

The process of stretching can produce profound changes in physical and mental relaxation. Wide ranges of stress management practices incorporate some form of stretching to induce a calm relaxed state.

Active exercise also helps to reduce the symptoms of stress by allowing us to move as we were naturally designed to do and therefore vent any built up tensions.

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Improve skill and reflexes

As with any other system in the body, the nervous system can also be improved with regular exercise. By building and maintaining good technique and skill in sport, exercise and everyday activity you can improve the efficiency of nerve impulses leading to better co-ordination, accuracy, reaction time and all round performance in your chosen activity or sport. REMEMBER - Practice makes permanent.

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