Scientist once assumed the heart shrank or simply wore out with age. But they now know the aging hearts actually adapts over time. That the heart responds to changes occurring within the aging cardiovascular system. Which comprises, not only, the heart, but also, the large and small blood vessels throughout the body making the heart vulnerable.
Your body’s capacity for strenuous exercise decreases by about 50 percent between your 20’s and 60’s. About half this decline is due to the physical changes taking place in the heart itself. Your heart doesn’t just weaken with age, it actually adjust over time to response to the stress of pumping harder as your arteries gradually stiffen and becomes less elastic.
For example, the walls of the left ventricle become thicker so the stress on that muscle is spread over a larger area. The first noticeable results are a lower maximum heart rate and lower cardiac out put. Which is the amount of blood pumped. As a result, less oxygenated blood can also be pumped through the body, and you may begin to feel short of breath when you exert yourself by climbing stairs.
Like many other aspects of aging, these changes in the hearts capacity occur at a very individual rate. With the recent advances in a variety of diagnostic techniques, researchers have been able to see inside the body to better understanding how aging affects your cardiovascular system and specifically your heart.
As the cardiovascular system ages along with the rest of the body. The walls of your arteries gradually become less elastic, and consequently become stiffer and less responsive. As a result, your arteries can not relax as quickly after your heart pumps blood. Which results in increased blood pressure as the blood pressure valves in the heart thicken and relax more slowly.
To keep the blood moving effectively your heart adjusts with structural changes. Individual factors such as the elasticity of your arteries and the diameter of these vessels. Which may have narrowed over the years because of plaque buildup, all contribute to the workload your heart must overcome during each heart beat.
The process of atherosclerosis, and the accumulation of fatty deposits of plaque in the walls of the arteries, has been occurring since your childhood. The extent of atherosclerosis is largely dependent upon your family history and lifestyle choices that’s related to diet and exercise over time. Research, indicates regular aerobic exercise will reduce your chances of developing heart disease.
While lessening your chances of developing blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and obesity — all major, yet controllable risk factors for heart disease. When you’re active enough to raise your heart rate… you decrease the amount of adrenaline in your body. Less adrenaline means more relax blood vessels, a slower pulse rate, lower blood pressure and ultimately less strain on your cardiovascular system.
In addition, exercise reduces the amounts of harmful LDL cholesterol that your body produces and helps raise the HDL cholesterol. Which in turn will help keep your arteries clear of plaque. Therefore, you can start to see being physically active really does affect your health in a variety of ways. Moderately intense to vigorous exercise, will give you more energy while making you feel better about yourself.
An on going exercise routine helps you reduce stress, encourages restful sleep and delays the affects of aging:
+ while also helping you develop greater endurance… stamina….
+ strengthen and lengthen muscle tone while increasing flexibility….
+ boost confidence, elevating mood while building self esteem….
+ helping you lose and control weight which improves circulation ….
+ while delivering oxygen and nutrients to your body’s cells….
Delivering Oxygen and Nutrients is Key to Preventing Cancer 🙂
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