Short Term Effects of Exercise on the Body

LO3- R043                                Short term effects of exercise on the body-

It is vital to warm up before exercising as it prepares the body for the upcoming activities. Body temperature increases as muscles begin heat to increase flexibility. The body regulates this heat by sweating and heat escaping through the skin. Sweat evaporates off the skin which leads to the body cooling down. It is produced when the hair muscles relax and heat escapes through the sweat glands. After stretching, the body heats up and muscles become more pliable, so the risk of injury when exercising is decreased. When an individual sweats, the amount of urine produced decreases as the water and salt is lost through sweating instead. The body fluids need to be replaced by water or cramping may occur.

An individual’s heart rate increases as they exercise as the body is working hard and more muscles demand more oxygen and nutrients. More oxygen needs to be inhaled so the heart can meet the demands of the working muscles. The heart rate is increases by the release of adrenaline in the body; glycogen is released by the liver and blood is directed towards the working muscles that need oxygen.

Their breathing rate will also increase as deeper breathing means more oxygen inhaled. During exercise the body will need as much oxygen as possible so the muscles do not have to respire with an insufficient amount of oxygen. When the muscles receive enough oxygen, the mitochondria will respire, producing glucose which is used for energy. If there is not enough oxygen, lactic acid will start to form in muscles, due to anaerobic respiration, and muscles will start to cramp.

Also, as you start to exercise, the range of movement around a joint increases. This is because there is an increased production of synovial fluid around the joints. Warming the muscles, ligaments and tendons before exercising, increases the flexibility and decreases the risk of injury.

If an individual exercises regularly, their stroke volume at resting and working level will increase. This is the amount of blood that is pumped by the heart per beat. Cardiac output is the amount of blood that can be pumped out the heart in one minute, which increases during exercise.

Cardiac output = heart rate X stroke volume

The following results are the results of my client taking part of a circuit which included; squats, plank, sit ups, burpees and press ups. These exercises lasted for 60 seconds each with a 20 second interval. We repeated this circuit three times.

The objective measure can be measured with an instrument.

The subjective measure is not an accurate reading as it uses a scale to measure the components. The scale is usually 1-6, 1 being the least and 6 being the most. These results are all down to interpretation and can raise a lot of questions.