As an introduction to show the body's immediate responses to exercise, we experienced and gained first hand knowledge in what happens by conducting an experiment, in which we measured our heart rates at various intervals. The table shown portrays our results after the various activities.

During exercise, your heart naturally beats faster to supply more oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. The more intensely you exercise, the faster your heart rate, as well as your respiration.

This is a bar graph of my results and shows the increase in my heart rate after consecutive activities followed by a decrease after a period of rest. Upon exercising my heart rate increased to meet my increased needs of oxygen. Each persons results will differ, and we can make observations and conclusions on how fit and healthy a person is depending on how their heart adapts to exercise. In the next slide I have recorded another persons results. There is a distinct difference in the way our hearts have adapted to exercise.

This is a graph of Person B. It differs greatly from the first graph in many ways.

By looking at the Graph of person A and the Graph of person B we can conclude that person A is fitter than Person B on the basis that :

~ Person A has a lower basal heart rate that Person B

~ This lower heart rate of Person A has other underlying meaning as it proves that Person A must obviously have a greater stroke volume and so it's heart does not need to pump as much and as hard as someone who is not as fit namely person B ( this also proves our previous statement )

~ Person A recovers faster than Person B as we see a greater decrease in the HR after a 2 minute rest in Person A than in Person B

~ We can clearly see the bar graph of person B is much steeper suggesting that Person B would reach their max. HR faster than Person A , whose graph is a gradual or gentle slope

The above evidence not only proves that person A is fitter than person B but also briefly touches on key aspects I shall be explaining in this assignment such as :

~ cardiac output
~ heart rate
~ stroke volume
~ ventilation rate
~ lactate levels

Heart rate - refers to the number of times the heart beats per minute

• When exercising, heart rate increases quickly once beginning exercise and then plateaus once a constant effort is maintained

• Heart rate will increase or decrease from this plateau if the intensity of the exercise is variable (eg: walking then running, as seen from our experiment)
• Once the athlete stops exercising heart rate will decrease steadily as the body replenishes oxygen supplies and removes waste products.

The length of time it takes for the heart rate to return to normal will depend on the intensity and length of the exercise and the fitness of the athlete and is a good indicator when determining the how fit one is. This was shown and explained in the previous experiment

Oxygen uptake is the amount of oxygen absorbed into the blood stream during exercise.
If more oxygen reaches working muscles then they will be able to work for longer at a higher level.

When you exercise your muscles need for oxygen increases and so the heart beats faster to satisfy these needs.

These needs are affected by 2 factors:
1. The number of breaths taken per minute.
2. The depth of each breath

During exercise both of these variables will increase and as a result the total volume of air inhaled into the lungs per minute will increase which is clearly evident in the graph

Cardiac output - refers to the amount of blood pumped from the heart in 1 minute.

• During exercise cardiac output increases to supply the muscles with oxygen and remove waste products.

This is clearly evident from the graph

Stroke volume - refers to the amount of blood pumped from the heart in one contraction.

• Stroke volume is measured in millilitres and is the blood pumped from the left ventricle

During exercise stroke volume increases as the heart pumps more forcefully to try and get more blood around the body. The force of the contraction generally increases inline with the heart rate of the individual until a threshold point is reached and the heart is pumping as hard as it can. This threshold will occur before maximum heart rate is reached.

Lactate levels - refers to the amount of lactic acid in the bloodstream

During exercise lactate levels will increase as the body produces lactic acid in creating energy for the muscles. The amount will vary depending on the intensity of the exercise. (High intensity exercise will mean higher lactate levels).

Lung capacity is the amount of air that can move in and out of the lungs during a breath.
Many measures can be made of lung function, including tidal volume and vital capacity.

The greater the volume of air that can be inhaled and exhaled during exercise the greater the amount of oxygen that can be absorbed into the blood stream.
There are many adaptations associated with lung function as a result of exercise.
The number of breaths that can be taken during maximal exercise can be increased. As the muscles around the lungs become larger and stronger they can work faster. Maximal breathing rates can increase from 40 to 50 breaths per second as fitness develops.
The size of the lungs increases slightly, which allows for a greater volume of oxygen to be inhaled and carbon dioxide to be exhaled per breath.
As muscles become stronger a greater amount of the air inside the lungs can be exhaled each breath, leading to a greater turnover of oxygen

Normal resting blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg. The first number, 120, represents the systolic pressure, or pressure against the artery walls when the heart contracts. The lower number, 80, is the diastolic pressure, or pressure against the artery walls between heart beats. 

During exercise, the systolic pressure increases progressively as the cardiovascular system attempts to deliver more oxygen to the working muscles
The diastolic pressure the lower number should stay about the same, or decrease slightly, owing to the dilated blood vessels in the working muscles that help heat escape