Physiological Benefits of walking and jogging

By: Heather Fabian

Walking and jogging are said to have many physiological benefits. There are two types of benefits; vascular and respiratory. Vascular means something pertaining to blood vessels and the transportation of blood and oxygen. Arteries bring oxygen rich red blood cells throughout your body, while veins carry oxygen deprived blood vessels back into your heart. Respiratory pertains to getting oxygen into our bodies, exchanging out Carbon Dioxide, and then using the oxygen to our benefit. The most important thing that breathing does for us, is brings our blood vessels oxygen so they can go throughout our body. I will be exploring the vascular benefits of a decreased resting heart rate, lowered blood pressure, and strengthened heart muscles, as well as the respiratory benefits of quickly and efficiently getting oxygen from your blood vessels to your muscles, and an increase in maximum pulmonary ventilation capacity. In the most basic form, walking and jogging are simple ways to increase your heart rate. When you increase your heart rate, you are strengthening your heart muscles as well as lowering your blood pressure. Blood pressure is a measurement of the amount of blood going through your arteries per heart beat. When you have high blood pressure, your body needs to work very heart in order to get your blood circulating. This is very dangerous and can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems.(What Is High Blood Pressure?) Therefore, it is important to exercise

your heart and lower high blood pressure. Another benefit for your vascular system is that your resting heart rate will decrease. This means that when you are resting, your heart doesnt have to work as hard to keep blood flowing at a rate that will keep all your body parts healthy and oxygenated. The respiratory benefits are also very excellent in helping you maintain a healthy well being. When you exercise your body needs more oxygen to keep your muscles working properly. When you inhale and exhale quickly, your body is exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide at a very fast rate. Overtime, this helps your muscles learn how to quickly and efficiently get oxygen from your blood vessels to your muscles. Eventually, you are able to strengthen your lungs and your body doesnt need to work as hard to get the same amount of oxygen into your body. There will also be an increase in maximum pulmonary ventilation capacity, which is the amount of air your can breathe in and out per breath. This is important because you will need these respiratory muscles working hard. Clearly there are multiple benefits to walking a jogging. They include two very important systems of the body; the cardiovascular system and the respiratory system. They come together to help the body be efficient in getting all of its needs, such as oxygen. One without the other would simply not do.

Works Cited: Body Systems. : Respiratory System. The Franklin Institute, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. Raymond, Diane. What Happens To The Breathing System When We Exercise? Livestrong. Ed. Elizabeth Ahders. N.p., 9 Mar. 2011. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. Visual Dictionary Online. HUMAN BEING. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. What Are the Benefits of Jogging. Public Health-. Armenian Medical Network, 4 May 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. What Is High Blood Pressure? NHLBI, NI. National Department of Health & Human Services, 2 Aug. 2012. Web. 14 Oct 2013.