Cardio training keeps you healthy - this is a piece of wisdom that everyone has probably heard before. The first clue is already hidden in the name. Cardio training is training that has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. Other positive effects on health can be demonstrated in the muscular system, blood structure, lungs and nervous system . Sports scientists have also found that training with cardio equipment has a positive effect on sleep patterns and nutrition . Further studies prove: Cardio training also keeps you young. Regular training with cardio equipment gives the trainee the physical advantages of a 20 years younger, untrained person. Find out how it all works here.
Positive effects on the cardiovascular system
Depending on the type and intensity of training with cardio equipment, various positive effects on the body can be achieved through adaptations. The maximum cardiac output can increase due to an increase in stroke volume. This means that the heart can pump a greater volume of blood through the body per heartbeat. So with cardio training, the heart muscle is also exercised. This reduces the heart rate both at rest and under stress. This process is called "economizing the heartbeat."
Changes in the blood structure, i.e. the composition of the blood, can have further positive effects. Regular exercise with cardio equipment can help reduce blood fat levels. In the blood, fats are transported in bound form as "high density lipoprotein" and "low density lipoprotein" (HDL/LDL) - these levels are commonly known as the "cholesterol level". By shifting the HDL/LDL balance towards the "good" HDL cholesterol, the risk of deposits in the vessel walls, i.e. the formation of plaques, can be significantly reduced. Training with cardio equipment can therefore be used effectively in prophylaxis against arteriosclerosis. This ultimately results in a significantly lower risk of suffering a heart attack.
Positive effects on blood structure
In addition to the possible change in blood fat levels to a better HDL/LDL ratio in the blood, training with cardio equipment also supports the formation of red blood cells, the erythrocytes. Competitive athletes even do special altitude training to enhance this effect. The erythrocytes carry the red blood pigment hemoglobin and are responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood. By increasing the number of erythrocytes, more oxygen can be stored in the blood and the body can be better supplied. In the muscle cells themselves, cardio training can increase the amount of lactate that is transported from the muscle cell into the blood, and the positive effects on the blood structure ensure that significantly more lactate can also be transported in the blood. With very regular endurance training over many years, an effect on blood sugar levels has even been demonstrated. Training with cardio equipment can therefore even help with diabetes prophylaxis.
Positive effects on the musculature
Regular cardio training also increases blood circulation in the muscles. This means that the muscle cells are better supplied with oxygen and nutrients. A variety of positive changes can also occur at the cellular level: On the one hand, the number of transporters that channel lactate and H+ ions out of the cell increases in muscle cells that are frequently exposed to stress such as during training with cardio equipment. In this way, the cell avoids over-acidification. On the other hand, the number of mitochondria in the muscles also increases and the energy stores in the muscle cells grow. The mitochondria are also known as the "power plants of the cells" because they regenerate the energy-rich molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from ADP via the respiratory chain. ATP is virtually the fuel for almost every process in our bodies. Through these processes, the entire musculature becomes more powerful.
Positive effects on the lungs
Regular endurance training with cardio equipment also increases the respiratory minute volume of the lungs. Better known is the term lung volume. Surely every German has had to suck on a transparent device with three balls in it at the doctor's office in order to lift the balls in the tubes. The greater the respiratory minute volume of the lungs - i.e. the more liters of air per minute that can be inhaled into the lungs - the more oxygen is naturally absorbed into the blood via the alveoli. Due to the positive effects on the cardiovascular system, this oxygen can also be transported through the body without any problems.
Positive effects on the nervous system
Less clearly clinically measurable are the changes that cardio training with cardio equipment can have on the nervous system . Regular endurance exercise stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. This part of the nervous system is responsible for recovery and metabolic economy . For example, under the influence of the parasympathetic nervous system, the heartbeat slows down and the flow of saliva and digestion are stimulated. Further studies have shown that training with cardio equipment keeps the cortisone level in the blood constantly at a lower level than in people who do not do regular endurance training. A permanently elevated cortisone level is associated with mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders or depression . However, it is not clear whether cardio training can actively lower cortisone levels, or whether it merely inhibits the formation of cortisone and thus easily regulates cortisone levels. After regular cardio training, a change in the formation of so-called growth factors such as BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor) could also be measured. In people suffering from depression or burn-out syndrome, the hippocampus is often particularly reduced in size, and it is precisely there that BDNF can stimulate the formation of new nerves particularly well.
Conclusion
Regular cardio training has extremely positive effects on health. Training with cardio equipment can bring about a whole series of positive changes in the body. People who regularly practice endurance training are fitter overall, cardio training also prevents various risks and has a positive influence on the psyche.
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Editorial fitnessmarkt.de (DG)
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Published on: 4 June 2019