I know that cardio exercise can burn fat/calories, can increase your lung capacity, good for your heart etc. But what exactly is the science behind it? How does it work? More specifically the lung capacity and heart benefits.
In: Biology
Cardio is short for cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels). Cardio is an aerobic (with oxygen) form of excercise that helps strengthen your cardiovascular system and increase it’s efficiency. When the system becomes both strong and effecient, this lowers blood pressure, cholesterol (HDL and LDL), descreases chance of developing atherosclerosis (hardened arteries) in turn decreasing your chances of heart attack and stroke. With intense cardio the body also produces more red blood cells (responsible for carrying oxygen) allowing your body to transport and deliver oxygen more effectively. Why is this so effective for weightloss? Aerobic exercise is highly demanding when you reach your target heart rate and requires significant amounts of energy. This engery is often gathered through the burning of fat. As the system as a whole becomes healthier, stronger, and more efficient, the body is able to support the daily demands of living with relative ease.
TLDR: Cardio works out the heart, lungs, and blood vessels which burns fat at high rates and decreases blood pressure and cholesterol, limiting the likelihood of developing heart diseases.
If you wanna learn more about the heart I highly recommend this video series on Kahn Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/science/health-and-medicine/circulatory-system-diseases
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