Exercise Physiology
Lab 9 Report: Exercise Physiology
Introduction
When the human body is put to work and undergoes any sort of activity, it requires more energy and resources in order to sustain this. The cells in muscles and organs must work faster, and thus require more energy to do so. The body compensates by increasing heart rate and respiration in order to increase the amount of oxygen entering, carbon dioxide leaving, and rate at which these gases are delivered to cells throughout the body. In this lab, we tested the effects that increased activity had on these physiological responses, and measured the heart rate, blood pressure, and gas exchange levels during states of rest, light activity, and moderate activity. The body requires energy even during complete rest, called the basal metabolic rate (BMR). The body is still active and is working, though to a lesser extent than during physical activity. Tasks including the maintenance of ion gradients, internal temperature, circulation of blood, and many other basic functions happen in order to sustain life at its most basic level. A small amount of oxygen is needed for these functions relative to when the body becomes active, which requires an increased amount. The cells work harder to maintain homeostasis, and therefore require more oxygen. Furthermore, they create more carbon dioxide as a byproduct and must expel this quicker. These two factors cause the increase in heart rate and respiration, in order to accommodate this necessity. Energy that the body uses is measured in Calories, and relates to the amount of oxygen consumed as well. From the amount of oxygen inspired and carbon dioxide expired, we are able to calculate the respiratory exchange ratio, which tells us how much of the person’s energy use comes from fats versus carbohydrates. This value varies with intensity of exercise, and was calculated during this lab. In this lab, we measured the heart rate and blood pressure during states of rest, light activity and
Introduction
When the human body is put to work and undergoes any sort of activity, it requires more energy and resources in order to sustain this. The cells in muscles and organs must work faster, and thus require more energy to do so. The body compensates by increasing heart rate and respiration in order to increase the amount of oxygen entering, carbon dioxide leaving, and rate at which these gases are delivered to cells throughout the body. In this lab, we tested the effects that increased activity had on these physiological responses, and measured the heart rate, blood pressure, and gas exchange levels during states of rest, light activity, and moderate activity. The body requires energy even during complete rest, called the basal metabolic rate (BMR). The body is still active and is working, though to a lesser extent than during physical activity. Tasks including the maintenance of ion gradients, internal temperature, circulation of blood, and many other basic functions happen in order to sustain life at its most basic level. A small amount of oxygen is needed for these functions relative to when the body becomes active, which requires an increased amount. The cells work harder to maintain homeostasis, and therefore require more oxygen. Furthermore, they create more carbon dioxide as a byproduct and must expel this quicker. These two factors cause the increase in heart rate and respiration, in order to accommodate this necessity. Energy that the body uses is measured in Calories, and relates to the amount of oxygen consumed as well. From the amount of oxygen inspired and carbon dioxide expired, we are able to calculate the respiratory exchange ratio, which tells us how much of the person’s energy use comes from fats versus carbohydrates. This value varies with intensity of exercise, and was calculated during this lab. In this lab, we measured the heart rate and blood pressure during states of rest, light activity and