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Want to improve your cardiorespiratory fitness? These exercises can significantly change your physical condition!
Cardiorespiratory Fitness (CRF) refers to the ability of the circulatory and respiratory systems to supply oxygen to skeletal muscles during sustained physical activity. Scientists and researchers often use CRF to assess the functional capacity of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. These functions include ventilation, perfusion, gas exchange, vasodilation, and delivery of oxygen to tissues throughout the body. Because these body functions are so critical to an individual's health, the CRF allows one to quantify an individual's risk of morbidity and mortality, which in turn affects their cardiorespiratory fitness.
In an official scientific statement published in 2016, the American Heart Association stated that CRF should be classified as a clinical vital sign and should be regularly assessed as part of daily clinical practice.
Low CRF levels have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. Some medical researchers argue that CRF is even a stronger predictor of death than common risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. Regular physical activity and exercise can improve CRF, thereby reducing the risk of CVD and other diseases while improving overall health.
History and Etymology of Cardiorespiratory Fitness
The method of quantifying CRF began in the 1920s when British physiologist Archibald Hill proposed a multifactorial relationship between the rate of oxygen uptake by body tissues and the intensity of physical activity. This measurement depends on the functional efficiency of the individual's cardiovascular and respiratory systems. He coined the term "VO2 max" to represent the maximum oxygen consumption per kilogram of body weight per minute during exercise, which became the main indicator of CRF. Several subsequent studies have confirmed the association between VO2 max and cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.
The prefix "cardio-" in "cardiac" refers to the heart, while "respiratory" refers to the system concerned with oxygen supply, especially the lungs (in animals).
The word Fitness describes a person's health status. As the research on CRF deepens, relevant knowledge has gradually been recognized by the medical community and has become one of the important indicators for assessing individual health.
Exercise methods to improve cardiorespiratory fitness
Regular physical activity and exercise can improve cardiorespiratory fitness. It is widely recognized in the medical community that regular exercise plays an important role in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other conditions. A 2005 Cochrane review indicated that physical activity interventions are effective in improving CRF, while other studies have shown that improved CRF is associated with a reduced risk of CVD and all-cause mortality.
Many forms of exercise are beneficial to personal health, such as endurance running, weightlifting, and sports activities, but studies have shown that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is particularly effective in improving CRF and VO2 max in all age groups.
In 2020, a literature review conducted by Wu et al. found that HIIT is effective in improving CRF, physical fitness, muscle strength, cardiac contractile function, and reducing blood triglycerides in the elderly. Through these forms of exercise, we can consciously improve our cardiorespiratory fitness and achieve a healthier lifestyle.
How to measure cardiorespiratory fitness
One way to assess CRF is to use a formula to predict theoretical CRF levels. These formulas take into account an individual's age, sex, BMI, substance use, relative physical activity level, and concomitant pathological complications. In 2016, a study by Nauman, Nes et al. showed that estimated cardiorespiratory fitness (eCRF) has unique value in predicting the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.
VO2 max has been the most commonly accepted metric for assessing CRF since the 1960s. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) with breathing testing is the gold standard for determining VO2 max.
This test requires the individual to perform an analysis of gas exchange during exercise, usually until a maximum amount of exertion is reached. In addition, an electrocardiogram is often used to monitor the heart's response to exercise and exertion. CPET is usually performed on a treadmill or bicycle ergometer, and the way the test is conducted varies depending on the ability of the person being tested. For older adults, switching to a cycling power meter that uses less physical strain is a more suitable option.
Adaptations of the cardiovascular system
The cardiovascular system adjusts cardiac output, blood flow, and blood pressure as the body's demands change. Cardiac output is defined as the product of heart rate and stroke volume, which represents the volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute. During physical activity, cardiac output increases because heart rate and stroke volume increase. This translates into positive contributions of exercise to heart and overall health.
As your body's need for movement increases, are you ready to enhance your quality of life by improving your cardiorespiratory fitness?
