I don't understand how running is good for you since your using your heart. Your heats beats more than average person that doesn't run. Doesn't that make your heart more exhusted and used up?
2009-01-28T02:42:00Z
what i'm trying to say is that since you used your heart more than average person shouldn't you die sooner since your heart was used more. It's kinda like a car if you have more milage it's more likely to fail.
Anonymous2009-01-30T20:50:27Z
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It's not like a car it's like a person, if you don't use you lose it
There's no limit to how many beats your heart will have before you die. Running makes it beat more during workouts, making it stronger and more efficient through conditioning. Then, in the time between workouts (which is more than 95% of most people's days), your heart will beat LESS then it would if you were out of shape because it is strong and efficient.
The difference in the human body and the car in your analogy is that the body repairs itself and becomes better for it. Repairing a car only restores it to near original form.
I like to think analogy our bodies to a car, with the heart being the engine: Our heart does not have a specific mileage to it, but with exercise it "upgrades" the heart to one that would be stronger and a longer lifespan. If you lead an inactive life, you're stuck with the Yugo engine even if you run it at slower speed, and more likely to fail comparing if you "upgraded" to a Honda or Toyota engine that you run at a higher speed. With any "engines" you can always run the risk of over-revving if you push beyond the limit and suffer a heart attack.
Several people have thought that each person had a limited number of heart beats before they die, so exercise used up those heart beats sooner meaning they die sooner. That is not true. We do not have a limited number of heart beats built into our system. Exercise improves and maintains your health and fitness. Exercise prevents certain disease and illness. People who exercise and are fit live longer than the average of people who do not exercise. People who exercise generally have a healthier life style, don't smoke or eat the wrong kinds of foods.. People are not like machines, they continue to repair themselves as long as they are alive.
Your analogy is incorrect. Cardiovascular exercise such as running increases your heart rate but also building the heart muscle so your normal resting heart rate can become lower than normal. This is called hypertrophy. Having a stronger heart muscle will pump more oxygen around the body through the bloodstream.