Our body must be oxygenized during every moment of our lives. However, it has the capacity to adapt itself to the environment in order to respond to the different demands of each activity we do during the day.
This means that all of the structures and organs that participate in respiration respond in a coordinated manner to capture oxygen from air and then discard carbon dioxide.
Physical activity and respiration
When we do physical exercise, pulmonary ventilation, heart rate and blood flow must adapt themselves to the demands made by the body and the environment.
Physical work demands an increase in oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production.
Incredibly, the body prepares itself for an activity by sending nerve impulses from the encephalon, which increase our respiratory rate and the speed of our blood circulation. During physical movement, blood flows to the areas of the body that most need it.
These areas are our muscles. The motor part of the cerebral cortex sends signals to the cerebral respiratory centers, which stimulate said muscles.
