Concepts Of Lifetime Fitness

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Concepts of Lifetime Fitness

Concepts of Lifetime Fitness

September 1, 1997

Homeostasis is the state of equilibrium in which the internal environment of the
human body remains relatively constant.  Two excellent examples of homeostasis
are how the body maintains a constant temperature and blood pressure during
strenuous physical activity or exercise.  Although there are many other
activities in the body that display homeostasis, I will only discuss these two.  
Temperature in the human body is usually kept at approximately 37 degrees
Celsius.  To maintain such a strict temperature, the body has a few functions to
combat the outside elements.  People cannot make themselves cold as readily as
make themselves hot, however I will mention both homeostasis functions.  When
the external temperature decreases, a portion of the brain called the
hypothalamus detects the drop by means of the blood.  To compensate, the brain
sends chemical and electrical impulses to the muscles.  These impulses tell the
muscles to begin to contract and relax at very high intervals.  This is commonly
known as shivering.  The production of Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP in the
mitochondria of the muscles produces heat.  If the body temperature does not
rise immediately after this, then a second function begins. The brain will
signal the blood vessels near the skin to constrict or narrow in diameter.  This
occurs so the heat deep in the muscles is conserved.  Since the vessels are now
smaller in diameter, less blood is needed to fill them.  Since less blood is
needed through the vessels, the heart begins to slow.  If the body remains in
this slowed state, hypothermia could result.  Hypothermia is the condition in
which metabolic processes are inhibited.  The medical world has taken advantage
of this by inducing hypothermia in patients that are undergoing organ
transplants.

To fight temperatures higher than normal, as in exercise or on hot days, the
body reacts in the opposite way than with cold.  Again, the hypothalamus detects
the change of temperature in the

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