Joannie Auger's Lab Report
science level 3
Physiology of Exercise
Presented to Mr. Shea
May 21st, 2009

Abstract

The objective of this lab was to measure the metabolisms rates in the human body in response to different intensity levels of physical activity. There were three levels of physical activity, complete rest, normal walking and the jogging. And what was to be measured was the pulse, the respiration rate, the blood pressure(diastolic and systolic), the temperature (internal and external) and the sweat. After each level of activity, the rates were to be measured to show how the body reacts with exercise. What was noticed is that the rates always increased, except for 3 graphs (diastolic bood pressure, internal temperature and external temperature), those were the only sources of error in the experiment, due to the fact that the thermometer was taken out of the mouth too quickly. The blood pressure was because there was too much time wasted between the end of the physical activity and the time the pressure was taken. All the other results confirmed what we thought, the rates increase when the activity got harder. The respiratory system and the nervous system would work harder.

Introduction

"Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that occur in living organisms in order to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments.

We measured the basic body metabolic parameters:
- pulse,
- respiration rate,
- blood pressure,
- temperature and sweat.

The objective of this lab measures body metabolic mechanisms in response to different
levels of exercise: the pulse, the respiration rate, the blood pressure, the temperature (internal and external) and the sweat."



The main reason of this lab was to show how the body (circulatory and respiratory systems) reacts when the breathing gets faster. With low, mild and high intensive physical activity it wasn’t hard to see that the body is easily affected by the heart rate. Of course the pulse, respiration rate, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure, the internal and external temperature would change between the levels of activity. With no surprises, this is what actually happened. What was asked to do was to be completely at rest for 10 minutes, which was the low physical activity. After the 10 minutes of relaxation, the pulse, respiration rate, the blood pressure and temperature needed to be taken. Then, it was time for the mild physical activity to start; walking was the activity was suggested. After 5 minutes of normal paced walking, the pulse, the respiration rate, blood pressure and temperature were to be taken once again. For the high physical activity level, running was a good way to go with. And after 5 minutes of non-stop high activity, the pulse, respiration rate, blood pressure and temperature were to be taken for the third time.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis was that the intensity of the activity practiced will have an automatic effect on all the systems in your body which will make them work harder. Example: the pulse, respiration rate, the blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) and the temperature (internal and external) would eventually increase if the level of activity got harder. If you run for 5 minutes, all the metabolic rate will be higher than if you rest for 10 minutes.

Procedures

The three different conditions of activity consisted:

Having a student volunteer laying down at complete rest for ten minutes.




Having a student volunteer do a light activity for five minutes.




Having a student volunteer do a intense activity for five minutes.



After each activity, the metabolic rates were measured as quickly as possible using: oral thermometer, ordinary thermometer, sphymomanometer (blood pressure gauge), piece of microscope tissue (for sweat), and stethoscope.

- The oral thermometer should use cover slips and/or be disinfected with mouth wash before each use.

Results Graphs of Metabolism: J. Auger

The graphs that are shown below demonstrate the 3 averages between the low, mild and high levels of activities. There is a graph for the pulse, the respiration rate, the blood pressure, and the temperature. During the low (completely at rest) physical activity, all the mentioned were kind of low, (pulse: 75.00, respiration rate: 12.00, systolic blood pressure: 61.00, internal temperature: 35.70, the external temperature: 37.00 and the sweat: low.) But after the 5 minutes of constant walking, the numbers increased, which was fully normal. And when the running during 5 minutes was done, some numbers increased and others decreased! This was one of the major problems that happened. Either there was too much time between the end of the activity and the time the metabolic mechanisms were taken; the breathing got slower and so did the blood pressure. This is why the diastolic blood pressure got lower after the high level of activity then the other averages in the diastolic blood pressure graph. The problem also took place when it was time to take the internal and external temperatures. But this time it wasn’t because too much time got lost, but because the thermometer didn’t always “beep” before it was took it out of the mouth (internal), which was because of the time that was left. It can be seen in the graph below.

Pulse graph based on the low, mild and high level of physical activity preformed results.



Respiration graph based on the low, mild and high level of physical activity preformed results.

Systolic pressure graph based on the low, mild and high level of physical activity preformed results.



Diastolic pressure graph based on the low, mild and high level of physical activity preformed results.


Internal temperature graph based on the low, mild and high level of physical activity preformed results.

External temperature graph based on the low, mild and high level of physical activity preformed results.

Discussion

Each cell in the muscles need more oxygen when doing more work because of increased cellular respiration within the cell. Each cell also required glucose, which is part of cellular respiration. Two substances produced during cellular respiration are carbon dioxide and water. The formula for cellular respiration is C6H12O6 + O2 -> CO2 + H2O + energy.



Blood is the transport system for oxygen, glucose, carbon dioxide and part of the water. Blood is made up of white blood cells, red blood cells, plasma, platelets and dissolved proteins, glucose, and carbon dioxide. White blood cells defend the immune system against any diseases. They make about 1% of blood in a healthy adult. Red blood cells transport the oxygen in the body. They develop in bone marrow and can live up to 100 days. Plasma is a liquid containing proteins in which the blood cells and platelets are usually suspended. Platelets help the blood to clot. When you have a cut, the platelets will stop the bleeding. If the number of platelets in your body is too low, your body will have a hard time to clot your blood.


Oxygen in the blood is carried by a system of tubules made-up of arteries, arterioles, and capillaries. Oxygen diffuses from the high concentration in the arterial capillaries into the area of low concentration in the cell. Oxygen attaches itself to the erythrocytes that are red blood cells. Erythrocytes contain hemoglobin, which is a molecule that contains an iron atom.

Carbon dioxide diffuses from the high concentration in the cells into the area of low concentration in the capillaries around the cell. The capillaries carry the blood rich in carbon dioxide to the venules and then to the veins. The veins carry the carbon dioxide to the upper and lower vena cava that lead into the right atrium, then the carbon dioxide enters the bottom right ventricle, afterwards it gets into the lungs but it is no longer carbon dioxide that is carried, it is oxygenated blood. When it leaves the lungs, it now enters the top left atrium and is then sent into the bottom left ventricle. The bottom left ventricle sends the oxygenated blood to the cells and to the body, by the arteries.


Receptors, such as the one in the aorta, detect the rise in carbon dioxide in the body as the blood leaves the left ventricle. The carbon dioxide receptor examines the level of carbon in the blood. The receptor sends a signal to the respiratory centre in response to an increase or decrease in the levels of carbon dioxide. The respiratory centre is located in the medulla oblongata at the base of the brain.


The respiratory centre, which is part of the central nervous system and part of the autonomous nervous system, sends a signal to the muscles involved with respiration such as the intercostal muscles in the rib cage and the diaphragm to work faster if the levels of carbon dioxide have increased. These signals occur very quickly. During the intense activity level the abdominal muscles were also activated by the respiratory system. This was not part of the procedures so in the next repetition of the experiment this should be included in the procedures as one of the variables to observe.



As the muscles around the lungs contract, they enlarge the area around the lungs. The enlarged area around the lungs decreases the pressure in the lungs. The pressure outside the body is greater at that point than in the lungs so air from the outside is forced into the lungs by the difference in pressure. As the muscles relax and return to their original positions, the higher pressure on the lungs forces air from the lungs into the air.
The lungs are comprised of two main sections, the left and the right lungs. Air from outside enters through the mouth and the nose, gets in the pharynx and then goes in the lungs, after that it reaches the bronchioles and gets to the alveoli. The oxygen enters the blood and gets transported to the heart. It then gets pumped through out the body. At the same time, the lungs eliminate the carbon dioxide, from the liquid portion of the blood called plasma, and exhale it.


The results in the experiment indicate that both respiration and pulse increased with higher activity levels. The mean results support the hypothesis. The range in the results can be explained by the different levels of strenuous activities some requiring more oxygen, and by different levels of fitness among the subjects.


It would be worthwhile to add a further dimension to the experiment by analyzing how long it takes the body to resume the normal pulse and respiration to determine when oxygen levels returned back to normal. The hypothesis would be the faster that the subject’s pulse and respiration returned to normal, the better is the subject’s cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. Another addition to the experiment would be to have some subjects inhale oxygen. The hypothesis would be that the subjects inhaling oxygen would return to their normal pulse and respiration rates faster than subjects who were not provided with oxygen.



The experiment could also test the level of carbon dioxide produced at the different levels of activity. This can be measured by having the subjects blow through a straw into lime water. Lime water turns murky white in the presence of carbon dioxide as done in a previous experiment this year. The faster the lime water turned milky white, the more carbon dioxide the subject must be exhaling.



The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood circulating against the walls of the blood vessels. There are two types of blood pressure. The diastolic blood pressure, which is the phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle relaxes and allows the chambers to fill with blood. Systolic blood pressure is the phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle contracts and pumps blood from the chambers into the arteries.

Conclusion

To conclude, the exact purpose of the lab was to show how the body and all it’s systems react with physical activity performed. These were measured by the pulse, respiration rate, blood pressure, temperature and sweat. What can be seen is that the metabolic rate increases when a higher level of activity is performed. Each system in the body like the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the excretory and nervous system, all connect to the physiology of exercise.

References

Exercise Physiology, Circulation and Respiration systems.
Le Guide complet de la Santé familiale, by Dr Miriam Stoppard/ p.384 .