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Short- and Long-Term Effects of Exercise

The moment you start to move, your body reacts, and months of training change it for good. Learn to tell the short-term effects of exercise from the long-term ones.

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What you'll cover

Your body responds 🏃

The moment you start to exercise, your body reacts. Some effects happen straight away and fade quickly; others build up over months of training. Learn to tell the **short-term** effects from the **long-term** ones.

Words to know 🔑

A few terms describe how the heart and lungs respond:

Now or later? ⚖️

Effects fall into two groups.

During exercise 🎯

What happens to your heart rate during exercise?

  • It increases
  • It decreases
  • It stays exactly the same
  • It stops for a while

Short-term effects 🔗

  • Heart rate
  • Breathing
  • Body temperature
  • Lactate
  • Rises so more blood reaches the muscles
  • Gets faster and deeper for more oxygen
  • Rises, so the body sweats to cool down
  • Builds up and causes muscle fatigue

Training pays off 💡

Train regularly for months and your body adapts. Your resting heart rate falls because the heart works more efficiently. The heart itself gets bigger and stronger, so it pumps more blood with each beat. Your muscles and bones grow stronger, and your stamina improves.

Heart rate and effort 📈

An interactive activity.

Long-term effects ✅

Which THREE are long-term effects of regular exercise?

  • A lower resting heart rate
  • A bigger, stronger heart
  • Better stamina
  • Weaker muscles
  • No change to the body at all

As you speed up 🪜

An interactive activity.

Complete the idea 🧩

During exercise, your heart _____ increases and your breathing gets faster and deeper. _____ builds up in the muscles and causes fatigue. Over months of training, your _____ heart rate falls and your heart gets bigger and _____. Regular exercise also improves your _____.

rate Lactate resting stronger stamina weaker sugar maximum slower bones

Why it helps 🔀

  • A lower resting heart rate
  • A bigger, stronger heart
  • Stronger muscles
  • Denser bones
  • The heart works more efficiently
  • It pumps more blood with each beat
  • They can work harder for longer
  • They are less likely to break

Short or long term? 🧭

An interactive activity.

True or not? 🖍️

An interactive activity.

Compare the effects ✍️

An interactive activity.