Circulation

Oxygen Demand
Your muscles are working harder during exercise and that means their demand for oxygen
increases. This happens because oxygen is needed to burn calories more efficiently. Since
the blood picks up oxygen in the lungs, and the demand for oxygen increases during
exercise, the lungs must work harder. With a faster breathing rate, more oxygen is picked up
at the lungs for delivery to the working muscles.

Carbon Dioxide Removal

A by-product of metabolism is carbon dioxide. Part of the lungs function is to rid the blood of
carbon dioxide. As exercise continues, or exercise intensity increases, more carbon dioxide is
produced and needs to be removed. Increased breathing rate allows carbon dioxide to be
expired more rapidly.
At the onset of exercise, the brain signals increases in heart and breathing rates in
anticipation of the increased need for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange of exercise.
Once exercise begins, circulating levels of the hormone epinephrinealso referred to as
adrenalineincrease. This increase stimulates ventilation as well.

The circulatory system, also called the cardiovascular system, is an organ system that permits
blood to circulate and transport nutrients (such as amino acids and electrolytes), oxygen, carbon
dioxide, hormones, and blood cells to and from cells in the body to nourish it and help to fight
diseases, stabilize body temperature and pH, and to maintain homeostasis. The study of blood
flow is called hemodynamics.
The circulatory system is often seen to be composed of both the cardiovascular system, which
distributes blood, and the lymphatic system, which circulates lymph.[1] These are two separate
systems. The passage of lymph for example takes a lot longer than that of blood.[2] Blood is a
fluid consisting of plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets that is circulated by
the heart through the vertebrate vascular system, carrying oxygen and nutrients to and waste
materials away from all body tissues. Lymph is essentially recycled excess blood plasma after it
has been filtered from the interstitial fluid (between cells) and returned to the lymphatic system.
The cardiovascular (from Latin words meaning 'heart'-'vessel') system comprises the blood,
heart, and blood vessels.[3] The lymph, lymph nodes, and lymph vessels form the lymphatic
system, which returns filtered blood plasma from the interstitial fluid (between cells) as lymph.
While humans, as well as other vertebrates, have a closed cardiovascular system (meaning that
the blood never leaves the network of arteries, veins and capillaries), some invertebrate groups
have an open cardiovascular system. The lymphatic system, on the other hand, is an open system
providing an accessory route for excess interstitial fluid to get returned to the blood.[4] The more
primitive, diploblastic animal phyla lack circulatory systems.