Physiological adaptation to physical activity and its health-related effects on children and adolescents

The paper presents body responses in children and adolescents to a single exercise session with submaximal and maximal load, and to a regular training program. The health benefits of physical activity in youth population are also discussed. The cardiovascular, metabolic and other physiological responses to physical exercise in children and adolescents are different than those of mature people and related to different periods of growth and maturation. The knowledge of the specificity of these responses is necessary for the application of exercise in the normal process of body shaping, involving growth and the related changes in the young body. Presently, the increasingly frequent cases of obesity are to a large extent connected with the decreased involvement in physical activity in youth population. The paper presents potential benefits of an increased physical activity including its effect on the cardiovascular, metabolic and cognitive functions in the young population.