Blood carries life in everybody. Your vast vessel network feeds precious oxygen and nutrients to all cells in your body, from your muscles to your brain, and your organs. This thread explores an underrated benefit of exercise:

The power to grow and shape this vascular system.

Oxygen and nutrient delivery is vital for your cells to perform. Think of the rivers flowed into the land or the roads in a city. Exercise improves your ability to absorb life sources through the growth and remodelling of your vascular network.

Exercise-induced blood vessel growth is a highly regulated ordeal driven by a signal from the muscles. Three factors initiate the adaptation:

- A stretch of the tissues
- Increased blood flow and shear stress
- Enhanced metabolism

Your delivery system becomes more efficient.

Angiogenesis happens in two ways:

1. Capillary growth: New sprouts of the smallest blood vessels in the body

2. Blood vessel remodelling: Enlargement of new and existing blood vessels

This adaptation promotes a faster exchange of resources from your vessels to your cells.

The Ancient Roman philosopher Cicero said “it is exercise alone that supports the spirits and keeps the mind in vigor.”
He knew what science confirmed thousands of years later:

Physical activity promotes brain health because of angiogenesis.

A study published in the journal Progress in Brain Research reviewed the research about the impact of exercise on the brain's vascular system.

Benefits include:

- Protection from the age-related decline of blood blow in the brain and strokes

- Better reactivity to CO2

All roads lead to the heart in the human body. Research shows exercise improves cardiac function through an angiogenesis adaptation and the regeneration of the inner lining of your blood vessels.

Body composition changes are the source of most people's exercise motivation. Know that excellent superficial results need optimal plumbing within, which will need time to catch-up if you have been inactive for years. Be patient, let exercise fix your vascular system first.