Final answer:
Several factors can alter heart rate, blood pressure, and exercise capacity. These include physiological responses like hormone release and changes in blood ion levels, as well as external stimulants. Regular exercise also has a positive impact on cardiovascular health by improving heart efficiency and reducing risk factors for heart disease.
Step-by-step explanation:
There are several factors that can alter heart rate, blood pressure, and exercise capacity. These include decreased firing rates of baroreceptors indicating falling blood volume/pressure, anticipation of physical exercise or strong emotions by the limbic system, increased epinephrine and norepinephrine release by the adrenal glands, increased T3 and T4 in the blood released by the thyroid, increase in calcium ions and decrease in potassium and sodium ions in the blood, increase in body temperature, and the presence of nicotine, caffeine, or other stimulants.
Regular exercise also has a positive impact on cardiovascular health by increasing stroke volume, lowering cholesterol levels, reducing plaque formation and blood pressure, and improving the efficiency of the heart. For healthy individuals, cardiac output and blood pressure increase during exercise, and well-trained aerobic athletes can have even higher increases in these values.