The Autonomic Nervous System and Exercise

My main reason for writing a book on the role of the autonomie nervous system in exereise is to present an integrative approach to exereise physiology. Traditional textbooks on exereise physiology use what might be deseribed as a systems approach. The inter­ relationships between the systems, and therefore ehapters, is often very diffieult for the undergraduate student to grasp. This is difficult enough for a student of physiology. The problem is exaeerbated for the sports seienee student who, in addition to studying applied physiology, is faeed with other major diseiplines as diverse as biomeehanies and soeiology. The present approach requires the reader to link areas of physiology in order to see how the major systems are all affeeted by autonomie neural eontrol during exercise. The autonomie nervous system has been used as the link between the physiologieal systems ehallenged by exercise, not only beeause of its importanee, but also beeause this seems to be an area whieh is given relatively little attention in tradition al textbooks of exereise physiology.