It is during physical exertion that the decreased work capacity of the heart becomes more evident. During exercise, heart rate and stroke volume normally rise to meet the body's increased metabolic needs. These changes, which are part of the so-called fight-or-flight response to stress, occur largely under the direction of the sympathetic nervous system. At the same time that the heart is working harder, the sympathetic nervous system preferentially redirects blood flow to skeletal muscles, the brain, and heart muscle while limiting blood flow to "less vital" organs of the digestive, reproductive, and urinary systems. But these normal responses exercise are dampened as we age, largely because of decreased sympathetic nervous system activity.