Last week we touched on nutrition tips for a heart-healthy diet, this week our focus is on the importance of exercise. Exercising regularly is critical for heart health, however, do you know exactly how exercise impacts the health of your heart? Keep reading to see how regular exercise can benefit your heart health!
Improved Blood Flow - Regular activity enables the heart to improve blood flow, circulation, and can increase the volume of blood your heart can pump, which may help prevent a heart attack. As blood flow, and blood volume from the heart increase, the less stress your heart is under.
Lower Blood Pressure - A healthy heart pushes out more blood with each beat, enabling it to function more efficiently which can lower blood pressure.
Lower Cholesterol - Exercising is linked to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and an increase of HDL (good) cholesterol by as much as 10%.
Decreased Risk of Stroke- Scientific research shows that regularly active people have 20% less chance of having a stroke. This is due to lower blood pressure, higher HDL (good) cholesterol, lower body fat, and increased blood flow.
Decreased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes - Regular exercise helps keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range and can improve insulin sensitivity, lowering your risk of developing type 2 Diabetes.
Promotes Other Heart-Healthy Habits - Regular exercise can help maintain a healthy weight, improve your mood, and encourage healthy nutrition choices.
Improved Workout Efficiency - The more routine exercise becomes, the quicker the body uses oxygen from your blood. People who work out regularly have hearts that perform better under stress and are less winded during exercise.
Always seek medical approval before you begin a new exercise routine, and talk with a doctor about the best way to incorporate activity into your lifestyle.
Exercising regularly has many benefits for the heart and can improve your overall health. To get the most benefit, it’s recommended adults exercise for 30 – 60 minutes with a mix of cardio and strength training at least 5 days a week.
If you have questions or want more tips on improving your heart-healthy exercise routine, contact one of our Health & Fitness professionals today at personaltraining@heavensacademy.com
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