February 1, 2019
While most of us know that exercise improves our health, we don’t always understand how or why. However, of the many exercise benefits and reasons to include exercise in our daily routines, there is one area which stands out above all others: heart health.
In fact, with February being American Heart Month, there is no better time than now to discover just what exercise does for the heart—or how dangerous a sedentary lifestyle is.
And, just to help you better understand these things, here is what you need to know about the benefits of regular exercise, how to easily incorporate heart-friendly exercise into your daily routine – including for the whole family – and the dangers of too little exercise on your cardiovascular health.
While the idea of exercise may have you moaning and looking for excuses to skip out, understanding how it benefits the cardiovascular system may help improve your motivation. For instance, your heart is a muscle, and just like other muscles in your body, it becomes stronger when you stress it through exercise.
While there is more to it than this, let us also first understand that according to the American Heart Association (AHA), cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for more men and women in the United States than any other disease. This is something which studies have shown can be reversed through the introduction of even minimal levels of aerobic exercise, which can be as simple as walking or even getting up and stretching more often, so long as it elevates your heart rate through movement. (1)
This occurs because when you increase the cardiopulmonary demand on your heart, it adapts by strengthening some key functions to keep up with the demand, which includes the strengthening and increased volume of the left ventricle and improved handling of calcium. This in turn leads to better cardiac performance.
This also consists of other changes to your system, such as vascular strengthening, improved insulin sensitivity, and metabolic changes including a more active metabolism. (2, 3)
Altogether, this means a lower risk of not just cardiovascular disease, but also type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some types of cancers. And, this is in addition to other exercise benefits, such as more energy, improved mental outlook, better brain function, leaner, stronger muscles and the maintaining of bone density. (4)
There is also good news for those who don’t want to run marathons or join in on strength competitions to get their exercise: the AHA recommends just 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise along with less time sitting. This can be as easy as getting up for a few 10-minute walks per day or altering your habits to include walking rather than taking the bus, taking the stairs rather than the elevator, and other simple, low-impact ways to add movement to your day.
And yes, while more vigorous aerobic exercise is fine and possibly even encouraged, the idea is that ANY exercise – no matter how moderate – can ultimately help lower your risk of cardiovascular and other diseases. (5)
Studies show that when compared to our ancestors and even our grandparents, we are now less active than ever.
For instance, in 1970, 2-in-10 American workers held desk jobs with limited activity, whereas 3-in-10 held jobs which required high levels of physical activity. However, by the year 2000, more than 4-in-10 Americans held jobs which required little activity, while only 2-in-10 held highly active jobs.
Mostly this is due to our ever-increasing screen time as more of our work becomes computer oriented, as well as job automation which is reducing the number of manual labor jobs. And, this is in addition to our increased dependency on motorized transportation, more automatic conveniences (think garage door openers, etc.), and other electronic devices which remove the brunt of our physical output.
Unfortunately, while this is great from the standpoint of efficiency and ease of modern living, the inactivity also wreaks havoc on our cardiovascular health.
For instance, recent studies show that prolonged inactivity has a distinct connection between increased BMI, higher blood triglyceride levels, and increased insulin resistance. However, studies also show that breaks in sedentary time, such as getting up periodically for short walks, has a positive effect on BMI management, heart health and insulin resistance. (6)
Of course, the best way to ensure not only a low risk of cardiovascular and other diseases, but improved sense of well-being, better inflammation response, slower aging, improved mental function and many other benefits, is to start a regular exercise routine. However, by saying “routine,” we are not saying “hardcore running or workout routine,” but rather, the type of exercise you and your family are comfortable with. (7)
For instance, some excellent, low-impact exercises which can be easily done with minimal equipment or investment can include:
However, for those who would like to intensify things and invest a little more time and energy into their exercise, they can also try:
Of the many exercise benefits there are, keeping your heart healthy and your risk for cardiovascular disease low is at the top of the list. While there are many ways to add regular exercise to your day or week, the important thing is that you choose an exercise routine which gets your heart rate going, fits your goals and comfort level, and enjoy doing it!
Did you know that low thyroid function can lead to fatal heart disease? Take our symptom checker health quiz to find out if you could have symptoms of hypothyroidism that could affect your heart disease risk. Don’t wait, call our Wellness Consultants today at 281-698-8698 to schedule your new guest visit.
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