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Exercise is beneficial for many reasons, including maintaining good heart health. Having a regular exercise routine can have many positive effects on your heart. Regular exercise improves your cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure, allowing for better blood sugar regulation, and healthier cholesterol levels. We want to share five reasons why exercise is good for your heart and how you can stay the healthiest version of yourself. 

1. Exercise Regularly 

Exercising regularly reduces the need for your heart to pump more blood to your muscles because strengthening your muscles improves your ability to pull oxygen out of your blood.  

2. Combining Exercises 

Combining aerobic exercise and resistance training is the ideal workout for your heart, according to the American Heart Association. Aerobic exercise, commonly called “cardio,” consists of biking, swimming, jogging, etc. Resistance training, or weight training, consists of weight machines, medicine balls, dumbbells, etc.  

3. Lower Blood Pressure 

A healthy heart functions very efficiently, pumping out more blood with every beat. Having a healthy heart lowers stress on other arteries, which could potentially lead to lower blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, cardio can help lower it. Even if you do not experience high blood pressure, regular exercise could prevent it as you age.  

4. Blood Sugar Regulation 

Physical activity can lower blood sugar for over 24 hours after your workout. When your muscles contract during exercise, your cells take glucose and use it for energy even if there is not any insulin available. During exercise, insulin sensitivity increases, allowing your muscles to use any available insulin. 

5. Lower Cholesterol 

Regular exercise can lower your cholesterol. According to the American Heart Association, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as “bad” cholesterol can be lowered by moderately exercising for 150 minutes (about 2 and a half hours) a week. Elevated levels of LDL can cause health issues like heart attacks. 

Before you begin any form of exercise, make sure to speak with your doctor. They may give you tips on how to safely incorporate cardiovascular activity into your daily routine. Feel free to contact us or visit our website if you have any questions.