The #1 Reason You Should Be Exercising

By : Jodie Shield | 1 Comment | On : April 22, 2014 | Category : Adults, Seniors

Find out why getting “physical” is good for your heart.

Guest Post By: Valerie Latona

It’s Spring—just about that time when everyone starts exercising to get in shape for summer. But there’s a more important reason to be exercising every day…your heart! Study after study talks about how exercising—cardio in particular—can help strengthen the heart and keep it ticking for many years to come.

Let’s look at some of the facts:

√ Exercising strengthens your heart (remember, it’s a muscle!) and cardiovascular system

√ Exercising improves your circulation and helps your body utilize oxygen better (this means you’ll be less likely to get out of breath when you walk up that hill!)

√ Exercising reduces your risk of a heart attack. One study, in the journal Circulation, found that people who do 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every week (sounds like a lot but that’s actually just 30 minutes, 5 days a week) have a 14 percent lower risk of heart disease compared with sedentary people. That’s significant.

√ Exercising reduces inflammation in the artery walls. A study done at Columbia University Medical Center on people 20 to 45 years old found that moderate intensity exercise (jogging, using the elliptical, swimming, that aerobics class you love) reduces the risk of atherosclerosis, fatty build-ups in the arteries that trigger most cases of heart disease.

√ Exercising lowers blood pressure I attribute my consistently low blood pressure to the years I’ve spent working out.

√ Exercising reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol Exercise is key, but diet is important too (e.g. you don’t want to eat lots of fried, fatty food after you come back from a heart-boosting run).

√ Exercising helps you stay at a healthy weight Being at a healthy weight is key for a healthy heart—and body. It reduces the risk of so many disease like heart disease and diabetes.

√ Exercising helps reduce anxiety and stress This is one reason I love exercising so much. And it’s on the days I don’t exercise, that I’m particularly tense—and grumpy!

Also, an interesting note: that same study in the journal Circulation found that women get more benefit from exercise than men do (and that’s not to say that men shouldn’t exercise!). Researchers aren’t sure why, but what I think: women are multi-taskers, juggling work, home, family, scheduling, you name it. We need a good workout to help keep us sane—and our bodies in peak form! That’s why I have to exercise. With three kids under the age of 10 (including a one year old), exercising keeps me in balance—and I know it’s keeping my heart healthy, too. (Another reason I have to be vigilant: there’s cardiovascular disease in my family on my dad’s side. My dad has already had a triple-bypass surgery and had stents and a pacemaker put in as well. I don’t want that to be me!)

So this Spring, do your heart a favor and get out and exercise.

* A very important caution: if you don’t already exercise, be sure to talk to your doctor before you start—or stop if you feel any chest pain or tightness in the chest or lightheadedness. They could be signs of heart issues.