Exercise for You and Your Heart
The association between physical activity and improved heart health has been studied and proven for decades. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Association, as well as independent studies by doctors and researchers, have all reached the same sobering conclusion: regular physical activity is a key intervention for maintaining a healthy heart and warding off cardiovascular disease.110,111,112
What does regular physical activity do? The heart is a muscle and, as when you work any muscle, it becomes stronger and more efficient with training.113 Additionally, exercise improves the body's ability to take in and use oxygen. As the ability to transport and use oxygen improves, daily exercise can be performed with less fatigue.114
Additionally, studies have shown that active, fit individuals are less likely to develop coronary heart disease than inactive people. And, if physically active people do develop heart disease, it is often less severe.114
That's because physical activity reduces many of the risk factors of heart disease. When you exercise regularly, you experience the following, which help protect your heart112,113,114:
- Improved blood circulation
- Lowered cholesterol, including lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and higher HDL (good cholesterol)
- Lowered risk of developing diabetes
- Reduced body weight and fat stores
- Reduced blood pressure (especially in those with high blood pressure)
- Lessened stress, tension, anxiety and depression
- Increased heart-lung fitness
- Decreased inflammatory markers (e.g., C-reactive protein concentration)
- Improved muscle tone and strength
- Increased energy levels
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