How exercise is beneficial for your heart health:
Exercise is one of the best ways to get in shape for cardiovascular fitness. Inactivity is one of the four major risk factors for heart disease, on par with smoking, unhealthy cholesterol and even high blood pressure. Scientific research shows that compared to physically active people, people who are not… Actives may have up to twice the risk of suffering a heart attack and three times the chance of dying immediately after such an attack.
Physical activity on the other hand can prevent or reduce the risk of developing chronic lifestyle diseases (such as heart disease), thus increasing your longevity and improving your quality of life.
Here’s how exercise actually helps you with heart health:
Strengthens the heart:
Like all muscles, the heart becomes stronger and larger as a result of exercise, so it can pump more blood around the body and the resting heart rate is higher than those who exercise, because less effort is needed to pump blood around the body.
Reduced risk of coronary heart disease:
People who maintain an active lifestyle have a 45% lower risk of developing coronary heart disease. For greatest protection against coronary artery disease, one needs to burn about 250 calories per day (equivalent to about 45 minutes of brisk walking or… 25 minutes of jogging, which is about 30KM walking per week).
Reduced risk of high blood pressure:
Sedentary people have a 35% greater risk of developing high blood pressure. You are at a greater risk of high blood pressure. Regular exercise helps keep the arteries flexible which in turn keeps blood flowing and frequent blood pressure drops. Moderate intensity exercise is probably the best way to lower blood pressure. Blood pressure from the point of view of exercisers
Improving blood fats (cholesterol and triglycerides):
Cholesterol:
Cholesterol has many components, the two most important of which are HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol). Regular exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, aerobics and racket sports are the best forms of exercise to lower LDL to some extent and raise HDL cholesterol levels. By up to 20%. Resistance training can also help with lowering LDL.
