Exercising for Heart Health

Cardio. For some it is dreaded and for others, they cannot get enough. Whatever your view may be on cardio, you cannot deny the fact that cardiovascular health has so many benefits to your body and well-being. All cardio, regardless of form will burn off calories. Since fat loss depends on your body’s ability to burn calories versus the rate it consume calories – it is a step in the right direction. But the benefits of cardio extend beyond fat loss. So let’s get started on the five major benefits of cardio and what a healthy heart does for you!

Improved Heart Health:

A sedentary (inactive) lifestyle is one of the top risk factors for heart disease. Fortunately, this is one of the risk factors that you can do something about. Your heart is the most important muscle in your body, and like any other muscle, it must be worked to become strong.

Choose to give yourself a healthy heart. By getting the heart pumping at a faster rate basis, you will keep it healthy. When your heart is strong, it does not have to work so hard to pump blood to get circulation throughout your body.

A way of measuring whether you are working your heart is to measure your resting heart rate and what your Target Heart Rate should be. Whatever activities you are engaged in, make sure you maximize and get your body to its target heart rate. Simply put, your target heart rate is the activity you’re engaged in that raises your heart rate, but can still talk.

When you’re doing cardio, try to stay within the 65% - 70% of your maximum heart rate, hence your “Target Heart Rate”. Here’s how to calculate:

Maximum Heart Rate = 208 – (0.7 x age in years)

Target Heart Rate (stay within 65-75% of Max Heart Rate)

Increased Metabolism:

Another reason for cardiovascular health is the direct impact it has on your metabolism. Metabolism involves a complex network of hormones and enzymes that not only convert food into fuel but also affect how efficiently you burn that fuel. When you rev up your metabolism, your body is burning calories (for energy) at a faster rate. A high metabolism means an easier time to manage your weight (or losing weight).

Generally speaking, the more intense your cardio session, the more noticeable increase you will see with regards to your metabolic rate. Intense interval sprints, such as circuit training, are great ways to increase your metabolism.

Disease Management:

Heart related diseases such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes can all be drastically reduced with good heart health. Cardiovascular health helps you manage these conditions. For example, those affected by diabetes can manage their glucose (sugar) levels through regular exercise. Exercise improves the capacity of your body to metabolize fat, which generally results in greater use of it, slower depletion of muscle glycogen, and reduced reliance on blood glucose during an activity after your muscles have adapted.

Feel Good Factor:

Literally. Good cardiovascular health encourages your body to release a hormone known as “endorphins”. Endorphins the natural feel-good high your body produces when you exercise. This helps ease the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fatigue. In addition, cardiovascular health reduces stress and helps you sleep better at night.

 So who knew a healthy heart has so many benefits to your body and your well-being? The next time you ponder whether you should exercise, think of what you’re doing to help build and maintain a healthy heart. Celebrate your heart by being good to your body.

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