February is American Heart Month, which is one of our favorite months out of the year. To help keep New Jersey hearts healthy, we want to share with you the heart benefits of daily exercise. Taking care of your heart is one of the most important things you can do. In fact, one of the best gifts you can give your heart is exercise. In addition to a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking, you’re setting yourself nicely for preventing heart disease.
According to Johns Hopkins expert Kerry Stewart, Ed.D, “For certain heart conditions, exercise can be as powerful as some medications.” Sign us up!
Exercise lowers blood pressure
Regular physical activity has been shown to help lower blood pressure by 5 to 8 mm Hg. If you have slightly elevated blood pressure, exercise can help you avoid hypertension, whereas if you already have hypertension, exercise can help bring those levels down to a safer number. The best type of physical activity to help lower blood pressure includes swimming, dancing, walking, jogging and cycling.
Exercise lowers stress
With busy work schedules and high demands, many of us face some type of stress in our daily lives. While we can’t avoid these situations entirely, it’s important that we know how to cope with them to help minimize the stress on our body, and most importantly, our heart! Exercise is a form of good physical stress that actually helps lower mental stress! Aerobic activities, such as running, is great for helping you clear your mind at the same time it helps you get in shape! These activities will help bring change to your metabolism, heart and spirits, which will make your cardiovascular health improve over time.
Exercise helps lower your resting heart rate
Your resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute while you are at complete rest. As you get stronger with different types of aerobic exercise training, you will begin to lower your resting heart rate, which indicates a more efficient heart! A low resting heart rate indicates better fitness levels than those who are not as physically fit. A healthy resting heart rate is considered to be between 60-80 beats per minute. Marathon runners, professional cyclists and elite endurance athletes may have a resting heart rate below 40! The more vigorous aerobic exercise you engage in on a regular basis, the more likely your resting heart rate will lower. If you’re looking for a great place to start, try out our spin classes!
Your heart is one of the most important muscles in your body. The more active you are, the stronger and healthier it gets! Adding even 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine can make a big difference in your heart health and wellbeing. Remember that exercise is just one facet of maintaining a healthy heart! It’s important to keep yourself at a healthy weight with a healthy diet as well. If you’re looking to kickstart your heart healthy routine, sign up to become a member at Advanced Fitness and Wellness today or try one of our group fitness classes!