The Benefits of Exercise for the Heart

How does exercise benefit the heart when we exercise?

Our previous two Heart Month blogs, “Love Yourself and Your Heart” and “I’m trying to exercise, but am I doing enough to keep my heart healthy?” looked at the importance of exercise and how to know if we’re exercising at a high enough work rate to benefit our heart. But, how does exercise actually benefit our hearts? Let’s look at 4 specific benefits.

Our previous two Heart Month blogs, “Love Yourself and Your Heart” and “I’m trying to exercise, but am I doing enough to keep my heart healthy?” looked at the importance of exercise and how to know if we’re exercising at a high enough work rate to benefit our heart. But, how does exercise actually benefit our hearts? Let’s look at 4 specific benefits.

1. Exercise lowers blood pressure.
   When we exercise we’re literally working out our hearts! Exercise helps lower blood pressure by making your heart stronger and more efficient. The increased strength of your heart in pumping blood through your body lessens the pressure in the arteries that bring oxygenated blood to the rest of your body. This relationship means the more exercise you get the more efficient your heart gets, thus decreasing your blood pressure both at rest and during exercise.
2. Exercise helps strengthen muscles.
   As you exercise your heart isn’t the only thing that strengthens, your muscles do too. As muscles become stronger, they also become more efficient in drawing blood from existing blood vessels. This increased efficiency of your peripheral muscles helps decrease the workload on your heart. As muscles grow the body may sprout additional capillaries increasing the efficiency of your circulatory system even more!
3. Exercise helps in managing stress.
   When we exercise natural stress hormones are suppressed and our body releases endorphins. This means that as we exercise the chemicals in our body that contribute to increased stress (stress hormones) are reduced, while the chemicals that make us feel better (endorphins) are increased: a double benefit! Over time elevated levels of stress predispose us to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes all signs that our heart isn’t as healthy as it could be.
4. Exercise helps manage weight.
   Being overweight or obese puts an increased strain on our hearts. Exercise is an important part of our weight management whether it’s part of a weight loss plan or a maintenance plan aimed at keeping us at a healthy weight.

If you’re overweight, stressed, have high blood pressure, or are just not at your desired fitness level your heart probably isn’t as healthy as it could be and you may be at risk for cardiovascular disease. An exercise professional can help identify your risks and work with you to develop a program that can lead to a healthier heart and happier person. Live Your Life Physical Therapy has a team of knowledgeable professionals including exercise physiologists, personal trainers, and physical therapists that can help assess your needs and get you started on the right track. Live Your Life professionals will work directly with you in your home, exercise facility, or wherever you are most comfortable; help create appropriate fitness goals, and motivate and guide you through a program to improve your overall heart health and wellness. Contact us today for a free consultation!

Andrew holds a B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota (2009) and a Master of Organizational Leadership Certificate from St. Catherine University (2016). He is accredited through the American College of Sports Medicine as a Certified Exercise Physiologist (2011).

Andrew has worked in the adaptive fitness world of neurological rehabilitation since 2009. He helped foster program growth and expansion of adaptive fitness opportunities for individuals with Spinal Cord Injury and other neurological diagnoses through Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute’s Activity-Based Locomotor Exercise (ABLE) program, part of Allina Health, establishing Minnesota’s first and only Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation’s NeuroRecovery Network Community Fitness and Wellness Facility. He also works as a contract installer of FES products for Restorative Therapies, Inc. providing installation, education, and training for FES home users throughout the Upper Midwest. 

Additionally, Andrew serves as a Board Member of Get Up Stand Up to Cure Paralysis Foundation (gusu2cure.org) a nonprofit organization in Minnesota working to unite, educate and support those dealing with Spinal Cord Injuries and to advocate for research and the restoration of function. GUSU’s initiatives include advocating for SCI Research; community involvement through peer group and one-on-one peer mentoring and promoting adaptive fitness.

He enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters living an active and healthy lifestyle, enjoying the outdoors through cycling, running, hiking, and gardening. When he’s not outside Andy enjoys following University of Minnesota athletics, Vikings, Twins, MNUFC, Wild, Timberwolves, and Liverpool FC; listening to music, and reading.

References

Harvard Health Publishing (2018). Exercise to relax: How does exercise reduce stress? Surprising answers to this question and more. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax

John Hopkins Medicine. (2020). 7 Heart Benefits of Exercise.  Retrieved from: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/7-heart-benefits-of-exercise

Mayo Clinic. (2020). Exercise: A drug-free approach to lowering high blood pressure. Retrieved from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20045206

Mayo Clinic. (2020). Healthy Lifestyle: Stress management. Retrieved from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987