There is so much information concerning our well-being available.
One doctor says to eat differently to improve cardiovascular function, while another tells you to take the newest wonder drug.
While each method may get to the same improved result, one approach gives your heart the boost it needs in more ways than one.
Let’s begin by saying that all information provided does not replace the advice of your medical health professional, and you should consult a doctor before changing up your health routine.
With that being said…
Any type of consistent movement can be considered a cardiovascular exercise, strengthening your heart.
Running, walking, and cycling are the most popular forms of cardio, but there is there is an exercise that usually gets left out when people are trying to improve their heart health.
Weight lifting!
Strength workouts that target specific muscle groups may also “stave off heart disease,” reports Harvard Health.
Dr. I-Min Lee, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who studies the role of physical activity in disease prevention, tells Harvard Health:
“In the past, strong muscles were considered beneficial mainly from a functional standpoint — that is, they make tasks such as carrying groceries and doing laundry easier.”
Now we know weight training has a much larger role in cardiovascular health!
It’s a matter of muscle versus fat.
Strength training, or using weights to strengthen the body, help combat the natural muscle loss that occurs as individuals age.
Most of the time adults replace lost muscle tissue with increased fat, which tends to gather around the mid-section.
This weight distribution is closely associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease, says Dr. Lee.
Studies have shown that strength training also plays a role in boosting your metabolic rate by up to 15%.
Higher metabolism means that you are burning calories even while you are sleeping or sitting, which is a skill I could use more of in my life.
According to Harvard Health, one study found that men who did only 20 minutes of weight training a day had a slimmer mid-section than men who did aerobics alone.
This could be because muscle tissue is more “metabolically active,” as Dr. Lee explains, helping the body control blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.
Basically, when we cheat our meal plan with a piece of strawberry pie (and it won’t be my last time!) we have a much greater chance of burning those calories off if our metabolic rate is higher.
That way we won’t have to rely on that midnight trip to the elliptical to ensure we don’t wake up to find our jeans don’t fit the way they did the night before.
If you don’t feel comfortable using heavy equipment in the gym, or you don’t have a rack of dumbbells at home, there are still ways to get weight training in.
Resistance bands are a great, affordable option to tone muscle. And the best part is they can be easily folded up in a sock drawer for storing, or tucked away in a suitcase for travel.
No need to work yourself so hard you can’t walk up the stairs properly the next day, but consistency is essential for cardiovascular benefit.
Getting into a good routine can be simple, as Mommy Underground has previously reported, so get your heart pumping to keep it thumping.
Plus, summer is around the corner, and having the strength to hold your kids in the waves without being washed ashore every time is much less embarrassing.