Cardiovascular disease is one of the major issues facing the western world. About 655,000 Americans die from heart disease each year—that’s 1 in every 4 deaths (source: CDC.gov). With numbers like this, there is a good chance that someone in your own family has either suffered from or died from cardiovascular disease.
Cardiovascular disease is a broad term that includes strokes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. There is no single cause of cardiovascular disease, rather it is caused by a variety of factors including poor diet, poor exercise, smoking, etc. If you want to drastically lower your chances of getting cardiovascular disease, then you should begin exercising regularly. In this article, you will learn how exercising helps lower your chances of developing cardiovascular disease.
Exercise reduces blood pressure
High blood pressure is one of the components of cardiovascular disease. People, especially the elderly, need to be very cautious when it comes to blood pressure. Having high blood pressure puts more strain on your heart and can result in heart attacks and strokes. Exercise, alongside medication, is one of the best ways to reduce your blood pressure.
Exercise helps your circulatory system
Regular exercise is crucial for maintaining a good circulatory system. Making sure that the optimal amount of blood is being circulated throughout your body is essential. Exercise does two things to help improve your circulatory system. Firstly, it improves blood flow. When you exercise, your brain realizes that your body needs more oxygen, so it speeds up the circulation of blood. Secondly, exercise dilates your blood vessels, which allows the blood to flow more freely.
Exercise reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol
When people hear the word “cholesterol” they immediately think about bad things, heart disease, clogged arteries, etc. But, there are actually two kinds of cholesterol. The first kind is LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is the bad cholesterol, it is responsible for heart disease and clogged arteries. HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein) is the good cholesterol. Exercise is helpful because it reduces the amount of LDL cholesterol in your body and actually increases the amount of good cholesterol.
What kind of exercise should I do?
Any kind of exercise can help reduce your chances of developing cardiovascular disease. However, ideally, you will want to engage in high-intensity exercises such as swimming, running, sports, etc. But, if you are only able to do some light jogging or walking, that is better than nothing. As long as you are getting some exercise, your chances of getting cardiovascular disease will decrease.
