When it comes to having a healthy heart, never underestimate the importance of cardiovascular exercise. Revving up your heart rate and increasing your blood pressure through cardio exercise warrants a healthy heart, stronger muscles, and a better brain. Besides helping your heart, cardiovascular exercise has other worthwhile benefits you should never ignore.
15 Benefits of Cardiovascular Exercise
These reasons for working out will convince you to get on track.
1 – Working out aids digestion
Working out stimulates your blood flow to your gut. This increase benefits your digestive system, helping you to work more efficiently. Studies show exercise improves the composition of bacteria in your gut, so you digest foods quickly. This is important for gut health. It also aids intestinal activity to prevent digestive problems such as constipation or diarrhea.
2 – Lungs benefit from cardio
Your lungs get significant benefits from cardiovascular exercise. Working out improves your overall lung capacity, so your lungs work harder. This stimulates the blood flow to your lungs and, in turn, increases the oxygen going into your blood. Even if you’re in good shape, you’ll benefit from including cardio exercises in your regular workout because it improves your breathing and lung capacity.
3 – Cardiovascular exercise promotes healthier skin
Cardiovascular exercise raises your heart rate, which increases your blood circulation. This delivers nutrients and oxygen to your body. This also stimulates collagen production and grows new skin cells in your skin, making your skin look brighter and healthier. Exercise is the best form of anti-aging help you can do for yourself.
4 – Lower your cholesterol by working the heart
Cardio raises your good cholesterol. Unhealthy “bad” cholesterol causes plaque to develop in your arteries. This may lead you to have a stroke or heart attack. Some of the best cardio exercises to help lower your cholesterol include:
- Jogging
- Brisk walking
- Biking
- Swimming
Be sure to keep an energetic pace while doing these exercises to get the full benefits of lowering your cholesterol. It would be best if you tried to do at least ten to twenty minutes of brisk activity to get the full effect.
5 – Cardiovascular exercise also builds stronger muscles
Working out strengthens your muscles. Your quadriceps, pectorals, and biceps are part of your skeletal muscles. They comprise long, thin, long cells. When you use these muscles, the force causes the cells of the muscles to get larger. Periods of rest and eating healthy protein aids the process of cell growth and strengthening. Staying active with regular cardiovascular exercises keeps your muscles strong and flexible. Use these machines for good muscle resistance training.
- Treadmill
- Stairclimber
- Rowing machine
- Swimming
- Exercise bike
- Elliptical
6 – More energy comes from cardio
If you struggle with an afternoon slump and feel exhausted at the end of the day, cardiovascular exercise could be your answer to more energy. Doing cardio exercises help you have good tiredness after your workout. Cardiovascular exercise makes your brain release endorphins, improving your stamina and increasing your energy levels. Cardio exercises also get the blood flowing, so your oxygen levels increase, and your heart rate increases. These add to your growth in energy and stamina throughout your day.
7 – Cardio helps you get better sleep
Cardiovascular exercise has many benefits, including better nighttime sleep. A good workout tires out your muscles, makes your heart beat faster, and forces your lungs to work harder. Your body feels tired and relaxed, so you’re ready to rest. Exercise is a natural bedtime remedy that’s a thousand times better than medication. Remember, always avoid intense exercise near your bedtime because this will keep you awake. When you sound asleep at night helps you:
- Not get sick as much
- Not gain weight
- Lowers your risk of heart problems
- Reduces your stress levels
- Improves your mood
- Helps you focus
- Improves your memory
- Improves your overall outlook on life
8 – Sexual desire increases after a workout
When you work out, there is a good chance your sexual desire will increase. This is because as you feel better physically, you’ll have more energy and feel happier about your life. These attitudes help you feel motivated to engage sexually. Studies show that a positive body image improves with cardiovascular exercise and increases a sense of sexual well-being. This is true, especially for women. So, if you’re lacking in the intimacy department, it may be time to start doing some cardiovascular exercises to improve your sexual desires.
9 – Healthy heart, healthier brain
Who doesn’t need a better brain? Cardio does the trick to stimulate your thinking and better brain function, so you’re more focused. It’s suggested that cardio exercises may lower your risk for dementia and reduce an aging brain. Working out can also improve your brain by:
- Increasing your blood flow, so you’re less apt to have a stroke
- It helps your memory and ability to think clearly
- Prevents aging brain
- Protects against memory loss
- It helps fight osteoporosis or brittle bones
- Helps fight arthritis
If you’re struggling with your memory, discuss it with your doctor to find out your options for memory improvement.
10 – Cardiovascular exercise lowers your blood sugar
Cardio exercise lowers your blood sugar and improves insulin resistance if you have diabetes. Weightlifting and resistance training increases your muscle strength while improving your blood sugar. The more physically active you are, the better your blood sugar levels and the easier it is to keep your diabetes in control. If you have diabetes, start exercising for better blood sugar control. These exercises can help you accomplish this:
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Weight Lifting
- Walking
- Biking
- Resistance bands
- Team sports
11 – Working out improves your memory
Sadly, there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Besides this, it’s a growing problem for the United States’ aging population. Cardiovascular exercise is one way to slow down the progression of this terrible disease. Getting at least three days of high-intensity exercise for fifteen to twenty minutes is essential. If you like to walk for exercise, kick it up with a brisk 15 walk several days a week. Get your blood pumping and your heart rate up for the best results. Cardio improves your memory and your ability to stay focused on an activity. It’s worth it to yourself to improve your memory and avoid a debilitating brain disease like Alzheimer’s disease.
12 – A workout makes you feel happier
It’s normal to have fluctuating moods, but regular cardiovascular exercise improves your overall mood and helps you have a cheerful outlook on your life. When you do cardio exercises, your body lets go of chemicals in your brain that provides you with a sense of well-being. It also resists hormones that increase your stress levels. The chemicals that your brain releases include:
- Serotonin-Improves your feelings of happiness
- Dopamine-Aids with pain sensitivity
- Endorphins-Another mood enhancer to boost your feelings of cheerfulness
Working out helps you let go of anxiety. It eases tension, so you feel relaxed, and helps you face your day in a good mood.
13 – Cardio makes you more focused
It’s already been said that cardiovascular exercise improves your focus. Revving up your heart stimulates blood flow and more oxygen moving throughout your body. This includes your brain. Working out helps you
- Interpret information
- Organize it
- Learn new things
- Remember things
- Stay focused
- Increase mental stamina
14 – Cardiovascular exercise helps fight arthritis
Aging affects your joints, so you’re more likely to get arthritis. It seems counterintuitive, but cardio exercise can get rid of stiffness and the pain of arthritis. Combining cardio exercises with healthy eating can lead to less pain and more flexibility in your joints. Try any of these cardio exercises for the best benefits.
- Fast walking
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Biking
- Rowing
To get the full benefits of cardiovascular exercise, the American Heart Association suggests you do 150 minutes a week of moderate heart revving movement or 75 minutes of sweat-producing exercise several days a week.
15 – People who do cardio are less apt to get sick
Cardiovascular exercise boosts your immune system, making you less apt to get sick. Regular exercise lowers your chances of diseases like diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure. It keeps your lungs healthier, so you breathe easier. It lowers your heart rate, so there is less stress on your heart. All in all, cardio exercises combined with eating a healthy diet give you a better chance of living longer and healthier.
Final Thoughts on Reaping the Benefits of Cardiovascular Exercise
It’s usually difficult to get doctors to agree on anything, but on cardiovascular exercise, they unanimously agree it’s one of the best ways to stay healthy. It revs up your heart and increases your blood flow as extra oxygen moves throughout your body. It also brings needed nutrients. Of course, you’ll burn calories and get your muscles in shape. Plus, you’ll feel better, look better, and have a better outlook on your life. You don’t need to join a gym to do cardio exercises.
The main thing is to add intensity to your activity to get an actual cardio exercise. Adding just ten to twenty minutes of heart-pumping exercise at least three times a week makes up a cardio exercise. Whether you choose brisk walking, jogging, swimming, biking, or yoga is up to you. The main thing is to decide what you want to do and get busy. You’ll be glad you did.
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