Why You Need to Move Your Body: Physical Activity and Heart Health

If you’re looking for a fun and easy way to boost your heart health, then adding more of the right types of physical activity to your daily routine may be just the thing you are looking for. From running to weightlifting and everything in between, physical activity is great for your heart!

If you aren’t sure where to start, then you’re in the right place because we are going to break down everything you need to know. 

How Does Exercise Promote A Healthy Heart?

Regularly moving your body is an essential part of maintaining your overall health, and it provides numerous benefits that can support a strong, healthy heart and cardiovascular system. 

Improves Blood Circulation

Your blood is what carries oxygen and nutrients to every organ, tissue, and cell in your body, and in order to do that effectively, it needs to be able to easily circulate, or flow, through your arteries and blood vessels. Physical activity, or the lack of it, is a big contributor to how well your blood circulates. Moderate to vigorous exercise is great for getting your heart pumping, which will help increase your blood flow and flush blood through your arteries, helping to keep these important passages clear.  

Helps Manage Cholesterol

Exercising regularly can help manage your cholesterol levels by both increasing good cholesterol and lowering bad cholesterol. This is because physical activity is known to lead to an increase in high-density lipoproteins (HDL), also known as good cholesterol. HDL does a number of important things for your body, but one of its most notable responsibilities is to help your body get rid of excess cholesterol, namely low-density lipoprotein or “bad” cholesterol, by leading it to your liver to be properly metabolized. In turn, this increase in HDL can help promote better overall heart health. 

Supports Overall Health

Additionally, regular exercise also comes with a number of other health benefits that are known to support a strong, healthy heart. For example, incorporating physical activity into your daily routine can help with maintaining a healthy weight and reducing feelings of stress and anxiety, which can also help promote heart health.  

Exercises For Better Heart Health

When it comes to maintaining a healthy heart, not all exercises are created equal. With that in mind, let’s take a look at various types of physical activity that are known to be effective at promoting cardiovascular health. 

1. Resistance Training
Also known as weightlifting or strength training, resistance training leverages things like weights or resistance bands to challenge your muscles and build strength. This, in turn, can support your heart by boosting your metabolism (which helps with weight management), improving circulation, and strengthening your heart. 

2. Aerobics Training
Aerobics training, which is more commonly referred to as cardio, is a go-to type of exercise for many people. Cardio workouts involve rhythmic and continuous movements of large muscle groups such as your legs and arms. These movements help increase your heart rate and breathing rate, which helps to improve blood flow, strengthen the heart, and increase your endurance. While most people associate cardio with running, activities like cycling, swimming, and dancing also fit into this category. 

3. Stretching and Flexibility
The goal of stretching is to boost your flexibility and balance. It is also perfect for working on your muscles and reducing the chances of getting cramps or workout-related injuries. While less intense in nature, stretching is still a great way to increase your circulation. Plus, it comes with the added benefit of helping you slow down and relax, which can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Common stretching exercises include yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi. 

To achieve optimal results for your heart as well as the rest of your body, it’s best to come up with an exercise regimen that includes all three of these types of exercise. 

Get Started on Your Physical Health Journey

If you aren’t already following a workout plan, it can be difficult to know where to get started. So, here are some tips to help you out. 

1. Choose Activities You 
There is no shortcut to physical health, so the best thing to do is identify activities that you enjoy and add them to your workout rotation. If you love to play tennis, swim, jog, dance, and so on, then go ahead and use these as a way to stay active. You can also get a workout buddy (a family member, spouse, or friend) who can help you stay motivated and join you to make your workouts more fun. 

2. Make A Realistic Plan
We all have health goals we want to achieve, but the only way we will achieve them is by putting a realistic plan in place. If you set unattainable goals or create a workout plan that requires more time and dedication than you can give, you are only setting yourself up to fail. Evaluate your health and fitness goals to make sure they are truly attainable, then create a plan that will help you take small steps in the right direction. As time goes on, you will pick up momentum and be well on your way to achieving your goal. 

3. Be Consistent
Consistency is key. Make physical activity something that you include in your daily routine so you are more likely to stay consistent throughout the week. Consider adding your workout time to your calendar, splitting your workouts so you do a little in the morning and a little in the evenings, displaying your exercise plan on the fridge so you will always see it, or implementing whatever other tricks you can think of that will help you stay consistent. It will pay off, we promise.

4. Be Active, But Be Safe
We are all on our own journeys toward health and fitness, and none of our journeys will look the same. We are all starting from different points, have different capabilities and limitations, and have varying types of equipment and resources available to us. Because of this, it’s important to keep in mind that just because something worked for someone you know doesn’t mean it will work for you. Avoid the urge to copy someone else in an attempt to get the same results. Consider consulting with your doctor or a personal trainer to help you create a plan that will work for you, then make sure you have the equipment and knowledge you need to complete your workouts safely and effectively. Before you know it, you will be making progress in leaps and bounds. 

Bonus Tip: Enhance Your Fitness with Supplements

If you’re looking to take your fitness routine to the next level or provide your heart with a little extra support on a daily basis, then consider adding natural, whole-food supplements like those offered by New Earth to your daily routine. 

These supplements are made with nutrient-packed superfoods and are designed to help you nourish your body with all the vital nutrients it needs to stay as healthy as possible. Plus, you can put any New Earth Supplement to the test risk-free with our 90-day money-back guarantee. So go ahead, browse our products, and grab some for yourself. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

At New Earth we are on a mission to positively impact the health of every body and soul we come in contact with. We specialize in producing third-party certified, organic whole food supplements including a variety of probiotics, and digestive support. Our supplements feature a rare, yet highly nutritious superfood, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA). Also known as organic Wild Microalgae®, AFA is a unique type of microalgae that is available in many forms including tablets, capsules, and powders all designed to help you on your journey to holistic wellness. The best part? We offer a 90-day money-back risk-free guarantee on all of our products. Visit our website to learn more.