The Health Benefits of Cardiovascular Exercise
The Health Benefits of Cardiovascular Exercise
Exercise in general has many health benefits including supporting our immune system. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults do at least 150 minutes to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, plus muscle-strengthening activities at least two days per week. Strength training includes disciplines that use resistance from one’s own body weight or from an external source such as dumbbells. Moderate-intensity activity may include many types of cardiovascular exercise such as walking, running, hiking, spinning, cycling, swimming and climbing stairs.
Cardiovascular exercise benefits our physical health in many ways:
Strengthen heart health
Improve lung function
May benefit quality of life
Whether you’re starting or maintaining an exercise routine, practice cardiovascular training such as going for a hike, attending a spinning or boxing class or streaming a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) or LIIT (low-intensity interval training) class at home. We should aim to move our bodies in different ways as often as we can. Being physically active can be rewarding, especially if we learn to have fun while doing it.
Reference
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Physical Activity and Your Heart. March 2022. Available from: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart/physical-activity/benefits
