The key to an active, long life lies in the heart. For cardiovascular health, two exercise forms stand out: cardiovascular (cardio) exercise and strength training. Both are good, but which one is best for the heart? Let’s explore how each impacts cardiovascular health and why perhaps a balanced solution would be best.
Cardio: The Heart’s Best Friend
Cardio exercises, including running, cycling, swimming, and fast walking, are generally suggested for healthy hearts. Cardio exercise increases the beat of your heart, which forces your blood to move more and your lungs and heart to function more efficiently. Cardio routines can lower blood pressure, lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise good cholesterol (HDL) levels.
Experts suggest at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of intense aerobic physical activity per week. Research indicates that individuals who regularly exercise aerobically have greatly decreased risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Strength Training: Everything But Muscle
While cardio gets all the fame when it comes to anything regarding the heart, strength training, or resistance training, has its own list of incredible benefits. Weight lifting, resistance band workouts, or body weight workouts like push-ups and squats build lean muscle mass and metabolism.
Strength training has benefits to cardiovascular health by reducing body fat percentage, increasing sensitivity to insulin, and moderating blood glucose.. In addition strength training, enhances posture, balance, and bone thickness. As a general guideline to maintaining health, the American Heart Association recommends strength training exercise two or more times a week.
You do not need to pick one activity over the other. While cardio is a little better for lung and cardiovascular function, strength training is an essential component of vascular health and metabolic health. Accordingly, a combination of both a cardiovascular exercise and a strength training exercise is more beneficial overall for cardiovascular health, weight management, and chronic disease prevention.
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The cardiovascular best exercise is strength plus cardio. They build healthy body composition, a strong heart, and low cardiovascular disease risk. To achieve the best heart-healthy benefit, take a weekly cycle of resistance training exercise with aerobic exercise.
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