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Exercise is not just great to keep fit, slim down and tone muscles. It’s also good for your heart’s health. An average of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 15 minutes of high-intensity exercise per day, 5 days per week, should help you to save your heart from many health risks. Here’s why exercise is good for your heart…

Strengthens your heart muscles

Your heart is a muscle, so just like any muscle in your body, the harder you make your heart work, the stronger it gets.

A healthy heart usually pumps about 5 to 6 litres of blood every minute when you’re resting. However, when you exercise, your muscles need more oxygen and nutrients, so your heart needs to beat faster and more forcefully to pump more blood (which carries oxygen and nutrients) around your body. This helps to strengthen your heart so that it’s able to work more efficiently even when you’re resting.

Increases circulation

Exercise helps your blood vessels to dilate (widen), which helps to lower your blood pressure and triglyceride levels over time. Triglyceride is a type of fat that’s linked to liver and pancreas problems.

It also helps to lower your risk of high cholesterol and coronary artery disease (where the arteries that carry oxygenated blood to your heart became narrow or blocked). Your risk of a heart attack may, therefore, also decrease with regular exercise.

Exercise also improves the ability of your coronary arteries to dilate. The blood flow to your heart is, therefore, improved and not just to the rest of your body. Remember, your heart is a muscle, so it also needs oxygen and nutrients to function well just like all your other muscles.

Let’s exercise then!

Exercise is, therefore, not just good for fitness, strength and weight loss. It’s vital for the health of your heart, which, in turn, helps the rest of your body with crucial oxygen and nutrients to function well.

Bestmed Tempo fitness journey

Bestmed members who complete their health assessment (previously HRA) at any network pharmacy, unlock their free Bestmed Tempo wellness programme benefits, including three consultations with a network biokineticist per member/dependant 18 years and older. A biokineticist is a specialised therapist who can help you improve your well-being through physical activity.

Read more about morning stretches recommended by a biokineticist.