What makes 90 minutes of weekly exercise ideal?
Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, cycling, swimming, and running, is beneficial for heart health. These activities, which raise your heart rate and work large muscle groups repetitively and rhythmically, directly exercise the heart muscle, promote good circulation, get more oxygen to cells, and burn the most calories.
The benefits of aerobic exercise for heart health are well-documented. Studies have shown a direct correlation between the number of calories burned and heart health improvement. For example, overweight women who walk about 70 minutes a week can increase their heart's oxygen consumption by more than 4%. The more time spent exercising, the greater the benefits, with women exercising about 30 minutes a day increasing their heart's oxygen consumption by more than 8%.
The amount of exercise needed for significant heart benefits is not clearly defined, as experts have different recommendations. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is recommended to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, or alternatively, 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise weekly. This can be broken down into about 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week or 25 minutes 3 days a week, respectively.
The CDC also recommends 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day, with only a couple of days off each week, or about 150 minutes per week. Low-impact aerobic exercises like swimming, cycling, and rowing are particularly good for people who want to protect their joints while still achieving cardiovascular benefits.
Regular aerobic exercise strengthens your heart by improving its efficiency in pumping oxygen-rich blood, lowering bad cholesterol (LDL), increasing good cholesterol (HDL), reducing blood pressure, controlling blood sugar, and reducing inflammation. It also increases lung capacity and cardiorespiratory fitness.
For optimal heart health, it’s best to combine aerobic workouts with strength training about twice a week and allow for proper recovery to avoid overtraining. However, isometric exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups should be avoided by people with heart failure.
Exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, can dramatically lower the risk of heart disease and heart attack. Even minimal exercise, such as 10 minutes of walking each day, can have significant heart benefits. For significant heart benefits, an ideal amount of aerobic exercise might be 30 minutes a day, at least three days a week.
The American Heart Association and Cleveland Clinic provide resources for heart attack/coronary heart disease risk assessment and information on exercise and heart health. WebMD has an article on how exercise can benefit heart health in people with high cholesterol. These guidelines come from expert sources including the American Heart Association and exercise physiologists.
- Aerobic exercises like brisk walking, cycling, swimming, and running are beneficial for heart health by promoting good circulation, getting more oxygen to cells, and burning calories.
- Engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, or alternatively, 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise weekly, is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for heart health benefits.
- Science has shown that regular aerobic exercise strengthens the heart by improving its efficiency in pumping oxygen-rich blood, lowering bad cholesterol, increasing good cholesterol, reducing blood pressure, controlling blood sugar, and reducing inflammation.
- The American Heart Association and Cleveland Clinic provide resources for heart attack/coronary heart disease risk assessment and information on exercise and heart health, while WebMD has an article on how exercise can benefit heart health in people with high cholesterol.
