The No. 1 killer in the nation is heart disease. Coming onto the list at No. 5 is a stroke. Both of these cardiovascular illnesses are preventable with regular exercise. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day for five days out of the week, as a reasonable and healthy preventive measure to make one’s overall cardiovascular wellness better.
To put it in perspective for those that find it hard to get motivated about exercise – it calculates to devoting only 150 minutes to physical activity from a week that contains 10,080 minutes. In the time it takes to watch a feature film, you could add days to your life.
Cardiovascular endurance is unquestionably an essential facet of fitness because it functions as the barometrical indicator of heart healthiness.
Your heart adjusts to the demands and pressure put on it. So, with regular exercise, like running, swimming, walking or cycling, for example, your heart strengthens, and the organ builds endurance. Cardiovascular endurance is indicative of how healthy your heart is, and a healthy heart can delay mortality. The heart regulates the flow of oxygen to the muscles, as well as, the rest of the body – including the brain. However, as it relates to fitness and physical activity, adequate oxygenation of the muscles directly influences your body’s performance.
Below are three important reasons why cardiovascular endurance training is necessary for overall fitness.
Strength against risks for chronic illnesses
As you train your body for more cardio endurance by exercising regularly and for increasingly longer durations, you are setting yourself up for improved overall health. In studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine, it was researched and revealed that by regular exercise and remaining physically active, people lowered their risks of developing several chronic diseases, which included coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis and colon cancer.
Marginalized weight gain
Cardiovascular endurance helps you to receive the most you can from your exercise. If your heart is weak, you will tire out far quicker than if your heart were healthy. Exercising helps you burn off the calories that, in excessive amounts, can contribute to weight gain. With endurance training, you will be able to withstand longer periods of exercise and physical activity. The more physically active you can be, the more calories will get burned and the more pounds you will lose.
The important thing to remember is that if you are not able to handle a 30-minute workout immediately upon starting an exercise regimen, it is permissible to begin with fewer minutes (15-20) and gradually increase the duration and intensity with time.
Improved mood and better sleep
While there are certainly physical benefits to cardiovascular endurance training, there are psychological advantages as well. Exercise releases dopamine into the brain. The chemical, dopamine, significantly affects mood and emotions, creativity, movement and sensitivity to feelings of pain or pleasure. By exercising, you are improving your mood and dissolving symptoms of depression and anxiety. Also, recent studies have shown that individuals doing endurance exercises thirty minutes a day, four to five times a week, sleep 45 minutes longer than an inactive person. The sleep is deep, and the person wakes with a vigorous feeling that lasts throughout the day.
Article sources
“American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults.” (2016). American Heart Association. Retrieved from https://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/PhysicalActivity/FitnessBasics/American-Heart-Association-Recommendations-for-Physical-Activity-in-Adults_UCM_307976_Article.jsp#.WQYVCca1vtQ
“Physical Activity and Public Health.” (1995). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://wonder.cdc.gov/wonder/prevguid/p0000391/P0000391.asp#head004000000000000