Greater Frequency of Exercise can Boost Heart Health
You are probably aware of the American Heart Association’s long standing recommendation to get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every week But rather than try to squeeze all those minutes into a couple of long workouts on the weekend, you should consider 4 to 5 workouts each week. Better yet, aim for 30 minutes per daily exercise. This is particularly true if you have diabetes.
A recent study in the Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that individuals with diabetes had a 25 percent greater risk of coronary and cardiovascular events if they exercised zero to 2 times per week, compared with diabetes people who exercised at least 3 or more times weekly. To be effective. The workouts needed to be at least of moderate intensity.
This recommendation is due to the fact that the more you exercise, the more often your blood glucose (sugar) and blood pressure reap the benefits of physical activity. Exercise has both long and short term effects on the body. The way to optimize both is to get more regular exercise. It will mean less stress on your body and will better sustain the benefits. Your blood pressure, for example, will stay lower for a period of time before rising again after exercise. If exercise is done 3-5 times per week, a person can have, on average, lower blood pressure that someone exercising 2-3 times a week. This is also true for blood sugar levels in diabetics and pre-diabetic. Exercise and physical activity promotes the use of blood glucose (sugar) by exercising the muscles instead of letting the blood glucose get stored as fat.
Remember, if you have been sedentary for an extended time, ease into your exercise program. For example, 10 minutes of exercise daily for the first week or two would be a good place to start. Slowly increase your time and intensity in the following weeks and before you know it, you have built a great exercise schedule into your daily routine. Good Luck!