The Heart - Yes, It's a Muscle!

Finishing a good weight workout - you are "pumped!" Blood has rushed to your chest, biceps, triceps, or shoulders, and you can see and feel a difference in your body. It's a good feeling! Following a hard cardio workout, you're usually more drained, and the muscle that's "pumped" is inside of you - your heart. A recent article syndicated by the Washington Post (authored by Gabriella Boston) highlighted the benefits of cardiovascular exercise to your heart. There were four more major attributes noted: the strengthening of the heart itself; the increased ability for the heart to pump more blood; the lowering of inflammation in the arteries; and reduced body weight and blood pressure. Exercise keeps arteries clear, which increases blood flow to outlying areas. That's why someone who is well-conditioned will generally have a lower resting heart rate and blood pressure than someone who rarely exercises. Jeff Haggquist, a sports medicine doctor in Washington, is quoted: "If the the heart has to push blood through a stiffened and clogged system, it has to work harder." All very logical! When I was beginning my running career in the late 1970's, we'd relax after a Saturday college cross-country race with a take-out dinner of fried chicken, gravy, and french fries. We knew it wasn't good for us, but it was a "reward" for our sacrifices of 70-plus mile weeks at sub 7-minute pace. I don't run as long or as hard now (I wish I could!), and I'm more mindful of my diet. I'll still have some celebratory burgers, pizza or beer; but it's tempered by a lot of meals with ingredients like yogurt, peanut butter, wheat bread, bananas, and peaches (and I actually like those healthy foods better!). Bottom-line, exercise can do wonders for your heart - but it's much more beneficial combined with a healthy diet. I also find, and tell my clients, that when you exercise, you tend to crave healthy food more, to replace lost nutrients. Plus, you don't want to ruin the hard work you just put in with "bad fuel" in your personal "gas tank"! You probably workout already if you're reading this article, but if not, get a stress-test before beginning. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week. Get the heart rate up to at least 60% of your max - you should be able to talk, but not easily chat! If you physically can't do 30 minutes straight, or don't have the time, break it into three ten-minute sessions. Exercise in small doses is better than none at all! Build up incrementally - most running experts recommend increasing total mileage about 10% a week to prevent injury and burn-out. Finally, that weight workout I mentioned at the start? It won't as do much for your heart as sustained cardio, but combined with some jump rope, rower, or other anerobic-type activity in-between, is great, too! Find your passion, and get to it!