CURTIS BOVEE
STAFF WRITER

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States. Furthermore, one in four deaths in the United States are due to heart disease.

Regular aerobic activity, including running, walking and bicycling, can dramatically decrease the likelihood that you’ll become part of these awful statistics.

The following are a few benefits that you’ll see from regular aerobic exercise.

• Heart: with increasing aerobic activity, your heart will become more efficient. The stronger you work your heart, the easier it will be able to pump blood throughout your body.
• Arteries: aerobic activity will also help keep your pipes clear. Hardening of the arteries, called arteriosclerosis, is a major contributor to heart attacks and strokes. When the arteries are stiff, they narrow and allow plaque to build up, ultimately inhibiting blood to freely pass through. The resulting blockage prevents oxygen from getting to tissues and can cause damage and even tissue death. If the blockage breaks away, it can potentially lead to a pulmonary embolism, heart attack or stroke. Clean arteries are elastic and able to pass blood freely, helping to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
• Cholesterol: according to the American Heart Association (AHA), regular aerobic activity will increase your “good cholesterol” or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and decrease your “bad cholesterol” or low-density lipoprotein (LDL). LDL is associated with increasing buildup of plaque, and decreasing its presence in your blood will help combat all cardiovascular diseases.
• Blood pressure: high blood pressure is correlated with every type of heart disease. High blood pressure weakens your blood vessels, increasing the possibility of aneurysms and plaque buildup. Regular aerobic activity aids in reducing your blood pressure, really helping to decrease your odds of heart disease.

A normal heart pumps 60- 100 times per minute, or 86,400-144,000 times per day. Your heart doesn’t have the leisure of not working out—should you?

Exercising isn’t easy, especially when it involves long durations. Nothing easy reaps major benefits; however, knowing the benefits of regular aerobic activity should be enough of a reason for participating in aerobic activity four to five times a week for at least 30 minutes.

Your heart is essential; take care of it.