Tip of the Week

Pump Up For Your Heart

Sure, cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart, but did you know that lifting weights also helps keep your heart pumping strong?

Yes, making more muscles can also improve your ticker.   According to a study from Northern Illinois University, lifting weights or doing other resistance exercises as seldom as twice per week can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.  Researchers studied men and women who started lifting weights on a weekly basis.  All participants lowered their blood pressures by at least 2%--which may sound modest, but is significant enough to reduce the likelihood of developing heart disease.

Building and strengthening muscles and keeping them in top form through weight lifting, stretching exercises, or other activities contributes 20% to the overall age reduction effect of exercise.  And it's a critical 20%.  These activities provide a kind of insurance policy for the body, helping you to avoid injury and skeletal weakening and allowing you to continue your overall exercise routine without the disruptions caused by pulled muscles or broken bones.  Strengthening exercises, which protect bone mass and density, are especially important for woman.

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