We all know that exercise keeps the heart healthy and reduces the risk of high blood pressure, right? As you’re here on our website, we’re guessing that you also care just a wee bit…
Most people have the notion that exercise means sweating it out for an hour or two in the gym. This may be the most effective form of exercise to burn calories and keep your weight down, but for cardiovascular exercise, a 20-minute bike ride three times a week is more than sufficient to keep your heart healthy.
According to a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, men and women between the ages 37 to 55 who engaged in short bouts of exercise that averaged 28 minutes daily are less likely to develop hypertension compared with those who performed minimal exercise or none at all.
The result of this study is in line with the recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine that engaging in 30 minutes of moderate exercise for a few days in the week will keep your heart pumping and healthy. It doesn’t have to be solely on your stationary bike trainer either; you can take up swimming, aerobics, and even rowing, but for the busy ones out there whose schedules will not permit an hour or two at the gym, setup your trainer stand and fit in a quick half hour whenever you can!
Having a quick session on your trainer, preferably in the early morning hours, is ideal for men and women – of any age. Pedaling on your bike will steadily raise your pulse and heart rates with moderate sweating; when your heart rate is increased, it pumps more blood and oxygen to the body, in turn keeping you fit and healthy.
And you really do not have to overextend yourself while riding, since the steady pedaling of the bike will maintain your heart rate at an even, steady rate. Concentrate on the tunes in your headphones, or the movie on the screen in front of you, and that 30 minute session will fly by.
Regular sessions will strengthen the muscles of the heart, in addition to strengthening other muscles in your body. The good thing is with a stationary bike stand is that you don’t have to worry about getting all dressed up for the gym, and maintenance and ongoing costs are low to say the least (unless your bike is at death’s door…). You don’t even have to plan when to take your exercise, just slot your bike into your trainer (it’s easy to setup – check out this video if you’re still on the fence about buying one) and away you go!
