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Tempted to skip your workout? These anti-aging exercise benefits will keep you motivated.
Feeling less than inspired when it's time to hustle over to the gym? We're betting these three workout benefits will fire up your motivation. (Try these 4 ways to make exercise easier.)
- Working out counterbalances sodium slip-ups. If you've indulged in a giant, salt-studded soft pretzel, a big tub of movie popcorn, or any other salt bomb, it's time for some makeup movement. Regular exercise cuts your risk for raised blood pressure due to sodium by as much as 38%. Reason: You sweat out the salt. (Turn everyday tasks into fat-burning exercise.)
- It's like bodybuilding for your heart. One of the side effects of more getting older is that your heart's muscle mass can decrease by 50% (yes, half!) between your early 30s and your late 60s, leading to stiffness and weakness. Good news: Aerobic and resistance exercises (a brisk walk, a Jazzercise class, swimming laps, time on your bike, and weight lifting) can prevent or reverse this loss. All it takes is 30 minutes a day of cardio 4 to 5 days a week and 10 minutes with weights three times a week. We do it every day! (Here are 4 ways walking helps you lose weight.)
- It keeps your heart steady to prevent a stroke. Out-of-rhythm heartbeats cause 15% to 20% of all fatal strokes. If you have these flutters, skips, and syncopated palpitations (atrial fibrillation), that's a huge incentive for you to try one of our favorite exercises: yoga. Why? Yoga encourages your ticker to maintain a steady tempo. Practicing the slow breathing and relaxing body movements three times a week can reduce your episodes of off-beat heart rhythms by a snazzy 44%. It can ease anxiety and depression, too.
Follow these 7 steps to prevent a heart attack
Medically reviewed in December 2019.
