If you’ve been focusing on your muscles while working out, you may be overlooking your most important one: your heart.

During a workout, your heart experiences powerful changes that improve its health. According to Northwestern Medicine Cardiologist R. Kannan Mutharasan, MD, “if we could put the benefits of exercise into a pill, everyone would want to take it.”

Exercising is good for your entire body and an important way to take care of yourself, but its benefits for your heart are especially important. Dr. Mutharasan shares three ways exercise benefits your heart health.

1. Exercise makes your left ventricle stronger.

   Your heart has four chambers, and the left ventricle is the chamber that pumps most of the oxygen-rich blood from your heart to the rest of your body. Regular exercise can improve the function of the left ventricle, making it stronger, and improving its ability to pump blood to the rest of your body.

   

2. Exercise helps your heart relax.

   Ever wonder why the heart rates of athletes at rest are so low? Regular exercise makes your heart able to pump more blood with every beat. This means at rest the heart does not have to pump as often, and the heart rate lowers. “When you have a strong heart, it acts like a vacuum when relaxing, and sucks in more blood every time it beats,” explains Dr. Mutharasan.

3. Exercise causes your heart to grow more blood vessels.

   Even though the heart pumps blood, it also needs blood just like any other organ. Three major arteries supply blood to your heart. When you exercise regularly, these arteries grow small branches of blood vessels that supply the heart with more blood, meaning your heart will have more oxygen to do its job well.

When your heart becomes stronger and more efficient, you lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.

What Kind of Exercise Is Good for Your Heart?

All of it. Weight training is good for your heart health just like running. The best exercise is the exercise you will stick with regularly.

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. How you get that exercise is entirely up to you. Examples of moderate exercise include walking briskly or bike riding.

Aerobic exercise is any activity that requires extra oxygen to keep your muscles working.

It strengthens your lungs and heart by increasing your breathing and heart rate for a sustained period of time — think running or riding your bike for 30 minutes. These types of exercises require cardiovascular endurance and are commonly thought of as “cardio” workouts.

Anaerobic exercise is exercise that doesn’t require oxygen to keep your muscles working.

Instead, your body uses the energy stored in your muscles to power the movement. Anaerobic exercise — such as weightlifting or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) — strengthens your muscles. These types of exercises require short bursts of muscular strength.

Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise benefit your heart.

If you’re not interested in going to the gym, try:

• Climbing stairs
• Gardening
• Yard work
• Moderate to heavy housework
• Dancing

Is Walking Good Cardio?

Yes! Walking counts as cardio, and you don’t need to do as much as you’d think.

Although many people consider 10,000 steps the standard for optimal cardio, a Northwestern Medicine study suggests that fewer steps are still highly beneficial. In the study, scientists found that older adults (aged 60 and older) who walked 6,000 to 9,000 steps per day — roughly 2 1/2 to 4 miles, depending on the person’s stride distance — had a 40% to 50% lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who took 2,000 steps per day.

Apart from improving heart health, exercise also:

• Helps with both weight maintenance and weight loss
• Prevents bone loss
• Boosts energy levels
• Releases tension
• Improves sleep quality
• Improves your self-image
• Helps manage stress
• Counters anxiety and depression
• Improves thinking ability
• Increases your enthusiasm and optimism
• Increases your muscle strength
• Increases endurance

If you’re looking to improve your heart health, start moving. Find an activity that you like and stay consistent. Even small changes in your movement can make a big difference.

Learn more about your heart, including tools to measure your heart’s true age.