With February being American Heart Month, it is always worthwhile to touch on the benefits of exercise and it’s role in heart health. Now, most of you know the benefits of cardio-based exercise and how it decreases our risk for cardiovascular/heart disease, but I am not going to talk to you about this. I am going to talk about the benefits of strength training/weight training on heart health.

Recent studies have shown that weight training has similar positive effects on heart health compared to cardio exercise. When performed properly, weight training was shown to decrease risk of heart attack, stroke and even show a decrease in fat surrounding the heart. Now, this does not necessarily we can just completely stop all cardio exercise; it just means that it is going to be beneficial for us to include weight/strength training in our exercise routines.

While all of that information is good to know, getting started into those exercises/activities is often difficult; particularly when you are experiencing pain or recovering from an injury. Often these injuries and pain are why we may have stopped exercising in the first place.

This is where seeing a Physical Therapist comes into play.

If this is the case for you or someone you know, it may be beneficial for you to pay a visit to your musculoskeletal and movement experts here at Apex Physical Therapy.

Physical Therapy can help you establish the cause of your pain/injury, teach correct form/posture during weight training, develop an individualized exercise and treatment program to help maximize your recovery and return to your previous level of function; all the while improving your heart health.

We at Apex would love to help you along that journey, so call or schedule an appointment today!