Iowa State University Study Finds Lifting Weights Improves Cardiovascular Health

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, and stroke is the number five cause of death.²One of the biggest contributors to these scary statistics is a lack of a heart-healthy lifestyle. Your lifestyle is not only your best defense against heart disease and stroke, it is also your number one defense against countless other preventable diseases. This is why, now more than ever, living a healthy lifestyle should be a priority.

A recent study³that was published a few weeks ago and was completed by an Iowa State University professor found that simply lifting weights for less than an hour each week reduces your risk for heart attack or stroke by 40 to 70 percent. 

Professor Lee from ISU along with a group of colleagues analyzed data of nearly 13,000 adults in their study. They measured three health outcomes: cardiovascular events like heart attack or stroke that did not result in death, cardiovascular events that included death, and all cardiovascular events that included any type of death. The study found that resistance exercises reduced the risk for all three by 40 to 70 percent. 

Resistance training is not as assessable for most people as cardiovascular activities like running or walking. A person can simply go outside for a walk or run to get in cardiovascular activity. Dr. Lee suggests that getting a gym membership may be beneficial, as it offers more options for resistance exercises, and research has found that people who purchase memberships exercise more¹. 

Many people do not know that muscle is the “power source” of burning calories. Even if you are not as active as you would like to be, you burn more calories because you have more muscle. This is why even lifting weights for less than an hour each week significantly lowers your risk for heart disease while improving many other areas of your health and wellness.

Incorporating regular exercise into your daily routine along with eating a healthy diet, seeking out preventative, holistic health care, and taking care of your mental health are all measures you can take to significantly lower your risk for many diseases and improve your overall quality of life. It is your responsibility to take control of your health. Just imagine what a simple gym membership could do for you.

Citations:
¹ Elizabeth C. Schroeder, Gregory J. Welk, Warren D. Franke, Duck-chul Lee. Associations of Health Club Membership with Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health. PLOS ONE, 2017; 12 (1): e0170471

² “National Center for Health Statistics: Leading Causes of Death.”  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. March 17, 2017.

³ Yankghui, L., Duck-Chul, L., Yehua, L., Weicheng, Z., Riquan, Z., Xuemei, S., Carl, L., Steven, B. “Associations of Resistance Exercise with Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity and Mortality.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 51 (3):499-508. March 2019.