Exercise makes you healthier. It strengthens the cardiovascular system which is the heart and blood vessels and improves circulation. The heart is a muscle that needs regular conditioning. A well-conditioned heart can pump a large amount of blood with fewer beats than a weak heart. Exercise makes your heart more resistant to stress, heart attack, and other health problems.

Lack of exercise can lead to changes in the body that threaten the heart. If you combine lack of exercise with overeating, you gain excess weight and your cholesterol rises. This can cause heart disease and circulation problems. As the body and heart become more fit, your blood pressure goes down, HDL cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol, goes up, and you lose fat. All these changes are good for the heart.

The American Heart Association advises doing 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise at least three or four times each week. Exercising 4 or more times a week will increase your health benefits. Sticking to this advice advances heart and lung fitness. Typical aerobic activities are walking, hiking, jogging, bicycling, aerobic dancing, and swimming.

Aerobic exercise uses large muscle groups for a continuous period of time. The muscles need more oxygen to handle this workload. This requires the heart to beat faster. Your breathing gets heavier and faster to meet the demand for more oxygen. In order for your heart and lungs to benefit from your workout, you must exercise within the aerobic heart-rate range. There is an easy test to see if you are in that range. If you can breathe and speak without gasping, you are probably exercising in your aerobic range. If you can not talk comfortably to a companion while you're exercising, you should slow your pace.

Get a medical checkup before starting any exercise program. Beginners should work with a certified exercise leader to be sure you're getting a proper workout program for your health needs. To learn more, visit your local bookstore or library, or call your local YMCA or YWCA.

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