Are you looking to improve your heart health or lower your blood pressure? A multitude of studies show exercise is a heart-healthy activity and one that can improve your cardiovascular health in numerous ways – by lowering blood pressure, improving blood lipids, enhancing insulin sensitivity, and reducing stress. But you may get even more benefits if you add yoga to your cardiovascular routine.
A recent study highlights the benefits of adding yoga to an aerobic exercise routine. In the study, 60 individuals with high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome took part in a 3-month program where they performed 15 minutes of structured yoga or stretching, along with 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, 5 times a week. Not only did they get the benefits of both types of exercise, but there was a synergy between the two forms of exercise.
How so? Those who practiced yoga saw a greater reduction in systolic blood pressure and a decrease in their 10-year cardiovascular risk compared to those who only stretched. So, grab your yoga mat and get ready to improve your heart health.
Yoga and Heart Health
It’s no surprise that previous studies show that yoga is beneficial for heart health. Not only has it been linked to lower LDL-cholesterol and blood pressure, but the calming and meditative aspects of yoga help foster the mind-body connection and build emotional strength, leaving you feeling more relaxed.
Stress is an inevitable part of life and it can take a toll on our bodies, activating our fight-or-flight response, and increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones. Yoga, on the other hand, activates the rest-and-digest response, which over time, can help you be less reactive to stress and better able to deal with disruptions in your life.
Plus, research shows a single 90-minute yoga session can lower cortisol, the stress hormone. What’s more, these effects last up to three days after a session. So, if you’re looking to reduce your stress levels and improve your overall well-being, yoga is worth a try. So, go ahead and get your zen on!
The Synergy of Yoga and Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise is an effective and efficient way of improving heart health. Regular aerobic exercise helps strengthen the heart muscle, increases the cardiac, and lowers blood pressure. Additionally, aerobic exercise helps decrease cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of stroke and other heart-related diseases. And, like yoga, aerobic exercise is a stress reliever..
However, most forms of yoga don’t boost heart rate enough to improve aerobic fitness or how efficiently your heart pumps. While yoga may not improve aerobic fitness or how efficiently your heart pumps, it can be a valuable addition to an overall fitness routine, as it promotes mental and physical well-being. When you have a greater sense of well-being, you’re less likely to experience the negative effects stress has on your heart and blood vessels.
Combining Yoga with More Intense Exercise Provides Balance
Why not get the best of both worlds? Combining yoga with more vigorous forms of exercise can deliver the perfect balance of mental and physical benefits. Yoga is terrific for relaxation and de-stressing, but more intense forms of exercise can help you get into top shape by improving cardiovascular fitness and building strength. Plus, yoga can help you become more flexible, increase muscle endurance, and enhance your overall health.
Yoga is also a way to improve your sports performance and reduce the risk of injury. Not only does it help with breath control and mindfulness, but it also improves balance and stability. This can help prevent falls and other injuries, something we should always be concerned about.
Combining yoga with more intense forms of exercise can help to create a blissful harmony that will bring out the best in your overall health and fitness. The balance of yoga and physical activities like running, weightlifting, and cycling can boost your overall physical and mental health. Not only will you be able to push yourself harder during your workouts, but you’ll also find yourself feeling more relaxed and balanced.
Yoga Can Improve Strength Training Performance Too
Adding yoga to your routine can help you perform better with weights and bodyweight exercises too. Strength training, such as weightlifting, is the best way to build muscle and increase strength. However, it can also put a lot of stress on the body, leading to muscle tension and stiffness.
Yoga, on the other hand, is a way to stretch and relax the muscles you work so hard. By incorporating yoga into a strength training routine, you can improve flexibility and reduce muscle tightness. Yoga also helps with breath control and mindfulness, which are important for sports performance and injury prevention.
Yoga also teaches you to be present in the moment and to breathe through challenging poses. You can apply this to strength training, where we can focus on proper breathing and form, helping to prevent injury and increase the effectiveness of exercises.
Adding Yoga Restores Balance
Yoga may also prevent burnout and chronic fatigue. Strength training can be intense and demanding on your body, leading to fatigue and burnout. Yoga can be used as a form of active recovery, helping to stretch and strengthen muscles that have been used during more intense activities.
Combining yoga and strength training offers a range of benefits, such as improved flexibility, improved range of motion, increased recovery, better muscular endurance, improved posture, better balance, and improved muscle strength and endurance.
Conclusion
if you’re into aerobic or strength training, why not give yoga a try? It can help create a more balanced workout routine and adding yoga to aerobic training may even give you additional cardiovascular benefits by lowering your blood pressure. . Give it a go – you won’t regret it!
References:
- How yoga may enhance heart health – Harvard Health. Harvard Health. Published April 2019. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/how-yoga-may-enhance-heart-health
- Ashok Pandey, Avinash Pandey, A. Shekhar Pandey, Alis Bonsignore, Audrey Auclair, Paul Poirier. Impact of Yoga on Global Cardiovascular Risk as an Add-On to a Regular Exercise Regimen in Patients With Hypertension. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 2022; DOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2022.09.019.
- The Yoga-Heart Connection. Hopkinsmedicine.org. Published December 2, 2021. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-yoga-heart-connection
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