It is common sense that movement (exercise) is essential for maintaining good cardiovascular function – heart health, blood vessel health and keeping blood pressure in a healthy range.
An improvement of heart and blood vessel health toward homeostatic (healthy) function can only occur as the result of the genes responding to healthier levels of environmental need, and then expressing healthier cell function.
Some of the environmental signals that can trigger healthier cell function (due to increased exercise) are:
- changes to the heart rate variability,
- beginning to more intensively ‘work’ the cardio system,
- changes to ‘shear’ stress on the inside cells of blood vessels (due to increased blood flow) and
- the increase of nitric oxide production in blood vessels which does many things, including relaxing them which contributes to lower blood pressure.
Eaton and Eaton state the obvious with this:
“Multiple investigations have established the existence of a strong, graded, inverse relationship between aerobic power and risk of subsequent cardiac events…”
Eaton and Eaton
What this is saying is that with exercise deficiency (not moving enough), there is a decrease in cardiovascular health (and an increased likelihood of heart attacks and the like);
With increasing exercise, the risk of these declines in a strong constant relationship.
Movement and Cardiovascular health is inextricably linked!
Movement (moving in sufficient levels and with enough variation) forms one of our Vibrant Life Keys – a primary area that must be addressed on the path toward a Vibrant (Ideal) Life.
Many people when asked “what is the most important organ/system in the body” answer without thinking – ‘the heart.’ This is how deeply ingrained in our subconscious the importance of our heart in keeping us alive. We argue that every system is interdependent, but that ALL systems require the coordination and control of a well-functioning nervous system. The nervous system in turn can only benefit with a healthier hear and blood vessel network.
