When you’re trying to improve your heart health, one excellent place to start is by performing more cardiovascular exercises. Cardio can help increase your heart strength while also helping you shed a few pounds. However, there can always be too much of a good thing. At Integrative Cardiology Center of Long Island, our team would like to inform you of how much cardio you should be doing, as well as the effects that can take place when you overdo it.

Benefits Of Cardio

As previously stated, cardiovascular exercises play a large role in your overall health. Making sure you incorporate them into your workout plan will have your body reaping a plethora of benefits, including:

  • Increased heart strength.
  • Improved sleep.
  • Significant calories burned.
  • Release of endorphins which are the body’s natural mood boosters.
  • Reduced stress.
  • Prevention of high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems.  

How Much Cardio Should You Be Doing?

Just like with any other form of workout, you mustn’t overwork yourself. Pushing your body too far past its limits has the potential to lead to serious injury. Fortunately, our team at Integrative Cardiology Center of Long Island can help you avoid this. When it comes to cardio, our team recommends either of the below:

  • 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio per week.
  • 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio per week.

One easy way to track both the length and intensity of your cardio workouts is through a fitness tracker. Wearing a fitness tracker can be helpful in both achieving your fitness goals and ensuring that you do not overdo it. Without a fitness tracker to track your heart rate, your heart may be working much harder than you think, making it easy to overexert yourself.

The Dangers Of Too Much Cardio

It’s easy to assume that the more cardio you do, the healthier your heart and body become. However, this is not the case. If you do more cardio than our previously recommended amounts, you’ll be increasing the risk of suffering from issues such as:

  • Calcium and plaque build up in your arteries.
  • Heart muscle damage.  
  • Irregular heartbeat.
  • Additional heart-related issues.  

Integrative Cardiology Center of Long Island

Your heart is one of the most important organs in your body. Since it’s responsible for pumping blood, the health of this muscular organ should be paramount. At Integrative Cardiology Center of Long Island, our team can help you sort out any cardiovascular issues you are facing. We’ll also let you know if you should be doing more or less cardio exercises, as this plays a key role in remaining healthy. For more information, be sure to contact our team today!