Why Exercise Is Good for Your Heart
Updated on October 15, 2026
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Regardless of your age, weight, or physical abilities, exercise is important for your health. It improves circulation, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, manages weight, and reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. All of these factors lower the risk of heart disease.
Additional benefits include reduced pain, a stronger immune system, improved mood, and keeping you active and independent as you age.
For optimal heart health, get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week. This is in addition to moderate- to high-intensity muscle-strengthening activity, such as resistance and weight training, two days a week.
If you’re new to working out, start with 10 to 15 minutes at a time and then build up gradually to longer stretches.
The Benefits of Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise is activity that increases your heart rate. This boosts blood flow to your muscles and causes you to breathe faster, improving oxygen delivery throughout the body.
In addition to strengthening your heart, aerobic exercise improves lung function, helps you build stronger bones, and helps clear your arteries of harmful plaque that can cause a heart attack or stroke.
According to a Scientific Statement from the American College of Cardiology, exercise is an important component of prevention and treatment of heart disease and should be prescribed as part of an overall care plan.
One of the best and most accessible forms of aerobic activity is walking. Research suggests that getting as little as 5,000 to 7,000 steps per day can lead to a substantially lower risk of heart disease and death from any cause.
Other examples of aerobic exercise include:
- Jogging or running
- Swimming
- Cycling
- Jumping rope
- Climbing stairs at home or at work
- Playing sports, such as tennis, soccer, basketball, or racquetball
- Dancing
- Gardening
- Doing household chores
Experts recommend choosing the type of activity that you enjoy and works best for you. Talk to your doctor about an individualized prescription plan for exercise that fits your capacity, lifestyle, goals, and preferences.
The Benefits of Strength Training
Muscle-strengthening exercises, also known as resistance training, make your muscles work against a resistance or load, increasing their strength, size, power, and endurance.
Strengthening muscles can help you perform everyday activities and protect the body from injuries. Stronger muscles also boost your metabolic rate, which means you’ll burn more calories even while you’re resting.
Examples of resistance training include:
- Lifting or working out with free weights, such as hand weights, dumbbells, or barbells
- Using weight machines or resistance bands
- Body-resistance exercise, including pushups, pullups, squats, and chin-ups
One set of 8 to 12 repetitions for each muscle group is usually sufficient.
If you’re new to working out, you may want to consult a certified fitness professional to learn safe techniques before beginning strength training.
Stretching and Balance Are Important Parts of Exercise
While flexibility workouts like stretching may not directly contribute to heart health, they do benefit musculoskeletal health, which can help with joint pain, muscle cramping, and other musculoskeletal issues. This is critical in allowing you to maintain your aerobic and resistance training workouts.
Additionally, practicing yoga has numerous health benefits, including improved mood, reduced joint and back pain, and increased strength, balance, and flexibility. Studies have also shown yoga can help lower blood pressure, which is important for decreasing risk of heart attack, stroke, and other health problems.
Yoga, as well as meditation, can also reduce stress, which is a risk factor for heart disease.
If you’re new to yoga, talk to your physician about choosing a class that is right for you. Avoid hot yoga if you have experienced a heart attack, as the heat can put extra strain on the heart.
Can I Exercise if I’m Recovering From a Heart Attack or Stroke?
After suffering a heart attack or stroke, some people may be afraid to exercise, but regular physical activity can help reduce the risk of having another major heart event.
Following a heart attack, most people are prescribed cardiac rehabilitation, a medically supervised program designed to improve heart health. The program will include exercise counseling and training, education for heart-healthy living (such as nutritional guidance and a strategy to quit smoking), as well as counseling to reduce stress.
After a stroke, your doctor will work with you to prescribe an exercise routine that helps you reduce sedentary time and be as active as possible. Specifically, your doctor will adapt a routine based on your tolerance, stage of recovery, functional limitations and preferences, and availability of resources.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
- Why Is Physical Activity So Important for Health and Well-Being? American Heart Association. August 26, 2024.
- Benefits of Physical Activity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. December 4, 2025.
- American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids. American Heart Association. January 19, 2024.
- Aerobic Exercise: Top 10 Reasons to Get Physical. Mayo Clinic. November 18, 2023.
- Myers J et al. Exercise Prescriptions for Cardiovascular Health in Adults: 2026 ACC Scientific Statement: A Report of the American College of Cardiology. JACC. October 15, 2026.
- Ding D et al. Daily Steps and Health Outcomes in Adults: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis. The Lancet Public Health. August 2025.
- Physical Activity and Your Heart. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. March 24, 2022.
- Strength Training: Get Stronger, Leaner, Healthier. Mayo Clinic. June 5, 2026.
- The Importance of Stretching. Harvard Health Publishing. April 17, 2024.
- Yoga Therapy. Cleveland Clinic. April 10, 2023.
- Joshi A et al. Therapeutic Role of Yoga in Hypertension. World Journal of Methodology. March 20, 2024.
- How Safe are Hot Workouts? Henry Ford Health. April 17, 2026.
- Can You Exercise After a Heart Attack? Cleveland Clinic. February 29, 2024.
- Cardiac Rehab. Cleveland Clinic. April 28, 2023.
- Exercise After Stroke. American Stroke Association.
Meet Our Experts
Cheng-Han Chen, MD, PhD, FACC, FSCAI
Medical Reviewer
Cheng-Han Chen, MD, PhD, is the medical director of the structural heart program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, and director of structural a...
Ashley Welch
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Ashley Welch has more than a decade of experience in both breaking news and long-form storytelling. She is passionate about getting to the crux of the latest scientific studies and...