Vigorous exercise is powerful medicine for your heart, and here’s why: It comes down to how your body handles sugar (glucose).
As we age, our hearts naturally become stiffer. One major reason for this stiffening is excess glucose floating around in our blood vessels. When glucose stays in your system too long, it starts a chain reaction. It binds with proteins (especially collagen) in your blood vessels and heart tissue through something scientists call the Maillard reaction. This creates compounds called Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs).
Think of AGEs like rust on metal – they make your tissues stiffer and less flexible. This happens in your blood vessels, in the heart muscle itself (myocardium), and in the protective covering around your heart (pericardium). It’s the same process that causes many health problems in people with type 2 diabetes, who often develop cardiovascular disease earlier than others.
This is where exercise comes in. When you exercise vigorously, your body produces lactate – a molecule that acts like a signal flare, telling your muscles to absorb more glucose from your blood. Any cardiovascular exercise helps with glucose control, but the more intense the workout, the better the results. Even moderate exercise (like Zone 2 training) helps, but minute-for-minute, vigorous exercise is more effective.
The key is that lactate signals special glucose transporters to rise to the surface of your muscle cells, like opening more gates to let glucose in. This not only helps prevent that harmful stiffening process but can actually help maintain a healthier, more flexible heart as you age. This naturally goes a long way to reduce risks of heart attack, diabetes, and heart disease among other life ending or life crippling problems.
To sum of the thesis of my article as easily as possible; the longer you allow too much glucose to hang out in your circular and vascular systems through lack of exercise, the closer you come to diabetes, a stiffer heart, and heart disease as you age. The best ways to decrease the likelihood of these health problems is through a well-balanced diet that includes little to no added sugars of any kind, exercise (especially the vigorous kind such as HIIT), and rejuvating regular sleep.
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Quick note: Many of you have asked about my own health journey and the plant-based nutrition that’s helped support my active lifestyle. If you’re curious about the exact shake I use, drop a comment below – happy to share the direct link! I love sharing what I’ve learned about natural ways to support heart health and glucose balance.
Tom
https://linktr.ee/metalpalace