Simple Exercise to Decrease Cardiovascular Disease

It’s no secret that cardiovascular disease remains the biggest killer in the world. That’s the bad news. The good news? There is a simple exercise that has been proven to reduce the potential for a cardiovascular event.

According to a study published in PubMed, the capacity for pushups was associated with a decrease in cardiovascular events by nearly 96% compared to the participants that performed (PMID 30768179). The study was conducted with 1,104 adult males with a median age of 40 and an average BMI of 29 over a span of 10 years. Participants of this study that could perform >40 pushups had a 96% reduced risk of having any CVD events over the 10-year time period compared with those who performed <10 (PMID 30768179).

So what does this mean exactly? Pushups are a great measure of a person’s overall fitness level so it makes sense that the number of pushups one can do consecutively would directly correlate to their overall health regarding obesity related diseases.

How many pushups can you do in a row? 20? 30? 40+? It’s never too late to start making the changes necessary to become healthier! Start small with a few sets of 5-10 pushups every morning and each week work on building that number. Other steps you can take to improve your health are simple things like taking a 30-minute walk during your lunch time, or do some jumping jacks while your coffee is brewing in the morning. Little changes today will start laying a foundation for you to build on for a healthier future.