The many ways exercise helps your heart

Physical activity triggers changes in your blood vessels, muscles, metabolism, and brain — all of which promote better heart health.

If you take a brisk walk, you’ll notice certain changes in your body right away. Your heart beats a little faster, your breathing rate increases, and you may feel your leg muscles working. But you might not appreciate the myriad other physiological changes happening inside your body when you exercise — some of which offer benefits similar to those from common medications.

Together, exercise-induced changes can prevent or improve all the major risk factors that contribute to heart disease, including high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and unhealthy cholesterol levels. "Exercise can also improve mental health problems like depression and stress, which are common but often ignored contributors to cardiovascular problems," says cardiologist Dr. Aaron Baggish, a professor at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland and founder of the Cardiovascular Performance Program at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.