February is heart health month and to celebrate we’ve partnered with the Cardiac Sciences at the Foothills hospital to raise awareness about how to treat your heart right. ;) 

We often talk about how our 50 minute ride benefits our body and mind, but sometimes we forget about one muscle in particular, our heart. 

UNDER PRESSURE… Blood Pressure, that is.

From the minute you clip in and start warming up your glutes, legs, and arms, your limbs train your heart to pump more blood per beat and ultimately become stronger.

THE NITTY GRITTY: Blood pressure is measured in two numbers, the first is your systolic pressure (the pressure in your heart when it is beating) and the second is diastolic pressure (the pressure in your heart in between beats). While this information may be a little dry, knowing your blood pressure is important and having a healthy blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg and lower means you are less at risk of damaging your arteries, heart failure and having a stroke.

FACT: As part of regular exercise, those 50 minutes that you sweat it out on the bike and elevate your heart rate can help lower your blood pressure to a healthy level, according to the American Heart Association.

SICK BEATS… Real talk about your Resting Heart Rate.

After a hard grind you often feel like your heart will pound out of your chest, but while your pulse is elevated during class your heart is actually strengthening itself to beat at slower rate while you are resting afterwards.

THE NITTY GRITTY: By slowing your heart rate through aerobic exercises like spin, you’re heart has more time to fill and deliver blood, and in turn becomes a more efficient body-needs-meeting machine.

FACT: Lowering your resting heart rate is all about exercising in an “aerobic zone” -- which is around 50-75% of your maximum heart rate -- for 150 minutes a week or approximately three spin classes!

THE C WORD… Cholesterol.

There are two kinds of cholesterol, HDL cholesterol (the good) and LDL cholesterol (the bad). LDL is the kind of cholesterol we’ve been warned about, it’s the fatty build-up in arteries that leads to heart attacks, strokes, and other coronary issues.

THE NITTY GRITTY: HDL is the savior many of us didn’t know we needed, carrying LDL away from our hearts and back to our liver where it is broken down.

FACT: A combination of aerobic workouts and resistance training can help with the production of good cholesterol and the reduction of bad cholesterol in your body. Keeping both you and your heart stronger and healthier than yesterday.

On February 24th we’ll spin to our heart’s content alongside Cardiac Sciences from the Foothills hospital and raise awareness around Heart Health Month and how to treat our hearts right. SIGN UP HERE.