Vascular Health

Every time the heart beats a wave of blood travels through the body’s network of arteries and by measuring the speed of the pulse wave can actually determine the flexibility of the arteries. The stiffer the arteries, the faster the wave travels. Previous research found that individuals who consistently walk more than 10,000 steps a day have the lowest pulse wave velocity. If 10,000 steps a day seems unachievable, note that every 1,000 extra steps a day improves the elasticity of your arteries so set yourself realistic goals to improve your vascular health.

Regular exercise is one of the best ways to maintain and improve vascular health alongside a healthy diet. Exercising muscles need more blood and exercise helps us grow more blood vessels by expanding the network of capillaries and improves the flexibility of blood vessels by increasing the elasticity of the vascular wall. Walking, cycling, running, strength training and stretching are all great for a healthy vascular system.

Maintaining a healthy vascular system is especially important for menopausal and post menopausal women as hormones regulate the elasticity of the vascular wall and increased stiffness in the arteries is a factor for cardiovascular disease.