Think Cardio Means Running? SCIENCE SAYS LIFTING COUNTS, TOO
For decades, long runs or treadmill miles were the go-to methods of cardiovascular fitness. But what if someone told you lifting weights can also give your heart and lungs a serious workout, often with benefits people overlook? Recent research shows that resistance training goes beyond muscle and aesthetics; it also supports cardiovascular health and longevity. The Heart-Lifting Connection When you lift weights, especially in structured, compound formats, your heart rate rises to meet the demand. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, and presses engage large muscle groups and push your circulatory system. Over time, this improves vascular function, keeps arteries flexible, and even helps reduce inflammation throughout the body. Those adaptations mirror many benefits of traditional cardio.
That said, some studies suggest the most significant reductions in cardiovascular disease risk come from combining strength and aerobic work rather than relying on weights alone, particularly in people with elevated blood pressure or other risk factors. Metabolism, Muscle, and Longevity One of the greatest unsung gifts of lifting is how it revs up your resting metabolic rate. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, meaning that having more muscle translates to more calories burned, even while you’re binge-watching your favorite shows. That metabolic boost helps with weight management, which is key to keeping your heart healthy. But it doesn’t stop at calories. A recent analysis found that regular resistance training is associated with a 15% lower risk of all-cause mortality, and
even larger reductions in death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Lifting Linked to Cardio What makes lifting uniquely powerful is efficiency. A focused strength session can elevate your heart rate, challenge your muscles, and shape your body in ways steady-state running can’t. It also improves bone density and enhances overall strength, which is critical for functional fitness as we age. If you love lifting but skip cardio entirely, don’t panic! Adding a few low-intensity walks, jogs, or bike
rides between your strength days can round out your fitness and support long-term heart health. YARN, CLAY, AND POWER TOOLS: Why Making Things Is Good for the Brain
As many as 95% of adults are concerned about developing dementia based on a global survey of 70,000 people. Naturally, most of these folks are racing to stave it off, buying puzzles, brain games, and supplements and embracing CrossFit training, polar-bear plunges, and other biohacks to keep their thinking sharp. An Amazon search for products to “improve cognitive skills” yields more than 1,000 hits. But what if warding off cognitive decline were much simpler? As easy as, say, knitting a scarf? Or throwing a pot?
acuity decline. Even if you don’t start making things until your 70s, you can still enjoy a 28% reduction in your dementia risk. Not any kind of hand movement will do. The benefits spring from both hands working together repetitively across your body’s midline, with the left hand moving to the right and the right hand moving to the left. Common examples of this practice include knitting, woodworking, embroidery, and breadmaking. How does it work? Crafters who knit or sit at a potter’s wheel intuitively know the sense of integration and wholeness that a productive day as a maker can bring. Coordinating your hand movements engages both sides of your brain and stimulates the production of serotonin, a mood-stabilizing neurotransmitter. Tactile feedback from yarn, wood, or clay helps calm your emotions. Once you immerse yourself deeply in the crafting process, you enter what researchers call “flow,” a state of creative calm that modifies your brain chemistry for the better. Best of all, the anticipation of finishing your project releases dopamine, increasing your sense of engagement. We have all gotten used to the idea that we can’t tinker with the way our brains work, so it’s refreshing to know we can sharpen our cognitive skills by creating a fresh-baked loaf of bread, a handcrafted chair, or a warm beanie!
Using your hands to craft items from wood, fabric, yarn, or other tactile
materials can nearly halve the likelihood you will experience
cognitive decline by age 85, according to studies at Mayo Clinic and the University of Gothenburg. People who begin making
things at midlife benefit from a 48% reduction in the likelihood of mental
2 • KaizenSeattle.com
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