February is American Heart Month: a time to bring awareness to the importance of taking care of your cardiovascular health. It’s a well-known fact that one of the main ways to benefit your heart is through aerobic exercise, but what you may not know is how aerobic exercise benefits other various systems in the body, and specifically your urologic health. While taking care of our heart allows our other bodily systems to function properly, there are additional reasons why your urologist often recommends lifestyle choices as the first line of treatment for many different urologic conditions. To commemorate American Heart Month, we’re delving deeper into the connection between your urologic and heart health.
Benefits of Aerobic Exercise
Many people turn to aerobic exercise for weight loss, and while it is effective in shedding pounds, the benefits span far beyond the scale. Regular aerobic activity, like walking, running, swimming, and cycling can help reduce your risk of developing various diseases, boost your immune system, and improve your mood. In terms of cardiovascular health, aerobic exercise strengthens your heart, which improves blow flow to all of the parts of your body, and it helps clear your arteries of any harmful plaque buildup. The cardiovascular effects of exercise benefit most of the body, but regular exercise can also directly benefit those struggling with bladder and sexual health conditions.
Bladder Health
Many different forms of aerobic exercise benefit both your urologic and heart health, including bladder health. Certain bladder conditions such as urinary incontinence and urinary leakage can be improved by engaging in regular physical activity. In many cases, people with urinary conditions are wary of strenuous activity as it can lead to problems with leakage. Still, by avoiding all physical activity, they are missing out on all of the bladder strengthening effects that can be achieved by exercising regularly.
When exercising to benefit bladder health, it’s important to pay special attention to strengthening the abdominal muscles and chest and elongating the spine. Working toward these goals can help relieve pressure off of the bladder and can help to alleviate symptoms. The best low-impact exercises that can achieve these goals include swimming, cycling, and yoga.
Sexual Health
Taking steps to improve your urologic and heart health is often the first course of action when treating problems with sexual health, like erectile dysfunction. Research has shown that engaging in full-body aerobic exercise can have a positive impact on erectile issues. This connection between aerobic exercise and erectile function is partially due to the fact that other health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease can lead to erectile dysfunction because these conditions can cause problems with blood flow within the body. Because cardiovascular exercise improves blood flow, aerobic exercise is one of the preliminary ways to treat erectile dysfunction. Even walking at a quick pace a few times a week is a great start to improve both your urologic and health.
Make an Appointment
Before starting a new exercise regime, consult with your primary physician or your urologist at Alliance Urology Specialists. With the help of a healthcare provider, you can decide which form of aerobic exercise is best for your urologic and heart health.
To diagnose and treat any common problem related to the bladder, reproductive, or genitourinary system, schedule an appointment with one of our providers. Our team has years of experience treating urinary tract and bladder issues, and our providers can help get you on the right track. Alliance Urology Specialists are here for you at any stage of life. For questions and inquiries, please call our office in Greensboro at (336) 274-1114.
