Heart surgeon says ‘elevate your heart rate with exercise that leaves you breathless once a week’: Here's why it matters

Dr Jeremy London advocates for elevating heart rates through exercise once a week to boost cardio-respiratory efficiency and lifespan.

Your heart is one of the most vital organs in your body because it acts as the central pump for your body's circulatory system, moving blood to deliver life-sustaining oxygen and nutrients to every cell. Therefore, it is necessary to engage in activities and maintain a lifestyle that helps keep your heart healthy.

According to Dr Jeremy London, a heart surgeon, this can also be done by elevating your heart rate. In an Instagram post shared on September 23, he highlighted that one of the biggest mistakes he sees people make as a heart surgeon is avoiding pushing themselves during workouts and getting their heart rate up at least once, if not twice, a week.

Get your heart rate up with exercise

According to Dr Jeremy London, it is essential to get your heart rate up with exercise. However, he noted that most people stop pushing themselves after high school or college, when they regularly played sports.

Stressing that once a week, people need a workout that leaves them breathless, he explained, "I get it. After high school sports or college sports, you fall into this comfortable routine. [But] that consistency, that base training is really important. It's also important to push yourself into that zone 5, roughly 90% or more of your maximal heart rate, to the point where you're getting breathless in your workouts.

Why does elevating your heart rate matter?

The reason, according to Dr London, is because cardio respiratory efficiency is such a strong predictor of how long you will live. He also cited a study by Dr Ben Levine in which sedentary middle-aged adults were trained for two years, with a program that included high-intensity interval training.

Their hearts became less stiff and more compliant, and their VO2 max (the maximum rate at which your body can take in and use oxygen during intense exercise) increased. Their hearts began to behave like those of younger hearts.

How can you elevate your heart rate

Dr Jeremy confessed that to keep himself fit and elevate his heart rate, he does SkiErg. It is an indoor fitness machine that simulates cross-country skiing to deliver a high-intensity, low-impact full-body cardio and strength workout. “I use it for five to seven minutes twice a week to really get my heart rate up, and it totally cooks me. And it's really easy on my body,” he added.

But you don't need a skier, Dr Jeremy stressed, adding that one can run, ride a bike, jump rope, or find something that they enjoy to get their heart rate up. “Because this will move the needle on your cardio-respiratory efficiency and your longevity. Push yourself hard once a week. It’s one of the best things you can do for your heart,” he suggested.

Lastly, Dr Jeremy added that this advice is for generally healthy individuals, cautioning, “Check with your physician before starting high-intensity exercise, especially if you have a medical condition, symptoms, or have been advised to limit strenuous activity.”

Dr Jeremy London is a board-certified cardiovascular surgeon with more than 25 years of experience. He has an MD from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, and his focus is on the intersection of lifestyle, preventive medicine, and evidence-based longevity.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.