If you’ve ever used a hot pack to warm up a sore muscle before exercise or a sporting event, then you know that heat can increase blood flow and reduce muscle stiffness. Infrared heat is a form of energy that allows you to heat your body more effectively and penetrate more deeply than other types of heat.

The best way to improve the strength of your heart and lungs is through aerobic exercise, which is an activity that engages large muscle groups in a sustained effort that raises your heart rate and increases your breathing.

Also known as heart palpitations, an irregular heartbeat associated with exercising usually manifests as an unnatural fluttering, skipping or pounding of the heart. It is often conspicuous enough to to detect without using a heart monitor or checking pulse.

Cardiovascular health entails your heart and the intricate system of blood vessels that carry blood through your body known as the circulatory system. According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the top killer in the United States.

Exercise plays an essential role in helping maintain healthy muscle tissue, as well as keeping the rest of your body healthy and free of disease.

A leaky heart valve can result from genetic factors or from acquired injury to your heart. Common acquired causes of heart valve dysfunction include high blood pressure and heart attacks.

Heart arrhythmia is an abnormal rhythm or rate of the heartbeat. It can cause the heart to beat an irregular rhythm, beat too quickly or beat too slowly. Although exercise is typically good for the heart, it can sometimes trigger arrhythmia episodes in some people.

The heart pumps blood through the body to provide nutrients and remove waste from the body’s tissues. The body requires more nutrients and produces more wastes as you exercise. Your body reacts to these and other changes by increasing the speed at which your heart beats.

Scary though they may be, palpitations are rarely threatening on their own. However, in some cases they are indicators of underlying problems. If you don't get enough exercise, heart palpitations might be your body trying to send you an important message.

Oxygen is transported by your red blood cells to all the organs and tissues of your body. This happens in the alveoli, which are the final branchings of your lungs, where oxygen diffuses through the alveolar epithelium into your alveolar capillaries, according to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Cardiovascular, or cardio, exercise is any kind of exercise that keeps your heart rate up for a suspended period of time. Cardio exercise can unclog your arteries as well as provide other health benefits. Cardio includes circuit weight lifting, running, biking, hiking, dancing and team sports.