Cardio
It’s no secret that strength training is important for hypermobility, but where does cardio fall into a hypermobile specific exercise plan?
In short, cardio strengthens your heart (your heart is a muscle too)! Long term cardio can improve good cholesterol, decrease bad cholesterol, manage blood sugar, and improve blood volume. This can decrease risk for major cardiovascular events including heart attack and stroke & can help you feel better and more stable if you deal with dysautonomia.
The tricky part is finding the sweet spot where we can improve cardio without flaring dysautonomia, mast cells, or joints.
*For vascular EDS, low intensity is generally recommended, but NOT high intensity cardio. If you have this type, it’s best to go through a doctor or knowledgable PT before starting an exercise program*
Slow, boring cardio is the best thing you can do with hypermobility. It takes some trial and error to find your threshold. I recommend starting with 1 minute. Do this consistently (most days, not all), and then you can work on slowly increasing as tolerated.
Some cardio options are cycling, stationary bike, rower, walking, elliptical, etc. Pick your fav or do a mix!
If you missed the training on heart rate zones, I linked it down below. I like to use this to guide intensity.
It's all in the 💟 - Heart Rate Variability
Not only is it important to be aware of your heart rate when exercising, you should also pay attention to the time between beats! My recent YouTube video explains why it matters
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