There are many benefits to CAROL – double the health and fitness gains of regular exercise, maximum results in minimum time, and personalized workouts tailored to your ability to name but a few – but today we’re going to focus on the positive effects CAROL can have on your blood pressure and metabolism.
A quick look at blood pressure
A regular exercise routine is an effective way to lower your blood pressure on an average weight loss journey. According to the Mayo Clinic, physical activity results in a stronger heart, allowing it to pump more blood with very little effort. If your heart can work less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases, which then lowers your blood pressure.1
High blood pressure is a result of increased resistance in the arteries, which causes your heart to work harder to get blood to your extremities and vital organs.2
If there is difficulty in getting blood through the arteries, they can become hardened and eventually clogged, which is known as a blood clot. Once this happens, you are susceptible to metabolic diseases, such as a stroke.
Why CAROL is the quickest way to lower your blood pressure
As the most advanced and effective AI-powered home exercise bike of our time, one of CAROL’s most remarkable benefits is her ability to optimize the blood pressure of her riders.
Other activities can contribute to lowering your blood pressure, of course, but unlike traditional time-consuming physical activity, CAROL provides a shorter and smarter alternative. CAROL’s interval-focused (very) high-intensity exercises can reduce blood pressure much faster than conventional physical activity.
When you complete two 20-second sprints of all-out maximum intensity on a CAROL bike, you deplete stores of glycogen in your thighs. This triggers a chemical chain reaction – sometimes known as a ‘metabolic signalling pathway’ – that is responsible for increasing cardiovascular fitness and, ultimately, leading to a healthier you.
Scientific evidence of blood pressure reduction in CAROL riders was provided in an independent study conducted by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) with the help of Dr Lance Dalleck, PhD. The paper showed that when you take a ride with CAROL three times a week for at least eight weeks, you can reduce associated health risks by an amazing 62% compared to only 27% if you were jogging or doing recreational exercise.
This form of exercise reduces the risk of possible stiffening within the walls of your arteries and underlying illnesses that may occur as a result of high blood pressure, such as hypertension. Studies have also repeatedly shown that high-intensity interval exercise is the best form of exercise if you are trying to lower your blood pressure – more so than traditional cardio, which has been found to have a much lower effect.3
A quick look at metabolism
Exercise is a great way to increase metabolism, but after a workout metabolism ultimately returns to baseline levels. The elevated metabolism following exercise is referred to as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC. EPOS is also sometimes referred to as the afterburn.
Why is EPOC important for weight loss?
Research has shown that numerous factors contribute to EPOC and that is can play a significant role in both weight loss and weight maintenance.
Overall, EPOC generates about 10% of the total energy expenditure of exercise. Furthermore, an increase in post-exercise metabolism of 80 to 100 calories is generally considered to be a meaningful EPOC.
It’s important to appreciate the long-term benefits accrued from modest increases to overall exercise energy expenditure stemming from an elevated EPOC. For example, the cumulative effect of EPOC over a one-year period could be the energy expenditure equivalent of up to 10 pounds of fat.
How CAROL offers the best EPOC
Research has shown that the intensity of a workout has the greatest impact on EPOC. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involved alternating brief bouts (30 seconds to five minutes) of higher-intensity sessions with either rest of lower-intensity workloads throughout an exercise routine. Research confirms that:
- HIIT is a time-efficient strategy for improving numerous health parameters
- HIIT generates a sizeable and prolonged EPOC
We recently compared the EPOC following both CAROL intense and fat burn rides to traditional workouts adhering to public health physical activity recommendations: 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity treadmill exercise. The impressive findings showed that:
- CAROL workouts are by far more time-efficient and induce a more potent EPOC
- CAROL fat burn rides take 25% less time and induce a 20% greater overall energy expenditure
So, when you make the choice to take your first ride on CAROL, you are making a smart choice to dramatically improve your health and wellbeing.
References
(1) Newsletter (2024) Exercise: A drug-free approach to lowering high blood pressure Print. Mayo Clinic. Assessed: 09 January.
(2) Paul A. (2017) ‘5 reasons it is important to manage your high blood pressure’. Sentara. Assessed: 23 March.
(3) Turrill K. (2018) ‘Weight loss for high blood pressure: Five ways this workout can help cardiovascular health’. Express UK. 02 March.
CAROL can help lower blood pressure and increase metabolism
Carol AI-Powered Exercise Bike. Get a personalized effective workout.
