A new study shows that vigorously exercising at least four times per week can reduce your risk of a stroke, especially if you’re a man; the results are unclear if you’re a woman.

This study (and some prior studies) seem to suggest that women may respond better to less vigorous exercise, such as walking, although most studies don’t take into account that all forms of cardio are not equal.

Vigorous exercise is important for overall health, but conventional cardio is risky due to the extreme stress on your heart, which may cause inflammation, plaque, arrhythmias, and even heart attack or stroke.

Regardless of your gender or age, you can optimize your exercise benefits by doing high-intensity interval training, which pushes your body hard enough for a challenge while allowing adequate time for recovery and repair.

You can further reduce your stroke risk by getting adequate sunshine for the vitamin D and nitric oxide benefits, grounding yourself to the earth, and consuming adequate fiber, especially the soluble variety.

You can read the full article here.