Activate your heart by getting it pumping! One of the major keys to having a healthy heart is exercise. Exercise strengthens your heart muscles, helps keep your weight under control and helps protect against heart attacks and strokes, this is done by warding off artery damage caused by; high cholesterol, high blood sugar and/or high blood pressure.
First take a deep breath and relax, running a marathon is NOT the goal when it comes to achieving a healthy heart, getting moving is.
There are two kinds of beneficial exercises for your heart; aerobic exercise and resistance exercise.
Aerobic exercise improves your circulation as well as overall fitness. Do an aerobic exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes at least 5 times per week to reach your goal of a healthy heart.
Resistance training targets specific muscles of the body and generally uses weights in some shape or form. Resistance training should be done at least twice a week on nonconsecutive days.
For a happy healthy heart combining aerobic exercise with resistance training is a sure winner as it raises HDL (good) cholesterol and lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol.
6 top exercises for activating a healthy heart.
1. Walking!
Yes, improving your heart health can be as simple as slipping into a pair of running shoes and going for a brisk walk (aerobic exercise). Walking fast will increase your heart rate and is easy on your joints. Improve your walking by choosing to increase your distance or increase your pace of walking.
2. Interval training
Interval training is simply when you alternate between short bursts of high intensity running with longer periods of recovery walking. Start your interval training off in bite sizes, run for one minute and then walk for 3 minutes. Increasing and decreasing your heart rate like this helps burn calories and boosts your blood vessels.
3. Cycling
Young and old can hop on a bike and enjoy this aerobic exercise that is good for your heart and kind on your joints. Although cycling is an aerobic exercise it targets the large muscles in your legs increasing your heart rate which strengthens your heart.
4. Weight training
Weight training is resistance training, targeting specific muscle groups in the body. This targeted approach builds lean muscle and increases muscle mass allowing for better blood circulation. Better circulation results in lower pressure on your arteries which substantially lowers the likely hood of heart related problems.
5. Swimming
Swimming is an aerobic exercise that combines resistance training, in short, it is a wonderful exercise for a happy heart, provided you are a person who likes the thought of doing laps in a pool or ocean swims. The great thing about swimming is that it is a full body workout increasing blood circulation throughout your body. Swimming is also an exercise that is kind to joints and can be enjoyed by all ages.
6. Jumping rope
Skipping is not just child’s play. Skipping is a fast and sure way to get your heart rate up and it can be done anywhere, office or home. Split your skipping session up into two 5-minute sessions per day for beginners and increase session times as fitness starts to improve.
Keep your eyes on the prize and your heart will thank you. Key to your healthy heart is choosing an exercise that you can consistently add to your daily routine. Carving out a section of your day to improve your health, release stress and release those feel good endorphins will no doubt have an energising effect on your life for years to come.
Date Published: 07 July 2022
