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3 Types of Exercise to Improve Heart Health
Walk up a flight of stairs. Run down the street to catch a train or
bus. Hustle your way through a workout. Or work in the yard.
Your breathing starts to increase. Your heart rate goes up. You break
a sweat. But if your cardiovascular system isn’t used to this, it gets
hard in a hurry. Sound familiar?
Your heart is a muscle, and
you need to exercise it to keep it strong. Here are three exercises for a healthy heart:
1. Aerobic exercise. It’s pretty simple.
Any non-weight bearing activity that elevates your heart rate counts.
Walk, bike, swim, or take an aerobics class. Work in the garden. Do
jumping jacks or pick your favorite workout video and follow along.
Even fast-paced grocery shopping and housekeeping can get your heart
pumping. Aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity at least five
days a week.
2. Strength training. No, you don’t have to be a
bodybuilder. But you can hit the gym. Use the machines and do 1-2 sets
of exercises (10 repetitions per set) for each muscle group (chest,
legs, back, shoulders, arms, and core). Or just exercise at home and
try push-ups, crunches, bodyweight squats, wall-sits, and jumping
jacks. Carve out a little time to do strength training or resistance
exercises at least two days a week.
3. Flexibility and balance
training. Try this. Stand on one foot and balance. Put your hand close
to a wall to stabilize yourself if you need to. OK, now close your
eyes and try it. Chances are pretty good, it’s harder for you.
Practicing balance trains your brain and improves the mind-muscle
connection. Stretching and flexibility exercises can also improve
joint mobility and range of motion, so you can do more aerobic
exercise and strength training to keep your heart healthy.
Regular exercise is important for a healthy heart. But that’s
not the only thing that makes a difference. Eating a balanced diet
with foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish, and
lean meats, can help, too. Make your own meals or pick your favorite
heart-healthy meals on the Low-Sodium menu like:
