Heart Health Exercises You Should Try
Heart health is so important as we age, and heart health exercises are a wonderful way to strengthen your heart and help prevent heart disease. Your heart is a muscle, and just like when you work on strengthening your leg or arm muscles through strength training, your heart gets stronger and healthier when you lead an active, healthy life!
It's no secret that regular exercise, a healthy diet, and a healthy lifestyle can help:- Burn calories
- Lower blood pressure
- Boost HDL "good" cholesterol
- Reduce LDL "bad" cholesterol
So how to get started on a plan that will specifically help your heart? Three ways - arm yourself with knowledge about heart health, start a heart-healthy fitness plan, and take a supplement that promotes heart health!
First, get my FREE Guide to a Heart Healthy Life! This free, downloadable guide includes cardio workouts, heart healthy recipes and more, so check it out today!
Second, make time for exercise! The good news is: It's never too late to start exercising, and you can be a beginner and still reap the benefits. Even a brisk, daily, 30-minute walk can make a big difference. And more good news: Once you get going, you'll find it pays off! People who don't exercise are almost twice as likely to get heart disease as people who are active, so let's get moving - you can do it!! My Whole Body Plan is a GREAT place to start - I offer beginner, intermediate and expert workouts, to fit any level of fitness. And if you are just starting off, you can choose to do 10-minute workouts to ease yourself in. It's all about doing SOMETHING... a little bit is always better than nothing when it comes to exercise!
So once you commit to starting heart health exercises, you will want to incorporate these types of workouts:
- Aerobic exercise. Also called cardiovascular exercise, this is what gets your heart pumping. Don't worry if you have to start slowly with cardio - if a walk around the block is all you can do right now, start there! You will want to work your way up to 30 minutes of some form of cardio three times per week, though, for the most benefit for your heart and body. Walking, running, biking< and swimming are some examples of cardio (check out my post on cardio by age groups for more suggestions) The eventual goal is to be moving fast enough to raise your heart rate and breathe harder, while still being able to carry on a conversation. My Whole Body Plan has over 100 cardio workouts, so start your free trial today for inspiration - and work out with me leading the way!! Two of my favorites are my Walk With Me Workout and the Mother Daughter Dance Workout - both are fun and effective!
- Strength training. Also called weight training, this is where you are using either your own body's weight as resistance (think of a lunge or push up) or using weights and bands for more resistance. Either way, strength training is SO GOOD for you and your heart - learn more about the benefits of strength training, and try the 10-minute strength routine workout in that link, a sample of what you get when you join my Plan. For best results, you will want to aim for strength training two to three times per week, allowing for a day of muscle recovery in between.
- Stretching: While stretching may not seem like the most effective way to promote a healthier heart, consider how calming it can be... it can melt away the stress and tension of the day, and loosen up your body. These are both directly related to minimizing unhealthy stress. And too much unhealthy stress IS linked to poor heart health! There are almost 80 stretching workouts in my Whole Body Plan, including Pilates and yoga. I stretch every morning - and so should you, so do it with me!!