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Improving Your Heart Health

Maintaining a healthy heart is extremely important for your overall health. Doctors recommend spending at least 150 minutes a week doing cardiovascular activities. But don’t worry, this doesn’t mean spending all your spare time at the gym. It can be simple changes to your daily activities, starting at a gym, and everything in between.

Simple ways to increase your cardio include:

  • Parking your car at the back of the parking lot, instead of closest to the door.
  • Taking the stairs, instead of the elevator
  • Walking around a mall when the weather is bad, instead of outside.
  • Wearing a fitness tracker to motivate you to take more daily steps.
  • Get up from your desk every hour at work and take a walk around the office.

The 6 best exercises to strengthen your heart include:

  • Walking – this can be as easy as a short walk on your lunch break to a long hike on a weekend.
  • Weight Training – This can be done using your own body weight or free weights. Push-ups, squats and pull-ups are great examples of weight training.
  • Swimming – Have fun with swimming, from water aerobics to lane swimming. It is a fun way to exercise that is nice on the joints.
  • Yoga – strengthen and tone your muscles while decreasing blood pressure and stress.
  • Interval Training – this is the alternating between short bursts of high intensity exercises with a longer rest period This will help burn calories and improve the function of your blood vessels.
  • Cycling – this can be done on a outdoor bike, a recumbent bike or an upright bike.

Physical cardio activity health benefits include:

  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Aids in weight loss
  • Strengthens muscles
  • Reduces risk of diabetes
  • Lowers stress levels
  • Reduces inflammation

Always ask your doctor before starting any new exercise routines.

Information retrieved from: https://intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/topics/heart/2019/02/6-best-exercises-to-strengthen-your-heart/ and https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/7-heart-benefits-of-exercise