10 Home-Based Exercises Best For Your Heart Health
Exercising is the best way to keep your heart healthy and pump fresh oxygenated blood into your body. The American Heart Association (AHA) also suggests regular exercise and healthy eating habits keep your heart young forever.
Advantages Of Exercises For Heart Health
• Increases good cholesterol (HDL) and reduces bad cholesterol (LDL)
• Boosts vascular wall function and the ability to pump blood
• Helps control diabetes and blood pressure
• Reduces the risk of heart strokes
• Improves the quality of life of people with heart conditions
Now you know the benefits of exercising for heart health, you should also know about the exercises that are good for your heart.
Aerobic Exercises
Aerobics or cardio is good for improving blood circulation and overall strength and fitness. The AHA also recommends at least 30 minutes of cardio five days a week for a healthy heart.
Here’re the five best aerobics exercises
- Walking
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends moderate to brisk walking for everyone. For walking, you can find a purpose like needing some fresh air and thinking of an idea. Or you can keep a pet who you can take on a walk. Or you can walk with friends and enjoy socializing while exercising.
- Cycling
Biking is great low-impact cardio for your heart. Research has proved that cycling reduces the risk of heart disease by 11-18%. Start using a bicycle instead of a car, if your office is within cycling distance. Also, you should use a cycle for supermarket visits.
- Playing A Sport
Sporting activities like badminton, tennis, and basketball that involves running and jumping increase blood circulation. The heart pumps faster so the body gets the energy it needs to run and jump. But if you have a heart condition, you should talk to your doctor before taking part in any sporting activity.
- Swimming
Swimming involves the whole body. When you swim, you exert pressure on every part of your body. It makes your heart works faster and improves your strength and fitness. Half-an-hour swimming three or four days a week is sufficient to keep your heart healthy.
- Household Chores
If you do household chores, then you don’t have to worry about your heart health as your involvement in the household chores keeps you active all day. Activities like cleaning, dusting, kitchen work, wardrobe arrangement, and watering plants requires lots of energy.
Strength Training
In addition to aerobics, you can also do strength training to keep your heart healthy. Strength training has multiple advantages like it improves muscle power, building strength, and tones muscles as well. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), 30 minutes of strength training two days a week is sufficient to keep your heart healthy.
- Resistance Band Exercises
Add resistance bands to your exercises, if you want to make the exercise a little more challenging. It will help control your blood sugar and blood pressure. Since resistance bands come in various thickness options, you can easily choose the best for your needs.
- Weight Training
Working with dumbbells, barbells, and health machines isn’t considered unsafe for the heart. On the contrary, it is recommended by doctors. But you should discuss your needs with your trainer before starting weight training. The biggest thing in weight training is taking precautions while dealing with weight.
- Bodyweight Exercises
If you don’t want to work with weight but still want to do weight training then you should choose bodyweight exercises like push-ups, high jumps, squats, and mountain climbing. Ask your trainer to plan an exercise regimen keeping your overall health and medical condition in mind.
Balance And Flexibility
Exercises that involve making balance and improving flexibility are good for heart health. These exercises can improve your heart rate, increase muscle tone, and boosts endurance. Here’re the two best balance and flexibility exercises.
- Stretching
Walking, jogging, and jumping are stretching exercises that are great for heart health. Similarly, you can try touching the toes, calf stretches, and neck and arm stretch. And the surprising thing is that you can do these exercises while sitting. A good 10-15 stretch once a day is sufficient to keep your heart healthy.
- Yoga
Yoga is the best exercise for heart health. It has many asanas that can help improve your cardiovascular health. For example, take pranayama which can relieve mental stress and improve your lung capacity. Yoga is a complete exercise as it involves everything from balancing to stretching.
How Often Should You Do Exercises?
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends 30 minutes of cardio five days a week or 50 minutes of cardio for three days or 30-40 minutes of strength training or stretching exercises.
You can customize your exercises with the help of your trainer. For example, you can start with cardio for three days and one day for yoga/strength training. And increase your strength gradually as you gain confidence.
Which Exercises To Avoid?
If you are a beginner or you have a heart condition, you should be careful while exercising. Here the objective should be to prevent your heart from coming under pressure.
• High-intensity interval training
• Running marathons
• Taking part in triathlons
These exercises could stretch your arteries and heart and create problems. If you have a heart condition, you should first talk to a fitness trainer before starting any exercise. Also, take the following precautions while exercising.
• Talk to a doctor before starting exercises for heart health
• Always exercise under the supervision of a fitness trainer
• Always warm up before exercising
• Allow your body time to cool down after exercising
• Discontinue exercises, if you feel uneasy or have pain in the chest
Exercising is good for your heart, especially when you lead a sedentary lifestyle. It is only with exercise that you can keep your heart healthy. A sedentary lifestyle coupled with poor eating habits could lead to an increase in bad cholesterol and obesity that could make your heart medically weak. But there is little need to worry about anything when you can take care of your heart by exercising.
Disclaimer: The above information is for educational purposes only and the readers are advised to talk to their doctors before starting exercising for their heart health.
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