Physical activity is an essential step to better heart health. It’s among your most effective methods for strengthening the heart muscle, maintaining your weight in check, and protecting your arteries from harm caused by high cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure that could lead to heart attacks or stroke.
Being physically active is a crucial step toward a healthy heart. It’s one of the most effective ways to strengthen the heart muscle by ensuring your weight is controlled and preventing artery damage caused by high cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure that can cause a heart attack or stroke.
What does it do? Stewart says that aerobic exercise boosts circulation, leading to lower blood pressure and a decrease in blood pressure. Furthermore, it boosts your aerobic fitness according to the treadmill test, for instance, and improves your heart output (how the heart pumps). Aerobic exercise can also lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes; if you already have diabetes, it aids in controlling the blood sugar levels.
How much? Ideally, for a minimum 30 minutes per day, and at most five days per week.
Some examples: Brisk walking, running and swimming, cycling, jumping rope, and playing tennis. heart care specialists are thinking of cardiovascular exercise that pumps the heart when they suggest at least 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity.
Resistance Training (Strength Work)
What is it? Stewart says that resistance training explicitly influences the body’s structure. It can reduce fat and increase muscles for those who carry an excessive amount of weight (including an unflattering stomach, which is a significant risk factor for heart disease). Research suggests that a mixture of resistance and aerobic exercises can raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels and reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol.
What is the recommended amount: two days non-consecutive per week of strength training is the best general rule of thumb by the American College of Sports Medicine.
Examples: Training with Free weights (such as dumbbells, hand-weights, or barbells) or on the weight machines, using resistance bands, or doing resistance exercises for the body, such as push-ups or chin-ups.
Stretching, Flexibility, and Balance
What they do: Flexible Workouts, like stretching, do not directly impact heart health. They can improve the musculoskeletal system, which allows you to remain flexible and free of cramping, joint pain, and other muscular problems. According to Stewart, flexibility is essential to continuous aerobic exercise and resistance training.
“If you have a good musculoskeletal foundation, that enables you to do the exercises that help your heart,” Dr. Xie says. Additionally, the flexibility and balance exercise aid in maintaining stability and preventing falling, which could cause injuries that restrict other types of exercises.
How much: Each day and also before and after any other exercise.
Examples: Your health consultation may suggest basic stretches that you can practice at your own home or discover YouTube or DVDs to follow (though consult your physician in case you’re worried over the intensity of your exercise). Yoga and Tai Chi also help improve these skills. Classes are available in numerous communities.
What’s the Best Exercise for Weight Loss?
Aerobic exercise and resistance training effectively burn calories and improve your metabolic rate. The more muscle mass you gain, the more calories you’ll burn, according to Johns Hopkins exercise physiologist Kerry J. Stewart, Ed.D. “Together with diet, that’s what leads to weight loss,” Stewart declares.
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