Five Exercises Guaranteed to Improve Heart Health

Some of us aren’t concerned about getting bigger and stronger. Sometimes, the primary goal is to get healthier. Sadly, this isn’t always wished upon in the nicest of ways. It can sometimes occur as a result of bad news from the doctor, such as learning about having a bad heart. We may even find out that intense weight lifting is out of the question, but we still want to stay fit and healthy, so how can we go about it?

Simple! Stick to exercises that influence heart health for the better. These are mainly cardio exercises, which means support for weight loss. More specifically, a lower body fat percentage.

So, what are these ‘great’ exercises for heart health? Here are five, all of which are highly recommended for anyone with a bad heart, or anyone that desires optimal heart health.

 

1.     Walking

Heart problems are more common at an older age and may come with various other health issues as well. A lot of the time, it can be hard to perform intense cardiovascular exercise. Therefore, walking serves as a quality replacement.

Walking is good for the heart. Hitting a moderate intensity by entering into a brisk walk will do wonders. It is most important to remain consistent. So, go for a walk for 30 or 60 minutes every, single day. This will improve overall cardiovascular health, which contributes strongly towards a healthier heart.

 

2.     Running

If walking is healthy, then running is even healthier. This is definitely true. At the same time, it is a great way to burn calories and we all know what that means – fat loss!

Running puts the body into more of a cardiovascular zone than walking. However, there is a lot of debate over whether running is really much better than brisk walking. Either way, doing one of the two will guarantee health benefits to the heart, and running will also offer weight loss benefits.

 

3.     Cycling

Cycling is also an effective way to improve the health of the heart. It allows an individual to get into the cardiovascular zone. At the same time, it takes out the joint pressure caused by running. This means that even with arthritis, a quality training session can be completed.

Cycling not only helps the heart, but it can improve toning in the legs and strengthen the core muscles as well. On top of that, it is another great way to lose weight and intensity levels can be chosen based on preference.

 

4.     Resistance Training

While intense lifting may not be possible, resistance training is still not out of the question. It’s just a matter of knowing the limits. Even without heavy weight, an individual can really get the muscles worked up by creating sufficient resistance. This can be done with light weight lifting or with resistance band training.

This is a great way to get the heart working better while improving the body as a whole. It turns into a bit of a cardio workout as each movement is performed in high repetition. It also only needs to be done two or three times a week, which means the heart benefits can be achieved even on a tight schedule.

 

5.     Circuit Training

While this is a type of resistance training, circuit training kicks things up a notch. It incorporates all the muscles into a single workout session. Basically, imagine going around in a circle and hitting every single weight machine. The chest gets worked, the triceps get worked, and the biceps, abs, legs, and everything else get worked too.

The great thing about circuit training is that it serves as a type of aerobic exercise while still consisting of resistance training. The body will stay in a healthy heart zone due to the quick changes between exercises. The resistance training style will also influence both muscular strength and toning.

 

Conclusion: How Should We Train Our Hearts?

There is no golden answer to this question. Studies have proven that many different forms of cardiovascular exercise and weight training are effective for improving the health of the heart.

The most notable conclusion is that keeping physically active is a lot better than being sedentary. The heart is healthiest when it’s used to being active and when it’s challenged every once and a while. So, to get the heart feeling healthier, a consistent training schedule of any kind, especially with one of these five exercises, will make a tremendous difference.