The body was made to move! In this day and age, though, being sedentary is all too common. Not only does a sedentary lifestyle reduce mobility and increase stiffness, but it also raises the risk of many chronic health conditions, including heart disease. Staying active is one of the best and easiest ways to boost heart health, as it has direct and indirect effects.
Heart disease is a type of cardiovascular disease that includes various conditions that affect the heart’s muscle, blood vessels, valves, or function. There are many factors that contribute to its development, with physical inactivity topping the charts next to an unhealthy diet. If you are not physically active, you cannot strengthen the heart’s muscle, which pumps blood throughout the body. Being active does more than improve heart function, as is detailed in the list below:
- Reduced inflammation
- Balanced cholesterol levels
- Improved circulation
- Weight management
- Vascular strengthening
- Blood sugar regulation
- Lowered blood pressure
Do you want to reduce your risk of heart disease or improve overall heart health? If yes, this guide can help you learn more about exercising for a healthy heart.
Which Exercises Benefit The Heart?
Is it a cliché to say all of them? Movement is better than no movement, but the best exercises for your heart depend on your level of health and fitness. It’s always a good idea to start slow and increase the intensity as you assess your fitness level. Regular moderate- and vigorous-intensity exercises target cardio-respiratory performance the most.
Most moderate- and vigorous-intensity exercises are aerobic, increasing your heart rate and activating the body’s largest muscles. These are the muscles in your legs and arms. Regarding the intensity, moderately intense workouts should be at a five or six on a scale of 10. You will notice that your heart rate elevates and your breathing is heavier, but these exercises still allow you to communicate without feeling out of breath. Great examples of moderately intense exercises include:
- Water aerobics
- Slow jogging
- Brisk walking
- Hiking on easier trails
- Recreational bicycling
Vigorously-intense exercises are more challenging and you may be out of breath after engaging in them. You may only be able to utter one or two words before you have to catch your breath. Vigorous exercises are at about a seven or eight on the scale to 10, and great examples include:
- Hockey
- Basketball
- Jumping rope
- Running or sprinting
- Swimming laps
- Tennis
How Much Exercise Does Your Heart Require Each Week?
The American Heart Association recommends adults to get the amounts of physical activity:
- 150 minutes of moderately-intense aerobic activity per week, or
- 75 minutes of vigorously-intense aerobic activity per week, or
- A combination of both every week
Ideally, you combine these recommendations with strength training at least twice per week. The overall goal for physical activity per week should be 300 minutes. Regular movement throughout the day is great for children under five. Kids between six and 17 years of age should get an hour of moderate to vigorous intensity activity per day. Bone and strength training activities are also beneficial for children. Your healthcare professional can go over these guidelines with you and provide recommendations based on your age, fitness level, and overall health. An exercise program for someone recovering from a cardiac event will look different than a program for a healthy individual who exercises regularly.
Hitting A Target Heart Rate
If you have ever been on a treadmill or exercise bike at the gym, you know that it asks you to put your hands on the handles to obtain your heart rate. Most exercises that we listed in the moderate and vigorous intensity exercise lists can easily meet targeted heart rates, depending on how much you push yourself.
Calculating your target heart rate can help you track the intensity of your workouts. This can help you meet your exercise goals and inform you if you need to increase the difficulty or intensity of the workout, especially if your fitness level improves. The target heart rate is a percentage of your maximum heart rate, which you can estimate by subtracting your age from 220. The number you get is your maximum beats per minute.
- Moderate intensity exercise: Your target heart rate is somewhere between 50% and 70% of your maximum heart rate.
- Vigorous intensity exercise: Your target heart rate is between 70% and 85% of your maximum heart rate.
During exercise, make sure not to exceed your maximum heart rate because that can put unnecessary strain on the heart. It can also damage blood vessels, and even have adverse cardiac effects. Keep these tips in mind as you exercise for a healthier heart, and do further research so that you can find an exercise program that best fits your needs.
