Your heart keeps on working hard day and night, handling all your life’s stress and ecstasy. It’s our time to return back to adopting few healthy lifestyle changes resulting in the strengthening of heart.Your heart is a muscular structure would get healthier and stronger by adopting an active life.
To start with let us understand some basic & advanced exercises for a healthy heart.
1.Walking
The best exercise to start with would be walking. Slow, regular walking offers a steady workout to the heart. You may start with 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week and then may gradually increase according to yourself. It is a very good cardio exercise for beginners, elderly and for people recovering from an injury or surgery.
Tip: Maintain your speed at a level where you are able to converse if need be without panting.
2.Suryanamaskar/Sun salutation
Suryanamaskar is a series of 12 Hatha yoga poses. This yoga move stretches all the muscles of your body. The repetitive movement of going up from the ground to standing is a great cardiovascular exercise.
Tip: Beginners may rest their knees and upper body on the ground when they go down in the beginning until the time their body adapts to it.
3.Swimming
Swimming is a great exercise for improving heart and lung capacity without exerting much pressure on the joints. Swimming helps you relieve your stress as well. For a beginner, one may start with just walking around in the pool.
Tip: You shouldn’t eat a heavy meal before a good swim session.
4.Skipping
Skipping is one of the cheap, simple and yet effective workouts for your heart. This has an added advantage as it can be done easily in the privacy of your home as well. 10 minutes of skipping can give an equivalent result as of 45 minutes run. It helps to improve your heart rate and blood pressure.
Tip: Always wear well-cushioned shoes and try to land softly on the ground.
5.Cycling
Cycling is one of the best cardiovascular exercises for people of all age groups and all body types. It not only helps burn calories and keeps weight under control, but also helps build stamina and increase muscle and bone strength. The main advantage of cycling is that your body weight is carried by the seat, thus reducing the load on your knees and lower back. Elderly people can opt for static cycling.
Tip: If you have a back problem, opt for a stationary cycle with back support.
6.Circuit training
Circuit training is a combination of aerobic and strengthening exercises resulting in a heart pulsating workout. When one circuit is complete, one starts with the first exercise again for next circuit.This workout helps you build up your strength and stamina.
Tip: Pace yourself and try to beat your performance.
7.High rep squats
This workout helps you shape your thigh and butt muscles, along with pumping your heart as a great workout. The repetitive movement of going up-and-down of the body helps to maintain a good balance and is also a very good endurance exercise too.
Tip: Elderly people with arthritic conditions should avoid this exercise.
Regular physical workout for even 30 minutes can help you burn calories, lower down your blood pressure, reduce your LDL(bad cholesterol) and boost up your HDL(Good cholesterol). Keep yourself fit and healthy with regular exercise.
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