Awesome news! It only takes 90 minutes a week to maintain cardiovascular health. Doesn’t seem so bad, does it?
Every year we run the risk of developing heart disease. So each year when you are blowing out your birthday candles you can rest assured you are preventing disease by exercise.
Here are the best workouts for your heart:
Get in the Aerobic zone:
For 20 min 3x a week do any vigorous aerobic activity that gets your heart pumping and makes you breathe harder -- jogging, bike riding, playing tennis. You will not only exercise your heart and lungs but lower your blood pressure and cholesterol too! More is even better.
It’s ok if you haven't exercised in awhile, or have bad knees, try low-impact workouts, such as swimming or using an elliptical trainer or stationary bike at a slower pace for the same amount of time. To build endurance, add short bursts of intensity to your activity. Remember you always need to warm up for a few minutes, go all out and work at your max for one minute, then slow down to recover for two minutes. Repeat. Brisk walking (not strolling) that gets your heart rate up by 10 beats per minute is another option.
Do some “heavy” lifting
Work your body with some kind of resistance e.g., resistance bands, a weight machine, dumbbells, your own body weight. All you need is 10 minutes 3 x’s a week. No, you don’t have to lift 100 pounds or lift your car. Just use the heaviest weight you can hoist while maintaining perfect form. This tiny amount of strength training builds muscle and stokes your calorie-burning furnace because muscle burns more calories than fat. This kind of work is good for your ticker too!
