Did you know that if you don’t exercise regularly, you are more than TWICE as likely to get heart disease than someone who does?
If you have a personal or family history of heart disease, or just worry about your overall heart health, developing a regular exercise routine is essential. It is strongly recommended that you spend at least 150 minutes participating in moderate exercise each week in order to obtain the heart healthy benefits of regular exercise.
But, what are the best types of exercise to strengthen your heart? When it comes to heart health, not all exercise is created equal! Here are the top 6 types of exercise to strengthen your heart:
- Walking
By far the easiest, most convenient form of exercise listed. Walk during your lunch break, park in the parking spot furthest from the building, or you’re your pet for a quick walk around the neighborhood. Listen to music, a podcast, or walk with a friend! - Weight Training
Weight training not only builds other muscles in your body to help support you heart, building more muscle mass burns more fat! You don’t need weights to build muscle, some of the most effective weight training occurs when you use your own body weight! Try push-ups, squats, and pull-ups. - Swimming
A great full body workout that will not only strengthen your muscles, but also your heart. Added bonus, it’s easy on the joints for those that struggle with conditions such as arthritis. - Yoga
Certain types of yoga can really ramp up that heart rate, giving it a great workout. Also, yoga is great for providing a sense of calm and mindfulness, which can lower blood pressure. - Interval Training
Interval training alternates short bursts of high-intensity exercise with longer periods of active recovery. This raising and lowering of your heart rate burns lots of calories while improving the overall function of your blood vessels and cardiovascular system. - Cycling
Riding your bike can do more than get you from one place to another, it can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Cycling has also been shown to improve one’s mental health.
Now that we have learned about the best types of exercise for your heart, it’s time to put our new knowledge to use! This fun workout that will surely strengthen your heart by utilizing both interval training, and weight training with you own body weight. It’s fun, easy, and most importantly, can be easily fit into a busy schedule. We hope you enjoy it!
