3 types of exercises that improve heart health

Physical activity is an important step towards good heart health. It is one of your most effective tools to strengthen your heart muscle, control your weight and prevent arterial damage due to high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure that can lead to heart attack or accident. cerebrovascular.

It is also true that different types of exercises are necessary to ensure complete physical fitness. "Aerobic exercise and resistance training are most important for heart health. While flexibility doesn't directly contribute to heart health, it is important because it provides a good foundation for a more effective strength and aerobic exercise."

Here's how different types of exercise benefit you.

Aerobic exercise

What it does: Aerobic exercise improves circulation, which leads to lower blood pressure and heart rate. Plus, it increases your overall aerobic fitness, as measured by a treadmill test, for example, and helps your cardiac output (your heart's ability to pump). Aerobic exercise also lowers your risk of type 2 diabetes and, if you already have diabetes, helps control your blood sugar.

How much: Ideally, at least 30 mins a day, at least five days a week.

Examples: brisk walking, running, swimming, biking, tennis, and jumping rope. Heart-pounding aerobic exercise is the kind doctors have in mind when they recommend at least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity.

Resistance training (strength work)

What it does: Resistance training has a more specific effect on body composition. For people who have a lot of body fat (including a big belly, which is a risk factor for heart disease), it can help reduce fat and build lean muscle mass. Research shows that a mixture of aerobic exercise and resistance work can help increase HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.

How much: At least two nonconsecutive days a week of resistance training is a good rule of thumb, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

Examples: Exercising with free weights (such as dumbbells, dumbbells, or dumbbells), on weight machines, with resistance bands, or through body resistance exercises such as push-ups, squats, and pull-ups.

Stretching, flexibility, and balance

What they do: Flexibility exercises, like stretching, don't directly contribute to heart health. What they do benefits musculoskeletal health, keeping you flexible and free from joint pain, cramps, and other muscle issues. This flexibility is an essential part of being able to sustain aerobic exercise and resistance training.

"If you have a good musculoskeletal base, it permits you to do the exercises that help your heart. As an added benefit, flexibility and balance exercises help maintain stability and prevent falls, which can cause injuries that limit other types of exercise.

How much: Daily and before and after other exercises.

Examples: Your doctor may recommend basic stretches you can do at home, or you can find DVDs or YouTube videos to follow (but check with your doctor if you're concerned about exercise intensity ).

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