The BEST EXERCISES FOR HEART HEALTH!

Hit the pool for a workout your heart (and lungs!) will love.  The best choice here is lane swimming as opposed to leisure swimming which only brings benefits to the extremely unfit population say the experts.  Lane swimming will give you a greater return on your exercise time investment. the recommended dose of lane swimming is progressing from eight to 12 lengths of the pool per swim technique, varying techniques on different days. This could mean doing front crawl and legs only with a flutter board one day and then back crawl and breast stroke another day. One swim technique guaranteed to bring up your fitness level is fist freestyle, which is using closed fists for any swim style because you have to work harder when you don’t have any swim paddle effect with the open hand.

Weight training is SO IMPORTANT for people with heart disease, because it helps build muscle mass which burns fat. It also is a bonus for bone and heart health. When it comes to deciding what type of weight training to do, did you know one of the easiest and most effective methods is simply using your own body weight?  Then adjust the speed of your movements to increase the difficulty. For example, once you can do 20 push-ups with ease, challenge yourself by slowing down and counting to three between intervals of up and down.

Running in bursts (intervals) will really push your cardiovascular fitness to the next level. Whether it’s sprints or hills, all you need is 10 seconds at a time.  The pros recommend 4 10 second bursts where you go all out at full speed and then regular running inbetween. eventually increase the number of intervals as your progress improves. Do the intervals at the beginning of your run when you have the most energy and it will also help you tap into burning the extra fat on your body as the type of training will deplete some of the glycogen or carbohydrate stored in the muscle.

Work at your own pace.

Pushing your heart rate up and down readily can be very hard on those that are not in shape (eg. snow shovelling). A less intense exercise like yoga has great benefits as it is great for strength and muscle toning. Plus more active styles of yoga such as Ashtanga and Bikram can offer cardiovascular benefits, as your heart rate is elevated throughout the class.

Regular cycling can substantially reduce your risk for coronary heart disease, according to a large study done by the British Medical Association. The findings revealed that cycling 32 kilometres a week reduced the potential to develop heart disease by a whopping 50 percent. Cycling uses large muscle groups in the legs to elevate your heart rate, which helps to improve not only your cardiovascular fitness but also burns calories, and has even been shown to improve mental health.

Circuit training