Taking care of your heart is extremely important. Exercise is key. So what kind of exercise helps your heart? Aerobic exercise and resistance training are both valuable. But first, stretching helps to prepare for physical activity. It helps you to prevent joint pain, cramping, and it increases flexibility while you’re exercising. It also helps with balance and stability.
Aerobic Exercise:
Aerobic exercise includes things like swimming, running, cycling, tennis, walking at a good pace, using a treadmill or an elliptical machine. How does it help? It helps with cardiac output. That refers to how well your heart pumps. It is the quantity of blood pumped by the heart in a given period of time, typically measured in liters per minute. Aerobic exercise can help with weight loss and high cholesterol, artery damage and high blood pressure.
How often should you do aerobic exercise? Preferably at least 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week. But if that’s not workable, start out slowly and work your way up.
Resistance Training:
Resistance training can help reduce fat and create leaner muscle mass. Using weights and bands is a good idea. Try to find a video for guidance. There are also weight machines or exercises such as push ups, squats and chin-ups. How often should you perform resistance training? Preferably at least two nonconsecutive days per week.
For a nominal cost, you can purchase a blood pressure monitor to use at home. It’s a good idea to have your cholesterol and triglycerides checked on a regular basis at your doctor’s office. Maintaining a healthy weight is also beneficial to your heart.