The Best Workouts for a Healthy Heart
Keep your heart at optimal shape
The heart is a muscle. Like any muscle, it requires exercise in order to maintain or build strength. The less we move, the weaker the heart may become. The heart needs to be stimulated with a variety of movements to keep it healthy. From frequent low impact movement, to occasional high intensity and strength training, exercise is essential to support a healthy heart.
Regular Slow to Moderate Movement
The human body was built to move frequently at a slow to moderate pace. Walking for long periods of time was very common for our ancestors. It has only been over the last century that we’ve gone from moving to sitting. In order to keep your cardiovascular system active and healthy, low intensity movement, such as brisk walking, hiking, jogging, and swimming is essential. What moderate exercise does, is it requires repetitive contraction of large muscle groups – increasing your heart rate. According to heart health experts, this helps improve circulation, strengthen blood vessels, lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It’s recommended that you participate in at least 150 minutes of low intensity movement per week.
OCCasional High Intensity
For individuals looking to improve their cardiovascular health, studies have shown that high intensity interval training (HIIT) delivers many heart health benefits. HIIT involves short periods of intense exercise, like a 20 sec sprint, with a less intense recovery time. These short but demanding workouts have been shown to help increase flexibility and elasticity in your blood vessels. High intensity exercise is recommended one to two times per week to support optimal health.
Occasional Strength Training
Moderate strength training is essential to support lean muscle, bone and joint health, and overall quality of life. When combined with aerobic (low impact) exercise, it has been found to help raise good cholesterol (HDL) and lower bad cholesterol (LDL). Strength training can include weights, resistance bands, or just body weight exercise. It’s recommended that you do at least two days of strength training to support your overall health.
Create a well-rounded exercise plan
Your cardiovascular system requires a variety of exercise and intensity. A well-rounded movement plan will help support a healthy heart. Additionally, nutritional support from Youngevity CardioBeets will help boost cardiovascular performance by supporting circulation and blood flow. Add CardioBeets to your workout plan and support your heart health.