3 Great Exercises To Keep Your Heart Healthy

Many people live sedentary lifestyles these days, which can have major effects on their heart. To keep your heart in fighting condition, you need to practice regular exercise. Below are three of the best to keep your heart healthy:

Interval Training

One of the most popular methods of cardiovascular training is interval training. Essentially, the idea behind interval training is to alternate between short bursts of exercise at a very high intensity and longer periods of more relaxed training. Striking the balance here is key – in your high intensity period, you really need to push your body to the limit and lift your heart rate as much as possible. In your recovery period, you need to be putting in just enough effort to keep your heart slightly elevated.

If you enjoy running, you can incorporate interval training by sprinting for 30 seconds and then lightly jogging for two minutes. If you prefer lifting weights, circuits are a great way to reap the benefits of interval training. Whatever method you choose, interval training keeps your heart healthy by modifying the pace at which you exercise and giving your cardiovascular system the shock it needs.

Full-body Workouts

Full-body workouts are great for improving your cardiovascular endurance as your heart needs to keep pumping blood to different muscle groups. In isolated workouts, such as those that focus on your back or chest, your heart only needs to pump blood to one localised area. If you are working out multiple muscle groups though, your entire body needs to keep circulating blood in order to strengthen your muscles. As such, these full-body workouts really act to improve your cardiovasculcar system and keep your heart healthy and strong.

For full-body workouts, you don't need to hit the gym. Rather, you could take up a sport such as rowing, swimming or basketball. All of these sports target all the major muscle groups in your body and you will have a great time working out too!

Cycling

Cycling is a great cardiovascular exercise that you can easily incorporate into your day-to-day life. It is low-impact, meaning you don't have to worry about wear and tear on your joints. Additionally, there are a wide range of ways that you can incorporate cycling into a hectic schedule.

If you don't live too far from the office, consider ditching the car and taking your bike. If you have a very hectic work schedule, try and fit in a 30-minute spin class on your lunch break. Or, if you are more adventurous, you could consider going mountain biking in the woods. Taking time out to cycle will really get your body going and will keep your heart fighting fit.

For more information, contact companies like PCNY Preventive Cardiology of New York.