Exercise to Maintain a Healthy Heart

The development of a healthy body backed by a strong heart depends on physical activity. It takes a lot of effort for your heart to pump 115,000 times a day to move 2,000 gallons of blood around. In order for your heart to continue to support you, support it with exercise.

Regular exercise has many health advantages, including the prevention or management of high blood pressure. If high blood pressure is not controlled, it may result in complications like a heart attack, aneurysm, metabolic syndrome, or dementia.

The general recommendation is to exercise for at least 30 minutes each day at a moderate intensity. In order to make the 30 minutes more manageable for someone who is sedentary and hasn’t worked out in a while, you can start by breaking it up into smaller segments of 10 minutes each. If you are already an “exerciser”, then try adding 1 more minute to your workout each day for an added benefit.

Along with more playing your favorite sports, simple household chores can be considered moderate-intensity exercise. Here are some examples:

• Washing and waxing a car for 45-60 minutes

• Washing windows or floors for 45-60 minutes

• Gardening for 30-45 minutes

• Pushing a stroller 1½ miles in 30 minutes

• Raking leaves for 30 minutes

• Shoveling snow for 15 minutes

• Stair walking for 15 minutes

• Playing volleyball for 45-60 minutes

• Playing touch football for 45 minutes

• Walking 2 miles in 30 minutes (1 mile in 15 minutes)

• Shooting baskets (basketball) for 30 minutes

• Dancing fast (social) for 30 minutes

• Performing water aerobics for 30 minutes

• Swimming laps for 20 minutes

• Playing basketball for 15-20 minutes

• Jumping rope for 15 minutes

• Running 1½ miles in 15 minutes (1 mile in 10 minutes)

It can be exciting and liberating to develop an exercise routine! Make sure to mix it up and choose activities you enjoy while experimenting with new ones. You could, for instance, go swimming on the weekends and running a few times during the week. Keep in mind that even the smallest things add up! Your body still needs movement to function properly, so engage in routine daily activities like walking to the store or moving around the house while cleaning.

Prior to starting any exercise program, make sure to consult your doctor. This is especially true if you have heart issues, have experienced a heart attack, are older than 50, and are not accustomed to being physically active. If you have a family history of heart disease at an early age, or if you have any other serious health problems, please contact your physician before beginning any exercise program