Exercise is essential when keeping your heart healthy. Any type of physical activity at the right intensity and for the right amount of time can increase the fitness of your heart. Exercise not only helps your heart but it helps other parts of your body that can cause problems to your heart if they are not healthy. For example, exercising can help to prevent high blood pressure, which is a key risk factor for heart disease. Along with keeping your heart healthy, exercise allows you to lose weight which gets rid of excess pounds that are also a risk factor for heart disease. Take a walk with your dog, swim with the kids this summer, go out dancing or enjoy a peaceful session of yoga, each type of exercise is enjoyable and heart friendly. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any workout regimen.
Walking
Swimming
Dancing
Yoga
Walking is an aerobic exercise that reduces atherosclerosis, atty build-ups in the arteries, which cause most cases of heart disease. While walking, the heart becomes more efficient and pumps more blood with each heartbeat. Walking also increases your muscles’ ability to take oxygen from the blood. Although all types of aerobic exercise are recognized to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, walking is something you can enjoy by yourself, with family and friends, or a pet. Taking 20-30 minutes a day to walk can help lead you to a healthier lifestyle and a healthy heart. Click here to join the “Walk for Good” campaign, a 15 week online walking program for better health brought to you by the Cleveland Clinic and Google.com.
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Swimming is another aerobic activity that is great for your heart. Swimming increases your stamina while improving your cardiovascular system, as well as your bodies’ use of oxygen. Exercise through swimming allows the heart to work less strenuously, allowing your heart to stay healthy and strong. Cool off this summer by going to a nearby pool and taking a few laps to keep your heart healthy.
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Enjoying yourself while taking part in cardiovascular exercise is what dancing allows you to do. No matter what the age, dancing is a great exercise that keeps your heart rate up. Dancing allows you to have fun, let loose, and keeps your heart healthy without you even noticing. Dance classes are offered by the Fairview Hospital Wellness Center throughout the week, click here to view the schedule.
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Yoga has helped millions of people to sustain good health, flexibility, and a positive outlook on life. It has become an effective therapy for stress reduction, most recently in coronary patients. Yoga is not only a great exercise for coronary patients, but a great exercise for everyone to reduce stress, which can be detrimental to the heart. Yoga ranges from gentle beginners classes all the way up to advanced. All ages can enjoy yoga and use the calming exercise to keep your heart healthy. Yoga classes are offered throughout the week at Fairview Hospital’s Wellness Center.
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