Your heart’s condition is one of the factors that determine how long and enjoyable your life will be.

Your heart’s condition is one of the factors that determine how long and enjoyable your life will be. That’s why it’s best to keep your heart healthy by having a balanced diet and an active physical lifestyle whatever your age, . It’s even better to exercise regularly, as some believe that it can prevent developing heart problems. Here are some exercises you can try to strengthen your heart:

1. Strength Training   

With strength training, adults can reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Experts recommend an average of at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity training per week or  about 75 minutes of vigorous -intensity exercises per week. The activities should include weight training, resistance training, or strengthening muscles at least twice per week.  

However, you should choose to exercise at a training center or gym with ACLS or PALS certification, especially if you have an existing cardiovascular problem. That way, you can ensure that they know how to respond to potential incidents related to your medical condition.

When you do strength training, you can experience these health benefits for your heart:  

  • Reduce Belly Fat: Known as visceral fat, belly fats are the ones surrounding your heart and other internal organs. If you have lots of belly fat, you may be more prone to cardiovascular diseases. With regular strength training, you can prevent belly fat buildup, which will help in reducing the risk of heart diseases. 
  • Decrease the Possibility of Experiencing a Stroke: Too much pressure on your arteries can lead to a stroke. When there’s less lean muscle mass in your heart, the blood being pumped doesn’t have enough places to go, thus leading to a stroke. That’s why it’s best to increase your muscle mass with strength training.   
  • Improves Circulation: Strength training also helps improve blood circulation, which allows your body to receive enough oxygen and reduces your risk of developing heart problems.. 

2. Aerobic Exercise  

If you want a more relaxing way to improve your cardiac health, you can do aerobic exercises such as swimming, cycling, and walking. You get to move large muscles in your hips, legs, and arms repeatedly. It also helps you breathe faster and deeper, thereby maximizing your blood’s oxygen.   

During aerobic exercises, blood flow in your lungs and muscles increases, making your heart beat faster. Consequently, your capillaries or small blood vessels can carry lactic acid, carbon dioxide, and other waste products away from your heart.  

Here are aerobic exercises with more detail about how they can help your improve cardiac health:  

  • Swimming: If you swim laps, you’re doing a full-body workout that strengthens not only your body but your heart as well. 
  • Walking: With regular brisk walking, you can help strengthen your heart. If you do moderate-intensity aerobic walking for about 40 minutes for at least three days a week, you’re helping decrease your cholesterol and blood pressure, thus impacting your heart health. If you want to level up your routine, walk for about 30 minutes five times a week.  

3. Stretching or Flexibility Exercises  

Another type of exercise for your heart health is passive stretching. This is because flexibility exercises can make your body and muscles stay flexible, as this helps you move around comfortably. If your work doesn’t allow for much movement, you may get hurt when you start a vigorous exercise routine. You can prevent this by doing regular flexibility exercises.  

Before stretching, warm up your muscles by walking for a few minutes. When your muscles are warmed up, you can stretch them further. Moreover, you should do stretching exercises after a strength or endurance activity.   

When stretching, you can follow these tips:  

  • Breathe normally when you do flexibility exercises. Then, push your breath while you’re stretching.
     
  • To avoid injuries from tightening muscles, stretch slowly and smoothly instead of doing this in a bouncy or jerky manner.
  • Try stretching farther if you feel you’ve become more flexible since the last time you stretched. A mild “pull” feeling is normal, but a pain in a joint or stabbing pain may mean you’re already stretching too far. Take this as a sign to stop.
  • Avoid locking in your joints when you’re in a straight position, because it might cause injuries, especially when holding heavy weights. 

Conclusion  

Now that you know what exercises can help strengthen your heart, it’s best to apply them to your routine. That way, you can make your heart and body healthy. Exercise regularly so you can avoid developing heart-related problems. If you want to gain more lean muscle mass, you can do so with strength training. But if you want to move around while exercising, aerobic exercise is the way to go. You can also opt for stretching exercises if you want a more relaxed activity that benefits your heart.