When it comes to keeping your heart healthy, one of the most effective tools is exercise. Regular physical activity strengthens the heart muscle, improves circulation, and helps to lower blood pressure, increases “good” cholesterol and lowers “bad” cholesterol, and reduces your risk for heart attack or stroke. It doesn’t require strenuous workouts or expensive gym memberships—just consistent movement that gets your heart pumping.
Why Exercise Matters for Your Heart
- Boosts Circulation: Regular activity increases blood flow, delivers oxygen to your body, and lowers blood pressure. Sitting for long periods of time weakens your heart – be sure to take standing breaks often to keep blood flowing.
- Reduces Risk Factors: Physical activity helps lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels, and helps in weight management – all of which contribute to a healthy heart.
- Building Endurance: Exercise helps the heart pump more efficiently, improves cardiovascular endurance and keeps your heart strong.
Types of Exercise for Heart Health
- Aerobic Exercise: Activities like walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, and dancing are excellent for improving cardiovascular health. Beyond those, things like playing pickleball or jumping on a trampoline with your kids are great “cardio”, too! Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. This breaks down to about 20-30 minutes per day, which you can break down further into 10 minute blocks of time. 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon – you can do it!
- Strength Training: Incorporating resistance training 2-3 times per week helps build muscle and supports metabolism, contributing to better heart health. Strength training is also associated with improving “good” cholesterol, which helps to lower “bad” cholesterol.
- Flexibility and Balance: Yoga or stretching exercises help reduce stress, a key factor in heart disease. If you’re feeling stressed, try your Daily Muuv Strive for Five Program in your MuuvWell app – and notice how you feel after!
How Much Exercise is Enough?
For most adults, 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, incorporating strength training exercises at least two days a week, is ideal for maintaining a healthy heart. If you’re just starting, begin with short walks or dancing to your favorite songs and gradually build up your endurance. A great goal is to move for 10 minutes at a time. So, walk for 10 minutes, or dance to 3 songs, and you’ve just made your heart healthier!
Takeaway
You have a lot of power in how much or how often you move. By moving your body often, whether it’s taking more standing breaks throughout your day, or going for a 10 minute walk, you reduce the risk of heart disease, manage stress, and improve your overall quality of life. Your heart will thank you for it!
Written by: Stephanie Anklan, Registered Dietitian
