Summer body vs Healthy Heart
Lock down provided lots of time to explore with food and lots of time to eat it too. With summer on our door step we are all scrambling to get our bodies summer ready. In light of heart awareness month, summer should not be the only reason we invest in our physical health. Regular fitness activities are proven to lower your risk of heart disease, leaving you with a healthy heart.
As daunting as it may sound studies show that it only takes 30 minutes a day of light to moderate exercise to get your heart in shape. All you need to ensure is that the exercise is vigorous enough to increase your heart rate.
Exercise is an insurance policy for your heart.
Exercise has an endless list of benefits for your heart and the functioning of your entire body
- By increasing your heart rate, you heart is forced to pump blood faster, this aids in strengthening your heart muscle so that it can push more blood in one pump which in turn lowers your blood pressure.
- Improves the muscles ability to extract oxygen from the blood
- Reduces bad cholesterol levels and increases levels of good cholesterol
No gym membership? No problem!
There are many exercises that are super great for your health and can be done in the comfort of your own home. Fetch your body with these exercises below:
- Brisk walking/ jogging : helps to increase your heart rate without being too harsh on your joints
- Jump rope: can increase your heart rate 2-3 times faster than any other exercise and works every muscle in your body
- Weight training using your own body mass: squats, push-ups and pull-ups
- Yoga: helps to tone and strengthen your muscles
How to get the most out of your workout
- Start off slow- start off at a manageable pace. Any amount of exercise will definitely contribute to the cause; you can gradually increase the amount of exercise you do in a day.
- Build up gradually- start with low intensity workouts and gradually move up levels as your fitness improves. You should be able to speak while working out, if not the intensity is too high.
- Keep up the momentum: it is important to keep at it. Make it a habit so it doesn’t feel like work.
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