The 4 Things You Can Do Today for a Healthy and Happy Heart
Poor heart health and cardiovascular disease affects more than four million Australians. There are some simple things you can do to have a healthier heart, helping you to live longer and stronger.
How do I make my heart healthier?
The 4 S's: some lifestyle changes you can start today to avoid cardiovascular disease and get your heart healthier and happier!
- Stop smoking
- Stress less
- Sleep better
- Sit less and move more
Our Exercise Physiologists in Elsternwick can help you with all four S’s, but the focus here on this post is moving more, getting more exercise in!
What are the best types of exercise for my heart?
Cardiovascular (aka aerobic)
Cycling at a gym or on your bike, rowing on a rowing machine, or even down the Yarra, swimming in a pool or in the ocean, and walking whether it's fast, slow or with your dog, are all great examples of cardiovascular exercise.
Regardless of its intensity (ie how much you huff and puff), cardiovascular exercise has so many benefits for your heart health. These include:
- lowering your blood pressure
- improving circulation and blood flow
- improving your heart strength
Strength Training (aka weights, resistance training)
You can lift some weights like dumbbells or medicine balls, or you can even just use your own body weight with movements like squats and sit to stands, and push ups at your kitchen bench. Other types like tai chi and yoga are also beneficial and keep your heart happy.
There are many ways in which strength training can help improve your heart health. They include:
- improving heart muscle mass and size
- improving blood flow to muscles and organs
- improving blood flow back to the heart
- lowering your blood pressure.
If you want help with improving your heart health and setting up a tailored exercise program, get in touch with an exercise physiologist at Health in Balance.
