Category: Balance Exercise

A healthy diet/lifestyle and exercise are your best friends for a healthier body. If you get the best cardio workout for heart health, you’ll prevent many health issues.

What is the best exercise to prevent heart disease, though? Every person has a different lifestyle, and not all exercises are heart-healthy, so you must be careful when creating your routine.

Today, we’ll cover the best exercises you can consider to strengthen your heart. You can do most of these with your own body weight, though, so choose your favorite one, and let’s get started.

Why Should You Strengthen Your Heart?

Aerobic exercise and resistance training are among the best options to include in your regular exercise routine. Whether you’re doing moderate or vigorous exercise, your heart will be able to pump blood to the body more efficiently, promoting better blood flow and oxygen levels.

You don’t need to do high-intensity interval training to achieve better cardiovascular health. As long as you incorporate some sort of aerobic exercise or resistance training into your exercise program, you’ll get many benefits.

Not keeping your heart health in check, don’t the other hand, increases your risk of suffering from heart disease. Sedentarism is known for causing a wide range of problems, including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure, and more.

Thankfully, you don’t need to be a fitness expert to improve the function of your cardiovascular system. As long as you know which options you can implement in your routine, you’ll be good to go.

You can also ask your physician for advice. They will suggest a routine based on your current health conditions.

Best Exercises to Strengthen Your Heart and Prevent Heart Disease

Here are the best exercises you can start doing today to keep your heart healthy. You don’t have to do them all to be healthy, but rest assured that each one has unique benefits to your body that you won’t want to ignore.

We got three different types of exercises you can do:

• Aerobic Exercise
• Resistance Training
• Stretching and Balance Training

Let’s get started!

#1 – Walking

Walking is often considered the best exercise to improve heart health. If you’re young, this option may seem boring, but keep in mind there are many ways to make walking interesting.

If you have resistance, you can walk fast and work your heart a bit more without risking your joints. On the other hand, if you don’t feel like walking on your own, you can ask a friend or family member to go with you.

Walking is also a great exercise during which you can listen to your favorite music or podcasts, so it can become a fun activity to look forward to each day.

The most important benefit of walking is that you can do it anytime and anywhere, so it’s the option that will fit most people.

#2 – Stretching

Even though stretching isn’t directly linked to better heart health, it helps keep your joints and muscles away from pain, which will allow you to keep doing resistance training and aerobic exercise without any issues.

If you’re doing weight training, for example, you can incorporate a short stretching session. It will help bring your heart rate down safely.

#3 – Bodyweight Training

Bodyweight training is perfect if you want to start working on developing muscle mass and strength. Depending on your current fitness condition, you can start with basic exercises like squats, push-ups, and sit-ups, and then work your way up to more complex routines.

#4 – Weight Training

Weight training, on the other hand, allows you to give more intensity to your workouts. Even though weight training is the go-to option for many people, it still involves a higher risk of injury, so make sure you do your exercises correctly.

#5 – Swimming

Did you know that swimming can be a great full-body workout? It works your back, leg, arm, chest, and core muscles all at the same time. 

Swimming is great for those who want to get stronger without putting extra pressure on their joints. It’s also an excellent workout if you want to improve your heart health.

#6 – Yoga

Yoga is one of the best ways to achieve a healthy heart. Many people see a yoga class as a glorified stretching session, but it goes beyond that. Some routines will even allow you to tone your muscles and get your heart rate up, so if you want to promote better heart health, this is a great option to consider.

#7 – Cycling

Cycling has a ton of benefits to your heart, and it’s also fun! The best part of cycling is that you can choose how intense you want your workout to be. 

If you’re in the mood for a low-intensity session, then you can go at a slower speed. On the other hand, if you want higher intensity, then you can get a great workout on your legs and get that heart rate up.

A great thing about cycling is that it can also do wonders for your mental health. Overall, it’s a pretty awesome workout option for those who want to keep their health in check.

#8 – Interval Training

Interval training mixes moderate to high-intensity workouts with active recovery sessions. This is excellent for those who can’t do a full high-intensity workout at first and want to split the routine into sessions to make it easier.

Bottom Line – Get Started with Regular Exercise Today!

Physical activity and cardio exercise will always play a huge role in keeping our bodies healthy. Whether you do an intense full-body workout or flexibility/balance exercises every day, you will ensure your blood vessels are performing as efficiently as possible, which will lead to a healthier heart and a longer life.

Talk to your physician before doing any of these exercises to ensure you’re good to go, especially if the routine involves high-intensity exercise.

It’s possible to create an effective exercise program with just your body. However, regular activity is hard for many people, which has led to a large industry to ensure success. Building a home gym or using health club memberships can help you with your solution, but it’s crucial to choose the best cardio exercise equipment for your goals.

Likewise, the best cardio machine won’t produce results if you don’t use it regularly and correctly. Here are a few basics to understand if you’re thinking about buying exercise machines for your home gym:

The Best Cardio Machines

There are plenty of gyms with tons of machines to simulate walking, cycling, kayaking, skiing, rowing, running, and climbing stairs. Some are motorized, and others use your body weight to burn calories.

These machines provide many cardiovascular benefits and a great cardio workout. Plus, you can enjoy your home gym without having to worry about the weather. Statistics show that more people are buying home gym equipment than ever before.

Prices can vary, depending on whether or not the machine has a motor or can be programmed. Likewise, some have add-ons that will measure your heart rate and so much more.

Here are some of the best cardio machines that don’t require a personal trainer. You can achieve your fitness goals, regardless of your fitness level:

Cross-country Ski Machines

This type of cardio equipment exercises the arms and legs together, and the sliding motion can be great on the knees. Sometimes, you move a ski forward, and the other goes back. However, other models allow the skis to move separately from each other.

Rowing Machines

A rowing machine works the legs, arms, and back simultaneously, so you can get a total-body workout. In fact, it’s a great option for interval training because you could push hard for a few minutes and then cut back.

Typically, a rowing machine is slightly challenging to use if you’re not used to the motion, and it might cause back problems for a few weeks.

Elliptical Trainers

These cardio machines offer a circular up/down motion similar to a stair-stepper and ski machine. There’s little impact, which can be great on the joints, and you can even change the resistance and grade to meet your needs.

Typically, they have handlebars to help you work your upper body, but they might not be the most efficient. Still, it can help you create a low-impact workout.

Treadmills

With a treadmill, you can walk and run indoors. Some feature more flexible surfaces, and a motorized one is preferable. Just remember that these machines rarely do much for the upper body, so you may want to walk/run with weights to tone the arms.

Stationary Bikes

An exercise bike is easy to use and doesn’t require training. However, some people find the exercise bike to be uncomfortable to use for long periods. There are proven benefits of using one, though!

Riding could still lead to osteoporosis, and it is a weight-bearing exercise, but you’ll get a great cardiovascular workout with an exercise bike.

Make sure you choose an exercise bike with an adjustable seat and a weight capacity that meets your needs. Generally, an exercise bike focuses on the lower body.

You can usually find on-demand classes with recumbent bikes or exercise bikes. They use certified trainers and can ensure that you get a smooth ride while on the exercise bike.

Stair-Stepper

If you don’t like the idea of exercise bikes, a stair-stepper might be a great alternative. It’s similar to climbing up stairs, and you may find options with handgrips to work your arms.

Stepper machines can be strenuous, and it’s often harder on the knees. Still, you can get a low-impact cardio workout that primarily works the lower body with this option.

Strength Equipment

Strength training equipment can use your body weight, gravity, external weights, or resistance bands to build strength. Just like cardio equipment, the prices and styles range significantly.

If you’re a beginner, save money by choosing a few basics instead of purchasing weight-lifting machines. Resistance tubes and hand weights can do most of the same workouts.

Exercise Mat

Once you have an exercise machine and some weights, make sure that you always work out on an exercise mat. This will ensure you don’t slip and fall.

Ankle Weights and Hand Weights

Ankle and hand weights can give you an intense workout. The ones for the ankles work well for hip extensions and side-leg raises. Make sure they’re padded with pockets so that you can add weight bars as you progress.

Hand weights can start out at 1 pound and go up to 10 or 20 pounds. You’ll likely start with 1, 2, 3, and 5 pounds. Typically, gym equipment goes all the way up to 20 pounds, but that can be expensive.

Exercise Tubing and Resistance Bands

Resistance bands and tubing can give you a challenging workout for the entire body. They’re often low-cost, portable, lightweight, and easy to store. Plus, you can change the resistance by doing more repetitions or holding the band with your hands closer together. It’s best to try various positions to determine what’s best for your fitness level.

Tubes look similar to bands, but they often feature padded handles. Plus, you can find heavier resistance levels. If possible, get a brand with a door attachment to help you do even more strength exercises with one piece of equipment.

Get a Full-body Workout with a Cardio Machine or Weights

Beginning a fitness journey is challenging, and many people worry that they won’t do it correctly. The good news is that you can lose weight just by eating less. The more calories you consume, the more work you must do to counteract them.

Whether you choose a stationary bike or a treadmill, you can meet your goals, feel better, and get fitter. Many people do prefer an exercise bike with magnetic resistance and an LCD monitor, though you may like something more high intensity, such as Crossfit games from your local gym. 

As long as you’re working out and raising your heart rate multiple times per week, you will achieve your goals!