Boost your heart health with these exercise regimens

Extensive studies have identified various factors increasing heart attack risks, the most important among them being physical inactivity. Adding to the growing body of evidence that links exercise and good heart health, a new research published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise has revealed that lifting weights for less than an hour a week may reduce your risk of getting a heart attack or stroke by 40 to 70 per cent. According to the researchers at the Iowa State University, just two sets of bench presses that hardly take 5 minutes can also be effective in keeping your heart attack risks at bay. Here, we tell you about other exercises that your heart will thank you for.

Aerobic Exercises

These workouts require oxygenated blood to be pumped to the working muscles. They stimulate both your heart and breathing rate. Aerobic exercises include swimming, cycling, playing tennis, jumping rope, walking, or running. They also help to keep type 2 diabetes at bay by regulating your blood sugar levels.

Resistance Training

Also known as strength training, resistance training is used for muscle building, burning of calories, improving bone density, joint function, tendon, and ligament strength. It includes working out with free weights like dumbbells, hand weights, barbells, or resistance bands. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, one should indulge in muscle strengthening activities on at least two non-consecutive days each week for better results. Doing this will reduce your body fat which is one of the risk factors for heart disease. In addition to that, doing both aerobic exercise and resistance work together may help you raise HDL (good) and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

Flexibility and balance workouts

These workouts including different types of stretching: Hip flexor stretching, piriformis stretch, lunge with a spinal twist, and so on. They contribute to our heart health indirectly by increasing your flexibility, which in turn, makes it easy for you to perform aerobic and strength training workouts. Additionally, they relieve joint pain, cramping, and other muscular issues while increasing your stability and preventing falls. According to the fitness experts, you should do these workouts every day before and after other exercises.