29 September is World Heart Day, and this year’s theme is “Heart Heroes”. We can all be Heart Heroes by looking out for ourselves and one another in a bid to live longer, healthier lives. What does that entail?

• Cooking healthier meals for ourselves and our families
• Encouraging our children to exercise and live active lives
• Giving up smoking and lowering cholesterol levels
• Committing to building up healthy home and work environments

According to the World Heart Federation, “17,900,000 people die every year from cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke.” That number can be drastically reduced if we invested a little more time into being more conscious of the pressure we place on our bodies. In order to be healthy, a heart needs exercise as much as a body does. The heart is a muscle that operates at its peak when it’s strong and conditioned. Simply embarking on an exercise programme has boundless positive effects on heart health.

We have put together a few examples of exercises that are best suited to enhancing heart health. They are not difficult to do and don’t require any special equipment or gym memberships, making it accessible to everyone.

Heart-Healthy Exercises For Adults

Making small changes in your daily level of physical activity will have a huge impact on your heart health. These are recommended by the World Heart Federation:

• Sit less during the day. If you work behind a desk, get up every 45 minutes and walk around to get the blood flowing around your body. Add small changes such as:
  • taking the stairs instead of the elevator
  • cycling to work instead of driving
  • going for a walk at lunchtime
  • stretching regularly
  • keeping your body active throughout the day
• If you can only manage moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, then aim for 150 minutes spread out per week, which is roughly 20 minutes per day
• If you can commit to higher intensity vigorous aerobic activity, such as jogging, then a total of 75 minutes throughout the week will suffice
• Include moderate-to-high intensity strength training workouts to your weekly routine at least two days per week.
• Gradually increase the duration of exercise over time. Start by aiming for five full hours of exercise per week

Heart-Healthy Exercises For Kids

Bringing kids up with healthy ideals is the best opportunity you can give them for a long and fruitful life. Here are some recommendations that can help you work towards improving their heart health:

• Encourage kids to participate in active play. Running, jumping and climbing are the best ways for them to remain active, while having fun.
• Avoid allowing them to sit in front of screens for prolonged periods of time
• Kids between the ages of three and five, should be able to move freely daily
• Kids between the ages of six and 17 should be getting at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day that consists of mostly aerobic activity
• Include resistance training or weight bearing exercise on at least three days per week. These can be as per the above for adults
• Increase activity over time

Difference Between Moderate And Vigorous Intensity Activity

Intensity is the level at which you push yourself during an activity. Anything that moves your body is physical activity, but the intensity at which we do it is what changes the exercise from moderate to vigorous. The more intense, the more calories burned, and the more oxygen is pumped around the body. During moderate intensity activity, you will increase your heart rate, but you should still be able to talk, even if a little breathlessly. During vigorous intensity activity, your heart rate will increase even more, and you shouldn’t be able to talk or hold down a conversation.

Examples of moderate intensity activity include:

• Brisk walking (at least 4km per hour)
• Water aerobics
• Dance class, fairly low impact such as ballroom dancing
• Gardening
• Tennis
• Cycling slower than 16km per hour
• Yoga or Pilates

Examples of vigorous intensity activity include:

• Running or fast jogging
• Swimming lengths in succession
• Cycling faster than 16km per hour
• High intensity dance classes, such as hip hop or Zumba
• Hiking uphill
• Skipping rope

The moment we realise that physical activity is essential for heart health, we can make better choices for our own wellbeing and longevity. For more information, support or advice on how you can keep your heart fit, contact a care consultant via your Employee Wellbeing Programme.

Resource: https://www.heart.org

Photo by TALAVIYA RAHUL on Unsplash