If you were only going to take care of one muscle in your whole body…I sure hope it is your heart!
Most people don’t think of their hearts the same way as they picture their biceps…a muscle that needs working out to get bigger and stronger. In fact, your heart is MORE important than your bicep muscle or any other muscle in your body because if you don’t have that one, none of them will work.
Your heart is a transport system that pumps (in simple terms) energy through your body. Where does your food go when you digest it? It goes into your blood stream where it is taken to the rest of your body for usage or storage. It keeps all of your other bodily systems going as well. The muscle pumps oxygen through your blood to keep the other organs, tissues and cells alive and functioning properly.
So what can we do to make sure our heart stays in tip top shape? Build up strength and endurance…just like other muscles. But unlike other muscles, this one keeps you alive!
How does your heart like to be worked out? Aerobic exercise.
That means that your heart rate needs to be increased. This may not take a lot at first. Starting out doing aerobic exercise will cause you to lose your breath quickly and may be a little discouraging. Take heart (no pun intended)! This will get easier and every time you get your heart rate up it will be easier to stay up longer and it will slow down faster when you stop. In short, when you work out your heart it becomes more efficient.
Ideas for getting your heart rate up:
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Take a fast paced walk
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Go for a jog
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Do some gardening
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Play tag with your kids
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Do jumping jacks
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Try using a jump rope This is a very good way to get your heart rate up fast! Not the easiest exercise but one that you could use in between easier exercises or other resistance training.
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Play sports such as basketball, soccer, football or volleyball
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Take an aerobics class or a boot camp class
The idea is to get moving and to treat your heart as your lifeline…because that is what it is!
Here is a fun little quiz you can take to see how well you are taking care of your heart.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=947
Here is another tool you can use to see what your target heart rate should be during exercise.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/target-heart-rate/SM00083
Live Well…Kristy
