Introduction to Heart Health Exercises
Should people with heart ailments exercise? Heart diseases are one of the most common health issues. It is one of the leading causes of all caused mortality worldwide. Most of them are preventable by lifestyle modifications. One of which is regular exercise. Research shows that physical activity such as this heart health exercise routine is viable for preventing and treating various heart problems.
Never begin an exercise regimen without first consulting your doctor. If you want to start exercising, you must first make sure it’s safe for you. Before starting a workout, please be sure to:
- Be cleared by your doctor
- Not have chest pain
- If you start to feel too much strain, slow down or stop the workout
- Start slowly, and as you feel comfortable, increase the pace
Professor Sanjay Sharma, professor of sports cardiology and hereditary cardiac diseases at St. George’s, University of London, UK, said, “The likelihood of exercise precipitating a cardiac arrest or heart attack is exceedingly low.”
Strength training can improve cardiac muscle function. It may also alleviate chest pain and other symptoms, allowing you to engage in greater physical activity.
In this video, Lucijia introduces a basic heart health exercise routine for both aerobic and strength training for those who may have heart ailments, but the exercise routine can be useful for anyone looking towards losing weight or just simply looking for a healthy lifestyle.
For this exercise routine, you will need a mat and some light dumbbells. If you do not have any, you can use water bottles or do the exercises without them.
The workout is divided into three parts. First is an aerobic section, where we slowly increase our heart rate. Second, we will do four exercises to improve your muscles and finish with cool-down stretching exercises.
Follow Luciha along in this simple and effective workout that suits heart patients.
Aerobic Exercise Routines:
Exercise 1# : Heel tapping
Step with one leg forward and tap with your heel. Alternate between the legs. Keep your upper body relaxed.
Exercise 2#: Side stepping
Step side to side at a comfortable pace. Keep your upper body relaxed.
Exercise 3#: Knee curl
Stand a bit wider and curl one knee and then the other. If you want to make it a bit harder, lift your heels off the floor.
Exercise 4#: Knee curl + Front rowing
Continue with the previous exercises and add front rowing. Lift your arms to shoulder level and row back. Squeeze your shoulder blades and push your elbows back.
Exercise 5#: Half-squat + Overhead pulldown
Bend your elbows, squat to a half-squat, and press your arms overhead. Repeat this pattern. Perform the exercise at your own pace. Make sure you keep your back straight and slightly push your hips back.
Dumbbell Exercises
Exercise 1#: Biceps curl
Hold a dumbbell or water bottle in each hand. Keep your arms by the side. Now, with one arm at a time, curl your elbow and bring the dumbbell close to your shoulder. Slowly release and repeat with the other arm. Alternate. Keep your arms close to the body.
Exercise 2#: Standing core rotations
Hold one dumbbell or water bottle with both arms. Raise them in front of you at shoulder level. Now, rotate to the left and to the right. Engage your core muscles. As you rotate, inhale and as you come to the centre, inhale.
Exercise 3#: Half-squat + overhead press up
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your elbows bent. Squat to a half-squat and press overhead to extend the elbows as you come up. Return and repeat. Make sure you keep your back in a natural position.
Exercise 4#: Side bands
With your arms at your sides, hold a dumbbell in each hand. Now Bend to the left and to the right. Squeeze your abdominal muscles to activate them. Alternate.
Cool Down
Let’s finish the workout with a few stretching exercises.
Exercise 1#: Shoulder stretch
Raise your arms in front of you. Cross one arm across your chest and pull it with the other to increase the stretch. Hold for a few seconds and release. Repeat the same with the other arm. Alternate.
Exercise 2#: Core stretch
Raise one arm overhead and lean to the side. Feel a nice stretch in your core muscles. Release and repeat the stretch on the other side. Alternate.
Exercise 3#: Whole body stretch
Stand in a wide stance. Lift your arms up overhead, and next, bend forward. Feel a stretch in your legs and back. Return to a start position and repeat.
