Taking part in a variety of these exercises regularly could help keep your heart and circulatory system healthy
Heart health is a major issue, with around a quarter of deaths in the UK caused by cardiovascular disease. On top of this around a third of people are thought to have high blood pressure, while around two in five have high cholesterol – both conditions that can raise your risk of heart and circulatory problems.
While circulatory issues can be caused by things outside of your control such as genetics, age and illness, they can also be linked to lifestyle choices. This includes your diet and how often you exercise.
One expert, however, said that it is not just how much exercise you do but the type of exercise you partake in that can influence your heart health. Speaking to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Helen Alexander – a physiotherapist who specialises in cardiac rehabilitation at Nuffield Health at St Bartholomew’s Hospital – shared the three best types of exercise you can do to protect your heart.
Aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise counts as activity you do when you’re moving your body’s largest muscles, such as the ones in your arms and legs, in a way that makes you warm and slightly out of breath. This can include walking, cycling, and swimming but also everyday activities such as doing housework, gardening, or playing with your children or grandchildren.
Helen explained: “Aerobic exercise helps your heart and circulatory system to work better, so you are more able to do daily tasks without getting tired or breathless. It can also improve your emotional wellbeing and how well you sleep.”
According to Helen, aerobic exercise also lowers your risk of heart and circulatory diseases, and can help stop them getting worse by:
- Lowering your resting blood pressure and heart rate
- Improving your cholesterol levels
- Helping you keep to a healthy weight, which in turn reduces your risk of developing type 2 diabetes
She recommended at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. “Moderate intensity means you feel warm and comfortably breathless,” she added. “If you are new to exercise, build up gradually to 150 minutes. Start by doing five to 10 minutes each day. Listen to how your body feels the next day before doing more.”
Resistance training
Resistance training, or strength exercises, are designed to make your muscles work harder. Helen said: “These could involve lifting weights or using resistance equipment such as bands or cables. But you can just use your own body weight. Perhaps start with moving from sitting to standing out of a chair, then progress to doing squats or press-ups against the wall.”
She continued: “Strengthening our muscles means that your arms and legs will work better and that will take the demand off your heart. The stronger your muscles are, the easier you’ll find it to do aerobic exercises and everyday tasks without getting so breathless and tired.”
Helen advised partaking in strength training two to three days a week, ideally spread out across the week, so you have at least a day’s recovery time in between. She said: “Start with an exercise that you can repeat 10 to 12 times, with the last couple repetitions starting to feel a bit challenging. If you can, do two to three sets of these 10 to 12 repetitions.”
But she warned it’s important you don’t hold your breath during strength training, as this can increase your blood pressure.
Balance exercises and flexibility exercises
Balance exercises are where we move into a position that is less stable and get our body to hold the position, and include yoga, Pilates and tai chi. “It could be something as simple as standing with one foot in front of the other,” Helen said. “You could stand on one leg while holding something to support you, like a kitchen worktop, and then gradually try doing that without so much support.”
She recommended doing balance and flexibility exercises two to three days a week. Helen added that everyone with a heart or circulatory condition can do balance and flexibility exercises, but if you are on blood pressure medication you’ll need to take particular care.
“If you move quickly from lying down to standing, or sitting to standing, this can cause your blood pressure to drop and can make you feel dizzy or lightheaded,” she said. “Make sure you move slowly out of different positions.”
