Increasing physical activity can prevent you from developing risk factors for heart disease. Exercise helps keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control. It also helps prevent obesity, which also increases your chances of developing heart problems. Health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, and the American Heart Association, or AHA, make specific recommendations about the types and amounts of exercise needed to achieve and maintain good heart health.
Amount Recommendations
Strive to fit in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Moderate intensity activity may include a brisk walk, which means a rate of 3.5 to 4 mph, water aerobics, a game of doubles tennis or mowing the lawn with a push mower. Alternatively, you may do 75 minutes of vigorous activity weekly. Jogging, running or a game of basketball are examples of vigorous activity. Exercising moderately on some days and vigorously on others is another way to meet your necessary physical activity.
In addition to aerobic workouts, strength training with body weight or weights at least two times a week is recommended by the CDC, the American College of Sports Medicine, or ACSM, and the AHA. Such workouts should involve all major muscle groups of the body, including legs, back, chest, abs, shoulders, arms and hips.
Strategy Recommendations
The CDC, ACSM and AHA all encourage dividing your total exercise over several days during the week. You might achieve your 150 minute, moderate-intensity weekly minimum by walking briskly five times per week for 30 minutes or by walking on Monday and Wednesday, doing water aerobics on Tuesday and cycling on a flat terrain on Thursday and Saturday, for example. To complete 75 minutes of vigorous activity, you could run 25 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.
One way to meet recommendations by combining moderate and vigorous activity is to exercise 20 minutes twice per week and then walk briskly for 30 minutes on three other days. If you cannot find 20 or 30 straight minutes for exercise, performing cardiovascular training in 10-minute sessions is still effective for heart health says the CDC. For example, to meet weekly recommendations, you could jog 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening, three days per week.
Do your strength training sessions on non-consecutive days, for example, Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday.
Recommendations to Maximize Health
Exercising beyond the minimum recommendations further strengthens the heart and reduces risk of chronic disease according to the August 1, 2007 issue of "Circulation," a publication of the American Heart Association. The CDC suggests increasing your amount of moderate exercise to 300 minutes or more per week or do vigorous activity for 150 minutes or more per week to reap additional benefits.
