Keep your heart fit and strong!

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Show your heart some love with these easy to follow cardio exercises!

Taking care of your heart should not end with just eating a well-balanced diet. It is best that you also complement it with an exercise routine. Researches have shown that regular exercise can help protect you from heart disease and stroke and high blood pressure. Exercising doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to enroll yourself in the gym. In fact, you can learn simple exercises that you can conveniently do right in the comforts of your own home! You only need to have the right time and the right attitude to start your daily workout. Exercising should not be treated as one herculean task that one has to conquer. Make it fun by recruiting workout mates, like your friends and family, to join your personal fitness schedule! To get you started, here’s a list of exercises that you can easily follow!

THE INVISIBLE JUMP ROPE

Jumping rope is one of the most effective and enjoyable exercises one can pursue. It is proven to be an effective calorie-burner and muscle toner. This popular exercise can actually be performed even without a rope. Just follow these steps correctly:

  • Start in an upright position with feet apart
  • Pretend that you are holding a jump rope in your hands. Elbows should stay at the side
  • As if you’re holding a jump rope in your hands, begin jumping, pushing off on the toes and swinging your arms in a circular motion
  • Repeat movement for a number of repetitions


JUMPING JACKS

Who doesn’t know how to do jumping jacks? Almost all of us grew up with this exercise, as it is usually a part of our P.E. routines way back our grade school days! Doing jumping jacks helps increase the heart rate, which gets the heart pumping and oxygen and blood flowing to the muscles.

Just to refresh your memory on how it’s done, here are the steps:

  • Start in an upright position, with the feet together and hands on the side
  • Begin the movement by jumping vertically, while at the same time move the feet apart and the hands coming up above the head
  • Return to starting position and repeat for a number of repetitions or a timed period
  • Make sure that your center is tight and your movements controlled and quick

LONG JUMPS

Incorporating long jumps in your routine will help increase intensity in your workout sessions. You’ll immediately feel your center working hard on this exercise as well as your heart. Just make sure that when you land, you do it with soft knees. You can also modify the landing part by allowing one foot to land first before the other one. Here’s how to do it:

  • Stand with feet together. Make sure that you have plenty of space in front of you
  • Lower into a squat and jump forward as far as you can, landing with both feet
  • Make sure you land with bent knees to protect the joints
  • Repeat movement for a period of time

BRISK WALK

Walking is one of the best, safest and most natural forms of exercise. In fact, studies have shown that regular brisk walking can lower cholesterol levels, stimulate circulation and strengthen the heart. Make it a point to squeeze in walking into your schedule. Take the afternoon off and walk around your compound or your village. Breathe in the tranquil surroundings and enjoy the cool late afternoon breeze. You may also invite your friends or family to join you. It’s the perfect opportunity to bond, exchange stories and catch up on each other’s daily activities!

FROGGY JUMPS

The natural movements of an animal can also inspire you to create your own exercise, like the FROGGY JUMP. It is an exercise that simulates the jumping moves of the frog. This is a great way to get your heart rate up in a short time. It’s so easy to do! Just follow these steps:

  • Squat all the way down to the floor while putting your hands on the floor in front of you
  • Push up from the floor, jumping in the air
  • As you jump, tap your heels together and take the hands behind the head or up in the air
  • Land with bent knees to protect the joints and go back into your squat position to prepare for the next jump


References:
www.fitnesstrainerstogo.com/cardio
http://exercise.about.com
http://ezinearticles.com

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