Health By Nature…Where Clean Meets Green!

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with over a half a million Americans dying every year because of it. Achieving a healthy weight, including making heart healthy food choices, is a great step toward reducing your risk of heart disease, but incorporating heart-smart physical activity into your daily routine is also essential. Being more physically active not only helps shed those unwanted pounds and inches but also can make your heart stronger. And a stronger heart is a more efficient heart. What do we mean by a more efficient heart? Well, a strong, conditioned heart can pump the same amount of blood in 50 beats as the heart of an inactive person in 75 beats. When the heart is strong it beats slower and can meet the body’s needs with less effort.

Heart-smart physical activity, also known as aerobic or “cardio” exercise, is the type of activity performed at moderate but increasing levels of intensity for an extended period of time. The word “aerobic” means “with oxygen” and refers to the use of oxygen by the body throughout the activity. Cardio exercises are aimed at increasing your heart rate and effectively burning calories. They also help strengthen your respiratory muscles improving your breathing as well as help tone muscles in all parts of the body, resulting in improved blood circulation and reduced blood pressure. Cardio exercises also increase the number of red blood cells in your body, which improves oxygen transport to all body tissues.

Looking for heart-smart activities that also burn a lot of calories? Here’s a list of five cardio exercises that burn a lot of calories in 30 minutes.

1. Step aerobics – women especially love step aerobics. It not only burns up to 400 calories in 30 minutes, but also targets your legs, hips and butt muscles.
2. Biking – whether you’re on a stationary bike at the gym or on your own bike outdoors, biking has the potential to burn anywhere from 250–500 calories in 30 minutes depending on resistance and speed.
3. Swimming – a great form of cardio activity that works the entire body. If you swim using the breast stroke you can burn close to 400 calories in 30 minutes.
4. Cross-country skiing – outdoor in the snow, or again using a cross country ski machine in the gym, is an excellent form of cardio exercise. You’ll work both your upper and lower body, and the average 145 lb. person can burn approximately 300 calories in 30 minutes.
5. Running – All you need is a good pair of running shoes, and you’re ready to go! Burn up to 300 calories in 30 minutes.

Do your heart a favor and engage in some heart-smart physical activity. Choose activities you enjoy and try to exercise for 30 minutes most days of the week. If you need to, divide up the time into three 10-minute sessions instead of one 30-minute session and don’t forget to warm up and stretch before you get started. And lastly, if you have a pre-existing medical condition, like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or joint and muscle problems, consult your doctor or other health care provider before starting an exercise program.