Little by little, small changes can lead to heart health
If you’re strapped for time or have gym anxiety, it’s possible to do an effective workout at home. While it’s easy to purchase weights and bands for resistance workouts, it can be hard to find the right cardio equipment that doesn’t take up major space in your house.
High- and low-impact exercises can give the same effect and burn as a treadmill or elliptical. To get started, all you need is a little room and the willingness to push your limits.
The best way to get a great at-home cardio workout is to implement plyometric exercises, which are full-body movements in short quick bursts.
“Those exercises are perfect for a cardio workout at home, as they save space and time because it requires max effort. And thus, less overall time spent, while also offering strength, power, and cardio benefits,” Judine Saint Gerard, NASM-CPT, head coach at Tone House in New York, told Health. “With these added benefits of strength and power, it may be even better than just trotting away on the elliptical.”
Here are four workouts that don’t require equipment.
Burpees are often a dreaded word, however, they are effective and a great fullbody workout. Whether you go fullout or the low-impact route, you’ll always get a great workout when doing a proper burpee.
Here’s how:
Start standing, feet hip-width apart.
Place both hands flat onto the ground before you and hop your feet behind you into a plank. Keep your hips and core tight, forming a straight line from shoulders to heels.
Once in the tabletop position, you can do a push-up for an extra burn or move to the next step.
Quickly hop your feet back up toward your hands.
Jump up to stand, bringing your arms above your head and exploding off your feet. Repeat.
For a low-impact version take out the jump and slightly stand on your
AAAAAtip toes.
For a full body burn with a focus on the legs, the squat jab brings out our inner fighter while toning your legs and back.
Here’s how to do squat jabs:
Start by standing with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your arms down at your sides.
Squat down, keeping your chest up, butt back and knees out.
Stand up, and when your legs are extended, throw a cross-body punch with each arm.
Squat down again, stand up and punch, repeat.
Skaters require a bit of coordination and balance. This exercise will get your heart pumping while working every muscle from the abs, legs, arms, back and chest.
Here’s how to do skaters:
Start with both feet pointing forward.
Much like a reverse lunge, the skater requires one leg at a time to go back as if you were doing a curtsey for the King of England. Pushing off the left leg, begin to stand, bringing the right leg forward and swinging your left leg back and across, switching arms as you go.
AAAAAAASwitching from an unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle to healthy eating and exercise can be daunting.
Juan Cardenas Rosales, M.D., an internal medicine physician and medical director of the international medicine practice at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, shares small steps and one big one that can lead to a hearthealthy life.
Taking the first step can be difficult, whether trying to eat a nutritious diet, exercise more or both, Cardenas says. That is in part because people often set high expectations for themselves and try to reach them immediately, rather than approaching it as a process.
“It is better to make these changes little by little, and stay consistent, than to make a sudden change that is difficult to maintain,” Cardenas explains. “For example, don’t start exercising 30 minutes a day, five times a week, but start with 10 minutes every third day. Also, adjust your diet, and each day lower your sugar consumption a little, your fat consumption, your salt, and so on, little by little.
Start with small steps but keep moving forward.”
He recommends gradually substituting healthier choices into your diet, such as fish, chicken, fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains.
“Drinking a lot of water is also important, at least 2 liters of water a day, and staying away
Work quickly, but to maintain the low-impact approach, don’t jump.
For a low-impact version, omit the jump and do a slight lunge.
High knees are like running in place but with a little more pizzazz.
Here’s how to properly do high knees:
Start standing, feet together. Drive one knee toward your chest, with the opposite arm driving forward (elbows bent 90 degrees).
Quickly place the foot back down and drive the other knee up and the opposite arm forward.
For a low-impact version, keep your arms pointing forward, and allow your knees to meet the palm of your hands. Keeping your back straight and abs tucked in.
While all of the exercises are great for increasing heart rates, they also tone the entire body when done properly. If you can’t do the highimpact version, it’s OK to take your time with the low-impact option.
“Not only does low-impact exercise come with the benefits of improved strength, lower blood pressure and reduced stress, but such a workout also cuts down on the risk of musculoskeletal injury,” Nations Health said.
AAA‘‘
IT IS BETTER TO MAKE THESE CHANGES LITTLE BY LITTLE,
AND STAY CONSISTENT, THAN TO MAKE A SUDDEN CHANGE
THAT IS DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN.
Dr. Juan Cardenas Rosales, medical director of the international medicine practice at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville
from processed foods that are very high in certain types of harmful fats like trans fats,” Cardenas says.
One of the hardest moves to make can be skipping favorite foods that are now known to be unhealthy but have been part of family meals for generations, he adds. “Many times, in our culture, our tradition, this type of diet has been followed for many years, and it is what we were often taught by our relatives, our grandmother, our parents. But many times, that does not mean that it is healthy for us,” he says. “If we know that it is something that is harmful to our health, we should always try to choose the healthy option.”
Working toward adequate sleep – at least seven hours – is also important for heart health. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and serious conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol, that are also risk factors for heart disease.
“By having a good sleep, we also allow our body to recover and to be ready to continue the next day,” he explains. “It has also been shown that many times, not sleeping well can lead to chronic stress.”
There is one big change that Cardenas recommends making immediately: Stop smoking and avoid secondhand smoke, exposure to other people’s smoke.
“The moment one stops smoking, the risk of cardiovascular disease decreases,” he says. “Research has shown that after one year of completing quitting smoking, the cardiovascular risk falls to half that of a person who smokes.”
Before starting an exercise plan, it is a good idea to talk with your health care team to ensure a safe approach. It is also a good practice to schedule annual checkups so your healthcare team can screen for heart disease and risk factors, such as diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, he adds.