Best Cardiovascular And Balance Exercises

Balance Exercises In Combination With Heart Healthy Exercise

By Suzanne Stoke, Physical Therapist @ Exercise For Balance via www.exerciseforbalance.com

        Medical researchers at Harvard have suggested that staying active and performing specific cardiovascular as well as balance exercises are essential for maintaining a healthy heart in later years. Please see  http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now By beginning with certain equilibrium routines, you can build your balance abilities and confidence to then start a fitness program that will benefit your heart health. According to  Dr. Aaron Baggish, a cardiologist and fitness expert at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, it is essential to learn safe cardiovascular exercise routines to help you maintain lifelong good health. You can initiate those heart healthy routines once your balance has improved to a safe level. Additionally, whether you're spry at 80 or slowing down at 65, there is a safe, healthy exercise routine with your name on it. Even if you've had a long history of not exercising, there are compelling reasons to get active no matter what your age. The fitter and more active you are, the longer you'll live and less heart disease you'll have. To begin, take a hard look at your current level of activity. "I tell people the first thing they can do is to be conscious of their choice to move or not to move. They should try to move whenever possible. Build activity into your day simply by deciding to take the stairs versus the elevator or walking through an airport instead of hopping on the moving walkway," says Dr. Baggish. While everyday chores such as gardening, housework, and washing the car help you burn calories, they are not a substitute for structured, intentional exercise, says Dr. Baggish. If you are already somewhat active or have a job that requires movement, the next step is to create a structured exercise program that suits your lifestyle. Dr. Baggish starts by asking his patients to identify the times during the day they can exercise. Next, the conversation moves to the resources they have at their disposal. For example, does their workplace or senior center have a fitness facility? If not, do they have access to an enclosed, weather-safe place to walk? The next big question: what do you do? For people in the 60- to 80-year-old age group, Dr. Baggish recommends an 80–20 split between moderate aerobic activity and resistance exercise. Moderate aerobic exercise can be anything from brisk walking to cycling, dance, or a Zumba class. "The ideal aerobic intensity permits you to have broken conversation—that is, being able to get out four or five words between breaths," he says. "Less than that, you're probably pushing yourself too hard. But if you can converse in whole sentences, you're not reaping the full cardiovascular benefits." Resistance exercises—those activities that build your muscles—haven't been shown to have a large direct benefit on heart health. Nonetheless, there are many advantages to investing 20% of your exercise time in strength training. Not only does it help you increase your muscle and core strength, it improves your flexibility and helps protect against falls, which can be disabling for older adults. Anything that can be done with only your body is fine for just about everyone, regardless of your age or starting fitness level. Good movements to try include squatting, push-ups, arm reaches, and lifts. If you have difficulties maintaining your balance during any of these movements, it is critical to begin a program of equilibrium exercises first.

 

Balance Exercises For Safe Workouts

       By starting your fitness program with balance exercises, you will be able to workout at an appropriate intensity level without the risk of falling. Performing equilibrium exercises will help you develop good balance abilities that can translate to safe walking around the block, park or hiking trails. You can start with standing balance exercises like standing on one foot. You can progress the level of difficulty of standing routines to include standing on one foot and swinging the other foot forwards and backwards, while maintaining an upright posture. You can develop steadiness while walking by practicing tandem walking. Tandem walking involves walking along a line heel to toe. The safest way to initiate tandem walking is to proceed the exercise while moving close to a wall or table if you need to hang on. You can learn these balance exercise and a full progression of equilibrium routines by following the expert direction of a Physical Therapist in the exercise For Balance DVD.

Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    Combine cardiovascular and equilibrium exercises together by beginning with the best balance exercises in the Exercise For Balance DVD. The comprehensive Balance DVD is an excellent educational medium to use at home or in a group setting. The easy to follow  DVD contains the best balance and strength exercises needed to enhance general fitness and to perform basic activities like cleaning house, walking, standing, stair climbing or to advance to high level activities like working out at the gym,  dancing and hiking. In the Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve balance, stability techniques and balance routines from an expert balance instructor ---licensed Physical Therapist--- who has worked with balance and dizziness disorders for over 20 years. Get your copy of the Exercise For Balance DVD by clicking on the BUY NOW button

   Develop heart health safely by starting balance exercises today with the Exercise For Balance DVD to improve balance and prevent falls.
For more information see http://www.mayoclinic.com/health-information/