SPRINGETTSBURY TWP. YORK CO. -- Heart health might not be something at the front of your mind, but today is World Heart Day. Heart disease impacts just about everyone in some way. This day and age many of us sit at a desk all day, and hitting the treadmill may not be in the cards. Experts break down some more practical options -- pointing out, stereotypical cardio workouts aren't for everyone.
Mindy Quesenberry of My Fitness Quest says she only runs if she has to. If you share Mindy's disdain for running, that doesn't mean your heart has to suffer.
Mindy has found some alternatives to elevate her heart rate without just being on a piece of machinery. She says when you stabilize, or do any kind of stabilizing exercises it will elevate your heart rate. Mindy says that is more beneficial than you being on a piece of cardio equipment for 45-60 minutes when you might not actually even hit your training heart rate.
Dr. Tolerico, an Inerventional Cardiologist at York Hospital Wellspan Cardiology says you will be more successful if you enjoy the workout.
At My Fitness Quest, they focus and ask people to focus on body fat percentage. Mindy reminds people that while you might be thin, but you might not be cardiovascularly fit. She says you might not be strong, you might be open to injury.
Aside from being physically strong, there is a mentally strong side to your heart health. Mindy says emotionally, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to look a certain way. If you can push that to the side, all the benefits will surface on their own.
While we push ourselves to transform physically, that pressure we put on ourselves can often transform into stress. Whether good or bad stress it's something experts say you NEED to avoid.
Increasing your heart rate releases endorphins -- which experts say leads to better moods. But there's something else you need to do to ensure your heart is healthy.
Dr. Tolerico says most of us probably don't get enough sleep. A lot of us run on 5, 6 or 7 hours a night, and he says we probably need a little more than that.
During the day Dr. Tolerico says it's important to keep moving. He says a sedentary lifestyle directly correlates with heart disease.
While Mindy may not like running, she has other options to keep her heart healthy with these easy cardio tips:
Dr. Tolerico shares these heart healthy eating tips:
