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WHAT'S NEW
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Heart-healthy exercise
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Great guidelines for effective aerobics
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By Michele Drake
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A washboard tummy, heart-shaped calves and firm buttocks: while so many workouts are geared to enhancing your outward appearance, consider the benefits of physical activity on your inner self. Although you can't visually see the results of strengthening your heart muscle, your body will thank you for aerobic workouts that fight cardiovascular disease -- the most common killer of Canadians, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Make aerobics the "heart" of your exercise program
Just like your triceps, your heart is a muscle and it has to be made to perform in order to strengthen. Aerobic activity works your cardiovascular system like a free weight program works your triceps and it's a proven way to enhance your heart's function. When your lungs and heart become more efficient (through aerobic conditioning), more oxygen travels to the brain, resulting in increased energy, less fatigue and a better quality of life.
Aerobic exercise
Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Active Living recommends that adults keep active for 30 to 60 minutes daily and suggests challenging your cardio respiratory system four to seven days a week. This can be achieved in 10-minute intervals throughout the day, and you can reduce your time to 30 minutes as the intensity of your exercise increases. For example, 60 minutes of walking at a moderate pace could be replaced by 30 minutes of running.
You do not have to attend an aerobic exercise class to get the activity you need. Walking is one of the easiest, inexpensive ways to improve your health. The trick to counting in your aerobic activity is to make sure that the activity you engage in increases breathing and makes you sweat a little. An easy way to monitor your level of intensity is to use the "talk test." You should be able to talk while performing the activity but not talk constantly. Talking while being active should be challenging but not impossible.
*Click here for Michele Drake's heart-healthy exercises. Click here for some great stretches to perform after your aerobic workout.
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