10 Minutes to a Healthy Heart

10 Minutes to a Healthy Heart

By Jennifer Gruenemay, ACE-Certified, Special to LifeScript
Published May 15, 2009
Heart disease isn’t just an old-age problem. It often begins in your youth and takes a lifetime to develop. Luckily, you can jumpstart your heart health at any age. In time for National Women's Health Week, here is LifeScript’s 10-Minute Heart Circuit program…
You’ve heard it before: Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the U.S. But women often gloss over this fact because, after all, isn’t it typically a man’s disease?
The reality? Heart disease kills more women than men each year. And if you’ve been exercising the remote more than your abs at the gym, your risk is double that of women who make fitness a priority, says the American Heart Association (AHA).
“Women have to be active to protect their hearts,” says Miriam Nelson, Ph.D., director of the John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Tufts University, co-author of Strong Women, Strong Hearts (Putnam Adult) and expert at BeWell.com. Her advice? Lace up your gym shoes and get that heart rate going.
Along with a heart-smart diet, exercise helps keep your stress, blood pressure, cholesterol and weight under control – all important factors for a healthy heart.
“Aerobic fitness keeps the entire cardiovascular system healthy,” Nelson says.
But you don’t have to go from couch potato to marathon runner to get a healthy heart boost. All you really need is 10 minutes.Three 10-minute bouts of exercise a day improve cardiorespiratory fitness as much as one 30-minute session, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Report.
You need 30 minutes of exercise five or more days a week for a healthy heart.What kind of exercise is best for a healthy heart? Most experts first suggest cardio.“Any activity that increases heart rate and breathing rate – like walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, hiking, etc. – is good for the heart,” Nelson says. But weight lifting is also highly recommended.
“Strength training helps the heart too,” Nelson says, “but it’s best when done in combination with aerobic exercise.”
And that’s where the “super circuit” comes in. A typical strength circuit involves a series of resistance exercises, but the super circuit adds short intervals of heart-pumping cardio between each station. Or you can increase the time spent on the cardio, and use the resistance workout as the interval.
LifeScript’s 10-Minute Healthy Heart Circuit is designed to get your heart rate up and keep it up. It also burns the maximum calories to help you achieve and maintain a heart-healthy weight.
Before we begin, a reminder: If you’re a beginner, “start slow, be consistent, and progress regularly,” Nelson says. Don’t push yourself too hard – you’re trying to protect and strengthen your heart, not overload it.
Should you worry about having a heart attack mid-circuit? It's rare during exercise, Nelson says. “But if you do experience symptoms – such as dizziness or pain or tightness in the chest, jaw or shoulder – stop exercising immediately and seek medical help,” she advises.
If you have a medical condition – especially relating to the heart – or take prescription medications, get your doctor’s approval before you begin any new exercise routine, including this one.
LifeScript’s 10-Minute Healthy Heart CircuitThere are four main elements to this circuit: a two-minute warm-up, one-minute cardio exercises followed by 30-second strength intervals, and, finally, a cool down. If you feel the need to warm up or cool down longer, make time for it.
Each station is timed by minutes rather than repetitions. This sets the pace, so you’re done in 10 minutes and can choose your own intensity. For a low-intensity workout, perform fewer repetitions at each station. For a high-intensity workout, perform as many repetitions as you can in the time allotted.
We’ve also included an advanced modification for each exercise. It will burn more calories, but requires a higher fitness and skill level.
Once you conquer the healthy heart 10-minute circuit, work your way up to three circuits for a total of 30 minutes a day. Do this workout five days a week, and your ticker will be in tip-top shape.
Ready to begin? Set your watch for alternating one-minute, 30-second intervals, or just keep an eye on the clock.