The Simple Way To Boost Your Heart Health By 46%

By Marygrace Taylor

Photo credit: Jenny Acheson

If the inner tube that’s usually in the pool during those lazy, hazy days of summer is now firmly around your middle, here’s some news that’ll help deflate it and strengthen your heart in the process.

Daily exercise reduces your risk for heart failure by a whopping 46%, according to a big new study published in the journal Circulation. From 1997 to 2010, Swedish researchers tracked the exercise habits and heart failure rates of nearly 40,000 adults (all of whom were healthy at the outset). The more active folks were, the lower their risk of heart failure. And while any amount of exercise was better than none, those with the lowest heart failure risk did either 60 minutes of moderate activity (e.g., walking) or 30 minutes of vigorous activity (e.g., running) every day.

From: http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/daily-exercise-improves-heart-health-46

Most Fitness Apps Don't Use Proven Motivational Techniques

If you downloaded a fitness app and didn't become a workout ninja, it may be that the app lacked the scientifically tested motivational techniques that would help get you off the couch.

Instead, most popular fitness apps focus more on teaching you how to do the exercise, according to researchers at Penn State University who analyzed the 200 top apps.

"You need motivational support to turn that knowledge into action," saysDavid Conroy, a kinesiology professor at Penn State who led the study, which was published Tuesday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

And that's where most of the 200 apps examined fell flat.

READ MORE to find out which apps used motivational rewards from Health News From NPR

CDC Videos on Physical Activity

These videos help explain the guidelines, give you tips on how to meet them and show you how to do muscle strengthening exercises properly. 

SEE VIDEOS by the CDC

WEBMD Health & Fitness Guide - Better Information for Better Health

Running, walking, gardening – it’s all good. Regardless of what you do, regular exercise and physical activity is the path to health and well-being. Exercise burns fat, builds muscle, lowers cholesterol, eases stress and anxiety, lets us sleep restfully. In this guide, we match resources to your exercise needs -- at every fitness level.

via Health & Fitness Guide - Better Information for Better Health.

Why Warming Up and Cooling Down are Important

Warm-ups and cool-downs take just a few minutes, and they make all the difference for a great workout. Here's how to do both right.

How to Warm Up

A short warm-up stokes your blood flow and preps your body for exercise. Your muscles respond better to challenges if they're loose and warm. Warm-ups should take 5 to 10 minutes. You'll know you're done when you feel ready for more of a challenge.

Before Cardio

Warm up with a slow-paced aerobic activity. Go for a walk, use a treadmill or elliptical trainer on a low setting, or bike at an easy pace, suggests Carol Ewing Garber, PhD. She's an associate professor of movement sciences at Teachers College, Columbia University. Start slow and gradually ramp up your pace and intensity.

Before Strength Training

Choose an easy cardio activity that warms up multiple muscles at once, such as treadmill walking, slow jogging, or easy pedaling on a stationary bicycle.

CONTINUE READING via Why Warming Up and Cooling Down are Important.