When you hit the gym you may be focusing on bicep curls to perfect your “guns” or crunches to achieve perfectly toned abs. But have you thought about the most important muscle in your body that needs a consistent workout? Your heart. Many people don’t consciously think about exercising their heart, but on average, your heart beats more than 100,000 times a day to pump blood throughout your body. The strength and efficiency of your heart is key since it is the motor that drives your body. Next time you hit the gym or lace up your sneakers think about giving your ticker a good workout too! Read our infographic below to learn how to have a heart smart workout.

1. heartsmart
workout

2. You may need to start an exercise routine to:
Lower your blood pressure
Lose weight
Live a healthier lifestyle
No matter your reason, your heart will benefit
from your newly found exercise routine.
someisbetter
thannone

3. theunhealthy
truth
*According to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition
*

4. reducing
yourrisk
Inactivity is a major risk for developing coronary artery
disease. Starting a regular exercise program is essential
to keeping your heart healthy and avoiding a potentially
life-threatening cardiac episode.
cholesterol
Fatty build up that
narrows/blocks arteries.
blockage
Heart attack or chest pain occurs when
an excess of cholesterol stops an artery
from pumping blood to your heart.
coronaryarterydisease

5. benefitsof
regular
exercise
Increase in exercise tolerance
Reduction in body weight
Reduction in blood pressure
Reduction in bad (LDL and total) cholesterol
Increase in good (HDL) cholesterol
Increase in insulin sensitivity
basedoncardiovascularriskfactors

6. Your goal should be to reach your target heart rate and
stay in that zone for as long as possible. Finding the right
beat for your body just takes a little math. Follow our
steps to determine your target heart rate for a great
cardiovascular workout.
findyour
bestbeat

7. determineyourrestingheartrate
Take your pulse before you get out of bed for several days to
determine your average resting heart rate.
Count your pulse for 10 seconds and multiply by 6.
determineyourmaximumheartrate
Deduct your age from 220.
determineyourtargetheartratezone
This fat burning range generally lies between 50-85% of your heart rate
reserve; this is where your heart rate should be to give your heart the best
workout possible.
example
restingheartrate
13 x 6 =78 BPM
maximumheartrate
220 – 35 (your age) = 185
targetheartratezone
50% of 185 = 92.5
85% of 185 = 157.25
zone= 92.5 – 157.25 BPM
howtodetermineyourheartrate

8. recharge
yourcardio
routine
Your Cardio Rx
Start with an achievable goal of
being within your target heart rate
zone for 10 minutes and gradually
build up your duration so you’re in
that zone for as long as possible.

9. recommendedroutine
warm-up
Stretch
5 minutes of walking slowly
increaseyourpace
Get into your target heart rate zone by
walking more quickly, jogging or running.
alternateintensity
Alternate bursts of high and low intensity to hit
the high and low ends of your target heart rate.
assessyourheartrate
Check your pulse either through a fitness tracker,
heart rate monitor, the sensors on your exercise
equipment or manually.
To manually check your heart rate:
Press your index and second finger on the palm side of
your opposite wrist and count the beats for 10 seconds.
Multiply by 6 to get your heart rate in beats per minute.
cooldown
5 minutes of walking slowly to cool down.
walk jog jog run run runfaster

10. Take note of what gets you to your target heart
rate zone and replicate during every workout.
weeklyexercise
*American Heart Association recommendation

11. ahealthier
heartRecent studies have found that interval training (alternating
between high-and moderate-intensity bursts of activity) can
double the heart health benefits you'd get from moderate
cardio sessions—even when you exercise for less time.
Short bursts make your heart work harder and pump more
blood with each beat, which functions as strength training
for your heart!

12. buildyour
strength
strengthtraining
Do at least 15 to 20 minutes of total-body strength training 2 or 3 times
a week. Take at least 1 day rest between any strength training activities.
freeweights
Try working out with free weights (such as hand weights, dumbbells or
barbells), on weight machines, with resistance bands or through body-
resistance exercises, such as push-ups, squats and chin-ups.
While cardio is essential, it is also important to maintain your
muscle mass as you get older to keep your heart healthy.

13. Muscle helps remove glucose and triglycerides from the
bloodstream, which reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes,
as well as hardening of the arteries.
Skimping on strength training can also make it harder
to stay at a healthy weight, and extra pounds put you
at higher risk of heart disease. That's because adding
muscle mass increases your metabolic rate.
Building lean muscle mass may also help lower
your blood pressure.
benefitsof
building
muscle

14. thetakeaway
When beginning any exercise program, remember to take it
slow, listen to your body, and build up your routine gradually.
If you are older, have a health condition, or take various
medications, talk to your physician before starting any
new exercise routine to ensure it is safe for you.