How to Strengthen Your Heart: 5 Exercises

October 12, 2023

A strong and healthy heart is the cornerstone of your overall wellness. It's the engine that keeps your body running smoothly and taking the right steps to strengthen it can lead to a longer, healthier life. While various factors contribute toward how to strengthen heart health, including diet and lifestyle, exercise plays a crucial role in maintaining and improving it.

Today, we’re focusing on how to strengthen your heart through exercise. We’ve narrowed down the 5 best exercises to strengthen your heart that provide a variety of traditional, low impact, and well-rounded activities. Each of these exercises provides unique benefits and we’ll include step-by-step instructions for incorporating them into your fitness routine to promote a healthy cardiovascular system.

Why Heart Health Is Important

A strong and healthy heart ensures optimal blood flow, delivering essential oxygen and nutrients to every part of the body. In a previous discussion, we explored the importance of heart health as we get older. A proactive approach to heart health through a balanced lifestyle and regular exercise is fundamental for your longevity.

Perhaps most importantly, a strong heart reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, which continues to be a leading cause of death around the world. Learning how to strengthen the heart through exercises and recovery tools may also aid in managing age-related diseases aside from heart disease, as well.

How to Strengthen Your Heart Naturally

Incorporating methods for how to strengthen your heart doesn’t require expensive gym memberships or taking up hours of your daily schedule. There’s a wide variety of options that may benefit you without sacrificing your time or wallet. Whether you’re seeking out how to strengthen heart muscle for longevity, endurance, or general health, there’s an effective exercise that can quickly become a healthy habit.

The well-rounded, 5 best exercises to strengthen your heart we’ve included in this guide are:

Walking
Swimming
Weight training
Cycling
Yoga

1. Walking

Walking is one of the simplest yet most effective exercises you can participate in for how to strengthen your heart. It is a low impact exercise option that can be adjusted in intensity to match your fitness level, making it accessible for almost everyone.

Some ways walking helps improve heart health naturally is by:

Raising your heart rate and helping to improve cardiovascular endurance
Lowering blood pressure naturally and reducing the risk of heart disease
Helping maintain a healthy weight and fight obesity

How to Incorporate Walking Into Your Routine

Choose comfortable footwear: Invest in a pair of supportive walking shoes.
Start with a warm-up: Stretch your leg muscles and walk slowly for a few minutes.
Maintain proper posture: Stand tall with your head up and shoulders back to maintain a healthy spine.
Set a brisk pace: Aim for at least 30 minutes of brisk walking 5 days each week.
Gradually increase intensity: As your fitness improves, add intervals of faster walking to challenge your heart further.

2. Swimming

One of the best low impact exercises that help with how to strengthen your heart is swimming. It’s an excellent full-body workout that places minimal stress on your joints, making it ideal for those also looking for how to keep joints healthy.

A few ways swimming can help with how to strengthen the heart are:

Increasing circulation and lowering blood pressure
Engaging multiple muscle groups to improve cardiovascular health
Functioning as a low impact exercise that’s easy on the joints

Ways to Add Swimming Into Your Routine

Find a pool to use: Having your own pool or using a pool at the gym that offers lap swimming is ideal.
Do a warm-up: Begin with a few minutes of gentle swimming to prepare your muscles.
Swim laps: Start with a manageable distance and gradually increase it over time.
Try water aerobics: If laps in the pool aren’t right for you, try water aerobics to elevate your heart rate without as much physical strain.
Focus on proper swim technique: Work on your strokes to maximize the benefits.
Maintain consistency: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity swimming per week.

3. Weight Training

Weight training may not be the first exercise that comes to mind for how to strengthen your heart, but it's undeniably effective and easy to introduce into your regular routine. This type of exercise goes beyond building muscles and enhances cardiovascular endurance. Weight training also plays a role in weight management, which is another key factor in heart health.

Using weight training as a part of how to strengthen heart health works by:

Increasing muscle mass and boosting metabolism
Helping with healthy weight management.
Enhancing your overall endurance and stamina.
Reducing heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure and insulin resistance.

Working Weight Training Into Your Routine

Learn proper form: Make sure you’re using the right techniques to avoid accidental injury.
Start with light weights: Begin with a weight that you can comfortably lift for 12 to 15 repetitions.
Gradually increase weight: As you become stronger, you can start to incrementally increase the weight you lift.
Include compound exercises: Focus on exercises that engage multiple muscle groups, like squats and deadlifts.
Be consistent: Incorporate weight training into your routine alongside cardiovascular exercises 2 to 3 times per week with days of rest in between.

4. Cycling

Cycling offers a dual benefit by elevating your heart rate and engaging your leg muscles in a low impact way. This cardio exercise is not just effective for how to strengthen your heart but also helps control cholesterol levels, lowering the risk of heart disease.

Whether you prefer cycling outdoors or using a stationary bike, it's an enjoyable and effective way to boost heart health while enjoying the great outdoors or the comfort of your home workout space.

Cycling helps with how to strengthen your heart by:

Elevating your heart rate while being easy on the joints.
Strengthening the heart muscle and improving overall endurance.
Controlling cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of heart disease.

How to Include Cycling Into Your Routine

Choose the right bike: Select a bike that suits your needs, whether it's a road bike, mountain bike, or stationary bike.
Safety first: Wear a helmet and follow road rules if you’re cycling outdoors.
Do a warm-up: Start with 5 to 10 minutes of easy pedaling to get your muscles ready.
Slowly increase intensity: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cycling each week.
Mix it up: Include hills and intervals to challenge your heart and build strength.

Bonus: Stationary bikes offer a great workout without being outdoors. Check out some of our other picks for the best home gym equipment after this.

5. Yoga

Last, but certainly not least on our list of the 5 best exercises to strengthen your heart is yoga. While it may not involve high intensity workouts, the deep breathing, meditation, and body positions practiced in yoga can have profound positive effects on heart health.

Practicing yoga aids with how to strengthen your heart by:

Reducing stress, which can lead to lower blood pressure and heart rate.
Increasing flexibility and mobility as well as balance and posture.
Reducing inflammation.

Bonus: Inflammation has also been linked to symptoms of depression. See our guide to learn how inflammation and depression may go hand-in-hand.

Introducing Yoga Into Your Routine

Find a class or video: Look for a beginner-friendly yoga class or fitness video if you’re new to the practice.
Start with basic poses: Begin with simple poses like Downward-Facing Dog, Child's Pose, and Cobra.
Practice deep breathing: Incorporate mindful, calming breathing exercises.
Gradually progress: As you become more comfortable, explore more advanced poses.
Consistency is key: Aim for at least 3 to 4 yoga sessions per week to reap the heart-healthy benefits.

Recovering from Exercise Routines

Recovery after exercising to strengthen the heart is just as crucial as the workout itself. It's during the recovery phase that the body repairs and grows stronger. An effective post workout recovery routine can help reduce muscle soreness, prevent injuries, and improve overall performance.

People of all fitness levels have looked to the benefits of zero gravity chairs for athletes to aid in their recovery. The zero gravity position is designed to distribute body weight evenly and reduce excess pressure on the lower back by elevating your legs above your heart level. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or new to methods for how to strengthen your heart, choosing a zero gravity chair can accelerate your progress and keep your heart and body in top condition.

Learning how to strengthen your heart with exercise is a vital part of living a healthier, longer life. The variety of exercises that help with heart health provides an option for everyone regardless of your fitness level. Remember to always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new exercise routine, especially if you have underlying health conditions. By consistently following these heart-strengthening exercises, you can enjoy the lasting benefits of a healthy cardiovascular system.