4 Things You Can Do At Home For Your Cardio Health
By Adele Whipps, The Fem Word Contributor
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
We all know that cardio health is essential, especially for women. According to the CDC, “heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, killing 314,186 women in 2020.”
Still, it’s tough to find time to take care of yourself, especially when life gets hectic. So what can you do to help yourself and your health without taking extra time out of your schedule? Read ahead to discover some easy ways to fit in at-home cardio health exercise. Your heart will thank you!
Take A Walkabout
Challenge yourself to explore an area around your neighborhood and get in some extra steps. This is a great way to find a public park within walking distance, or even a walker-friendly route to a place you would normally drive. “Aerobic exercise improves circulation, which results in lowered blood pressure and heart rate,” according to John Hopkins Medicine.
Do you have a furry friend at home? Give your favorite pet some love and start a walking schedule that includes them. Once they get into the habit of going out, it will encourage you to keep it up so that you don’t let them down. No pet? Invite a friend over and set up a weekly walk. Getting someone in on the activity makes it seem more fun and less of a slog. It also helps keep you accountable.
Spring Cleaning
Did you know that performing household chores is also a wonderful way to stay active and burn calories? From cleaning the bathroom to cooking a meal, you can burn anywhere from 85 to 360 calories an hour depending on the activity.
According to Good Housekeeping, mopping can burn up to 405 calories an hour –, or the equivalent to up to 340 squat thrusts. If that doesn’t get you motivated to break out the mop, there are plenty of other activities that involve cleaning with equally impressive stats: vacuuming has the power to up to 387 calories per hour!
Turn Your Living Room Into a Dance Floor (Or Yoga Studio)
Dance like no one’s watching. Turn up your favorite tunes and pretend you’re in your own music video. Don’t worry about looking cool, because just getting your heart rate up is a major benefit. If you’re not a choreographer by nature but would like to be, look up a video of a dance workout and follow along. It takes as little as 15 minutes.
If dancing isn’t your thing, at-home yoga videos are equally easy to find, and only require a yoga mat, or even a skid-resistant rug. While yoga isn’t a cardio-heavy activity, maintaining flexibility is an important cornerstone to help keep your body pain-free during more rigorous exercises. Yoga also provides a great way to mentally reset and helps not only your physical balance but your emotional well-being.
Multi-Task Two Healthy Habits At Once
Do you own an electric toothbrush? Most automatic toothbrushes are set to a timer. Use that timer to your advantage and perform standing exercises while you brush. Even if you don’t have an electric toothbrush, set a timer on your phone and you’re good to go.
Perfect your squats, or squeeze in some lunges (on both sides, not just one!), and it’ll be over before you know it. Two minutes adds up when you’re doing these exercises twice a day without losing any valuable time. Be sure to look up the proper stances for standing exercises to ensure that you are getting the most out of your exercise and not secretly hurting yourself!
Be sure to do your research on proper form so that you exercise safely
Remember, There Is No “Right Way” To Stay Healthy
These are just some ways to stay active during downtime but every person is different. The important thing is that you find an activity appealing enough, or simple enough, that you stick with it. You’ll be doing yourself a favor by preventing more serious issues like coronary heart disease or heart attacks.
By fitting in routines into your everyday schedule you can stay ahead of
A big thank you to our partners at Montgomery Cardiology for supporting this piece! Together, we hope to bring your many more simple health guides to help you make the most out of your everyday life.
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