Physical activity is one of the best gifts you can give your heart. Adding cardio exercise to your daily routine will help strengthen your heart and lungs, improving your circulation and reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease. Heart-pumping activity also helps your body release feel-good chemicals like endorphins, dopamine and serotonin that can lift your spirits. Exercise is good for your physical health, and it can also lift your mood and help you sleep better. These exercises can be done in the comfort of your own home, making it easy to get your heart pumping with simple, quick and fun heart-healthy movements.
Exercising Safely at Home
Before starting any exercise routine, speak to your doctor or specialist. You should only begin if you have received a cardiac rehabilitation assessment and started or completed a programme. Wear loose, comfortable clothes and have a glass of water nearby so you can drink during the session. Make sure the room is a comfortable temperature and open a window if needed. If you start to feel breathless, slow down your movements and slowly walk on the spot, or tap your feet. You should stop exercising and contact your GP or cardiac specialist if you have a high temperature, feel unwell, have pain in your chest, or your heartbeat feels irregular.
Starting With Seated Exercises
A seated exercise programme is designed to help individuals safely build their fitness, strength and confidence in the comfort of their own homes. It is particularly beneficial for those who find standing exercises challenging or prefer a lower intensity approach. Many heart-healthy exercises such as high knees, air punches and skipping can be performed seated or standing.
High Knees
High knees is a high-intensity, cardiovascular exercise that gets your heart pumping while engaging your core and strengthening your legs. Perform a two- to three-minute burst of high knees seated or standing.
Dancing
Pick your favourite track and let your body go. Dancing is not only a total body exercise, but it is also a fun way to get your heart pumping.
Air Punches
Non-contact boxing can be just as beneficial for your heart as running. Whether you sit or stand, keep your elbows soft and shoulders relaxed, and alternate throwing rapid punches in the air for three minutes. Air punches are a heart-healthy stress reliever.
Brisk Walking
Brisk walking at a pace of 100 steps per minute is an excellent cardio exercise that will warm you up, get your heart pumping and can even lift your spirits. Walk, wheel or roll around your home to get your heart pumping.
Skipping
Whether you do it with or without a rope, seated or standing, a well-performed skipping exercise will strengthen your heart, muscles and tendons to help you avoid injury and pain.
Skating Exercise
Skating is an excellent cardiovascular exercise. This skating exercise can give you the feeling of skating at home with all the same heart-healthy benefits. Hop from side to side on one foot, switching legs as if you are hopping over a puddle. Add in your arms to give you the full skating feeling.
Cardio Boxing-Inspired Workout
This is the exercise to pump up your heart. Make time for a cardio boxing-inspired workout for 20 minutes of heart-pumping fun.
Building Up With Progressive Programmes
There are progressive levels of exercise programmes for cardiac rehabilitation at home. Start with the seated exercise programme until you feel comfortable to progress to the next level. The higher the level, the more intense the exercise is. The most advanced programmes are designed for those who have progressed to a more advanced stage of cardiac rehab and can handle a higher intensity of exercise.
Home-Based Care With Hub and Spoke Health
Hub and Spoke Health provides in-home cardiac rehabilitation and mobile cancer care services, bringing professional support to patients recovering at home in a comfortable, familiar environment.
