National Heart Month Goals
For the duration of February, we’re going to be raising awareness of the British Heart Foundation’s awareness initiate, National Heart Month.
Since yesterday, you’ll have probably seen our social media channels, including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter that we’ve been using the hashtag ‘#NationalHeartMonth’ so we thought to add to the awareness, we’d go behind the scenes here at defibshop HQ and share with you what some of our team members plan to do to improve their heart health, this National Heart Month.
Sarah
At my local gym, there are Zumba classes. Now, many may mistake Zumba for a dance party, but you’d be surprised how much dancing can take it out of you!
The Latin music played during the Zumba classes are really up beat, meaning the dancing has to be quick too, which helps to increase your heart rate and blood flow.
Zumba involves the movement of my entire body, literally from head to toe so when I’m dancing, I’m actually enjoying a full body workout. Zumba has been known to improve people’s cardiovascular fitness as well as lowering their blood pressure too.
I’ve really been enjoying Zumba, so continuing with the classes throughout February and into the coming months will definitely put me on the path to a healthier heart.
James
Since August last year, I’ve been attending a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) class at my local gym. A few of my favourite athletes come from this sporting background so when I saw the class being offered, I couldn’t resist.
MMA is one of the many sports out there that helps to strengthen the heart muscle as well as all the other essential muscle groups. The strengthen heart muscle means that it will pump with more efficiency. More blood will be pumped out with each beat, allowing it to beat at a slower rate and helping to keep my blood pressure at a normal level.
The endurance and rigorous cardiovascular training of MMA also aids blood flow in the small blood vessels around the heart. Recent evidence even goes to show that exercise helps the body to make more connections between blood vessels, providing more routes for blood to travel.
I’ve also noticed that since starting MMA, I’ve been a lot happier and the happier I am, the healthier my heart is, so I’m definitely going to be carrying on with MMA for the foreseeable future.
Amair
As part of my New Year’s Resolution, I’ve been gradually increasing the time I spend running.
Running is a key exercise that can help lower my LDL (bad) cholesterol level and increase my HDL (good) cholesterol level. Running can also reduce my blood pressure too and both of these are key factors to lowering my chance of developing Heart Disease later in life.
Running will also lower my resting heart rate, meaning my heart is pumping more efficiently. It’s been found that athletic training can lower your resting heart rate by up to 10 to 20 beats a minute.
I want to ensure that I look after my heart so it can look after me, so by continually increasing my running, I’ll be lowering my chance of developing heart disease with each run.
Inspiration
So, there you have it. Have any of our staff members inspired you to set yourself a National Heart Month goal?
Many people don’t like change, but a simple change could benefit you in both the short-term and the long-term too.
Leave us a comment below on how you intend to get involved with National Heart Month, or head on over to our Twitter @defibshop and let us know what you’re doing to look after your heart for February and the months to come.
defibshop are committed to equipping everyone with the skills and knowledge to save a life. Speak to one of our Product Specialists on 0161 776 7422 or fill out our Contact Form.
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