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heart health

I'm about to tape my mouth closed to sleep better

So I just did a thing

I've been working on my breath for a while now - first to help with pelvic floor issues (thank you Hypopressives), then to help with stress (Hyoppressives and slow breathing techniques along with vagal nerve work)

These have been very effective and are easy to fit in

But there are two markers that have been bothering me for a while

One is my average number of breaths per minute

When I first started it was around 16 breaths.  According to Patrick McKeown anything above …

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What Is WalkFit and Who Is It For?

I'm nursing a bit of an injury to my achilles at the moment and have had to cut down on how far I walk each day

Friday I was even unsure I would be able to do my class

But WalkFit was actually the perfect thing - enough to mobilise my ankle without over-doing it!

One class member last week also found it the perfect way back into exercise after illness

That's one reason WalkFit is great

For others, it's about easing in to a new fitness habit

Some of the participants who started my Fit in Fi…

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Heart health - the final part of the puzzle

So far we've looked at a few things that can help with heart health, for various reasons:

  • cardio exercise - strengthens the heart and lungs
  • strength exercise - lowers blood pressure
  • Pilates/yoga/mobility - reducing stiffness in the upper body, which will reduce arterial stiffness

The final part to consider is - relaxation, stress management and sleep

Insomnia at midlife can raise a woman's risk of a heart attack by 70%

Exercising can help with stress reduction, relaxation and sleep - j…

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Muscular stiffness and your heart

So far we've looked at heart health in women, particularly around menopause, and how movement can help you - both cardio and strength workouts.

But where does that leave mind body exercises like Pilates and yoga?

As I said last week, bodyweight strength counts as much as lifting weights does - so any squat, lunge, hinge, push, pull moves you might be doing will help with lowering blood pressure in the same way.

But there is another reason why it helps

Stiffness in the upper body is related t…

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Can squats help your heart?

Exercise is great for heart health, but is it only cardio-type workouts that make a difference?

Or can strength training help too?

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