{"id":28903,"date":"2020-08-05T10:23:15","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T08:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/?p=28903"},"modified":"2020-08-05T10:23:15","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T08:23:15","slug":"4-ways-to-keep-your-heart-and-lungs-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/4-ways-to-keep-your-heart-and-lungs-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Keep Your Heart and Lungs Healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As cases of cardiovascular diseases increase across the world, it&#8217;s now more important than ever to ensure your heart and lungs are in tip-top shape. Physical exercise is essential to keeping your heart and lungs healthy. In fact, studies show that you\u00a0are twice as likely to develop heart disease if you have an inactive lifestyle. To help you in your quest to get moving, here are 4 ways to keep your heart and lungs healthy during this time and in the future.<\/p>\n<h3>Get active<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25009 aligncenter\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/plus-size-sports-bra-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"fitness\" width=\"704\" height=\"469\" srcset=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/plus-size-sports-bra-300x200.jpeg 300w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/plus-size-sports-bra-104x69.jpeg 104w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/plus-size-sports-bra.jpeg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 704px) 100vw, 704px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Regular exercise makes your muscles, heart and lungs stronger. As your physical fitness improves, your body becomes more efficient at getting oxygen into the bloodstream and transporting it to the working muscles. To get started on your fitness journey\u00a0try walking, jogging, or running to stay active. If hitting the streets isn&#8217;t for you, then you can also work out from home.<\/p>\n<p>To make it easier to track your progress and get valuable insight into your heart health, consider investing in a sports watch with a built-in heart rate monitor. This will help you keep track of your workouts and see how your fitness is improving over time.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Find the best prices on sports watches and activity trackers online with PriceCheck:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pricecheck.co.za\/categories\/13242\/Activity+Trackers?utm_source=blog.pricecheck.co.za&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=blog_4_Ways_to_Keep_Your_Heart_and_Lungs_Healthy&amp;utm_content=4_Ways_to_Keep_Your_Heart_and_Lungs_Healthy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-21641 size-medium\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Buttons_ViewOffers-300x57.png\" alt=\"view offers\" width=\"300\" height=\"57\" srcset=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Buttons_ViewOffers-300x57.png 300w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Buttons_ViewOffers.png 550w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>2. Take a hike<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28856 aligncenter\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Thule_hike-300x169.jpeg\" alt=\"Hiking\" width=\"701\" height=\"395\" srcset=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Thule_hike-300x169.jpeg 300w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Thule_hike-768x432.jpeg 768w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Thule_hike.jpeg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Exercising outdoors has\u00a0many benefits, including breath-taking views, fresh air, and the joy of being at one with nature. Hiking is a great form of outdoors exercise and has several health benefits, providing a powerful cardio workout. Hiking improves your blood pressure and blood sugar levels. It also strengthens your core and boosts your mood.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Get a good night&#8217;s sleep<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28904 aligncenter\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/sleepig-300x169.jpeg\" alt=\"sleeping\" width=\"705\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/sleepig-300x169.jpeg 300w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/sleepig-768x432.jpeg 768w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/sleepig.jpeg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 705px) 100vw, 705px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>While the phrase \u2018well-rested\u2019 means different things to different people, the common thread remains the importance of having quality sleep of 7-8 hours every night. Studies show that missing out on quality sleep has serious consequences on the body. Sleep deprivation can weaken your immune system, leaving you vulnerable to respiratory problems.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re still feeling tired or run down after waking up from sleeping a good 7 or 8 hours, you may need to take more steps to track and improve your sleep. Investing in an activity tracker, like Fitbit, will help you monitor your sleep and analyse your quality of sleep every morning. Many activity trackers with built-in sleep tracking functionality help those with difficulty sleeping get a handle on the underlying issue with their sleep and improve their sleep patterns over time.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Find the best prices on activity trackers online with PriceCheck:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pricecheck.co.za\/categories\/13242\/Activity+Trackers?utm_source=blog.pricecheck.co.za&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=blog_4_Ways_to_Keep_Your_Heart_and_Lungs_Healthy&amp;utm_content=4_Ways_to_Keep_Your_Heart_and_Lungs_Healthy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-21641 size-medium\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Buttons_ViewOffers-300x57.png\" alt=\"view offers\" width=\"300\" height=\"57\" srcset=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Buttons_ViewOffers-300x57.png 300w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Buttons_ViewOffers.png 550w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>4. Do breathing exercises<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28905 aligncenter\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/breathing_in-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"breathe\" width=\"705\" height=\"470\" srcset=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/breathing_in-300x200.jpeg 300w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/breathing_in-104x69.jpeg 104w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/breathing_in.jpeg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 705px) 100vw, 705px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Over time, our lung capacity and lung function typically decrease slowly as we age. Breathing properly is a powerful tool that can be used to reduce stress and anxiety in everyday life. Fortunately, there are exercises that can help maintain and increase lung capacity, making it easier to keep your lungs healthy and get your body the oxygen it needs.<\/p>\n<p>Set aside some time daily to pay attention to your breathing, do some breathing exercises and improve your lung function. It\u2019s particularly important for people who live a busy life to practise proper breathing.\u00a0Breathing exercises don\u2019t have to take a lot of time out of your day. It\u2019s really just about setting aside some time to pay attention to your breathing and perform a few simple exercises.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Find the best prices on gym equipment online with PriceCheck:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pricecheck.co.za\/categories\/8431\/Gym+Equipment?utm_source=blog.pricecheck.co.za&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=blog_How_To_Clean_Gym_Equipment_When_You_Return_To_The_Gym&amp;utm_content=How_To_Clean_Gym_Equipment_When_You_Return_To_The_Gym\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-21641 size-medium\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Buttons_ViewOffers-300x57.png\" alt=\"view offers\" width=\"300\" height=\"57\" srcset=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Buttons_ViewOffers-300x57.png 300w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Buttons_ViewOffers.png 550w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Follow these tips to keep your heart and lungs in top shape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":28906,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"amp_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1552,2849],"tags":[6831,365,6830,6829,2746,6828,6827,3111,6826],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/breathing_exercise.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28903"}],"collection":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28903"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28923,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28903\/revisions\/28923"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}