Exercise and heart health

Regular activity helps keep the heart healthy. In general, try to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise, such as walking at a brisk pace, on most days of the week. If that's more than you can do, start slowly and build up. Even five minutes a day of exercise has health benefits.

For a bigger health boost, get about 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a day, five days a week. Also do strength training exercises two or more days a week.

It's OK to break up your workouts into several 10-minute sessions during a day. You'll still get the same heart-health benefits.

Interval training switches between short bursts of intense activity and lighter activity. It can help people keep a healthy weight and improve blood pressure. To do this, try adding short bursts of jogging or fast walking into your regular walks.

You can also add exercise to your daily activities with these tips:

• Take the stairs instead of an elevator.
• Walk or ride your bike to work or to do errands.
• March in place while watching television.