Along with eating the right foods, exercising also plays a major role in preventing illnesses such as heart disease. Strengthening muscles and the body can help manage chronic conditions while also aiding in preventative care. After all, the heart is a muscle, and living an active life can ultimately help down the road.

Here are some exercises that will get the heart pumping and muscles strengthened.

Interval Training

Interval training is not only good for preventing heart disease, but other diseases as well. Think bursts of high-intensity exercises combined with longer periods of active recovery. For the walking crowd, alternate the pace by doing three minutes at normal speed and then one minute of brisk walking. The benefits: raising and lowering the heart rate continuously improves vascular function and clears fat and sugar from the blood.

Yoga

This is great for lowering blood pressure and improving on the elasticity of the blood vessels. The stress-reducing nature of yoga exercises also works the core and tones the muscles.Non-impact SportsFor those with joint issues, non-impact sports can give a total body workout along with providing health benefits for a stronger cardiovascular system. Swimming and kayaking are good examples of non-impact sports that are easy on the joints.