Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Low impact practices
• Part 2 of 3: Moderate impact practices
• Part 3 of 3: High impact practices
• Warnings

Studies show that just 30 minutes of activities that increase your heart rate have profound health benefits. In addition, a lower heart rate as you get older can cause you to feel cold more quickly. To counter this, you can participate in some exercise every day. There are many ways to get your heart rate up without exercise, but they don't have a positive effect on your health, because no muscles are activated.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Low impact practices

1. Change how you sit. Instead of sitting in a chair as usual, you can sit on a fitness ball (you know, that kind of gym ball). For this, your muscles will have to work harder to sit upright and balanced. What you can also do is just stand up as much as possible throughout the day. Yes, even these small adjustments will increase your heart rate.
2. Change how you go somewhere. Instead of parking as close to your work or the supermarket as possible, you can go a bit further. Instead of taking the elevator for just one or two floors, you can just take the stairs. By being just a little more active, you can increase your heart rate.
3. Stretch. Stretch after moving to get your heart rate higher than when you are in a resting position. Good stretches are calf stretches, hamstring stretches, and shoulder stretches.
4. Walk around. From now on, go somewhere on foot or just go for a walk. Walking is a great way to increase your heart rate. You don't even have to go really fast! For a normal pace, your body will have to work hard enough to get your heart rate up.
5. Have sex. It may sound strange, but sex is actually a great way to get your heart rate up. With some foreplay, you can easily achieve that daily 30 minutes of increased heart rate. Just 30 minutes of gentle physical activity will burn over 100 calories!
6. Do yoga or tai chi. If you have trouble with standard exercises, you can do yoga or tai chi. This will increase your heart rate and is a good form of low impact physical exercise that can correct weight and muscle or joint problems.

Part 2 of 3: Moderate impact practices

1. Start jogging. Jogging (which is relatively slow and focuses on performing the correct running motion) is an excellent way to increase your heart rate. However, start with lower impact exercises before starting. Starting exercises with a higher impact too soon can lead to muscle injuries.
2. Go on hiking trips. Not only will walking increase your heart rate, but you will also experience the incredible world around you. You can go hiking in local nature reserves, or even just in your own town or village. All you need is a route with perhaps a number of inclines.
3. Go for a swim. Swimming is a good exercise that has the advantage that there is hardly any pressure on your joints. That is why swimming is very useful if you have problems with your weight or joints that normally prevent you from moving.
4. Go cycling. Cycle through your own neighborhood or find a place with good cycle paths without too many interruptions from traffic lights and motorways. You can also use your bicycle as a daily means of transport for short to medium distances. You can determine your own pace and because you can choose the route yourself, you have control over the difficulty of your training.
5. Practice skipping rope. You may think this is for kids, but in reality this is an incredibly good exercise. In no time at all you will start breathing very quickly and your heart rate will have risen enormously. Make sure the jump rope is long enough for you. A kid's jump rope will probably be too short for you.

Part 3 of 3: High impact practices

1. Go indoor mountaineering. Indoor mountaineering is safe, especially in front of employees, and is a great way to get your heart rate up and get fit. It may be a somewhat expensive activity, but doing it every now and then certainly won't hurt!
2. Go for a run. Make the transition from jogging to running at a brisk pace. A good running path is important to be able to run comfortably and to minimize the risk of injury. Running will make your heart rate soar.
3. Do pushups. It sounds like one of those unnecessarily strenuous and uncomfortable exercises, but actually it is a very good exercise that will definitely get your heart rate up and develop your chest, shoulders and triceps. That coach who always made you do pushups, didn't do that for nothing! Always make sure you warm up well before starting these types of exercises.
4. Do squats. Squats, or knee bends in Dutch, are an exercise in which you stand up straight and then sink through your legs. You bring your butt back and push your knees out. Try to sink as low as possible for as long as it feels comfortable. As you get better at the exercise, deepen your squats. Squats develop your core and will increase your heart rate. It also helps you sit upright better.
5. Do so-called burpies. In this exercise you start in a standing position. Then you do a pushup and jump up again, after which the exercise repeats. Do each rep as quickly as possible and your heart will start beating very fast.

Warnings

• Do not exaggerate. Keep your heart rate below 60% of your maximum heart rate. This number ranges from about 164 in the teens to about 116 in the elderly. Higher numbers than that can put too much strain on your heart.