If you want a healthy heart, you need to add a good dose of physical activity and daily exercise to your schedule. In fact, the lack of daily exercise is what leads to the development of coronary artery disease, as well as other heart problems. Coronary artery disease is typified by the buildup of calcium, cholesterol and other fatty substances in the inner lining of the arteries, which provide the flow of blood to your heart muscle. Exercising daily is so important to the well being and health of your heart that even exercise viewed as not intense (such as daily walking) can go a long way to keeping a healthy heart.

In short, daily exercise is good for your heart because it significantly helps to lower your risk of both primary as well as secondary cardiovascular disease. The more daily exercise you fit into your schedule on a regular basis, the more it increases your level of fitness and, as a result, the more your capacity for daily exercising is expanded. If you have had trouble with diabetes, being obese or even any abnormalities in your blood lipid levels, daily exercising will go a long way towards managing these conditions with more success. Likewise, if you have experienced problems with high blood pressure, then simply exercising daily will have a positive effect on your aim to lower your blood pressure.

If you are serious about providing your heart with real health benefits, then do some either moderate or intense aerobic exercises for at least 30 minutes, every day of the week. You must also get yourself to a level of exertion where you are doing the exercises at 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. Don't feel like you have to be weighed down by keeping an inflexible schedule. If you can't fit in the 30 minute recommendation all in one session, you can get your exercise in by way of installments. For instance, split up your exercise session into two 15-minute sessions at different times of the day if you find that works more conveniently based on your own schedule. The important lesson is that you need regular activity to benefit your heart, even if you break up your activity sessions.

Some of the simplest exercises can work wonders for your heart. Stair climbing, jogging, fast-paced walking, aerobic exercises, hiking, rowing, swimming, bicycling and even sports like soccer and basketball work, especially if you run constantly during the sport. To get the most benefits for your heart, be sure to exercise at a rate that exceeds at least 50 percent of your maximum heart rate, or your average exercise capacity. Be sure not to exert yourself excessively.