Content provided in partnership with
Heart-smart workouts: regular exercise is a good defense against cardiovascular disease
Ebony, Feb, 2005
HOW'S your heart? The answer could depend on how much exercise you get. A person who leads a sedentary lifestyle is two times as likely to develop heart disease as an individual who is physically active. But there is hope, even for couch potatoes. Moderate-intensity exercise can help lower the risk of heart disease, which claims the lives of 37 percent of Blacks who die each year, beating out cancer (22 percent), according to the American Heart Association.
Whether you have cardiovascular disease, or whether you are at risk for the illness, or simply want to live "heart-smart," beginning an effective exercise regimen--after consulting with your doctor--is a key step to a healthier, longer life.
GET MOVING
"The key thing is aerobic exercise," says Dr. Jennifer Mieres, director of nuclear cardiology at North Shore University Hospital in New York. "Aerobic exercise can be beneficial to heart disease. Even brisk walking a few times a week."
The American Heart Association recommends walking for a healthy heart and has an entire section on its Web site dedicated to walking (www.justmove.org). Walking at vigorous levels for 30 to 60 minutes on most days of the week can give you more energy, lessen stress, help you lose weight, and reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease.
"The good news is that there are simple steps that you can take," says Dr. Mieres, who notes that even if you cannot make it to the gym every day, it is wise to try to incorporate a fitness plan into your daily schedule. It is also important to consult your physician before starting a new exercise program or dramatically increasing your activity level.
* If you ride the train or the bus, get off a few stops before your stop and walk the rest of the way home or to work.
* Do some form of moderate-intensity exercise for 20 minutes each day, such as dancing, stationary cycling, floor exercises or lifting flee-weights.
* Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
* Instead of snacking in front of the television at night, do chores around the house.
* Have dinner and then go out dancing, bowling or skating.
AEROBICS FOR THE HEART
Aerobic exercise, which promotes cardiovascular fitness, includes activities that increase the blood flow to the heart.
Cycling is one of the best forms of aerobic exercise. One study suggests that a person new to cycling can reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 22 percent, just by covering short distances.
Other high-impact aerobic activities include brisk walking, hiking, skiing, skating, jumping rope, running or jogging, swimming, rowing, soccer and basketball. Try resistance training, or weight lifting, another component of good fitness, which increases strength, decreases body fat and helps regulate blood cholesterol levels. Exercise is good for the heart because it helps increase the HDL cholesterol (or good cholesterol) in the blood.
As Dr. Mieres points out to her patients, "Moving the body on a daily basis is the key."
COPYRIGHT 2005 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
Find Research Guides for:
Find Featured Titles for: Business
- Academy of Marketing Science Review
- Accounting Historians Journal, The
- Accounting History
- AgExporter
- Agricultural Research
- Agricultural and Resource Economics Review
- Air Force Comptroller
- Air Safety Week
- Airline Industry Information
- American Demographics
- American Journal of Potato Research
- Architectural Review, The
- Asian Economic News
- Entrepreneur