Fat Heart

Exercise Helps Protect Your Heart
Exercise is very beneficial in protecting your heart - particularly once you take the other steps to reduce your risk.

Regular aerobic exercise increases the protective HDL cholesterol levels; and also increases the blood level of tpa, the natural clot-buster that is used in larger
amounts to stop heart attacks.

Exercise tends to both increase your collateral circulation by adding extra capillaries to bypass blockages and to increase the diameter of the major blood vessels enough to tend to prevent blockages.
And, of course, aerobic exercise strengthens your heart.

The ideal is to exercise almost every day - five or six days a week. But, even three or four nonconsecutive days will help.

It is important to put as many of the non-exercise heart protecting techniques in place as you can before beginning to exercise - or to add these techniques right away if you are already exercising vigorously.

This is extremely important if you have existing heart disease, have lots of risk factors, or have reason to suspect you have heart disease. It’s also important if you do or plan to do vigorous exercise.
And, if you have existing heart disease, let your doctor know you exercise or are beginning to.
You should be able to begin with five or ten minute walks at an easy pace with no trouble. Once you build up to twenty minute walks, that alone, if you do it at least five times a week, will help a lot. According to one study, you get a full forty percent of the health benefits of an ideal exercise program from 500 calories a week of exercise which five twenty minute walks will give you.

Even ten minutes three times a week will help; and, it’s a lot easier to build on than no exercise at all!
When you do get into a more vigorous exercise program, build up to full intensity gradually over a period of four to six weeks. You’re much less likely to overtax your heart; and you’re less likely to develop injuries.
It’s important to take the other steps to protect your heart before starting a vigorous exercise program - or to add those steps right away if you’re already exercising vigorously.

To repeat: If you have existing heart disease, coordinate your exercise plans with your doctor. For severe disease it may well be important for you to exercise in a supervised program - or at least to use feedback devices to be sure you avoid pushing your heart to too high a rate.

3 Responses to “Exercise Protects Your Heart”

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.