Heart disease is a leading cause of death among Indians and its prevalence is growing rampantly among the youth. According to a recent research report, Indians are nearly four times more susceptible to heart attacks than people in western countries with 25% of those generating such diseases to be under the age of 40. While some people with heart problems have genetic abnormalities or heart defects, many heart problems are actually preventable by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Inactivity is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. However, exercise helps improve heart health, and can even reverse some heart disease risk factors.
Like all muscles, the heart becomes stronger as a result of exercise, so it can pump more blood through the body with every beat and continue working at maximum level, if needed, with less strain. The resting heart rate of those who exercise is also slower, because less effort is needed to pump blood.
A person who exercises often and vigorously has the lowest risk for heart disease, but any amount of exercise is beneficial. Studies consistently find that light-to-moderate exercise is even beneficial in people with existing heart disease. Research reveals that people who maintain an active lifestyle have a 45% lower risk of developing heart disease than do sedentary people. Note, however, that anyone with heart disease or cardiac risk factors should seek medical advice before beginning a workout program.
Exercise has a number of effects that benefit the heart and circulation (blood flow throughout the body). These benefits include improving cholesterol and fat levels, reducing inflammation in the arteries, helping weight loss programs, and helping to keep blood vessels flexible and open. Studies continue to show that physical activity and avoiding high-fat foods are the two most successful means of reaching and maintaining heart-healthy levels of fitness and weight.
Typically performing moderately-intense exercise for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week is beneficial in maintaining a healthy heart. That said, experts have been attempting to define how much exercise is needed to produce heart benefits. Beneficial changes in cholesterol and lipid levels, including lower LDL (“bad” cholesterol) levels, occur even when people perform low amounts of moderate- or high-intensity exercise, such as walking or jogging 12 miles a week. However, more intense exercise is required to significantly change cholesterol levels, notably increasing HDL (“good” cholesterol). An example of this kind of intense program would be jogging about 20 miles a week. Benefits occur even with very modest weight loss, suggesting that overweight people who have trouble losing pounds can still achieve considerable heart benefits by exercising.
Some studies suggest that for the greatest heart protection, it is not the duration of a single exercise session that counts but the total weekly amount of energy expended. Resistance (weight) training has also been associated with heart protection. It may offer a complementary benefit to aerobics. That said, if you have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease, check with your doctor before starting resistance training.
