Exercise for maximum heart protection!

Kenneth Gardner, Fitness club

Inactivity is a major contributor to heart disease. Exercise improves the health of our heart and it can even reverse some heart disease risk factors. Our heart becomes stronger when we exercise, so it is capable of pumping more blood throughout our body and also continues to work at a maximum level with less effort.

Persons who exercise tend to develop a lower resting heart rate and require less effort to support circulation. Regular exercise that increases our heart rate to our target zone will reduce our risk of heart disease. Likewise, persons who have heart disease enjoy improved heart function by performing light to moderate exercise.

Fat and cholesterol levels

Exercise improves the fat and cholesterol levels in the blood which, in turn, reduces the inflammation of our arteries. Improvements in the blood fat and cholesterol levels have been recognised when persons perform a low amount of moderate intensity exercise on a regular basis over an extended period. However, more improvements are seen in the increase of the good cholesterol levels when the exercise is pursued for a longer duration.

Exercise improves the flexibility of our blood vessels, which is critical to blood flow and the control of high blood pressure. Moderate to intense exercise, at least 30 minutes for most days of the week, has been recommended by the American Heart Association. Persons who lead an active lifestyle enjoy a 45 per cent lower risk of developing heart disease than those who are inactive.

Persons who only experience modest weight loss by exercising also enjoy many other health benefits. Therefore, overweight persons who experience difficulties losing weight will also gain improvements in their heart function, blood circulation and blood composition when they exercise.

In order to maximise your heart protection, the total amount of exercise you perform for the week and your overall energy expenditure are of greater significance than the duration of any single exercise session. Weight-training exercises have been used to complement the benefits of aerobic activities for increased protection of the heart.

Get medical advice

Normally, high-intensity exercises are not as effective in reducing blood pressure because they are of a shorter duration. However, weight training has also been used to complement aerobic activities to enhance the protection of our heart.

Persons who have heart disease or risk factors of heart disease should seek medical advice before they embark on an exercise programme. Intense physical activity is risky, especially for the elderly. Some persons may need to commence their programme under medical supervision. An awareness of some of the warning signs of heart disease, such as shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat and chest pain, should not be ignored, even more so if they are associated with your exercise activities.

Persons who have experienced heart failure improve considerably when progressive resistance exercise is included in their rehabilitation. It strengthens their muscles, which are usually weakened after such an event.

Dr Kenneth Gardner is an exercise physiologist at Holiday Hills Research Center; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.