A sedentary (inactive) lifestyle is one of the top risk factors for heart disease. Fortunately, it's a risk factor that you can do something about. Regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise, has many benefits. It can:
- Strengthen your heart and cardiovascular system
- Improve your circulation and help your body use oxygen better
- Improve heart failure symptoms in some people with congestive heart failure
- Increase energy levels so you can do more activities without becoming tired or short of breath
- Increase endurance
- Lower blood pressure
- Improve muscle tone and strength
- Improve balance and joint flexibility
- Strengthen bones
- Reduce body fat and help you reach and maintain a healthy weight
- Reduce stress, tension, anxiety, and depression
- Boost self-image and self-esteem
- Improve sleep
- Make you feel more relaxed and rested
- Make you look fit and feel healthy
How Do I Start Exercising?
Always check with your doctor first before starting
an exercise program. Your doctor can help you find a program that
matches your level of fitness and physical condition. Here are some
questions to ask:
- How much exercise can I do each day?
- How often can I exercise each week?
- What type of exercise should I do?
- What type of activities should I avoid?
- Should I take my medication(s) at a certain time around my exercise schedule?
- Do I have to take my pulse while exercising?
What Type of Exercise Is Best?
Exercise can be divided into three basic types:
- Stretching or the slow lengthening of the muscles. Dynamic stretching before exercising helps prepare the muscles for activity and helps prevent injury and muscle strain. Regular stretching also increases your range of motion and flexibility.
- Cardiovascular or aerobic exercise is steady physical activity using large muscle groups. This type of exercise strengthens the heart and lungs and improves the body's ability to use oxygen. Aerobic exercise has the most benefits for your heart. Over time, aerobic exercise can help decrease your heart rate and blood pressure and improve your breathing (since your heart won't have to work as hard during exercise).
- Strengthening exercises are repeated muscle contractions (tightening) until the muscle becomes tired. For people with heart failure, some strengthening exercises may not be recommended (see below).
What Are Examples of Aerobic Exercises?
Aerobic exercises include: walking, jogging, jumping
rope, bicycling (stationary or outdoor), cross-country skiing, skating,
rowing, low-impact aerobics, and water aerobics.
How Often Should I Exercise?
In general, to achieve maximum benefits, you should
gradually work up to an aerobic session lasting 20 to 30 minutes, at
least three to four times a week. The American Heart Association
recommends that you ultimately exercise most days of the week. While the
more exercise you can do the better, any amount of exercise is
beneficial to your health.
0 comments:
Post a Comment