Starting a Exercise Program For Heart Health

Your Exercise Program: Is It Working? If you have had a few fitness trainers draw up a program for you, you might have noticed recurring themes that define a good exercise regiment.

Opinions differ as to what makes a program effective or not; the ultimate test undoubtedly would be concrete results in terms of weight maintenance, muscle tone, stronger joints and overall strength and cardiovascular endurance.

If you feel and look well, are happy, and can run for that bus and carry those grocery bags without feeling out of breath, then you know that your exercise program has succeeded (or is succeeding).

Components of an Effective Exercise Program

What are some of the many factors that make an exercise program successful? One idea being promoted by numerous fitness experts is "variation". People tend to get emotionally attached to their exercise program the way they get attached to their stock portfolio. If they let go, they're afraid that changing into another program might not be as effective for their muscles and bones.

As a beginner, by all means, stick to your exercise program. You're supposed to do as your trainer says. But when you start to see remarkable results, and you've reached a comfort level, you may want to change your exercise program so that you work other muscles that were either un-worked or under-worked in your first program. This is called challenging yourself. The trend these days is to change programs every four to six weeks.

A good exercise program is one that allows you to have sufficient rest periods. Unless you're training for a competition, follow an exercise program that allows your muscles to recover from strain and wear and tear. Note that as one fitness expert put it, muscles don't grow in the gym, they grow outside the gym. So avoid too rigorous a workout. Instead of obtaining the expected benefits, you may actually be depriving your body of proper conditioning.

Combining Aerobic and Weight Resistance Training: a Must for any Exercise Program

The key nowadays is to harmonize all muscle groups into an exercise program. Putting special emphasis on the heart - no doubt the most important muscle - is essential, indeed a life-saving strategy. It uses oxygen and plays a significant role in the flow of blood. This is why it is an excellent idea to combine aerobic exercise with weight resistance training.

Aerobic exercise enhances the pumping function of the heart, so that it pumps more blood and increases the body's capacity to move oxygen supply quicker from the lungs to the heart and to the rest of the body.

Researchers report that aerobics assists in circulation and lowering blood pressure, thereby eliminating pressure on the heart. As the amount of blood increases, red blood cells as well as hemoglobin increase, making the heart a smoother transporter of oxygen. Aerobic exercise incorporated into an exercise program also helps maintain good cholesterol levels (HDL), improve blood flow, and lead to overall better heart performance.

Designing an Exercise Program: Include the Heart!

The heart is a beautiful muscle. From it flows life, exuberant life, and yet the sad truth is that so many very intelligent individuals neglect it. There is evidence of this neglect in the statistics that follow (data provided by the Franklin Institute online):

Cardiovascular disease is America's # 1 killer. In one year alone in the 1990s, more than 923,000 Americans died from heart and blood vessel diseases. The cause of death for more than two of every five Americans is cardiovascular disease. Today, more than 2,500 Americans die from some form of heart disease each day. Every year, at least 250,000 people die of heart attacks before they reach a hospital. Half of all heart attack victims wait more than two hours before getting help.

Studies also show that people with lower educational levels are more likely to suffer from attacks. About 3 million Americans suffer occasional chest pain. As many as 50 million Americans have high blood pressure, the # 1 cause of heart disease, and 35% of them don't know it! And the good news is: high blood pressure can be easily detected and controlled.

Convinced? Then get into an exercise program! It can save you from heart disease, or improve the functioning of your heart after recovering from a heart ailment. Make it you #1 priority.