Fitness and Keeping Fit
is an Important Factor in Avoiding Heart Disease.
According to the Center for Disease Control
(CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death among Americans,
with 23 million people diagnosed and nearly 1 million deaths annually.
That means that approximately 2,500 people die each day from heart
disease. The leading cause of death from heart disease is coronary
heart disease.
Physical fitness plays a key roll in preventing
heart disease.
Fitness and Coronary Heart Disease
A diet that is high in cholesterol contributes
to the build up of fatty deposits called plaque in the arteries.
If too much plaque forms in the arteries, they become clogged, reducing
the amount of blood and oxygen that circulate through the arteries
in the circulatory system.
The coronary arteries are the arteries that supply
the heart muscle with oxygen. If they get blocked by these fatty
deposits or by a blood clot and insufficient oxygen reaches the
heart muscle, the heart muscle dies, when this occurs it is called
a MI or a heart attack.
While a proper diet is important to good health,
a daily exercise regiment will increase the caloric expenditure
of the body, not allowing additional fat to buildup up in the body
and bloodstream.
A daily exercise regiment also helps to build
collateral arteries that supply additional oxygen to the heart muscle.
Additionally, the endorphins released during a exercise routine
modulate the appetite, thereby avoiding over eating and being over
weight which is a major risk factor for heart disease.
Fitness and Hypertension
So how does fitness help to lower hypertension?
During prolonged fitness routines, such as running,
our body releases a chemical known as endorphins. Endorphins act
as a natural pain reliever and can lead to feelings of euphoria
which reduces the negative effects of stress. The longer the exercise
regiment, the more endorphins are released, and the less stress
that is felt.
Fitness regiments have also been proven to help
lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 8 to 10 mm Hg.
Fitness and Weight Loss
Putting a lawn mower engine in a pickup truck
and expecting it to run effectively is similar to what we are asking
our heart to do if we are overweight. An exercise program is a great
way to help shed weight and lighten the work load of our heart.
By participating in a daily cardiovascular fitness
regiment, we are burning calories and strengthening our heart. Exercising
and keeping fit help us to burn more calories than we normally would
in our daily activities, and if our bodies use more calories than
they take in, weight loss occurs.
Fitness and Smoking
When someone smokes his or her capacity to exercise
is limited. Participating in fitness program is a great incentive
to stop smoking. Doing so will enhance lung capacity, oxygen use,
and strengthen the heart.
Quitting smoking isn't just a recommendation
it's a must, it is a major risk factor for heart disease. I wrote
an article about quitting-smoking and how it can be accomplished;
you can read about it here.
or you can find more information at
As quitting smoking and being fit go hand in
hand, it surely worthwhile to do both ensuring ourselves that we
are doing our best to avoid heart disease.
Fitness and Age
The older we get, the more at risk we are for
heart disease. A daily exercise program intended to keep us fit
not only helps to reduce the risk of heart disease as we age, but
also helps to keep our muscles and bones strong for a longer period
of time.
It is Never too Late you Can Start Exercising Now
Even if you have been diagnosed with heart disease,
starting a daily exercise program can help to slow and possibly
reverse heart disease. Recent studies show that daily exercise programs
and staying fit in combination with non-smoking, healthy diet, and
weight loss significantly reduce the progression of heart disease.
It is generally accepted that for recovery of
heart disease, and for avoiding heart disease, all three types of
exercises are necessary, cardiovascular exercises, weight lifting
exercises, and stretching exercises. In cardiac rehabilitation and
in all books that recommend exercise for heart patients, all three
types are recommended. If You need advice on how to start you can
ask the advice of these online
personal trainers, they can instruct you on what activities
are considered to be a proper aerobic exercise for heart health.
Benefits of Exercise: a Longer Life, a Better Life!
Apart from contributing to a more robust, solid heart, exercise
also contributes to your psychological and physical well-being.
Your capabilities for handling stress become better, thus reducing
your chances for high blood pressure, which can lead to stroke and
heart problems. You also feel and look better, because muscle strengthening
and flexibility exercises lead to muscles that are more toned.
Your joints become stronger, and your skin becomes more elastic.
Notice how people seem to look younger - and happier - once they
start an exercise program that has become part of their daily routine.
The benefits of exercise are numerous. Sometimes the results
are obvious while some of them are hidden, hidden in the sense that
they benefit your mental and psychological abilities, such as your
stress-coping skills and your emotional balance.
You may not realize it, but if you're a regular exerciser, the
benefits of exercise reinforce what psychologists commonly refer
to as your coping mechanisms.
Disclaimer: The information
that I am writing on these pages are for educational purposes only,
and are intended to inspire us to learn more about heart disease.
By doing so we can learn how to eliminate the leading cause of death,
and create a better life for us and our children. I am only a heart
patient, in no way should what I am writing, replace any medical
advice given to you by your doctors.
|
Heart
